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What is an I-DOG? Or iDog?Apple made it the cool thing to do -- placing an "i" in front of your product to somehow associate it with the iPod MP3 player craze that has swept the world in the last few years. All kinds of iPod accessories are now called i-whatevers. But one of the newest, most fun gadgets to come along recently is the I-Dog and I-Cat. Made by Hasbro (TigerToys), these little electronic music-loving animals are a big hit with kids, and a good way to get earphones out of a kids ears and get them to use speakers instead when listening to tunes. If you are looking for a fun way to playback your MP3 songs, the I-toys may just be your thing. In this guide, we will take a look at the variety of models available from Hasbro in the i-Dog line, see how they work, what they cost, and where to get them.
How does the I-CAT and I-DOG and I-FISH work?You can check out the whole line of I-Dog products at the main Hasbro website - www.Hasbro.com/tiger/idog. The original MP3 animal was the I-DOG, a little electronic mutt with a big head (but no face), floppy ears, and legs and tail. IDOG reacts to the kinds and amount of music he hears - the more you use him, the happy and brighter his color display gets. The face is basically translucent white plastic with color LEDs lights hidden below the surface, invisible when not lit up. Once you plug in your MP3 player or CD player, he begins to move and the face lights up in color patterns. It plugs in directly to the headphone jack on your player. I-Dog has a built-in speaker, so once connected, it acts like a mini stereo. You can also connect your headphone to the dog, and watch him light up as you listen to your music through him (connected to your MP3 player). The I-Dog also reacts and lights up to other ambient sounds, you can sit him next to a speaker and watch him react to different kinds of music coming out. There are also pink and black versions of the I-Dog available. These are pretty small creatures, weighing less than a pound, measuring in at about 5 inches square.When it comes to sound quality, you get what you expect. This is a small device, with a small speaker, powered by two AA batteries - don't expect big booming bass and teeth rattling treble. It does not record or store music, and it is not an MP3 player -- a number of people have been confused by that. Think of it more as a cutesy speaker for playing your MP3 music out loud -- but that MP3 music has to come from some other device, like an iPod, Sandisk MP3 player, portable CD player, etc. Battery life on these are decent (many, many hours of play time), but it would be nice if they came with an AC adapter plug-in option so that you could make it a permanent addition to your desk without worrying about batteries dying. There is also a new I-Dog Mini, also known as the IDOG Pup. These little fellas move and light up, plus they can play any of their own built-in 12 tunes. Powered by 3AAA batteries, they have the same small sounds as their bigger brothers, but are a blast none the less for kids of all ages. The I-Dog Mini sells for about $15, but was currently out of stock at the HasbroToyShop.com site. We found our kid testers liked the bigger I-Dog over the minis, but the minis sure are cute! For the I-CAT, you get a feline rocker instead of canine. The look and design is pretty much the same as I-DOG, but when you scratch I-Cats head, it will make a DJ scratching sound in the music. The I-FISH is yet another member of this musical animal family. He has an articulated body that moves in a swimming motion and uses 3AAA batteries for power, giving him his wriggle power. The I-Fish sells for $39 on Amazon.com. He is a little bigger than the i-dog, weighing in at 1.2 lbs and measuring about 10 inches long compared to 5 inches for the I-Dog. So take your pick -- dog, cat, or fish (or the new I-Dog penguin I-CY below) -- whatever you prefer, these gadgets make MP3s fun. New I-CY - musical MP3 penguin!Described as black and white and cool all over, the little I-CY (like i-see, as in ice) is a diminuitive penguin with little feet and flippers. Like his cohorts, his white belly lights up with lights when he hears or plays music. He will be released in March of 2007, and should sell for the same price -- about $29. All in all, we found all of these Hasbro music speaker toys to be well built and solid - we watched 6 year olds and 9 years olds play with them, and they held up to the abuse just fine. They are recommended for kids 8 and up, but we think they would be fine for 6 years and up. They also make great gifts for office Christmas parties if you have people who like to listen to headphones during the day - they can still listen in private but their little desk mates will dance and flash along with their tunes.
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