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The Sharper Image's wares fall almost entirely into one of two categories: expensive, useful electronic toys or expensive, useless electronic toys. When I first caught sight of the iPulse, a light-adorned speaker system for the iPod, I fully expected it to fall into the latter category. After my experience with the Griffin Disko, who can blame me? However, the $149 speaker with subwoofer (a $99 model, without a subwoofer, is available) is a surprisingly fun and engaging gadget. iPod owners looking for a complete audio-visual experience will be enamored with the iPulse.
Any way you slice it, the design of the iPulse is funky. Indeed, it looks like an oversized wedge cut from a sphere, with one flat edge acting as a base, the other making up the front of the speaker, and the back, rounded portion housing two ports: a DC power input and an auxiliary line input for connecting non-iPod MP3 players (cable included). An angular chunk is cut out of the top of the iPulse, creating a base for the iPod. The system includes eight snap-in adapters for the various iPod models. On the front edge of the cradle area is a slider for adjusting the intensity of the light show.
When the iPulse is not in use, the front of the unit looks more than a little funky. The upper arc is covered in a clear, plastic speaker grille of sorts. It has all these bubbly holes in it, which I initially thought were lights. In fact, the lights are tucked away along the edge of the lower arc, and the holes serve to affect the refraction of the lights. The controls for the iPulse also reside on the front of the device and consist simply of a power button and volume keys. Unfortunately, a remote is not included in the package, and there's no option to purchase one separately, either. Battery power is also not an option, though the unit will charge the iPod while it's docked.
