Introduction
Not long ago we took a look at the JBL OnTime, an all-in-one iPod docking station, alarm clock, and radio. While the OnTime is a competent product, there are some quirks and design flaws that, when combined with its relatively high price, open the door for competition. One of the companies competing in the same market as JBL is iHome. While the company may not be quite as well known as JBL is to most of us, they’ve found a nice little niche by offering numerous iPod-dockable devices that include alarm clocks, boom boxes, and under-the-counter players.
While iHome is obviously a much smaller company than JBL and some of the other competing manufacturers, what they lack in size they make up for in terms of focus. What I mean is that iHome’s product line consists exclusively of iPod accessories. Basically, iHome is going to sink or swim as a company depending on how well they can differentiate their iPod accessories from the competition. The product we’ll be looking at today is their iH5 clock radio which competes directly with products like the JBL OnTime. Let’s see if the iH5 has what it takes to hang with the big boys.
http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/285/iHome+iH5+iPod+Clock+Radio/
Friday, June 15, 2007
JBL On Time - Time Machine Dock for iPod
Introduction
So you just couldn’t resist running out and buying an iPod after reading our recent review of the nano and now you’re itching to run out and get some sort of cool accessory since you have all that extra money burning a hole in your pocket, right? There are hundreds of accessories for the various iPod models, ranging from carrying cases and arm bands to attachable FM tuners and boom-boxes (and that’s barely scratching the surface)! If you are one of the millions of consumers who’ve purchased an iPod and feel the urge to accessorize then you’ll want to read on for our review of the JBL On Time - it could be just what you’re looking for.
The JBL On Time acts as a docking station, charger, and speaker system for your iPod. It also functions as an alarm clock and a radio. As you can see, the JBL On Time combines a number of different features into one unique device, but how well does it perform these functions?
First Impressions
Although the On Time can be used with many different media players through the use of the auxiliary sound input, it’s immediately obvious that it was built from the ground up to be used in conjunction with Apple’s iPod. The physical design of the On Time complements the iPod very well. The white iPod nano I used during testing matches the color and texture of the On Time perfectly and owners of black iPods need not feel left out because it’s also available in black. The On Time comes with multiple docking adaptors, so it can be used with iPods of any generation. The On Time also comes with an AM antenna, an auxiliary audio cable, and of course an external power supply.
As you can see from pictures of the device, the On Time has a unique circular design. There are three speakers enclosed on the “halo” portion of the On Time that surround the iPod when it is docked. The two matching speakers that are on opposite sides reproduce the low to midrange frequencies, and the tweeter on top doubles as the snooze button. There are ten buttons in addition to the snooze button, all located at the foot of the unit hugging the sides of the display. The four to the left of the display are for volume, mode selection, and power. The four buttons directly to the right of the display are used to navigate the On Time menus, and the final two buttons to the far right are for the dual alarms. On the back of the On Time you will find connections for the power supply, AM antenna, auxiliary sound input, subwoofer out, and last but not least, the iPod USB connector so you can even synch your iPod to your PC while it’s docked in the On Time. Finally, flipping the On Time over will expose the cover for the three AAA batteries which can be used for battery backup in the case of a power failure.
While the display for the On Time is not overly large, it will be quite pleasing to anyone who’s a fan of bright blue LEDs. It provides a clear, albeit slightly small display which can be adjusted for contrast and brightness to the user’s liking. The buttons are all backlit in blue as well, and there is even a small blue LED on the underside of the speaker “halo” that shines down on the iPod when docked. The brightness of all these light sources can be tweaked through the On Time menu options. One of these options even includes an “auto” setting which makes use of a light sensor on the front of the unit which increases or decreases the brightness depending on how much ambient light is present in the room.
http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/277/JBL+On+Time+Time+Machine+Dock+for+iPod/
So you just couldn’t resist running out and buying an iPod after reading our recent review of the nano and now you’re itching to run out and get some sort of cool accessory since you have all that extra money burning a hole in your pocket, right? There are hundreds of accessories for the various iPod models, ranging from carrying cases and arm bands to attachable FM tuners and boom-boxes (and that’s barely scratching the surface)! If you are one of the millions of consumers who’ve purchased an iPod and feel the urge to accessorize then you’ll want to read on for our review of the JBL On Time - it could be just what you’re looking for.
The JBL On Time acts as a docking station, charger, and speaker system for your iPod. It also functions as an alarm clock and a radio. As you can see, the JBL On Time combines a number of different features into one unique device, but how well does it perform these functions?
First Impressions
Although the On Time can be used with many different media players through the use of the auxiliary sound input, it’s immediately obvious that it was built from the ground up to be used in conjunction with Apple’s iPod. The physical design of the On Time complements the iPod very well. The white iPod nano I used during testing matches the color and texture of the On Time perfectly and owners of black iPods need not feel left out because it’s also available in black. The On Time comes with multiple docking adaptors, so it can be used with iPods of any generation. The On Time also comes with an AM antenna, an auxiliary audio cable, and of course an external power supply.
As you can see from pictures of the device, the On Time has a unique circular design. There are three speakers enclosed on the “halo” portion of the On Time that surround the iPod when it is docked. The two matching speakers that are on opposite sides reproduce the low to midrange frequencies, and the tweeter on top doubles as the snooze button. There are ten buttons in addition to the snooze button, all located at the foot of the unit hugging the sides of the display. The four to the left of the display are for volume, mode selection, and power. The four buttons directly to the right of the display are used to navigate the On Time menus, and the final two buttons to the far right are for the dual alarms. On the back of the On Time you will find connections for the power supply, AM antenna, auxiliary sound input, subwoofer out, and last but not least, the iPod USB connector so you can even synch your iPod to your PC while it’s docked in the On Time. Finally, flipping the On Time over will expose the cover for the three AAA batteries which can be used for battery backup in the case of a power failure.
While the display for the On Time is not overly large, it will be quite pleasing to anyone who’s a fan of bright blue LEDs. It provides a clear, albeit slightly small display which can be adjusted for contrast and brightness to the user’s liking. The buttons are all backlit in blue as well, and there is even a small blue LED on the underside of the speaker “halo” that shines down on the iPod when docked. The brightness of all these light sources can be tweaked through the On Time menu options. One of these options even includes an “auto” setting which makes use of a light sensor on the front of the unit which increases or decreases the brightness depending on how much ambient light is present in the room.
http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/277/JBL+On+Time+Time+Machine+Dock+for+iPod/
CES 2006 Car Audio Show Floor
LAT Subwoofers by Tymphany / Alpine
We spent Friday morning at the CES car audio show floor, but first we met with speaker design company Tymphany in their Las Vegas Hilton suite. Tymphany’s new Linear Array Transducer (LAT) subwoofer utilizes a dual opposed woofer design with stacked passive cones to create monster bass in a much smaller space. Their LAT woofers are featured in a new line of Alpine aftermarket powered subwoofer boxes.
The LAT 500 speakers, consisting of 4 passive cones sandwiched in between dual 5" sub speakers, produce bass equivalent to that of two 10" traditional woofers but require only .8 cubic feet of volume. The larger 700 series use 7" cones and produces bass equal to that of two 12" standard subs.
The sound engineering behind these subwoofers is very clever. Each pair of passive cones is connected to a powered woofer. When the woofer thumps, sound is carried down carbon connecting rods to the passive cones that act as soundboards, amplifying the sound. In this manner Tymphany is able to use small woofers to create heavy bass. In addition to the LAT 500 and 700 series, Tymphany is developing smaller woofer modules for use in home theater, HDTV and PC applications. So you can expect to see this design used in home theater systems, televisions and even iPod speaker docks. Alpine was recognized as a CES ‘06 Innovations Honoree for their LAT Powered Subwoofer System.
Hearing the LAT system in a hotel suite is one thing, but feeling it bump the glasses off your face while sitting in the driver’s seat of a demo car is a completely separate beast. Our next stop was Alpine’s showroom where we had the chance to feel the LAT 500s in action. The seats of the Scion xB demo car were vibrating furiously as the 250 Watt built-in amp pushed the little speakers around. This was, by far, better sound than what was available in Tymphany’s hotel suite - but it got even better.
The demo xB served a dual purpose in that it showcased the LAT system as well as Alpine’s new VPA-B222 Vehicle Hub Pro component add-on system and PXE-H650 OEM Audio Processor. The Vehicle Hub Pro allows users to incorporate aftermarket audio equipment, including iPods, satellite and HD radio, DVD players and navigation systems into their factory OEM stereo head unit. If users want to upgrade their speaker system while retaining the factory head unit, the PXE-H650 OEM Audio Processor can optimize the upgrades for premium sound quality. For instance, if you have a nice new Inifiniti G35 Coupe and you don't want a cheesy head unit replacing the nice stock one, this is great news for you. This unit flattens all factory equalization and retunes it based on audio inputs received from a proprietary diagnostic microphone placed in various locations inside the vehicle. Optimization takes about 20 minutes and will be performed by authorized Alpine dealers. In our demonstration, the difference between the upgraded sound system and the optimized upgraded sound system was night and day. The PXE-H650 processed sound quality was crisper, ‘bassier’ and had more depth than the non-optimized upgraded system.
Of course Alpine had a couple other tricked out rides including a thumping Honda Ridgeline loaded with speakers and subwoofers and a heavily modded BMW 645i that looked more like an H.R. Giger creation than a slick German roadster.
http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/249/CES+2006+Car+Audio+Show+Floor/
We spent Friday morning at the CES car audio show floor, but first we met with speaker design company Tymphany in their Las Vegas Hilton suite. Tymphany’s new Linear Array Transducer (LAT) subwoofer utilizes a dual opposed woofer design with stacked passive cones to create monster bass in a much smaller space. Their LAT woofers are featured in a new line of Alpine aftermarket powered subwoofer boxes.
The LAT 500 speakers, consisting of 4 passive cones sandwiched in between dual 5" sub speakers, produce bass equivalent to that of two 10" traditional woofers but require only .8 cubic feet of volume. The larger 700 series use 7" cones and produces bass equal to that of two 12" standard subs.
The sound engineering behind these subwoofers is very clever. Each pair of passive cones is connected to a powered woofer. When the woofer thumps, sound is carried down carbon connecting rods to the passive cones that act as soundboards, amplifying the sound. In this manner Tymphany is able to use small woofers to create heavy bass. In addition to the LAT 500 and 700 series, Tymphany is developing smaller woofer modules for use in home theater, HDTV and PC applications. So you can expect to see this design used in home theater systems, televisions and even iPod speaker docks. Alpine was recognized as a CES ‘06 Innovations Honoree for their LAT Powered Subwoofer System.
Hearing the LAT system in a hotel suite is one thing, but feeling it bump the glasses off your face while sitting in the driver’s seat of a demo car is a completely separate beast. Our next stop was Alpine’s showroom where we had the chance to feel the LAT 500s in action. The seats of the Scion xB demo car were vibrating furiously as the 250 Watt built-in amp pushed the little speakers around. This was, by far, better sound than what was available in Tymphany’s hotel suite - but it got even better.
The demo xB served a dual purpose in that it showcased the LAT system as well as Alpine’s new VPA-B222 Vehicle Hub Pro component add-on system and PXE-H650 OEM Audio Processor. The Vehicle Hub Pro allows users to incorporate aftermarket audio equipment, including iPods, satellite and HD radio, DVD players and navigation systems into their factory OEM stereo head unit. If users want to upgrade their speaker system while retaining the factory head unit, the PXE-H650 OEM Audio Processor can optimize the upgrades for premium sound quality. For instance, if you have a nice new Inifiniti G35 Coupe and you don't want a cheesy head unit replacing the nice stock one, this is great news for you. This unit flattens all factory equalization and retunes it based on audio inputs received from a proprietary diagnostic microphone placed in various locations inside the vehicle. Optimization takes about 20 minutes and will be performed by authorized Alpine dealers. In our demonstration, the difference between the upgraded sound system and the optimized upgraded sound system was night and day. The PXE-H650 processed sound quality was crisper, ‘bassier’ and had more depth than the non-optimized upgraded system.
Of course Alpine had a couple other tricked out rides including a thumping Honda Ridgeline loaded with speakers and subwoofers and a heavily modded BMW 645i that looked more like an H.R. Giger creation than a slick German roadster.
http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/249/CES+2006+Car+Audio+Show+Floor/
CES 2005 Wrap-Up: Gadgets, Cars and Babes
The Last of the Showfloor
Well, my poor feet were up for one last day on the CES show floor. Despite all the walking, waiting in line, and more walking, I really did enjoy checking out all the new electro-gadgetry and meeting all the industry reps.
Cowon Systems (JetAudio iAudio)
My first stop off on the final day of CES was at the Cowon iAudio booth. I had missed their booth earlier in the week. Since we have reviewed several iAudio products with favorable results, I was eager to see what they had up on deck for 2005. Much to my delight, I was greeted with their new line of multimedia players…soon to be available. A stylish new HDD-based audio player also should be available this month and can be used to store and view digital pictures. And of course they had a few flashed based MP3 players, one of which (the G3) boasts an impressive 50 hours of playtime from one AA battery.
Palm
Next I ventured over to Palm’s booth to have a look-see at the newest Treo line of PDAs. The Treo 650 is the newest in the line integrating PDA and cell phone functionality. A partner company called Enfora was called upon by Palm to create an add-on cradle to extend the wireless networking capacity of the Treo family. And way on down the price line lays the intro model Zire, a more practical choice for someone like me who truly despises cell phones. I particularly like the iPod white version myself.
BenQ
BenQ was my next stop. Their exhibit was quite amazing from a design aspect. Mod era furniture, bright colors, multiple product showcases and smart product design earned them a Design and Engineering Showcase Award at this year’s show. Everything from cell phones to audio players to home theater and laptop hardware was on display. I was very impressed to see BenQ showing off like they owned the joint. Some of the big dogs could have learned a thing or two from their booth.
Gizmondo
To wrap things up on the showfloor I visited 2 companies that joined us from across the seas, yet share a common language with us Yanks. First off I swung by the Gizmondo exhibit. They had a live DJ spinning tracks and some flat out supahfly dancers tearing up the floor. Gizmondo is a UK based company putting out a nifty little handheld gaming system. You may recognize the Gizmondo gaming device from the nVidia display on day 3. I had a chance to play “Colors,” a sort of GTA-type game. Very good graphics from this little bugger, I must say. But the dancing guys stole the show…as far as booth exhibits go. This was much cooler than Tom Arnold playing fishing video games.
Check out this movie I took of the dancing. (Please right click, save as...)
Crumpler
Off to my next international booth destination, Crumpler bags. This Australia-based company designs some sharp looking laptop cases, media player holders and professional photographer’s bags. I loved their booth design as well, chalkboards for everyone to write on, it was like a purposefully graffiti-ed classroom. Check them out if you need a stylish backpack or laptop bag. You’ll be looking much cooler with a Crumpler than with that Dell bag, I guarantee.
ABIT
Ok, so I lied. I was going to leave CES until I remembered that Abit was hosting the top ranked gamer in the world, FATAL1TY, at their booth. Unfortunately I screwed around too long and missed my opportunity to play a game of Painkiller against him. The prize for beating him was $5000. No one came close. So, I stuck around and attended a presentation of Abit’s FATAL1TY line of motherboards featuring the Guru overclocking software and the Third Eye display module. With the Guru software, overclocking is meant to be a one-click breeze. The Third Eye module displays your OCing results in GHz as well as CPU temp, Vcore and fan RPMs. Abit was running these boards for the entire FATAL1TY contest. They had overclocked the contestant’s machine only, just to give them an edge over the Uber-gamer. No crashes occurred over the four days according to the rep.
SeadDoo / Dance Dance Revolution / Internet Oven
And what would CES be without the random dumb things? Note below SeaDoo’s Seascooter. What this is doing at CES, I don’t know. Technically it is electronic…I guess. Maybe Scuba Steve is on the admissions board for CES. Also, we couldn’t possibly have an electronics show without Dance Dance Revolution. I would think the show could have gone on without it, but what do I know? And finally we have possibly the dumbest gadget displayed at CES…the internet oven. Yes, you too can cook your chicken from the convenience of your den or living room via your laptop. The picture below was taken during a VIDEO PRESENTATION for the oven, which I actually sat through! Come on, do we really need this as a society?!? (Kurtis’ note: I wonder if it can actually go as far as to put my bagel bites in there, and then bring them to me when they’re ready…)
http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/183/CES+2005+WrapUp+Gadgets+Cars+and+Babes/
Well, my poor feet were up for one last day on the CES show floor. Despite all the walking, waiting in line, and more walking, I really did enjoy checking out all the new electro-gadgetry and meeting all the industry reps.
Cowon Systems (JetAudio iAudio)
My first stop off on the final day of CES was at the Cowon iAudio booth. I had missed their booth earlier in the week. Since we have reviewed several iAudio products with favorable results, I was eager to see what they had up on deck for 2005. Much to my delight, I was greeted with their new line of multimedia players…soon to be available. A stylish new HDD-based audio player also should be available this month and can be used to store and view digital pictures. And of course they had a few flashed based MP3 players, one of which (the G3) boasts an impressive 50 hours of playtime from one AA battery.
Palm
Next I ventured over to Palm’s booth to have a look-see at the newest Treo line of PDAs. The Treo 650 is the newest in the line integrating PDA and cell phone functionality. A partner company called Enfora was called upon by Palm to create an add-on cradle to extend the wireless networking capacity of the Treo family. And way on down the price line lays the intro model Zire, a more practical choice for someone like me who truly despises cell phones. I particularly like the iPod white version myself.
BenQ
BenQ was my next stop. Their exhibit was quite amazing from a design aspect. Mod era furniture, bright colors, multiple product showcases and smart product design earned them a Design and Engineering Showcase Award at this year’s show. Everything from cell phones to audio players to home theater and laptop hardware was on display. I was very impressed to see BenQ showing off like they owned the joint. Some of the big dogs could have learned a thing or two from their booth.
Gizmondo
To wrap things up on the showfloor I visited 2 companies that joined us from across the seas, yet share a common language with us Yanks. First off I swung by the Gizmondo exhibit. They had a live DJ spinning tracks and some flat out supahfly dancers tearing up the floor. Gizmondo is a UK based company putting out a nifty little handheld gaming system. You may recognize the Gizmondo gaming device from the nVidia display on day 3. I had a chance to play “Colors,” a sort of GTA-type game. Very good graphics from this little bugger, I must say. But the dancing guys stole the show…as far as booth exhibits go. This was much cooler than Tom Arnold playing fishing video games.
Check out this movie I took of the dancing. (Please right click, save as...)
Crumpler
Off to my next international booth destination, Crumpler bags. This Australia-based company designs some sharp looking laptop cases, media player holders and professional photographer’s bags. I loved their booth design as well, chalkboards for everyone to write on, it was like a purposefully graffiti-ed classroom. Check them out if you need a stylish backpack or laptop bag. You’ll be looking much cooler with a Crumpler than with that Dell bag, I guarantee.
ABIT
Ok, so I lied. I was going to leave CES until I remembered that Abit was hosting the top ranked gamer in the world, FATAL1TY, at their booth. Unfortunately I screwed around too long and missed my opportunity to play a game of Painkiller against him. The prize for beating him was $5000. No one came close. So, I stuck around and attended a presentation of Abit’s FATAL1TY line of motherboards featuring the Guru overclocking software and the Third Eye display module. With the Guru software, overclocking is meant to be a one-click breeze. The Third Eye module displays your OCing results in GHz as well as CPU temp, Vcore and fan RPMs. Abit was running these boards for the entire FATAL1TY contest. They had overclocked the contestant’s machine only, just to give them an edge over the Uber-gamer. No crashes occurred over the four days according to the rep.
SeadDoo / Dance Dance Revolution / Internet Oven
And what would CES be without the random dumb things? Note below SeaDoo’s Seascooter. What this is doing at CES, I don’t know. Technically it is electronic…I guess. Maybe Scuba Steve is on the admissions board for CES. Also, we couldn’t possibly have an electronics show without Dance Dance Revolution. I would think the show could have gone on without it, but what do I know? And finally we have possibly the dumbest gadget displayed at CES…the internet oven. Yes, you too can cook your chicken from the convenience of your den or living room via your laptop. The picture below was taken during a VIDEO PRESENTATION for the oven, which I actually sat through! Come on, do we really need this as a society?!? (Kurtis’ note: I wonder if it can actually go as far as to put my bagel bites in there, and then bring them to me when they’re ready…)
http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/183/CES+2005+WrapUp+Gadgets+Cars+and+Babes/
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