iHome iDM11 iPhone-iPad Portable Bluetooth Speakerphone Review

When it comes to speakers that are designed to be completely wireless, we feel like companies are taking on one of the the hardest design challenges. With iPhone’s, iPods, and iPads on the rise, people want to hear their music without using ear-buds or being chained to the internal speaker. The iDM11 is a great step in the wireless direction.

Design:
When it comes to style and elegance, the iDM11 was created very well. It makes a great accessory for any desk or counter top. Though we feel it looses some it’s appeal as when used as a ultra-portable speaker. The iDM11 successfully eliminates the need for wires yet it still needs a stable surface to be set on.

Functionality:
Setting up the iDM11 and using it with Bluetooth for music and speakerphone is very simple. Just press and hold the pairing button and it will appear on your iPhone. Note that it can only be connected to one device at a time.

Once paired you can move around freely. If you choose, however, it comes with a cord that can be used as a USB charging cable or auxiliary input. If you’re using a computer without Bluetooth or connecting an old CD player to it, this function works great. We really like that iHome has combined the USB charging plug and Auxiliary plug into one cable.

The light on the bottom of the device turns blue or red to indicate things like battery depletion or to signal Bluetooth pairing is in progress. This is a good idea. The light is subtle and adds liveliness to the speaker.

Sound:
When using this device on a desk or table using speaker phone, listening to a podcast or playing some music, it works well. But it could be better.

We found the sound to be not very loud. In an office or home environment it works great, but in other environments, such as the outdoors it is too quiet. It was first noticed while in the car. The sound of the car moving, other cars, the wind and other factors drowned out the iDM11 pretty quickly.

The sound is not well rounded enough to mask the fact that it is a single speaker. If the speaker was less uni-directional, it would sound more balanced.

Speakerphone:
Using the iDM11 as a speakerphone is great. We used it while set on the desk and it is convenient. It would also be good if used in while in the middle of something like cooking. Calls come in loud and clear. The iPhone’s ring tone will play through the speaker if it is paired.

Value:
Buy this speaker if you want Bluetooth connectivity that is completely wire-free. It runs on it’s own internal battery and connects via Bluetooth which means that it really is one of the few ultra-portable speakers that is convenient to use. If you don’t need loud volume with your music, then this device is a great buy.

Conclusion:
We think the iDM11 is a great step in the right direction. One of the few ultra-portable speakers to be completely wireless. Most other speakers use an auxiliary cable which constrains the user more than it frees them. The strengths of the iDM11 is certainly in it’s completely wireless design. No need for auxiliary cables (comes with it anyway), No need to hold your iPhone to your ear while on the phone, and no need to be plugged into the wall.

Our two complaints are that the design requires a stable base and the sound is not loud enough for some environments.

We realize some characteristics are hard feats to tackle, like making loud sound come from a tiny speaker. Our suggestion is buy this speaker for home or office use. It’s not really for outdoorsy, party-animal, talk-while-you-drive, type of people, but it works well for everyone else.