Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Sounds Great, Could Have Better Power Options September 7, 2007
Andrew G. Dehel (San Francisco, CA United States)
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
I am loving my iHome 2Go Speaker System for my iPod. It sounds pretty good for the size and I love the remote control. I recently used it at Burning Man for a little music in our dome when the surrounding noise was not too loud to drown it out.
The couple of complaints I have for it are
1) while it successfully charges my iPod while it is in the device, it cannot charge rechargeable batteries that way. I know it didn't come with rechargeables, but it is a logical choice for people to use if they will be using the device regularly. An in-device rechargeable battery option would make the unit very sweet.
2) Also related to this is that the unit can run and charge the ipod itself off the speaker's ac adapter, but not run or charge the speaker part. If there are not live batteries in the speaker part, then it will not produce any sound even when it is plugged in. This is silly - the AC adaptor should power the entire device - what if my batteries are low? Heck, why not allow the iPod itself to power the speaker, too? the iPod's power wouldn't last for that long a playing time but it seems to make logical sense to me.
3) Since the iPod is completely hidden and contained within the iHome when playing, there is no way to easily see the current track listing. There could be a display on the remote and that would resolve that issue.
4) The remote uses stupid Cell batteries which are expensive and harder to find and cannot be recharged. The remote unit is plenty large enough for a AAA or even AA battery solution and that would be much better in my opinion due to cost, ease of finding replacements, and the possibility of rechargeables.
5) This complaint is shared between both the speaker and the ipod. The remote and the iPod should both have an option / button to jump between shuffling music and continuing with an album if it chooses a song I love on shuffle and I want it to continue with that album. Removing the iPod from the speaker setup is just too awkward to make this realistic.
 The best addition to a neighborhood bike ride February 26, 2008
Eric J. Jensen (Mesa, AZ United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
My kids LOVE being able to share their music around the neighborhood with this speaker. The biggest drawback is that they can turn it up TOO loud :) The batteries so far have lasted well, I was surprised at how little of the ipod battery was drained. The remote is a nice feature and the cap for the speaker is a good idea. The biggest problem I foresee is remembering to take the ipod out of the speaker when the kids are done using it. Overall a very useful and fun item!
 GREAT ON BIKE, BAD ON CHARGING! August 7, 2007
Richard M. Sullivan (boston, ma)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
It seems to drain my Ipod instead of charging my Ipod battery
when in the unit, and plugged into an AC outlet!!! I used nicley
on a 4 hour or so charity bike ride.
But, once the Ipod batteries were dead, there was no way the IH85B could recharge them!! What really sucked, was i had another
day of riding to go, and had really enjoyed using the unit.
decent, but can't buy spare mounts October 23, 2007
D. Johnson
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I purchased said product about 2 weeks ago. It's great for group rides in the country. Sound is OK considering wind noise. I wouldn't use it for a home audio system as the sound is very directed and theres no screen. The one downside is iHome won't sell additional bottle cages or handlebar mounts for the remote. This is bad if you have multiple bikes or get your bike stolen.
Worth the money even if you don't have a bike! July 9, 2008
S. Vollmar (Fremont, Ohio, USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this to go with my brand new Trek Soho 1.0 Hybrid. I use my bike for commuting and exercising, and headphones always make me feel like I am going to be clipped by a truck and I won't even hear it coming, so this product got my attention instantly.
Positives:
-Great, loud sound from a single speaker. Even for audiophiles.(I am one)
-Secures your iPod...in fact, it basically hides it so the common person wouldn't even realize there is an iPod inside
-Wireless remote is extremely handy...mount on your bike handlebar when biking, take it off and use it elsewhere when not biking. Simple but amazing design.
Negatives:
-Size of unit doesn't fit in standard bottle cage; requires the included cage. This means two things if you are biking with it. 1: Your bike has to have two sets of bottle cage holes, or you wont be able to have both on your bike at once. 2: your frame has to be big enough to fit the unit inside the center triangle of your frame. I am a short guy (17.5" frame) and the middle triangle is not big enough to fit my standard water bottle and the unit. Therefore, I had to tie wrap the included cage on top of my top bike bar. This works good for sound while riding, but if I have to stop on a dime, I would slide forward and come to rest on top of the unit, which may prevent me from having children in the future.
-iPod cannot have a case around it: its a pain to remove the hardshell case from around my iPod Video every time I put it in.
-Cannot change playlist while iPod is inside. Minor inconvenience. Just make a large enough playlist and you will be fine.
Bottom line: I use this unit in my apartment just as much as on my bike. Working out in my room, taking a shower, this unit is loud enough to replace a small boom box I normally would use. Combined with the limitless amount of songs on my iPod, it is even better than that. So if you like to ride your bike long distances and listen to music, but don't like the closed in feeling of unsafe headphones, this unit is for you. If you want a $40 portable battery operated iPod speaker to take with you anywhere, this is also for you. A great buy. Do not pass up!
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