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Overview
Zizzle's iZ currently
comes in three
colors: red, green and blue. Zizzle sent me the red one with yellow
accents. iZ is about 26cm tall and stands on three movable legs. He
is able to stand solid on each single one of those legs - quite an acrobat.
To
get started the batteries need to be inserted in the back. I need a
small screwdriver for this. iZ takes 4 AA batteries. It is a bit fumbly
to put the battery cover back on and push the batteries in. The iZ handbook
also points out that this is not a task for kids. An adult should
do that. I recommend to put in the batteries before placing the iZ under
the Christmas tree. After the batteries are in I push the big button
on iZ's belly and the show begins.
iZ plays a warm-up jingle and moves his eyes up and down and his
nose lights up in different colors - quite an intro. When leaving
him alone after power-on he throws out random sound bites.
iZ has three modes: Play, DJ and Wziz
FM. The fourth mode if you want to call it that is to plug in a MP3
player in the iZ. The toy comes with a short cable to connect iPods
or any other Mp3 player and use it as a speaker (Mono). iZ is
'enhancing' the played music with
sound effects and call-outs.
Let's have a quick look at those modes:
iZ Play Mode
In this mode I can mix beats, rhythms and leads
to make my own music. The beats are selected by pushing the belly
button. Seven beats are available. Twisting iZ's right ear allows me
to choose a rhythm from the seven available. I can then mix in a lead
by twisting the left ear to complete the track. By the way I
can have iZ memorize the finished track. The thing I totally missed on the product
photos, when I first
reported about the iZ, is the flicker on his head. It is just
too funny. I can flick the flicker to add sound effects.
Around the belly button are four function buttons. The top and
bottom ones control the tempo of the music. The right one selects
the volume ( 6 levels). To be able to set the volume on a toy is
priceless and enables parents to manage the annoyance factor over
time. Watch the
video to hear some iZ music.
iZ DJ Mode
In this mode the iZ from Zizzle is in control and mixes by himself.
Pushing the belly button makes him try another mix. Also be aware
the iZ is not always doing what you want him to-do and he is also a
bit ticklish. This little bit of uncertainty of behavior ads to his
personality.
iZ Wziz FM Mode
This is the weirdest mode, iZ becomes a simulated
radio. Twisting his ears changes the 'channels'. That mode is
I think only a winner for younger kids.
iZ MP3 Player Mode
Connecting an MP3 player to iZ overrides all
other modes. His nose is flashing to the beat of the music playing
from the MP3 player. iZ is adding his sounds and words to the
playing music in random ways. Watch the
video
to see iZ in action.
Conclusion
Zizzle (site still under
construction) has created a very catching toy in the interactive music
toy genre. The iZ has crazy alien looks, but he grew on me pretty
quickly. iZ's
interactive music functions and the quality of sound effects is
excellent and will sure be a winner with lots of kids. The MP3 player
synergy also makes it a cool desk toy for the gadget lovers out
there. The battery insertion could be a bit easier, but once the
batteries are in the issue is forgotten. Also iZ is programmed to
conserve battery with several automatic time-based switch-off
automatics. Zizzle also convinces with creative design on the iZ.
That iZ can be placed on each leg is cool. iZ is heavy so the legs
have been specially designed that he can stand somewhat save. The
flicker on his head is really the kicker for me. Congratulations on
this idea, to whomever in the Zizzle design team. With just under
$40 the price is also very fair for this new toy.
How to Buy
The iZ is already available for pre-order on
Amazon.com for $39.99.
Shipping Date is September 29th. I used the
MobiBlu DAH-1500i in this review to test the iZ. The Song
playing in the
iZ video is from the
Gorillaz Demon Day CD and is called Dirty Harry.
Available iZs:
Red Zizzle iZ
Blue Zizzle iZ
Green Zizzle iZ
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