Go to Windows 7 Insider GuideAlthough there is no shortage of portable speakers made for the iPod, the number specifically aimed toward the iPod Touch and the iPhone is significantly less. In fact, the Livespeakr Ultra-Portable Speaker is the only one we've come across that patently leaves out other iPods, with a design that caters completely to the touch-screen members of the family. This $80 unit won't blow you away with stellar sound, but the supercompact and innovative design may be enough to lure you in.
The iPhone gets HD radio.
(Credit: RadioShack)Staying competitive in an iPod-ruled marketplace is a challenge, and not just because of the player's built-in virtues (or Apple's massive marketing budget). The reigning king of the MP3 players has an advantage simply because it resides at the top of the heap, and that advantage comes in the form of feature-adding third-party accessories. Case in point: the Gigaware In-Line Remote with HD Radio, an $80 add-on for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
That's right, kids...that would be the iPod addressing a major selling point and advantage of the Zune HD. Please don't act surprised. You knew this day was coming. And yes, the Gigaware remote does allow display of track information on the iPod screen as well as song tagging, which let's you find songs easily for later purchase.
So let's recap: 32GB Zune HD costs $289; 32GB iPod Touch with HD radio addition costs $379. Not exactly apples to apples, but which one do you find more attractive? Does HD radio even matter? Discuss.
The Philips SBD7500 iPod speaker.
(Credit: CNET/Josh Miller)If you're looking for a small, tasteful, portable iPod speaker for less than $100, you could do a lot worse than the unfortunately named Philips SBD7500. Its sound quality is middle-of-the-road, yet still sounds pleasant, and its operation is about as simple as it gets--with a power switch, volume control, and a bass boost switch.
There's nothing fancy about the specs or features--no radio, no Bluetooth, no clock, and no remote. It is iPhone-compatible, though, and there's something to be said for keeping things simple. That said, if you have an extra $50 to throw at a portable speaker, the recently released Altec Lansing inMotion Classic is a better choice in every imaginable way.
Check out CNET for the full review of the Philips SBD7500.
The Klipsch Image S4i earphones are nearly identical to their sibling, the Image S4. They not only provide the same comfortable fit and stellar sound quality, but also offer the added bonus of an integrated mic and call answer button, as well as volume controls and remote playback for the iPod. Call quality through the inline mic is solid, though not overly spectacular for a wired headset. At $99, the Image S4i costs $20 more, which is probably worth it for those with an iPhone. For more information, read our full review of the Klipsch Image S4 headphones.
JayBird's Tiger Eyes are one of the better-looking choices.
Now that Apple is thoroughly touting the headphone remote capability of its various iPods, third-party headphone manufacturers are scrambling to provide products with integrated playback controls. One solution we've seen is the in-line remote cable attachment that can connect to any set of headphones, thereby letting you simply update your favorite pair.
Of course, if you need to upgrade from Apple's stock earbuds anyway, picking up a brand new model with the controls (and mic, if applicable) built-in makes more sense. There isn't a huge variety to choose from right now, but we managed to round up four sets of earphones that offer the feature.
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Sonos)
We've long been fans of the Sonos Digital Music System, which lets you stream all manner of digital audio throughout your home. The latest BU250 bundle is an enthusiastic CNET Editors' Choice, in part because it can be controlled either via the included touch-screen controller or with any iPhone or iPod Touch (running a free Sonos Controller app). Unfortunately, it costs $1,000--not bad for a two-room system, but still out of reach for many consumers--and it needs to be connected to external speakers or audio components to hear the music.
The new Sonos ZonePlayer S5 aims to address both of those issues. It boasts an all-in-one design with built-in stereo speakers, so it's plug and play. And it costs $400--not cheap, but well within the price range of refined iPod speaker systems we've seen from Bose, B&W, and other luxury brands.
Indeed, the latest Sonos combines the features of a ZonePlayer ZP90 with the sort of integrated speaker you'd find on a Bose SoundDock. ... Read more
Before all of September's iPod and Zune hoopla devoured my attention, I was in the middle of telling you folks about the Altec Lansing inMotion Classic speaker dock. Now that the dust has settled, we've posted a full CNET review of the Classic, along with the customary First Look video and photo gallery.
If the thought of clicking over to the full review just seems like way too much trouble, then let's just cut to the chase. For the $130-ish dollars you'll spend on this iPod- and iPhone-compatible portable speaker, the inMotion Classic packs a surprisingly big sound into a striking, compact design. Sound-wise, it's not going to stand up to the inMotion Mix or the $600 Bose SoundDock 10, but as an affordable, portable, rechargeable iPod speaker, it rules.
Read the full review of the Altec Lansing inMotion Classic.
The Altec Lansing inMotion Classic is an angular, powerful boombox made for the iPod and iPhone.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)Altec Lansing has a long history of producing some stellar little speaker systems designed around the iPod. Their latest portable speaker, the inMotion Classic, continues the company's tradition of delivering quality audio in a compact and stylish design.
I've reviewed a number of Altec Lansing's iPod speakers, including last year's inMotion Max and im600, so I thought I had a pretty good idea what to expect from a seemingly basic, $149 speaker dock. I was wrong.
So far, my initial impressions of the inMotion Classic are excellent. For a budget-minded portable speaker that stands only 4 inches high and measures just 2 inches thick, this thing cranks. Sure, it's not as thin as the im600, or as impressive-looking as the inMotion Max, but the engineers have juiced the two 3-inch speakers on the Classic for all they're worth.
There are no EQ settings on the Classic, but the overall sound is crisp with a surprising amount of meat on the low end compared with other fold-flat speakers we've tested from Logitech and Griffin. ... Read more
The inMotion Classic works as a portable speaker for the iPhone and iPod.
(Credit: Altec Lansing)We're a tough crew to impress when it comes to iPod speaker docks. Fortunately, Altec Lansing's latest offering, the inMotion Classic ($149), has more than a few things going for it.
For starters, this thing is iPhone-certified, so there's no worrying about annoying compatibility messages each time you dock your iPhone. It's also portable, with a design that folds up and uses an internal rechargeable battery for up to five hours of unplugged music. Throw in a built-in FM radio with station presets, a remote control, aux input, and a stylish design, and now you've got us excited.
Of course, the true test of any speaker system is how it sounds. Stay tuned for some hands-on photos and first impressions later Tuesday. Those already looking to buy this angular boombox beauty will need to wait until late September to pick one up.
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Sirius XM)
Like satellite radio, but don't want to deal with the kludge-y "dock and play" satellite radios that clutter up your car's dashboard? The XM SkyDock could be for you. It looks little different than your average iPod car charger, but the SkyDock has a satellite tuner built in. Pop in any iPhone or iPod Touch, run the free SkyDock control app, and the Apple handheld is transformed into a touch-screen control for the satellite radio service.
The app automatically adjusts to landscape (shown) or portrait mode, and the audio stream can be sent either via line-out or the company's "PowerConnect" system, which transmits the audio to most standard car radios via the car's electrical system. Because the SkyDock is plugged into the car's 12-volt power adapter, it also charges the iPhone/iPod Touch while it's in use. We got a brief hands-on demo of the SkyDock earlier today at a Sirius XM event, and it looked to be working smoothly, even with beta software.
Why invest in the SkyDock rather than just firing up the Sirius XM app on your iPhone? The app, as has been widely observed, omits much of "the good stuff." Rights issues preclude many of the service's keystone channels, including MLB Play-by-Play, NFL Play-by-Play, Nascar Radio, and Howard Stern. By contrast, because it's a full-fledged over-the-air satellite radio, the SkyDock offers the entire Sirius XM catalog, including those stations.
The SkyDock app also enables iTunes tagging: hear a song you like on one of the music stations, and a touch of the screen will tag it for later download on iTunes. Naturally, the SkyDock will also play music stored on your iPhone/iPod. (Whether that includes audio from other iPhone apps--such as Pandora, Last.fm, and the like--wasn't specified.) (Note: Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET News.)
The XM SkyDock will be available this fall for $120. In addition to a compatible iPod Touch or iPhone (any model that runs iPhone OS 3.0 will work), you'll need a valid Sirius XM subscription.
