Does ROBO iHome Really Work?

The ROBO iHome looks cute, with its Android design, but how about the sound? Is it a speaker that you can rely on to provide better sound than what would come out of your smartphone or other portable device?

Overview
Portable speakers are becoming more popular because most small electronics aren’t able to produce high quality sound. They have to be small enough to fit in your hand, which means they speakers must be small and thin which is not very conducive to making sound that fills a room, or that you can hear from a distance.

The Claim
The makers of ROBO iHome say that this is a speaker that you can use with a variety of different portable gadgets, like an iPhone, iPad, smartphone, or MP3 player. They don’t make any over-the-top claims about how big the sound is like some of their competition does.

The Hype
Android phones are big right now, and the little Android mascot is winning fans left and right for his cuteness. The hype is in the form of cute, and that’s this portable speaker’s main attraction. You can get other speakers that sound just as good, but they don’t look anything like this.

The Cost
The ROBO iHome is priced at around $25, and can be found for a bit less at online retailers like Amazon. Compared to other pint-sized portable speakers it’s about $5 more expensive, with powerful tiny speakers going for around $20. It’s made by iHome, whose speakers consistently get good reviews, and typically cost just a bit more than no-name brands. Most buyers are happy to pay a little more for the quality.

The Commitment
As far as being a portable speaker, this is pretty small, and should be easy enough to take with you wherever you go. It comes with a travel case so you can keep it nice for a while, and even the case has the Android logo. If you don’t mind being a form of advertising for Android phones and products then this makes it even more iconic.

Evaluation
The ROBO iHome has a few interesting features that set it apart from competing speakers. It has an all in one cord so you don’t have to switch them out when you switch between listening to music and charging it up. It also uses its eyes to indicate to you how it’s doing on battery life. They turn red as it depletes so you get a heads up and aren’t shocked when it stops playing. Usually the eyes light up blue when it’s on, which simply adds to its robot appeal. You can also move its arms so it can strike one of its classic poses from the commercials.

It’s sold by eKids, which is known for making products that kids will enjoy, and the cuteness really goes in line with the other products they offer. For example they have an entire line of Disney themed products including headphones and speaker boxes, as well as popular shows from Nickelodeon and comic book superheroes like Iron Man. But this ROBO would be a gift for someone that is an Android nut.

The reviews on this from critics and users are all relatively positive. Most are happy with the sound it makes, and also compliment it on its design. The sound quality gets impressive reviews, but you have to keep in mind that there’s only so much this can do. It is possible to pump too much sound through it, at which point it won’t sound as good. But for most situations it will be all the output you need.

With the ability

to charge the phone while you’re listening is another good feature. And since you charge it up and then use it, it won’t drain the battery from your other portable devices, which is a big plus. Overall we only saw a few complaints about the sound quality, but they seemed to be anomalies among an overwhelming number of happy customers.

Final ROBO iHome Review

The ROBO iHome is getting our Thumbs Up review, as it has been well received not only for its design but also for the sound quality. When looking into portable speakers you have many options. Not too many of which come as a little robot. Most are simply a square like the Boom Cube, round, or oval like the Music Bullet. You can’t expect movie theater quality booming bass and treble from this little gadget, but for the size it does manage to provide a better listening experience than most smartphones can deliver with their factory installed speakers.

Our Recommendation
It’s always nice to have an additional speaker for when your phone’s speakers just don’t cut it. This little guy is cute, but he also produces decent sound, and is a nice alternative to factory speakers from many manufacturers.

What do you think? Does ROBO iHome work or not?