![]() ![]() Selecting the iW1 usually put us in business after a few seconds, although there were instances were it took multiple tries before any sound waves made it out of the drivers. Using iTunes or the iPod and supported apps on an iGadgets, a drop down menu becomes accessible for connecting to AirPlay-enabled speakers in the area. If you're not familiar with the audio side of AirPlay, it's fairly simple. By the way, it'll still work with computers hooked up via Ethernet into a wireless router / modem (that's how we do it), but WiFi is required for setup. Basically, getting things going was a breeze using an AirPlay-compatible iDevice and a hair-pulling session with computers. The good news is that (as with any AirPlay-equipped system) once the iW1 is connected it can receive audio streams from anything that can support the standard. It took numerous attempts - and bouts of teeth gritting - until the iW1 was able to sync up with our network. That said, no matter how many times we tried, getting the setup screen to pop up in a browser was troublesome. ![]() Using a computer for hook up requires an ad-hoc wireless connection to the iW1 - or the AirPlay IP setup shuffle, as we like to call it - similar to what we experienced with the Zeppelin Air. While the iOS hookup was smooth, we had no such luck with our MacBooks. ![]() Better yet, the app will even pull up the instruction guide if needed ( pssst: If you're on an iPad you'll be stuck with an iPhone view, but iHome says an optimized variant is due out soon). After opening the app and plugging in an iDevice, it was a cinch to connect it to a network and rename the iW1, all within a few painless seconds. Thankfully (for iOS users, at least), iHome's got another free app, called Connect, to help get the rig hooked up to local WiFi networks. The iW1 supports 802.11b/g WiFi networks but of course, before it can rock there's some setup involved. Sure, we could've just plugged into the iW1 over USB like any 'ol dock, but of course you're ideally ditching the audio cord by investing in an AirPlay-enabled system. It's certainly not shabby, but we're told that it should last up to ten hours at "moderate" volumes. Streaming wirelessly from iTunes with Bongiovi enabled and the volume just past 50 percent, the iW1 managed five and a half hours of playback before it needed a re-juice. Doing so was quite simple as it merely sits on the charging base ready to be lifted at a moments notice. This allows the six-pound system to be carried boombox-style to another room (we promise, it's not that bad), and thanks to an internal 2,600 mAh Li-ion battery it can go cord-free for a few hours. Moving onto greener pastures, if you check the iW1's rear side again you'll notice there's a carrying handle. Hopefully, iHome will eventually make the Set app wire-free, at the least. To put it briefly, the geek in us welcomes all of the tweaking options and input methods - it's just a shame that the current implementation feels a bit fragmented. If we did misplace the remote, iHome's free Set app allows for controlling the equalization functions from iThings - but only while docked via USB. Here's the real kicker, though: it's got a button to enable Bon Jovi Bongiovi Acoustics DPS for "improving" sound, and simpler than that, there are also the bass and treble controls. The Rz10 remote mimics the iW1's top, but it adds other functions like mute, shuffle and repeat buttons. See, that included remote isn't something to misplace if you AirPlay with iTunes you can't access some potentially fundamental controls using a computer. The buttons and doodads don't stop there, though! ![]() We wish the battery button was within easier reach, but it makes sense that rest of the controls are on the back - you'll rarely use them after initial setups to new WiFi networks. You'll notice a battery indicator button, main power slider, a 3.5mm jack (no cable included), a USB connector for docking and iDevice charging (no power for iPads, though), a firmware LED-button and lastly, a WiFi status LED next to its network setup tab. Flipping the unit around back reveals many of its auxiliary controls and inputs. ![]()
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