iPhone Portable Speaker iP27BR

Design of iP27BR
If you've seen other iHome iPod offerings, the iP27BR will look familiar. It has the same rounded look of many of its iPod-only siblings (and shares a design with the iH27BR, the iPod version). The base of the unit rests on a table or shelf, while the rear speaker housing folds up to serve as a backdrop for your iPhone.

The LED clock is on the front face of the base section; it's backlit and also shows the time and other system information such as iPhone/iPod connectivity, alarm and sleep status, battery level, etc. On either side of the iPod dock are four-way buttons for controlling functions such as Play/Pause, volume, alarm on/off, and time set. In front of the dock is the snooze button which also controls the LED backlight level.
Because the iP27BR is a portable speaker system, it has two battery compartments for standard AA batteries (four total, not included) to power the unit when it's away from wall power. These compartments are on the bottom of the base. There's also a slot for a backup CR2032 coin battery to keep time if there's a power loss.

The iP27Br has a stylish, smooth design that compliments the iPhone and will work well in most rooms. Its exterior shell is plastic, and while it's solid and sturdy in construction, the control buttons are a bit loose and flimsy to the touch. The unit is also heavy enough so that it doesn't slide when you press buttons or insert an iPhone. However, it's not heavy enough to keep from raising up or sliding when you remove the iPhone with one hand.

Features

When you seat an iPhone in the dock, the unit begins charging the phone (on AC power). In iPod mode, the iP27BR acts as a speaker system for audio playback automatically.

The alarm mode works two ways; you can either set an alarm which works independently of the iPhone (a standard alarm clock buzzer), or you can wake to audio from the iPhone. You can't manually choose between these options -- if an iPhone is in the dock, you wake to iPhone content.

Unfortunately, the iPhone alarm function isn't feature-rich as it should be. When the alarm goes off, it simply begins playing back the same audio which was last playing. You can't wake up to specific playlists. And, because the iPhone's built-in software alarm doesn't allow you to wake to playlists either (just built-in sounds), you can't decide what music to listen to by default as you wake.

Once the alarm does go off, hitting the snooze button will give you nine additional minutes of rest. You can use the snooze button multiple times for up to 1 hour.

If you prefer to put the iP27BR at a distance, the included remote control makes this easy. The remote provides its own snooze button (nice touch) as well as Play/Pause, Back/Forward and volume control, a sleep button, and mute.

I should also mention that while the iP27BR is designed to work with the iPhone, it is also compatible with all modern iPod models with Dock Connectors.

Sound Quality

The iP27BR provides very good sound quality, though it's not as good as other, more expensive iPod/iPhone speakers. The speakers use Reson8 speaker technology which gives "better response characteristics and helps to deliver big, tough sound" and EXB sound enhancement which can be toggled on or off with a button the side of the base. The EXB feature does change the way audio sounds - with some music, it increases the quality of the sound, with other music not so much.

Volume levels go from 0 to 40, and at maximum volume you should be able to enjoy music or audiobooks in a small to medium sized room at a satisfactory level. If you're looking for room-shaking sound, no portable audio solution - including the iP27BR - will satisfy you.

Moans & Groans

My only real complaint about the iP27BR is that it doesn't provide logical control of the iPhone in order to wake to specific playlists. I'd like to create a playlist with music that would best rouse me and tell the unit to use that playlist as my alarm. If the iPhone's built-in alarm feature allowed you to wake to a playlist (I still can't understand why Apple provides this feature on iPods, but not on the iPhone) I would be more satisfied, but alas -- this feature is not available.

Also, with an MSRP of $119, the unit seems slightly overpriced; however you can find the iP27BR at third-party retailers for around $100 [CHECK PRICES].

Conclusion

I can recommend the iHome iP27BR to anyone who needs a basic iPhone-friendly alarm or portable speaker system with a remote. Those with more advanced needs will want to look for a more feature-rich product.