Products |
Sonic Impact i-Fusion Portable Speakers for iPod
By
Published: Jan 01, 2006
Category:
Gifts and Gadgets
Sonic Impact i-Fusion Portable Speakers for iPod
I love this gadget.
More importantly, so does my 10-year-old daughter, Mackenzie. And if she likes it, I know that this nifty portable speaker system for the iPod is, officially, the new generation’s Boom Box, albeit with a longer name — "Sonic Impact i-Fusion Portable Speakers for iPod." (Not poetic. But then, it’s so good it doesn’t need to be.)
I know, I know…Butler has already researched several Portable Speakers for your iPod. (My favorite: the Altec Lansing inMotion iM3s.) Why not one of these for your child? Because, for your adorable munchkin, nothing but a hard case will do.
Have you seen the way kids swing their school backpacks? Well, the Altec Lansing’s little cloth traveling case is no match for their athleticism. To protect pricey electronics from the young, you want something along the lines of a solid steel, bullet-proof, stain-resistant tank.
Mackenzie is the proud owner of a pink mini iPod. She takes it everywhere. She loses it just about everywhere. Fortunately, it’s engraved — so far, we get it back.
I think to think this little beauty will make it harder to lose her iPod — after all, who misplaces a suitcase?
It’s simple enough for an adult to use: You just dock your iPod in the portable device and you’ve got music anywhere. The i-Fusion hard cover not only protects your investment but acts as an audio enhancer — like a really good speaker cabinet.
Besides storing your so-fashionable iPod, the case features a second storage compartment for your ear buds and lithium-ion battery. It automatically organizes you. And if your kid happens to have Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphone Stereo Headphones — a bargain, but still $170 — it’s nice to have them tucked away where nothing can snap or splinter.
The iFusion case and speakers, by the way, are $149 — these days, that’s called a "steal."
Not that my 10 year seems to care, but the Apple site boasts: "The i-Fusion incorporates aluminum cone neodymium drivers for clarity and ported speaker housings and advanced technology for an enhanced bass response with minimal distortion." Translation: The sound is great.
This system also features a rechargeable battery, auto standby power mode when idle, battery charge display lights, iPod 30-pin connector dock and 30-pin connector input for direct music transfer while docked. Nice.
(The Sonic Impact i-Fusion does not, however, fit the Shuffle. For that, you buy the iPax Portable Speaker System for the iPod Shuttle. It’s also made by Sonic Impact, and includes a USB shuffle connector port with a swivel up/swivel down arm, so you can store your Shuffle in it.)
Good news: Weight is under 3 pounds. These won’t give your kid a premature hunch. They will give him/her vast pleasure.
And if you’re lucky, your child will let you borrow the i-Fusion.
— by Evan Hosie, consumer technology expert, music consultant and Guest Butler
To buy Sonic Impact i-Fusion Portable Speakers from Amazon.com, click here.
