Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      Jaltech backs solar firm Wetility in R500-million capital raise

      18 June 2025

      MTN CEO edges Vodacom rival in pay stakes – but just barely

      18 June 2025

      Stolen phone? Samsung now buys you an hour to lock it down

      18 June 2025

      New MD for Dell South Africa

      18 June 2025

      How a dowdy database maker became an investor darling

      18 June 2025
    • World

      Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

      17 June 2025

      Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

      17 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025

      Yahoo tries to make its mail service relevant again

      13 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

      18 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025
    • Opinion

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » Gadgets & Reviews » Mighty Dwarf review: party in your pocket

    Mighty Dwarf review: party in your pocket

    By Editor21 December 2011
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    Every now and then a gadget comes along that really blows our hair back. Often it’s not even the flashiest or priciest gadgets that do it, but the ones that take us by surprise by doing something we’ve never seen before. The Mighty Dwarf “vibration multimedia speaker” is one such device.

    The Mighty Dwarf turns any surface — though wooden tables seem to work best — into an impressive omnidirectional sound system. Essentially, by means of resonance and some sort of physics trickery, it turns any surface into an enormous speaker.

    Though it sounds like the worst mono speaker on the cheapest mobile phone when not placed on a surface, the quality of sound the Mighty Dwarf produces on a table, countertop, or even a wooden floor, is phenomenal. Glass and marble tops work, too, but lack the rich tone wooden surfaces give.

    We found wooden surfaces, particularly those with space beneath them like tables, produced by far the best results with the most impressive timbre. Other surfaces produced acceptable results, but glass only seemed to work well if there was space beneath it, and marble seemed to absorb too much of the vibration generated by the Mighty Dwarf resulting in distinctly muddy audio.

    Pocket powerhouse

    The Mighty Dwarf doesn’t just produce rich sound in terms of quality bass, mid-tones and highs, but it really does sound like it’s coming from a surround sound system with multiple satellite speakers.

    There are a couple of inescapable design flaws with the Mighty Dwarf that will hopefully be rectified in future versions of the device. Though the ability to play tracks directly from a microSD card is great, with the device having only a track forward or back switch — that also doubles as a volume controller — and no visual interface whatsoever it’s very difficult to navigate a large collection of music.

    Users can plug any music player with a 3,5mm socket into the Mighty Dwarf, which is fantastic, but having to do so via a proprietary 3,5mm to mini USB cable is far from ideal. Cables, like socks, have a tendency to go missing.

    In addition, it’s not the more common microUSB like the sort found on most smartphones, but the mini USB of the sort found on external hard drives. A regular jack-to-jack input would be far more practical, but would also necessitate another port on the device as the mini USB is also used for charging it.

    The Mighty Dwarf comes with a 4GB microSD card in tow, which is more than enough storage for a holiday playlist, and considering it’s impossible to play the card’s contents randomised or see what’s coming next, most people will probably opt to plug in a phone or digital music player most of the time anyway.

    Another major problem with the Mighty Dwarf is the gel pad on the bottom of the device that is clearly integral to its operation. It’s covered by a sticker that you’re advised to reapply when the device isn’t in use and you’re almost guaranteed to lose it.

    Craig Wilson checks out the Mighty Dwarf (via YouTube):

    Around the gel pad is a thread that suggests the device can be screwed into something else. It turns out there’s a larger version called the Mighty Monster that has attachments at the bottom, which explains the thread found on its smaller sibling, and that boosts the volume and makes the sticker unnecessary.

    The Mighty Monster also includes a regular 3,5mm jack and a protective case, making it considerably less fiddly than the Mighty Dwarf, but both less compact and more expensive. Though the Mighty Dwarf is available for R499, the larger Mighty Monster is R799.

    The device is available in a range of colours, and although fairly heavy at more than 420g it’s about half the size of a soft drink can, making it perfect for travellers. The Mighty Dwarf is a truly incredible device but one that could do with a little bit of refinement before its next iteration.  — Craig Wilson, TechCentral

    • Subscribe to our free daily newsletter
    • Follow us on Twitter or on Google+ or on Facebook
    • Visit our sister website, SportsCentral (still in beta)


    Mighty Dwarf Mighty Monster
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleStrike up the bands
    Next Article Africa pitches new promised land for astronomers
    Company News

    Disrupt first, ask questions later – the uncomfortable truth about incident response

    18 June 2025

    Sage brings together HR leaders to explore the future of payroll and people management

    18 June 2025

    Altron: a brand journey, a birthday celebration and a bet on Joburg’s future

    17 June 2025
    Opinion

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    AI and the future of ICT distribution

    16 June 2025

    Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

    13 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.