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Ever since Singapore was branded a "little red dot" on the map, many have come to relish in the label that has gone on to show that the best things can come from little packages.
When a set of speakers tumbled out of its packing to stand dwarfed by my standard sized coffee-mug, I was more than just a little curious. What made it even more intriguing was its claim to being "one of the smallest speakers in the world with justifiable sound quality" and a proudly Singapore creation.
It's called the X-mini Capsule Speaker. No points for catchy name, but what you read is what you get - a ball-shaped capsule of speakers that spring open with a sharp twist.
The pair of 52mm by 35mm speakers are attached to each other by a sturdy accordion-like 'tube' which is thoughtfully coloured in the same shade as the speakers for consistency and overall appeal in the looks department.
Pull on the retractable USB cable that comes with it, connect it to your PC or MP3 player and enjoy, as simple as that!
When connected to a 10 year old's Nintendo DS, every robotic growl, explosion and whine from the game as it was being played came through loud and clear. The kids loved 'the ball' that brought a new dimension to play, but I would not allow myself to be impressed that easily.
To find out just how loud and clear the sound reproduction from an X-mini could be, I had it brought into a lecture hall with a seating capacity of about 50 students.
Music from the X-mini had no trouble reaching even those seated in the middle of the hall, who had to squint very hard to pinpoint their source of entertainment, as it sat discreetly next to a laptop on a desk.
How could something so small, pack such a big punch?
Well, the X-mini is more than just looks - its also has a very clever design, which is why you should love it.
When the speakers are expanded to expose the 'tube' what is unleashed is patented technology. The Bass Xpansion System mimics the resonance of a sub-woofer and the other secret, the X-mini's built-in bass support.
The result, rich audio fidelity that even some larger speakers can't match.
The X-mini is the result of the coming together of great minds - in this case, TX Huang, an acoustics engineer, and Ryan Lee, co-founder of XM-I, the company behind the X-mini.
When dreaming of pocket-sized speakers, they realised that there weren't any truly portable speakers on the market.
When they finally found a portable speaker, the audio quality was found to've been drastically compromised for size.
Enter the X-mini, which plugs the gap on portability and audio clarity. But there's more.
The design team made sure the X-mini had a built-in rechargeable battery for added convenience.
The built-in 3.7V/ 300MAH rechargeable battery also packs a punch, offering eight hours of non-stop play when fully charged. What's even better is the fact that the battery doesn't take long to charge, all it needs is just over two hours.
The other lure is that it takes about 10 seconds to pack it away into a neat, little bundle.
It doesn't take much elbow grease to have the speakers compressed tightly. There's also little risk of it springing open suddenly in your pocket or bag where it hardly takes any space or weight, being just 52 grams.
If you have a sudden need to use the speakers, you can leave the X-mini balled up and still enjoy pretty good sound.
What else apart from small and good. How about affordable ? Yes, more music to the ears! The X-mini retails at S$39 which will hardly make a dent in any wallet.
The down-side is the only other gadget you must carry along with the X-mini, the retractable USB cable. Maybe future versions of the X-mini will incorporate a stow-away USB cable that would make it even more portable.
The techno-snobs who will not glance at anything less than an Apple or Sony will find it hard to turn up their noses on the X-mini.
Despite hailing from a 'little red dot', it has a big red dot to its name.
To be precise, it's the prestigious 2008 Red Dot Award for Product design where the hall of fame includes the likes of the iPod and Sony Vaio just to name a few.
Being typical of Singapore, the XM-I team isn't resting on its laurels but is already busy developing a third, fourth and fifth generation of this product.
The team also revealed plans to use emerging technologies like A2DP Bluetooth or working with more renowned technologies such as DOLBY to improve the acoustics of the X-mini.
And that's not all. In terms of multi-functionality, plans are to integrate other daily tech items like the mouse and even earphones into the capsule speakers with the size-to-sound ratio seriously considered to ensure little is compromised.
This is a pocket-sized audio dynamo, that will be a big loss to both audiophiles and techno-geeks if missed on the must-have line-up.
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