Home > Consumer Reviews > Altec Lansing inMotion Max IMT702 Speaker System for iPod and iPhone (Black)

I researched quite a few docking speakers for my iPhone 3g. There aren't that many out there. I narrowed my choices down to the Bose SoundDock and the Altec-Lansing iMT702. According to the Altec-Lansing's website, the device is compatible with iPhone 3g. I ordered it. Opening the box revealed a fairly flimsy device. I was somewhat disappointed in the apparently cheap manufacture of the device. It came with several docking ports. After much trial and error, I found a dock that kind of fit my iPhone 3g. I tried it out and my iPhone displayed a window on the screen saying that the device was not iPhone compatible. What?!? After calling Altec-Lansing customer service, it turns out that they are aware of this and that the customer has to specially order an iPhone 3g docking ring to make it fit. How come this was listed nowhere on their posted literature? The iPhone 3g has been out for almost a year, and they still haven't updated their website, nor have they included the correct docking rings? Huh? They added 3g to their list of compatible devices pretty quick though. All in all, while the sound might be okay, I can tell you, it is NOT all that great. The device is put together in a fairly flimsy fashion and is not impressive at all. You are better off just spending the extra money and going with the Bose. I will be as soon as I can return this thing.

We used to have an ultra-portable Altec-Lansing unit that we took with us whenever we traveled. It folded to not much larger than a paperback book, and it was a great way to have music in our hotel rooms - and recharge the iPod at the same time. We hauled that thing all over the world, and would be doing it still, but the AC power cord broke while we were in Australia. So we had to go shopping for a replacement portable speaker system. The IMT702 is superior to our old system in every way but one. The sound is better. It works with both the iPhone and the iPod. It has a display that shows the song title and artist, which the old unit didn't have at all. The only problem is that the IMT702 is considerably larger than our old unit. We can still take it along, but it chews up quite a bit more space. And it doesn't seem to have truly been designed for portability, in that there is no carrying handle, no carrying case. We'll get used to all of that eventually - and when we do, we can just appreciate the superior sound and features.

Nice size. Buttons on top of unit are very difficult to work with. They are flat and do not move, causing no tactile feel or response to being pressed. It takes multiple presses to get them to trigger. They also are almost completely invisible when the unit is off. Sound is pleasant, but not as rich as it could be. Battery life is not very long. Overall, the unit is nice, but needs some important design change.

I have two of these. It has a great sound and a lot of features. I really like the radio and iPod features. If you set the automatic off on your iPhone or iPod you can fall asleep listening to music. The information from your iPod scrolls across the screen to tell you what and who you're listening to. This system charges your iPhone as you listen to it. Would recommend. You can also take this unit where you want to go. It holds a charge for a long time.

In general Altec makes good portable audio. The Max has some great features, but since I also have an InMotion im9 the max also disappointed me in some ways.
The good features:
-good sound
-amfm
-internal battery
-remote

And some bad features:
-battery doesn't last long ( the im9 lasted 5 times longer than this lithium battery and that was with nickel cadmium batteries)
-It is not very sturdy. You can just feel how fragile it is. This helps make it light, but do NOT drop it.
-The buttons on the top are not user- friendly. They are touch sensitive, not pressure sensitive and they are finicky. I think they have a 1 second delay. Be careful when you move it or you might turn up the volume!

Overall I like it, but if I knew how fragile it would be and how bad the battery life is I would have waited for a different model or stuck with my im9.