iPets : i-Cy product reviews

I have had the chance to play around with many of the i-Toys and I have to say that this one is definitely the one for me. Y'see my car has a clapped out tapedeck and a shoddy aerial connection so I get the chance to listen to dozens of varieties of static with a bit of music occasionally breaking through. The purchase of a portable CD-player with a car tape-deck adaptor turned out to be a bad choice, since that is how I discovered my tape-deck was stuffed.
When the nice folks at Kr offered this to me, I finally had a chance to see if I could actually listen to music as I drove around. With some creative use of self-adhesive cable-tidy clips and some stick-on velco dots I was able to mount the CD player and i-Cy on the dashboard. Time to test it...
Sticking one of my favourite albums into the player and activating my little penguin pal by giving his nose a quick squeeze, I was greeted by some strange noises as he woke up. First impression was that it was broken, but no, they just programmed some wierd noises as a signal to let you know it was working. Second impressions are that the speaker is just as tinny as the other i-Toys so you might want to stick to music that doesn't have much bass.
Now this little i-Toy isn't actually designed for cars, it's more for desks and tables, but it has such a small footprint that it is well suited for vehicles, if you secure it. A couple of screws through the flippers will do the trick, but velcro dots are an excellent options. Strong and secure, yet removable for those scortching summer days when you don't want to return to a dancing blob of dripping goo squarking your favourite tunes at you. Taking 3 'AAA' sized batteries means that you need to keep a few spare packs in your glovebox, but I tested mine for a good 4 hours solid without any signs of flagging, so big kudos there.
Now, unlike the more functional i-Fish, this little fella doesn't have any volume controls, and no way to stop him dancing, which can be a little anooying at times since his move-motors make a bit of noise when he really gets into the swing of things, and if the music drops below a certain volume he is prone to chirping up and singing to himself in places. Something to be aware of. However, he does have a mute feature, just quickly flick his tail and you get silence for a few minutes so you can talk. Tap it again to resume the tunes.
Probably the best overall i-Toy I have found, and well worth considering if you want something cute, small and unobtrusive. Sure, the fish can busta moves, the dog is cute, and the cat can do the whole mix-master thing with it's head, but the i-Cy is tidier, just as cute, if not cuter, and if you were creative, could even be attached to the shoulderstrap of a backpack for that added on-the-move WTF factor from pedestrians. (Yup, I did it, and the looks I got were well worth the effort. I think at least 6 people went off to find one for themselves!) Can't wait to see what comes out next. But PLEASE give it a better speaker, something that can handle a bit of bass!