Review: iHome Portable Rechargeable speaker iD9 iPad, iPhone and iPod

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As the less expensive option, iDM12 benefits both from lower expectations and one extra feature—an integrated Bluetooth 2.1 wireless stereo streaming capability—that takes it out of the league of most $50-$100 speakers we’ve seen for Apple’s devices. iHome has given the 7.17” wide by 2.27” deep by 2.27” high pill-shaped unit both A2DP support and a limited AVRCP capability, enabling it to connect with most iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad devices to stream music and pause audio playback using one of the four buttons on its top. Two others control iDM12’s volume, rather than the wirelessly connected device’s, and the last turns the speaker’s power on and off. In our testing, wireless audio was completely reliable at standard 30-foot Bluetooth broadcasting distances, experiencing similarly standard brief drop-outs at greater distances, and a complete fall-off at roughly 60 feet.

Nestled next to a pop-out plastic stand on the back is a switch that toggles between Bluetooth and auxiliary audio inputs, the latter relying upon a special V-shaped cable iHome includes in the package. This cable has a micro-USB connector on one end, a cord manager in the middle, and separate full-sized USB and 3.5mm audio connectors at the other end. Unlike some speakers, the USB connector can’t be used for computer audio; it’s solely for charging, and since no power adapter is supplied, you’ll need to use a computer or other USB port to recharge iDM12. Only the 3.5mm plug provides a wired path for music to travel on, and flipping between an iPad’s headphone and Bluetooth outputs sounded pretty much the same.

The other interesting part of iDM12 is a novel magnetic faceplate that protects the unit’s plastic front grille and two speakers during travel, popping off to serve as a fixed-position iPad stand. While you can mount an iPad in either horizontal or vertical orientation in the plastic stand’s groove, relying upon two swivel-out metal feet for support, it has no space to accommodate iPad cases or a Dock Connector cable if the tablet is in portrait orientation with its Home Button at the bottom. iHome has tailored the groove solely for the iPad, and though iPod touches can sort of fit, iPhones can’t. It’s obvious that the stand was really designed for only one Apple product, and then, only when it’s bare; a little extra design work could have made it better.

As similar as its features may be on paper, iD9 is actually a substantially different animal. Made mostly from a slightly less shiny silver plastic that could pass for anodized aluminum from a distance, it measures 12.9” wide by 4.06” deep by 2.06” high—almost twice as long and twice as deep as iDM12, though virtually identical in height. Off to its sides are two total diagonally-firing speaker drivers, while its back has a line-in port, a power input port, and a switch that toggles a “remote” feature between auto and on. iD9 notably doesn’t ship with a remote, but it does come with a wall adapter, as well as a larger rechargeable battery than iDM12—2600mAh versus 1800mAh. It’s considerably heavier, too: 3.25 pounds to iDM12’s 0.35 pounds.

These numbers underscore the fundamental differences between iD9 and iDM12: the smaller unit can be taken anywhere, and the larger unit is—despite the battery inside—meant to be moved only around a house or office, though it’s capable of working anywhere you can carry it. Moreover, while the smaller iDM12 is solely for music playback, iD9 has a full iPad-sized glossy black charging dock in the center, complete with a flexible Dock Connector plug and three rubber pads—two left for you to install yourself if you need them. While we’re not huge fans of the DIY rubber pad approach, we love the fact that iD9 is designed to work with iPads regardless of whether they’re encased or not, and actually does so with only one caveat: the default angle of the flexible Dock Connector is just a little off for iPads, so you may need to wiggle the tablet (or an iPod touch) into place, an inconvenience that should really be addressed in a subsequent production run. We had no such problem with the iPhone 4. All Apple devices charge off of the 2.1-Amp dock at full speed. iD9 also features a clear, four-light battery power indicator, which the iDM12 doesn’t have.

Two other significant differences between the models are also worth mentioning. First, iD9’s speakers sound considerably better: even at their peak volume level, they exhibit relatively little distortion and very low amplifier hiss, putting out enough treble- and midrange-focused sound to feel appropriate for the $100 price tag. Though iD9 isn’t as well-equipped in the bass department as some of the other speakers—even iHome clock radios—that we’ve seen in its price range, it’s the best sounding $100 speaker yet released for the iPad, and less quirky than Jensen’s ambitious but ultimately unsteady JiPS-250i.

By contrast, iDM12 offers a slightly lower maximum volume, less treble, and a little more bass, but it’s similarly midrange-focused, and exhibits an audible static hiss regardless of the volume level it’s playing at, or whether your device is connected with a wire or Bluetooth. At higher volume levels, the music sounds moderately distorted in a way the iD9’s audio avoids; unlike the iD9, volume levels have to be separately set on the iOS device and the iDM12, which can contribute to the distortion issues. While these issues might sound discouraging, it needs to be said that none of them is a huge problem for a $70 speaker, particularly one with integrated Bluetooth streaming capabilities. A little extra tuning—particularly in the AVRCP remote volume control department—might have made iDM12 even better.

That brings us to the second difference: iD9 loses the iDM12’s Bluetooth wireless streaming capability in favor of making purely wired connections to your iPod, iPhone, or iPad, either through the integrated Dock Connector or the rear auxiliary audio input port. From our perspective, the sound quality improvements iD9 offers over the wireless iDM12 make this omission a wash, but if you’re looking for a way to stream audio to a speaker, only one of these units is capable of doing that.

For all of their similarities, properly rating these two systems requires an understanding of their separate assets, issues, and usage models that can be summed up in this way. Though it’s not the fanciest $100 audio system we’ve seen for iPods or iPhones, or the most versatile $100 unit available for iPads, iD9 is the best budget speaker dock yet released for Apple’s tablet—a sharp-looking and nice-sounding all-in-one system that can charge even the power-hungry iPad at full speed. Imperfections in its Dock Connector and padding implementation detract from what’s otherwise a highly case-compatible and convenient design that can be used anywhere in a house. If device charging and sonic fidelity aren’t as critical for your needs, but wireless streaming and a more compact size are appealing, iDM12 offers a more aggressively priced alternative. Limited control and stand design issues aside, it’s a more than respectable step up from iHome’s iHM79 and similar $50 wired-only portable options, though with similar limitations on audio quality. Both of these speakers are worthy of our general level recommendation.

A Note From the Editors of iLounge: Though all products and services reviewed by iLounge are "final," many companies now make changes to their offerings after publication of our reviews, which may or may not be reflected above. This iLounge article provides more information on this practice, known as revving.

View the original article here

Review: iHome iDM12 Portable Rechargeable Bluetooth Stereo speaker

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Company: SDI Technologies/iHome

Website: http://www.ihomeaudio.com/

Model: iDM12

Price: $70

Compatible: iPod touch 2G/3G/4G, iPhone 3G/3GS/4, iPad (2010), Other Models*

As the less expensive option, iDM12 benefits both from lower expectations and one extra feature—an integrated Bluetooth 2.1 wireless stereo streaming capability—that takes it out of the league of most $50-$100 speakers we’ve seen for Apple’s devices. iHome has given the 7.17” wide by 2.27” deep by 2.27” high pill-shaped unit both A2DP support and a limited AVRCP capability, enabling it to connect with most iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad devices to stream music and pause audio playback using one of the four buttons on its top. Two others control iDM12’s volume, rather than the wirelessly connected device’s, and the last turns the speaker’s power on and off. In our testing, wireless audio was completely reliable at standard 30-foot Bluetooth broadcasting distances, experiencing similarly standard brief drop-outs at greater distances, and a complete fall-off at roughly 60 feet.

Nestled next to a pop-out plastic stand on the back is a switch that toggles between Bluetooth and auxiliary audio inputs, the latter relying upon a special V-shaped cable iHome includes in the package. This cable has a micro-USB connector on one end, a cord manager in the middle, and separate full-sized USB and 3.5mm audio connectors at the other end. Unlike some speakers, the USB connector can’t be used for computer audio; it’s solely for charging, and since no power adapter is supplied, you’ll need to use a computer or other USB port to recharge iDM12. Only the 3.5mm plug provides a wired path for music to travel on, and flipping between an iPad’s headphone and Bluetooth outputs sounded pretty much the same.

The other interesting part of iDM12 is a novel magnetic faceplate that protects the unit’s plastic front grille and two speakers during travel, popping off to serve as a fixed-position iPad stand. While you can mount an iPad in either horizontal or vertical orientation in the plastic stand’s groove, relying upon two swivel-out metal feet for support, it has no space to accommodate iPad cases or a Dock Connector cable if the tablet is in portrait orientation with its Home Button at the bottom. iHome has tailored the groove solely for the iPad, and though iPod touches can sort of fit, iPhones can’t. It’s obvious that the stand was really designed for only one Apple product, and then, only when it’s bare; a little extra design work could have made it better.

As similar as its features may be on paper, iD9 is actually a substantially different animal. Made mostly from a slightly less shiny silver plastic that could pass for anodized aluminum from a distance, it measures 12.9” wide by 4.06” deep by 2.06” high—almost twice as long and twice as deep as iDM12, though virtually identical in height. Off to its sides are two total diagonally-firing speaker drivers, while its back has a line-in port, a power input port, and a switch that toggles a “remote” feature between auto and on. iD9 notably doesn’t ship with a remote, but it does come with a wall adapter, as well as a larger rechargeable battery than iDM12—2600mAh versus 1800mAh. It’s considerably heavier, too: 3.25 pounds to iDM12’s 0.35 pounds.

These numbers underscore the fundamental differences between iD9 and iDM12: the smaller unit can be taken anywhere, and the larger unit is—despite the battery inside—meant to be moved only around a house or office, though it’s capable of working anywhere you can carry it. Moreover, while the smaller iDM12 is solely for music playback, iD9 has a full iPad-sized glossy black charging dock in the center, complete with a flexible Dock Connector plug and three rubber pads—two left for you to install yourself if you need them. While we’re not huge fans of the DIY rubber pad approach, we love the fact that iD9 is designed to work with iPads regardless of whether they’re encased or not, and actually does so with only one caveat: the default angle of the flexible Dock Connector is just a little off for iPads, so you may need to wiggle the tablet (or an iPod touch) into place, an inconvenience that should really be addressed in a subsequent production run. We had no such problem with the iPhone 4. All Apple devices charge off of the 2.1-Amp dock at full speed. iD9 also features a clear, four-light battery power indicator, which the iDM12 doesn’t have.

Two other significant differences between the models are also worth mentioning. First, iD9’s speakers sound considerably better: even at their peak volume level, they exhibit relatively little distortion and very low amplifier hiss, putting out enough treble- and midrange-focused sound to feel appropriate for the $100 price tag. Though iD9 isn’t as well-equipped in the bass department as some of the other speakers—even iHome clock radios—that we’ve seen in its price range, it’s the best sounding $100 speaker yet released for the iPad, and less quirky than Jensen’s ambitious but ultimately unsteady JiPS-250i.

By contrast, iDM12 offers a slightly lower maximum volume, less treble, and a little more bass, but it’s similarly midrange-focused, and exhibits an audible static hiss regardless of the volume level it’s playing at, or whether your device is connected with a wire or Bluetooth. At higher volume levels, the music sounds moderately distorted in a way the iD9’s audio avoids; unlike the iD9, volume levels have to be separately set on the iOS device and the iDM12, which can contribute to the distortion issues. While these issues might sound discouraging, it needs to be said that none of them is a huge problem for a $70 speaker, particularly one with integrated Bluetooth streaming capabilities. A little extra tuning—particularly in the AVRCP remote volume control department—might have made iDM12 even better.

That brings us to the second difference: iD9 loses the iDM12’s Bluetooth wireless streaming capability in favor of making purely wired connections to your iPod, iPhone, or iPad, either through the integrated Dock Connector or the rear auxiliary audio input port. From our perspective, the sound quality improvements iD9 offers over the wireless iDM12 make this omission a wash, but if you’re looking for a way to stream audio to a speaker, only one of these units is capable of doing that.

For all of their similarities, properly rating these two systems requires an understanding of their separate assets, issues, and usage models that can be summed up in this way. Though it’s not the fanciest $100 audio system we’ve seen for iPods or iPhones, or the most versatile $100 unit available for iPads, iD9 is the best budget speaker dock yet released for Apple’s tablet—a sharp-looking and nice-sounding all-in-one system that can charge even the power-hungry iPad at full speed. Imperfections in its Dock Connector and padding implementation detract from what’s otherwise a highly case-compatible and convenient design that can be used anywhere in a house. If device charging and sonic fidelity aren’t as critical for your needs, but wireless streaming and a more compact size are appealing, iDM12 offers a more aggressively priced alternative. Limited control and stand design issues aside, it’s a more than respectable step up from iHome’s iHM79 and similar $50 wired-only portable options, though with similar limitations on audio quality. Both of these speakers are worthy of our general level recommendation.

A Note From the Editors of iLounge: Though all products and services reviewed by iLounge are "final," many companies now make changes to their offerings after publication of our reviews, which may or may not be reflected above. This iLounge article provides more information on this practice, known as revving.

View the original article here

Review: Altec Lansing inMotion Air Universal wireless speaker

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Altec’s strategy with inMotion Air turns out to be markedly different from the ones that rivals have pursued—at least, in some ways. As has been the case with the last two or three years of Altec speakers, inMotion Air uses an unusually shaped cabinet that deliberately aims for extra angularity wherever possible. The twin-driver speaker is angled to appear as if it’s leaning back, has an extra facet where its silver top button controls appear, and adds matching slants to its included Infrared remote and USB-to-computer wireless dongle. While the soft touch black rubber used in the cabinet design feels nice to the touch, the shape of the system may or may not be as soft on your eyes. From our perspective, it’s a decided improvement on the garish gold and faux metallic designs that Altec released in recent cycles, but still not beautiful in any absolute sense of the word. Creative’s ZiiSound D5 is still the high water mark for iPod/iPhone Bluetooth speaker system designs, though it’s more expensive than inMotion Air, too.

In the absence of similarly gorgeous design, Altec has relied on sound quality and features as selling points for its speakers, and it’s here that inMotion Air becomes most appealing as an alternative to the aforementioned rivals. Unlike the similarly-sized ZiiSound D5 and Tango TRX, inMotion Air completely leaves out an iPod/iPhone dock in favor of a more powerful Bluetooth wireless chip—one that is theoretically capable of working from 333-foot distances rather than the more common 33-foot range of typical Bluetooth systems. In our testing with an iPhone 4, Altec’s wireless streaming worked from actual distances in excess of 100 feet away, maneuvering around walls and a staircase, before the signal began to break up. In elegant fashion, the signal loss sounded like split-second drop outs rather than buzzing or distorting. Different Bluetooth broadcasting devices will vary in performance with inMotion Air—Altec includes the aforementioned USB dongle to guarantee maximum performance with computers—but even the level of performance we saw with the unassisted iPhone 4 is impressive by typical Bluetooth speaker standards. Most systems stop working right around the 33-foot mark promised by basic Bluetooth chips; some reach to 60-foot distances before losing signals.

A couple of Altec’s other assets are also worth mentioning at this point. There’s a scoop-styled handle on the back, and Air is light enough to be easily carried around inside a house or office so that you can really take advantage of its battery-powered portability. Seven hours of play time between charges are promised from the built-in cell, which is right between the five- to eight-hour run times promised by foxL v2.2 and Jawbone Jambox; notably, inMotion Air has much bigger speakers to power, and puts out a lot more volume than these smaller units. Altec manages its power using a switch hidden inside a remote control storage nook next to the carrying handle. Flip the switch on and the system works in portable mode; flip it off and it will only turn on when connected to wall power. Since Tango TRX and ZiiSound D5 only work when they’re connected to outlets, inMotion Air has a decided advantage over peer-sized audio systems in this regard.

Altec’s sound quality is in the “good” rather than “great” category overall, though how impressed you’ll be by the audio depends on what you’re using as a comparative reference. On paper, comparing inMotion Air’s only two speakers—3” “full-range long throw drivers”—to the five speakers in XtremeMac’s Tango TRX might make you think that Altec had shown up with a knife to a gunfight. But due to less than optimal tuning of TRX’s drivers and some impressive work on Altec’s side, including aptX optimized Bluetooth audio, Air actually offers only a little less bass and peak volume than Tango, while besting it in treble performance and clarity—at least, when both are in Bluetooth mode. (Tango TRX cleans up somewhat when its dock is used.) Put inMotion Air next to either foxL v2.2 or Jawbone Jambox and, not surprisingly, you’ll find Altec’s speakers to be in another league entirely: they’re louder, clearer, and with superior dynamic range that makes the pocket-sized systems sound like FM radios.

While the sonic differences between the foxL, Jambox, and Air might seem obvious enough given the difference in their sizes, the fact that Altec is offering superior functionality and performance for the same price tag has not been lost on us. inMotion Air delivers pretty much what we’d have expected from a $200 Bluetooth wireless speaker, while the smaller systems have continued to strike us as overly expensive given what they actually deliver. Only their “take them anywhere” sizes and integrated iPhone-ready microphones enable them to co-exist alongside an option like inMotion Air.

Altec also has some advantages in the control department relative to its rivals. Air’s top-mounted buttons are actually capable of controlling track play/pause/forward/reverse functions on iPods, iPhones, and iPads running the latest versions of iOS, which means that you can change, stop, and start tracks even when your device is on the other side of the house. This will be common enough in AirPlay speakers later this year, but it’s rare in Bluetooth speakers these days; the pocket systems barely make room for their own power and volume buttons. Control is further augmented by inMotion Air’s packed-in Infrared remote, which includes the same track, volume, and play/pause buttons alongside an ESS sound enhancer that changes the sound of tracks, seemingly with strategic treble and mid-treble boosts. Both Air and the remote can also switch to a wired auxiliary audio input if you want to connect a non-Bluetooth device that way, and control it on its own.

While we’ve praised quite a few of inMotion Air’s features, there are some issues that detracted somewhat from our otherwise positive impressions. First, though it’s sonically on par with Tango TRX and superior to the same-priced Aliph and SoundMatters speakers, Air isn’t quite as full-bodied or powerful as the ZiiSound D5, which also looks better, includes a device charging dock, and has a dongle that allows iPod nano and classic models to play music wirelessly, too. ZiiSound D5 used to be $100 more expensive than Air, but today, the price difference is only $50, and it’s generally justified by Creative’s assets. Additionally, we occasionally had small re-pairing issues with Air that might have been traceable to the number of Bluetooth devices in our testing area, but required a little more manual assistance to resolve than with competing devices. Most users won’t experience issues, particularly with the latest Bluetooth-friendly versions of iOS, but others might.

All in all, Altec Lansing’s inMotion Air is one of the better Bluetooth wireless speaker systems we’ve seen for iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad users: its lack of a charging and audio dock is offset by atypically strong wireless performance, while its integrated rechargeable battery pack and rear carrying handle make it considerably easier to carry around than similarly-sized rivals; similarly, it offers much better sound quality and horsepower than same-priced, smaller Bluetooth speakers that have recently been attracting more attention. While its ultra-angular looks won’t thrill everyone, the overall value delivered by inMotion Air’s combination of large, clear-sounding speakers, wireless remote controls, and dual power options are all worthy of our strong general recommendation; the same or better audio technology inside of a sleeker package would thrill even more people.

A Note From the Editors of iLounge: Though all products and services reviewed by iLounge are "final," many companies now make changes to their offerings after publication of our reviews, which may or may not be reflected above. This iLounge article provides more information on this practice, known as revving.

View the original article here

Review: Altec Lansing inMotion Air Universal wireless speaker

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Altec’s strategy with inMotion Air turns out to be markedly different from the ones that rivals have pursued—at least, in some ways. As has been the case with the last two or three years of Altec speakers, inMotion Air uses an unusually shaped cabinet that deliberately aims for extra angularity wherever possible. The twin-driver speaker is angled to appear as if it’s leaning back, has an extra facet where its silver top button controls appear, and adds matching slants to its included Infrared remote and USB-to-computer wireless dongle. While the soft touch black rubber used in the cabinet design feels nice to the touch, the shape of the system may or may not be as soft on your eyes. From our perspective, it’s a decided improvement on the garish gold and faux metallic designs that Altec released in recent cycles, but still not beautiful in any absolute sense of the word. Creative’s ZiiSound D5 is still the high water mark for iPod/iPhone Bluetooth speaker system designs, though it’s more expensive than inMotion Air, too.

In the absence of similarly gorgeous design, Altec has relied on sound quality and features as selling points for its speakers, and it’s here that inMotion Air becomes most appealing as an alternative to the aforementioned rivals. Unlike the similarly-sized ZiiSound D5 and Tango TRX, inMotion Air completely leaves out an iPod/iPhone dock in favor of a more powerful Bluetooth wireless chip—one that is theoretically capable of working from 333-foot distances rather than the more common 33-foot range of typical Bluetooth systems. In our testing with an iPhone 4, Altec’s wireless streaming worked from actual distances in excess of 100 feet away, maneuvering around walls and a staircase, before the signal began to break up. In elegant fashion, the signal loss sounded like split-second drop outs rather than buzzing or distorting. Different Bluetooth broadcasting devices will vary in performance with inMotion Air—Altec includes the aforementioned USB dongle to guarantee maximum performance with computers—but even the level of performance we saw with the unassisted iPhone 4 is impressive by typical Bluetooth speaker standards. Most systems stop working right around the 33-foot mark promised by basic Bluetooth chips; some reach to 60-foot distances before losing signals.

A couple of Altec’s other assets are also worth mentioning at this point. There’s a scoop-styled handle on the back, and Air is light enough to be easily carried around inside a house or office so that you can really take advantage of its battery-powered portability. Seven hours of play time between charges are promised from the built-in cell, which is right between the five- to eight-hour run times promised by foxL v2.2 and Jawbone Jambox; notably, inMotion Air has much bigger speakers to power, and puts out a lot more volume than these smaller units. Altec manages its power using a switch hidden inside a remote control storage nook next to the carrying handle. Flip the switch on and the system works in portable mode; flip it off and it will only turn on when connected to wall power. Since Tango TRX and ZiiSound D5 only work when they’re connected to outlets, inMotion Air has a decided advantage over peer-sized audio systems in this regard.

Altec’s sound quality is in the “good” rather than “great” category overall, though how impressed you’ll be by the audio depends on what you’re using as a comparative reference. On paper, comparing inMotion Air’s only two speakers—3” “full-range long throw drivers”—to the five speakers in XtremeMac’s Tango TRX might make you think that Altec had shown up with a knife to a gunfight. But due to less than optimal tuning of TRX’s drivers and some impressive work on Altec’s side, including aptX optimized Bluetooth audio, Air actually offers only a little less bass and peak volume than Tango, while besting it in treble performance and clarity—at least, when both are in Bluetooth mode. (Tango TRX cleans up somewhat when its dock is used.) Put inMotion Air next to either foxL v2.2 or Jawbone Jambox and, not surprisingly, you’ll find Altec’s speakers to be in another league entirely: they’re louder, clearer, and with superior dynamic range that makes the pocket-sized systems sound like FM radios.

While the sonic differences between the foxL, Jambox, and Air might seem obvious enough given the difference in their sizes, the fact that Altec is offering superior functionality and performance for the same price tag has not been lost on us. inMotion Air delivers pretty much what we’d have expected from a $200 Bluetooth wireless speaker, while the smaller systems have continued to strike us as overly expensive given what they actually deliver. Only their “take them anywhere” sizes and integrated iPhone-ready microphones enable them to co-exist alongside an option like inMotion Air.

Altec also has some advantages in the control department relative to its rivals. Air’s top-mounted buttons are actually capable of controlling track play/pause/forward/reverse functions on iPods, iPhones, and iPads running the latest versions of iOS, which means that you can change, stop, and start tracks even when your device is on the other side of the house. This will be common enough in AirPlay speakers later this year, but it’s rare in Bluetooth speakers these days; the pocket systems barely make room for their own power and volume buttons. Control is further augmented by inMotion Air’s packed-in Infrared remote, which includes the same track, volume, and play/pause buttons alongside an ESS sound enhancer that changes the sound of tracks, seemingly with strategic treble and mid-treble boosts. Both Air and the remote can also switch to a wired auxiliary audio input if you want to connect a non-Bluetooth device that way, and control it on its own.

While we’ve praised quite a few of inMotion Air’s features, there are some issues that detracted somewhat from our otherwise positive impressions. First, though it’s sonically on par with Tango TRX and superior to the same-priced Aliph and SoundMatters speakers, Air isn’t quite as full-bodied or powerful as the ZiiSound D5, which also looks better, includes a device charging dock, and has a dongle that allows iPod nano and classic models to play music wirelessly, too. ZiiSound D5 used to be $100 more expensive than Air, but today, the price difference is only $50, and it’s generally justified by Creative’s assets. Additionally, we occasionally had small re-pairing issues with Air that might have been traceable to the number of Bluetooth devices in our testing area, but required a little more manual assistance to resolve than with competing devices. Most users won’t experience issues, particularly with the latest Bluetooth-friendly versions of iOS, but others might.

All in all, Altec Lansing’s inMotion Air is one of the better Bluetooth wireless speaker systems we’ve seen for iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad users: its lack of a charging and audio dock is offset by atypically strong wireless performance, while its integrated rechargeable battery pack and rear carrying handle make it considerably easier to carry around than similarly-sized rivals; similarly, it offers much better sound quality and horsepower than same-priced, smaller Bluetooth speakers that have recently been attracting more attention. While its ultra-angular looks won’t thrill everyone, the overall value delivered by inMotion Air’s combination of large, clear-sounding speakers, wireless remote controls, and dual power options are all worthy of our strong general recommendation; the same or better audio technology inside of a sleeker package would thrill even more people.

A Note From the Editors of iLounge: Though all products and services reviewed by iLounge are "final," many companies now make changes to their offerings after publication of our reviews, which may or may not be reflected above. This iLounge article provides more information on this practice, known as revving.

View the original article here