Review
Portable Speakers
iMainGo 2
Rating: **** (4/5)
Upside: The iMainGo 2 portable speaker is a praiseworthy product. The most striking feature is that it is extremely affordable at $39.99. It is amazingly compact, stylized with a very innovative design, and can be used on 90 percent of the music players, including iPods and iPhones.
Downside: The only snag reported by most of the users is its battery insertion process. Users find it difficult to shut the battery compartment.
Overview: Apart from being an improved second version of iMainGo, the iMainGo 2, which is fitted with titanium speakers for better sound quality, will be able to accommodate the iPhone, iPod Touch and mp3 players by a host of other brands. This custom fit technology, also known as iMainGo Foam, uses a spongy component that allows different brands of mp3 player, be it the Zune, Zen Stone, or most others, to be securely housed.
Perhaps the iMainGo 2's most attractive feature is its design. If nothing else, by housing your MP3 player, it so conveniently serves to protect the player, while letting you play music through a set of speakers built into the other half of the case.
The case itself comes in a variety of colors--black, blue, green, pink, and silver--but its shell is fabric, which means the unit is not weatherproof. The entire case is not only portable, but pocket-sized too.
The iMainGo uses four (4) AAA batteries, so there’s no hassle of charging or plugging it in. It also has a playtime of about 30 hours, another plus.
Its competitors for top slot in the portable speakers section are the Altec-Lansing inMotion iM600 and the Soundmatters FoxL Personal Audiophile Loudspeaker. The Altec boasts of a FM Radio and a rechargeable battery, but it doesn’t hold your iPod from falling out, besides having a uncomfortably large FM Radio band.
The Soundmatters, on the other hand, has a compact design and excellent sound quality but the sound seems to get distorted on a Bluetooth connection. Plus, it is very heavy on the wallet.