Altec Lansing IM600

Introduction
The iM600 is Altec Lansing’s latest offering in a long line of iPod speakers systems beginning with the very successful iM3 back in 2004.  Since then, the popularity of iPod speaker systems has grown and competition among speaker manufacturers has increased.  Released mid-year 2007, the iM600 is a powerful, portable sound system that contains many features that aren’t available from other companies in its price-range.  Among other things, it includes a 7+ hour rechargeable battery, built-in FM tuner, and remote.

Box and its Contents
As you can see, the iM600 is extremely well packed.  Two layers of plastic protect all the shiny surfaces, and the Styrofoam packaging keeps everything secure.

Inside the box, are all the things you would expect:

• iM600 Speaker System
• AC Power Adapter
• Remote Control
• 3 Docking Adapters

While unpacking the contents of the box, I encountered the following warning…

…which cautioned me to fully charge the battery before initial use.

Design
The compact design of the iM600 is simple but stylish.  The 4 small rubber buttons along the top are source, SFX (Stereo Field Expander), previous and next.  These buttons are not the most responsive, and can be difficult to push.  Power and volume controls are on the base of the stand.  The power button and the LCD display are both backlit with an attractive blue light.  The remote includes all the buttons on the speaker system, plus pause/play and 4 radio presets.

The body folds flat and contains a storage slot for the remote.  A push of the button in the front expands the system in a cantilever fashion, exposing the docking station and other controls.  Build quality is solid, and I feel confident that it can survive knocks and drops.