Best Ever :) Gadget Blog: iLuv i199 Stereo System for iPod: This Dock is Hard to Love

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iLuv i199 Stereo System for iPod: This Dock is Hard to Love

Among this feature-heavy iPod speaker's many talents is the ability to play MP3s from USB thumb drives, as well as dock and pump out tunes from iPods. It has a slot for regular and MP3 CDs, a radio, and even an alarm clock. The iLuv's sound is pretty decent, too. It's a shame that operating it is such a pain.

The button array across the top does nothing to simplify the way you navigate audio sources, and the included remote seems to respond to your touch only when it feels like it. Then, there are inconsistencies- for example, MP3s played from a USB drive can scroll artist and track info across the screen, while tracks played from CDs show nothing.

Built-in iPod navigation is weak. But the option to use the iPod as an alarm source is handy (you can't choose a specific song, you can only set the volume), and the iPod video-out jack is useful.

No one can accuse the iLuv i199 of being short on tricks, and its audio output doesn’t distort at high volumes. But all things considered, I'd much rather save up for either an Apple Hi-Fi or a Chestnut Hill Sound George, both of which sound better and operate more intuitively.

iLuv i199 Stereo System for iPod: $199.99

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