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The Short Form
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| $119.95; additional i2i One Pack, $69.95; USB AC power plug adapter charger, $9.95; Home Stereo Adapter Kit, $12.95 / i2igear.com / 650-967-4047 |
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Snapshot
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| Sharing audio wirelessly and privately from an iPod or computer has never been easier. |
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Plus
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| • Each i2i Stream device can be set to broadcast or receive • Maintains stereo quality of source player • Extremely portable • Wi-Fi is irrelevant |
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Minus
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| • No cable in box for connection to standard stereo inputs on a tabletop radio or audio receiver - it's extra (see image, next page) • Relies on charging from a computer's USB ports since using a power outlet is yet another option • Bring your own earphones • Send and receive buttons aren't clearly identified |
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Key Features
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• Two 2.4 GHz wireless transceivers (2.5 x 1.25 x .5-in each) • 30-foot broadcast range • 7 color-coded frequencies • Battery charge lasts about five hours of continuous use |
Sharing their music secretly on the subway, two teenage girls each wore a single earbud diverging from an iPod. A generation earlier, they would have used a boombox. But being tethered together hardly put a damper on the girls' enjoyment, though I thought, what if they could each have their own set of earphones and be able to gyrate to opposite ends of the subway car listening to the same iPod? Now, that would be one wireless miracle!
i2i Gear must have had the same thought because the company, a division of Aerielle Technologies, recently introduced the i2i Stream Two Pack, a pair of domino-size two-way radios meant to be worn on lanyards (included) or clips. The company describes the product, which operates at 2.4 Gigahertz, as a digital music broadcaster (though one where only clued-in listeners are welcome).
First, you charge the pair's embedded batteries using the USB cables that plug into your computer. Since there's no memory in the i2i Streamers, you can't download songs. An optional AC adapter that accommodates one device at a time reduces charging time by half.
Attaching one of the four white audio cables (two 12- and two 28-inchers) to the sending streamer is confusing, since one end of each cable is a 3.5mm stereo miniplug (compatible with the earphone jacks of most portable devices) but the other end is a wee 2.5mm. You insert the larger plug in the headphone jack of an MP3 player, computer, or portable DVD player, and the smaller plug in the bottom socket of the sender. A pass-through earphone jack on top of the sender lets you listen to your music using your own earphones. Once you turn both halves of the Two Pack on, you press the hieroglyphics-decorated send button on one end and the equally obtuse receive button on the other. (To be language-independent, why not instead use a daisy of outward arrows for send and incoming arrows to receive?) Then, you choose one of seven channels by pressing the center button on each device until the colors match. If you can play Candyland, you can tune an i2i Stream. The sender pulsates while the receiver glows steadily. More i2i Stream devices (available as one- or two packs) can be added in situations where one source player is meant to serve an entourage of mall walkers, for instance.
I tested the i2i Stream in recreational and workplace locales. They included a beach house with broadband but no network. I transmitted Internet radio from the headphone jack of a bedroom computer to an i2i receiver while I wore earbuds and lounged on an outdoor deck. I also streamed Internet radio to my personal buds in an open office crammed with aisles of computers and people wearing telephone headsets, some wireless.
I confirmed the claimed 30-foot range. You can improve reception at the fringe by holding the receiver in the direction of the sender, but line-of-sight isn't necessary. I found the battery was depleted in about five hours (i2i claims 5 to 7 hours of use before recharging). The receiver retains power slightly longer than the sender. If broadcasting from a computer, the sender could be USB-powered indefinitely. Once I adjusted the volume on the receiver, I found there wasn't much difference in audio quality versus plugging the earphones directly into the source device. Since I encountered little interference, I didn't have to change colors much.
At the beach house, I wanted to connect the receiver to the auxiliary stereo inputs on a Bose Wave Music System in the living room. Unfortunately, a miniplug-to-stereo adapter wasn't readily available. It's included in i2i Gear's optional Home Stereo Adapter Kit.
The packaging shows young people each dancing with an i2i Stream. Stealth music sharing by a clique of two or more in study hall or the cafeteria is a sure-fire use, but there are adult applications, too. Perhaps a couple wants to share a rented audio device like a museum's walking tour or a theater's enhanced hearing system. In bed in front of the TV, a viewer considerate of a sleeping spouse could listen without being corded to the headphone jack. I found the greatest benefit to be in the workplace where computer speakers aren't cool, yet an individual prefers to listen to music unencumbered by a leash.
I'm now able to get up and walk to a network printer without removing headphones that had snapped my head back when I tried to rise because they were plugged in under my desk. I can't get over the modicum of privacy the i2i Stream affords me in an office where workers aspire to their own cubicles.