Paul Frank's monkey gets down to the beat
If your top requirement in an iPod or iPhone speaker is that it be adorable and shaped like an animal, then the Julius Dance Machine from Paul Frank is going to be right up your alley.
What you see before you is the Julius Dance Machine, Paul Frank's answer to the iPod speaker. It's not the first piece of audio gadgetry we've seen from the monkey-loving designer, and it probably won't be the last. And as far as cutesy music accessories go, it's not our favorite, either, but this speaker is sure to be a hit with Julius lovers. After all, a little monkey cradling your iPhone or iPod has a certain appeal.
Of course, any speaker worth its salt needs to be more than just adorable. The Julius Dance Machine brings a smattering of features to the table: dual 2.5-inch full-range stereo drivers, an auxiliary line input, and an integrated battery rated for 6 hours of play time. And--hey--you gotta love volume controls built into animal ears. But from the looks of the plastic construction and speaker placement, sound quality is not going to be a shining standout here. At $99, you're paying for form over function.