Quick Tracks: Pros/Cons & Conclusion - Photos - Discussions

Packaging & First Impressions

The inMotion iM4 comes in a big black box with the speakers, a connection wire, an AC adapter with travel plugs and a black nylon carrying case. The speakers are folded down with the on/off and volume on one side. The other side has the built in retractable signal cable, another audio input and the power input. The unit is mostly wrapped in a black rubber that gives a solid "go anywhere" type feel.

We dived into these speakers here in the iPodTip labs by opening them up and attaching the power adapter. We were impressed with the included travel plug types, but it took us a few second to figure out how to attach them (start in the middle). The retractable audio cord is nice touch and plugged into our iPod Video 30GB with a snap. Power up the iPod and play.

Bring The Noise!

The speakers perform with crisp highs and solid bass that makes them a pleasure to listen to. We put on a little rap, a little rock'n'roll and even some radio play through Apple's new FM remote and it handled it all with ease. The little blue light on the front let us know it was on after the "bing" when it gets plugged in. The volume is controlled from the front the speakers in combination with the iPod volume which is one of the few drawbacks.

The quaility of the speakers is exactly what we expect from Altec Lansing, which is great full range sound that impresses from such a small set of speakers. We have had a set of the first generation inMotion speakers for years and these produced the same rich sound.

Pros, Cons & Rating

Pros Very portable, good sound Retractable cord Multiple plugs Great battery life Afforable Cons No dock for iPod charging iPod & speaker volume

Conclusion

Altec Lansing has been putting out great portable speaker systems for years and the inMotion iM4 is another low-cost system worthy of you iPod.

Specs

• 10.25" wide, 5.3" deep and 1" high
• Retails for $99
• AC or Battery powered
• 18 hours of play on battery

Available at Apple.com Store and Amazon (direct link)