We don't often review the gimmicky stuff here at KitGuru. To be honest, we really use up far too much time on in-depth, world-class reviews of the hardcore kit you spend most of your free money on. But every now and then, something lands in the KitGuru Labs that can't be ignored. DJ Teddy is one such item. KitGuru plugs in a jack and checks out the bear's behind.
We've all had times when the only music around was the tiny sound of a mobile phone speaker, trying desperately to fill a room with sounds. Having sat the phone on a speaker, along the top of a mug, inside a box, at one end of a paper funnel, under a cooker hood etc – you can rest assured that we have tried everything possible to make the sub 3 watt wave generator of a mobile sound good. But it just doesn't.
In the same way that the quality of the lens, size of the sensor and distance between them are all crucial elements that divide real cameras from phone cams, so the size and quality of a real speaker means that a phone unit just can't compete.
In recent times, we've seen a proliferation of X-mini type speakers. These are good. In some cases, great. We can't knock them – especially when daisy chained together to form a mini-wall-of-sound.
But they just aren't cuddly.
Also, they don't provide protection for your valuable mobile phone.
Enter DJ Teddy, imported by Satzuma and supplied for review by Target Components.
While DJ Teddy might be missing eyes (strange one that), he more than makes up for it with a pair of punchy speakers built into his feet.
His arms can be manoeuvred – perfect for ‘hugging a mobile phone' placed in his lap and attached to DJ Ted's amp via a standard 3.5mm jack that originates near his belly button. Umbilical stuff.
At the back, you can slide a zip down his spine to reveal a battery compartment that takes a pair of AA batteries.
Overall sound quality is good – way better than a built-in speaker – but you need to weigh the audio output against the lack of a built-in recharger and the stiff competition from the X-Mini products.
That said, he is cute as can be, costs the same as half a tank of petrol and, unlike X-Minis, will cuddle up next to you on the sofa or in bed [Not that we'd ever need that kind of comforting, honest – Ed].
The use of a standard jack means that DJ Teddy is compatible with almost every music generation device in the market and there's no denying his ‘gift value' for somegeek you know/love and want to impress for Valentine's Day.
To find your nearest stockist, click here.
We had a load of ‘Paws the music' and ‘Paws for thought' jokes, but we decided to leave them out of this mini-review.
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Pros
- Cute
- Loud
- makes a great gift
Cons
- Not rechargeable
- A little expensive
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KitGuru says: We're expecting DJ Teddy to rock into stores at just over £25. Ours is NOT going back, he will be providing smooth sounds while we shoot models in the KitGuru Studios. Hard life DJ Teddy, hard life.
Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.
come on kit old chap give it away dont be stingy and mean…………..:-)