iLuv MobiAir iMM377

Most speaker docks, and by most I mean pretty much all, are designed for iOS devices. They integrate the familiar, though soon-to-be-obsolete, 30-pin connector, while Android devices have to connect around back with a 3.5mm cable, if that option is even offered. iLuv offers an Android-friendly alternative in the MobiAir iMM377, a Bluetooth speaker with an adjustable microUSB jack to hold and charge your Android smartphone or small tablet. Audio quality is unimpressive, but at?$119.99 (direct) it's inexpensive, and it is?a rare breed of speaker dock built specifically for Android devices.?

Design
The 4.7-by-9.8-by-2.0-inch (HWD) black, oblong speaker dock looks sparse and simple. The front holds the dock assembly, which includes a microUSB jack on a sliding arm, a rectangular plastic backplate with a springy rubber section, and a fixed rubber pad to keep your Android device steady. Two stiff arms that rotate out to accommodate any size smartphone and many smaller Android tablets. It handled the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD easily, but couldn't accommodate a 10-inch tablet. Two rows of four buttons line the top panel, including Power, Bluetooth, Volume Up/Down, Play/Pause, Call/Hang Up, Track Back, and Track Forward. The back of the dock houses the power port and a 3.5mm audio input, which you need to connect any non-Bluetooth device like the original Kindle Fire.?

The microUSB jack is purely for charging the phone and keeping it in place, and since the dock doesn't need to be powered on to charge your phone, it will deliver juice as long as it's plugged in. The iMM377 doesn't have a battery, and while it uses Bluetooth, it's not particularly portable because of its power needs and design. Unlike mobile Bluetooth speakers like the Jawbone Jambox?, Jabra Solemate, or our Editors' Choice, the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox?, the iMM377 doesn't feel like it could withstand much of a drop or splash. This is strictly a desktop/tabletop speaker.

Performance
The iMM377 doesn't sound amazing, but for its price, it's not bad. In my tests, deep sub-bass notes in The Knife's "Silent Shout" distorted terribly, and the kick drums in Oingo Boingo's "Dead Man's Party" crunched slightly. Midrange notes sounded warm and clear, like the vocals in Jonathan Coulton's "Re: Your Brains," but higher ranges like the horns in "Dead Man's Party" sounded a bit soft and flat. Bass response is disappointing, even for a speaker this size.

As a speakerphone, the iMM377 fares about as well as any speaker its size and price. When I made calls, voices sounded slightly distorted and staticky on the other end, and my voice was described similarly. I've yet to see any Bluetooth speaker or small speaker dock perform well at this task, though, and even with the quality complaints it fared better than the Jabra Solemate and only a little worse than the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox.

For a combination Bluetooth speaker and Android smartphone charger, you could do worse than the iLuv MobiAir iMM377. It fits most phones and small tablets, it sounds decent, and it's a functional speakerphone. It's not portable, though, and the sound quality won't blow you away. If you want better audio quality and complete wireless convenience, pick up our Editors' Choice Bluetooth speaker, the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox, instead. It costs less, can run on battery power all day, and you can use the included microUSB cable to charge your phone (but not through the speaker itself).

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