Ready to go with the iHome2Go!
Pros:
Relatively cheap, great sound
Cons:
No outside display or way to change music
The Bottom Line:
Great for anyone looking for portable speakers rugged enough to protect your iPod and work outdoors.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I'm a big, big fan of my iPod, but at this point, who isn't? So I love the huge crop of gadgets that have sprung up to allow iPod use to expand from just the usual headphones-in-ears usage. For Christmas last year, I received such a gadget--the iHome2Go (1H19B) by SDI Technologies.
Price, Marketing and Where to Buy
This portable trendy water-resistant sport case speaker fits into anyone’s lifestyle. Securely holds your iPod in a lightweight zippered case so taking it with you to the beach, picnic or party is a breeze. Also charges the iPod and incorporates a full function built-in remote control, so you can use your iPod while it's fully protected in your sports case.
* Take your Apple iPod anywhere in our rugged water-resistant protective case
* Listen through headphones or speakers
* Sturdy, lightweight zippered case
* 2 dynamic stereo speakers
* Built-in Remote Control capability
* Charges iPod with adapter included | From the packaging and ihomeaudio.com
The product is labeled iHome2Go, but is identified on the website and the insert paperwork as the "1H19B" to differentiate it from the different colors the unit comes in. The unit can be purchased online at ihomeaudio.com for $69.99 plus tax and shipping and handling. You can likely also find it at other big-box retailers like amazon.com, or in stores like Target, Best Buy, or Circuit City--mine was purchased at Costco.
Use & Functionality
Using the unit is fairly easy--open the zippered shell case to find a large sound unit on the right side and a lined iPod-shaped cavity on the left. Coming out of the left side is an iPod connector, like the ones you find on your USB or FireWire iPod-to-unit connector cords. After connecting the iPod, you can tuck it into the cavity expressly for this purpose--there's an elastic band stretching across the space that keeps the ipod from falling out or knocking against the back of the unit. Once the iPod's all trussed out inside, you can zip the unit closed and take it wherever you want to go.
As for functioning, no bones about it, it definitely just plain works. A blue light on the front of the unit, below the buttons and in between the speakers, blinks when the iPod is paused and stays on when its playing, so you don't have to open the unit to see if you've paused it. The same button console allows you to play, pause, stop, fast-forward, reverse, increase/decrease volume, etc. The little speakers are more than powerful enough for their size, and the sound is perfectly clear.
The unit is designed for the full-sized iPod video--presumably any iPod that connects with the standard Apple connector could be used with the unit, except I think Nanos and smaller iPods would almost certainly be too small to be totally secure inside. I'm unsure about the iPod touch, given how new it is. The unit can run on either 4 AA batteries or the included DC 10V power cord.
Design
Overall, I think the design for the unit is very good with a few caveats. The aesthetics of the product are great--it's shaped like a compact black bullet, and the large, easy-to-press buttons mimic the design of the iPod touchwheel itself. The unit is extremely compact for the power and clarity of the speakers, and the outside casing is tough and rugged--I wouldn't be afraid to take the unit outside, even to the sandy beach. As for the touted water resistance, I haven't experimented with that, but the case is so hardy it seems that a few sprinkles of rain or an ocean spray wouldn't hurt it. Obviously you would still want to avoid using it in a downpour or submerging it entirely, though!
The iPod is kept very secure. So secure, in fact, that is not easily accessible--you can't change the playlist or album without opening up the case to get to the actual iPod, and you can't see what's playing from the outside. The latter complaint is a minor one, but the first one is more significant. If I was somewhere damp and sandy or otherwise potentially harmful to the iPod, I wouldn't want to open the case to change the album or playlist, and not being able to change the music when you want to is somewhat limiting.
On the other hand, enhancing the product with an outside display would almost certainly jack up the price significantly. For how much the unit cost, I'm happy to spend a few minutes ahead of time making a beach/mountains/camping playlist.
In Conclusion
For under $100, this is a fantastically rugged little set of portable speakers to use indoors and out. It was a great present!
