mobiBLU Cube 2: Pocket-sized MP3 nubbin
We all loved the original mobiBLU Cube. Its sugary smile and dainty little cheeks were dappled with metallic paint like a two-bob trick on the Brighton seafront, circa 1860
The cube was invented in the late 19th century. For years people had pondered the fanciful concept of a four-sided, stackable geometric shape, but the idea had largely been dismissed as the ramblings of lunatics by the great thinkers of the age.
It wasn't until a Lanarkshire blacksmith named Arthur McDuggin created the 'Great Cube of 1842' that the concept was proven. People from all over the British Empire gathered to watch McDuggin stack his wonderful cubes on top of each other. Sadly he was executed a month after his discovery, accused of witchcraft -- many scientists today still believe he was a witch.
Luckily we've come a long way since then, and cubes are part of our everyday culture in the West, although some countries have yet to legalise the shape. The mobiBLU Cube 2 has the modern age to thank for its easy birth. It's the successor to the original mobiBLU Cube (aka the DAH-1500i) and is available now in 1GB (£85) and 2GB (£119) configurations.
It measures a remarkable 25 by 25 by 25mm (1 inch square for the imperialists among us). Given these petite dimensions, it's a shock to discover that it can play back video on its tiny screen!
As well as MP3 playback, there's also a built-in FM radio, voice recorder and alarm clock. Staggering. Here's to cubes and the great men and women who discovered them. -CS