Product Reviews

Folded flat for travel, the iHome2Go resembles a 1970s clock radio and is of a similar size and shape. That makes it substantially smaller than either iHome's iH5 or the Gear4 HouseParty 24/7. It's also significantly lighter, which is just as well for a product that's designed to be used as a travel companion rather than a permanent bedside fixture.

The limitations of its size mean there are one or two compromises: there's no AM or FM radio, no gradual wake-up and the speaker chambers are smaller. On the plus side, the iHome2Go (which, is also known as the iH26) comes with a travel case, will run on four AA batteries,

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and has a larger Snooze button than the HouseParty 24/7. It's compatible with the usual 3G, 4G, 5G, mini and nano iPods, and it also has a USB slot into which you can plug a 1G shuffle.

The iHome2Go is solidly built and feels robust enough to withstand the bumps that accompany any journey inside a suitcase. Like the iH5, the iHome2Go's clock is a backlit LCD and is large enough to be easily readable even in your groggiest moments. The reduced number of buttons on the top of the unit and the remote control mean it's not as intuitive as other iPod alarm clocks, but it still takes no more than a few minutes to set up.

Given its size, we were pleasantly surprised with the audio quality from the iHome2Go. It's not up to the high standard of the iH5 and doesn't quite match the HouseParty 24/7, but it's by no means poor. Bass could be meatier - no surprises there - and treble and middle frequencies were a little muddied, but snares were crisp and the brass was fruity.

If you want an iPod alarm to sit permanently by your bed, this isn't it. However, if you spend a lot of time in hotel rooms and would rather wake up to your own music than a narky receptionist, the iHome2Go fits the bill nicely.