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CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 08/18/2008
SDI Technologies has released some of the better affordably priced clock radios in recent years under its iHome brand, but the iHC5S wasn't among them. It wasn't for the lack of trying, however. The 2007 product did double duty as a clock radio and a Bluetooth speaker/speakerphone. In other words, it allowed you to play back music wirelessly from certain Bluetooth-enabled cell phones, as well as place calls from said cell phones without you having to touch the phone. It was a novel idea, but the execution was flawed--the final product just wasn't really recommendable.
Thankfully, SDI went back to the drawing board and gave it another try. The result is the company's second-gen Bluetooth clock radio, the iHome iP47BR. We're not sure whether this model was in the works at the time we were writing our review of the earlier model, but we have sneaking suspicion that iHome's designers may have taken a peek at that review because the company has largely responded to our criticisms and built a much better product. But that improvement comes at a cost: the iP47BR carries a $200 sticker price--twice that of the iHC5S.
While the two units look very similar, the iP47BR is all black instead of black and silver, which gives it a cleaner look. The iP47BR doesn't have that budget feel that afflicted the iHC5S. For instance, both units offer a spring-loaded retractable dialpad that allows you to make calls on a cell phone sitting across the room. It felt a tad flimsy on the iHC5S, but it feels notably more solid and robust on the iP47BR. Likewise, the dialpad's hard buttons that developed a worn look with just a couple of weeks of use on the older product have been replaced by more durable rubberized ones on the iP47.
Another improvement: We complained that the iHC5S doesn't have an integrated iPod dock. The iP47 does--and the unit has GSM shielding so you can dock your iPhone and leave the cell radio on (instead of toggling it to airplane mode), so you can accept calls without worrying about annoying interference noise while playing your tunes.
To pair your phone or other Bluetooth-enabled device, you press the play/pause button above the Bluetooth logo to put the iHome into discovery mode and key in the pass code "1234" on your phone once it pairs. We had a little trouble getting one of the test phones to pair initially, but Bluetooth technology itself is pretty finicky, so it's hard to place the blame on the iP47. All in all, the setup seemed easier and more straightforward than that of the iHC5S. The connection also seemed to hold better with less hiccups.
The iP47 supports two levels of Bluetooth compatibility: speakerphone and audio streaming. The first works with pretty much any Bluetooth phone, with the iHome taking the place of a headset; the second will work only with phones that offer A2DP--that's the "Advanced Audio Distribution Profile," the flavor of Bluetooth that supports wireless streaming high-quality stereo music. For example, the Sprint Mogul, the Nokia 5300, and Nokia N95 were all able to handle speakerphone and music streaming, but the Apple iPhone--which currently lacks A2DP support--could only offer speakerphone functionality to the iHome (although the inclusion of the dock ameliorates this limitation to a certain degree). The cell phone must be within about 30 feet of the iHC5S for Bluetooth connectivity of any kind.
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Where to buy
iHome iP47BR (black):
$149.00 - $161.09
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$161.09 | Yes |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$149.00 | Yes |
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