iPad Apps Reviews

OK, I have a number of HP laptops using a docking station with Altec Lansing speakers built in. I have been very pleased with this functional arrangement, so I wanted to see if I could find a docking station for my iPad. In searching Amazon, I found the Altec Lansing MP450 Octive Stage.

OVERVIEW ALTEC LANSING MP450 OCTIVE STAGE

Are you like me? I love the freedom and the portability that the iPad offers, from reading the morning paper online in the bathroom to looking up the stats on a player as I am watching a game on the couch to checking email while sitting on the deck. I often put my headphones on and listen to Pandora while reading as I am moving from table to chair to couch and back again.

Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. It seems silly to throw an anchor around your free-as-a-bird iPad and landlock it to a base and an electrical line. I found that after using the dock that the Altec Lansing MP450 migrated from an essentially a complimentary tool to a must have iPad accessory.

After just using the dock station for a short period, I have to say I bought a second one so that I didn’t have to share my MP450 with my wife’s iPad. She is happy (for once) too.

Also, while easy to say, don’t get hung up on the price at about the list $149. You get way more value out of that investment than you might initially imagine.

An example of the utility of the docking station might be to imagine you have a convertible car and you live in area where you can drive top-down almost all the time. But, every once in a while it does rain, and you go and hook up your hardtop to your convertible. It is the same thing with the Altec Lansing MP450, you run around untethered most of the time, but there are times when it is convenient to hook-up to a more powerful base.

In fact, it is such a welcomed iPad accessory that my non-geek wife has commandeered “her” docking station into “her” kitchen to listen to Pandora while having a recipe on the screen and occasionally checking email as she cooks. The docking station holds “her” iPad firmly and conveniently in either landscape or vertical position and “my” iPad can be easily removed from the dock when I want to sit on the couch for my “5 minutes” of alloted play time.

Simply plug in your iPad to the dual-speaker Altec Lansing MP450 Octive Stage and you can play music (i.e.,your iTunes account or Pandora) as you search the net, play games or use iPad apps. You can watch YouTube or a movie on NetFlix. All the time your iPad is charging.

You can display your iPad in either the portrait or landscape position and tilt (a bit) to adjust for his/hers/kids viewing.

Sound Quality

I have read other reviews that state the sound is just like a Bose Wave Radio. Well, we have a couple of these Bose stations, and the MP450 has good sound, but not as full and vibrant as the Bose. Having said that, for the price, it does a great job.

Remote Included

This docking station comes with a handy remote. This means if I am sitting on the couch and want to turn up the volume, I don’t have to yell to my wife to get up and adjust it (Ha! That will be the day.) Additionally, she can wear the remote tehtered around her neck like an urban bling gansta, easily adjusting “her” iPad as she cooks, relaxes or just is tired of barking orders to me.

The remote works across a normal sized room, but you need a clear line of site.

Specfications

Measuring a compact 4.33 by 8.66 by 6.06 inches (H x W x D), the Octiv Stage fits equally well on a computer desk, kitchen table, or nightstand. It weighs about 7 pounds (about half of what I weighed at birth).

About The Altec Lansing MP450 Speakers

Umm, I like them, they do the job. They have, according the manufacturers site, “The Octiv Stage features two 2-inch (50-millimeter) full-range neodymium speaker drivers that deliver distortion-free sound with clear dialogue, so you can get the most out of movies, TV, online videos, and music.” In short, that means when you play your favorite song, really loud, it still sounds good.

A Couple Of Quirks

It is a snug fit for the iPad into your docking station, so if you have a cover or jacket, that needs to come off. I keep a little rubber holder for the iPad as I prefer that grip to going bareback.

Also, the Altec Lansing MP450 is sturdy enough to grab and move around your home or office, but if you plan on transporting it between locations, I don’t have that much faith in the plastic iPad holder arm. It is a bit fragile to throw in a backpack.

Some claim that the docking station powers down after a number of hours, so if you are planning on using it as an alarm clock, you might sleep through that important meeting. However, it seems with new calendar years, even the iPhone has an alarm bug.

But, Wait, There Is More

The Octiv Stage plays welkl with the entire Apple “Kool-Aid” family, including the iPad and all models of iPhones and iPods, as well as the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch and Nano models.