X-mini II gets an MP3 player

Juniper Foo | Apr 23, 2009

The X-mini Happy (left) is a wee bit taller than the X-mini II, but retains all the II's improvements plus MP3 playback capabilities. (Picture credit: Kelvin Low/CNET Asia)

The evolution of the X-mini continues, and in surprising ways. This time, the hardworking folks at Singapore-based outfit XM-I have given their bestselling capsule speaker a music player and an SD card slot. What this simple idea does is to turn the speaker into a clever little boombox that sits on your palm, with the happy name of X-mini Happy.

Based on the same design and tweeter size as the big-sounding X-mini II, the Happy is only marginally heavier and larger but a lot more versatile. CEO Ryan Lee told CNET Asia the modular buddy jack from the II will now be a standard feature, so you can daisy-chain as many X-mini II and Happy speakers as you fancy for maximum volume. Battery life is also expected to be similiar at about 11 hours for the speaker, and roughly 6 hours for music playback.

We had a demo of the prototype in our Labs, which can play music files off an SD/SDHC card (up to 8GB), revert to speaker function, and even pull double-duty as an SD card reader via a supplied mini-USB cable/charger. The Happy is a prototype for now, though XM-I said there'll be only cosmetic tweaks till launch. Check out more photos of this lil sound machine which aims to make happy, happy music at its global rollout some time in early Q3.

The base now contains an SD card slot and player. As a result, the extendable vacuum that acts like a loudspeaker has to sit taller. Same great sounds as the X-mini II, though this is in mono. (Picture credit: Kelvin Low/CNET Asia)

Some tweaks: The volume control (left picture) now busily multitasks. Press down to pause; dial right to forward to the next track, left to backtrack; press down and right to increase volume, left to drop volume; press down and hold for On/Off. The gray button (right picture) acts as a Mute, particularly if you are plugging in headsets and don't want to use the speaker. (Picture credit: Kelvin Low/CNET Asia)

Like the X-mini II, the Happy keeps the 3.5mm audio cable (left picture) neatly tucked away in the base. The protective cap (right picture) has undergone design changes to address a minor glitch from the X-mini II's bar strip which tended to expose the driver to knocks. (Picture credit: Kelvin Low/CNET Asia)

Filed under: Music & Play
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ferdiei

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ferdiei says...
regarding the multi-function button, they better make sure this one can witdhstand the added multi-tasking capabilities, that is to make it very durable & not just mimic the shuffle's approach.

Apr 23, 2009 20:48

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isaac976

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isaac976 says...
wow .. one word for this "HAPPY" but .. till date i have not even changed my cables.. went down on a weekend but not opened.. ahah .. yet to change my cable til too date

Apr 24, 2009 00:07

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ryanths

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ryanths says...
Price?

Apr 24, 2009 16:35

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gsr5867

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gsr5867 says...
Awesome versatile product! Though its mono. When will it become available and how much?

Apr 27, 2009 03:45

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felbert

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felbert says...
LightSpeed General Trading LLC had lunch X mini II locally here in Dubai, which as a chained effect have triggered a huge interest with both local consumer group and those who live and work in this region ... currently, we are at turning point of expanding to the whole Middle East ...let music bring joy....

May 09, 2009 21:13

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