Minireview: Ladybug Speaker Dock for iPod

Wouldn't it be great if looks really were everything? Imagine if Paris Hilton were the US President. Instead of a quagmire in Iraq, the worse you could expect from the chief executive would be DIY Internet porn and 40 days jail time on DUI. Unfortunately, looks aren't everything--not for comely blondes painted gold selling canned wine, not for anthropomorphic portable speakers painted silver--but the eye-catching look of the Vesatlife Ladybug speakers did get a listen from me.

Currently available in the US from Best Buy and Target.com (and The Source in Canada), the Ladybug Speaker Dock for iPod costs $109.99 in red and silver. For $124.95 direct from Vestalife, a limited edition is available with skull graphics in black or blue for thrashers, or whatever you call those kids who won't get off my lawn. I ordered mine in red through Target.

As the name suggests, the Ladybug Speaker Dock for iPod is a set of portable speakers that also acts as a fully-functional dock for the iPod. It carries the "Made for iPod" logo, and even works with the iPhone (Airplane Mode caveat). The Ladybug bullet list includes:

• 1.5" mid/high drivers
• 3" subwoofer
• digital amplifier technology
• power adapter (US only) charges iPod (not 1st & 2nd generation) and the iPhone
• battery power option (4 AA not included)
• USB port for syncing (cable not included)
• AV out (cable not included)
• aux-in (very short cable included) for the five guys who own a Zune
• remote control that sucks
• five iPod dock adapters that should be labeled
• tote bag

Of course, the specifications are an abstraction of the Ladybug, but then the Ladybug is kind of an abstraction itself.

Pick your Gestalt. Is the Ladybug a cute, Disneyesque bug with its wings folded while sleeping, or a cute, Disneyesque robot looking at you before making a cute comment? If you haven't figured it out, these speakers are for my wife who really likes soundtracks from Disney/Pixar movies. Give me credit for a little more testosterone than that. My anthropomorphic portable speakers would look a lot more like the Sentinel Spheres from Phantasm. Who wouldn't want a silver ball with spikes and a drill that flies, murders people, and plays music?

As for the Ladybug, it's roughly spherical with a 6" diameter, except at the base where it is obviously flat. Deployed "wingspan" is about a foot. The only controls are power and volume—no bass or treble—with volume and power indicated by LED lighting. On the back, you have the ports: AV OUT, USB, AUX IN, DC IN. The only other point of note about the look and feel is the actual feel. The red paint has a texture, almost like rubber or molded plastic. This really doesn't matter unless you plan on petting the Ladybug. What matters is how it works.

Setup should be pretty simple, but that's where the first problem comes in. In theory, you stick the iPod onto the Dock Connector, the power button blinks as the Ladybug authenticates the device, and—boom—music. Unfortunately, I had a hard time seating devices with the included adapters, be it a 3G iPod, a 2G iPod nano, or an iPhone. I found it was easiest to seat a device without an adapter. Even then, inserting, and (especially) removing devices felt a little forced. This could be because you have to grip the iPod from the side, but I didn't like it. That's not all I disliked.

Pretty much every $100 set of portable speakers for the iPod comes with a remote, and pretty much every one is cheap. The remote for the Ladybug is no exception. It worked intermittently, regardless of distance, even after replacing the coin battery with a new one. For those who value the feature, good luck finding a set of portable speakers with an IR remote that works outside a dust-free cleanroom. For everyone else, myself included, the remote is not the thing.

Portability is important, and portability means more than just small size. The Ladybug can be run on four AA batteries, more than six hours on rechargeable batteries. I would expect more than eight hours for decent disposable batteries, but running appliances off disposable batteries makes Al Gore cry. The other aspect of portability--weight--also favors the Ladybug, which is about a pound with batteries installed. As for the real feature, sound, it was okay.

I'd like to say the subwoofer provides a little depth in the bass (and it does), and that extending the wing-like speakers provides for some separation (and there is), and that drivers make for crisper highs (and they do). But the Ladybug Speaker Dock for iPod just doesn't sound as good as it looks, or costs.

At high volumes, distortion is a factor. Mid-range is where the Ladybug sounds best. No matter the volume, vocals tend to blend in with instruments. If you prefer that, or if you mostly listen to Disney show tunes, Enya, and harp music to drive your husband slowly insane, it might work.

At $109.99, the Ladybug Speaker Dock for iPod is an example of form over function. The question then becomes whether the function is good enough to justify the form. I say not, but if spikes and the ability to fly are added in the next version, I will re-evaluate.

Product: Ladybug Speaker Dock for iPod
Manufacturer: Vestalife
Price: $109.99
Oblique One Word Review: Muffled