Get Big MP3 Sound from Your Palm� Device with Altec Lansing�s New inMotion� iMT1 Audio Dock
Altec Lansing today unveiled the market’s first mobile speaker system for Palm® devices with the inMotion™ iMT1, a small audio dock that turns MP3 music files stored on Palm devices into a roomful of sound for headphone-free listening. The system -- which is compatible with the Palm LifeDrive™ mobile manager, Palm Tungsten™ T5 and Tungsten E2 handhelds, and Palm Treo™ 650 smartphone -- also charges the device, doubles as a desktop speakerphone for the Treo 650 smartphone, and is slim and trim enough for travel.
The product is being shown for the first time at the Palm booth, #311, at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment conference that opens today in San Francisco.
The iMT1 is a book-sized, white and silver unit that extends the technology used in Altec Lansing’s market-leading inMotion docks for the Apple iPod to the Palm platform. Like all inMotion portable speakers, it can run on AC power and then switch to batteries when no electrical outlet is available to permit out-loud listening on the road.
Press a button on the front of the iMT1, and a tiny flap rises from the surface to reveal the dock. Pop your device into the slot, attach it via the connector at the bottom of your Palm device, and let the concert begin. The system’s Class C digital amplifier powers four 1” neodymium micro drivers that reproduce every note, chord and lick over the entire frequency range. The speakers also incorporate patented MaxxBass® technology that delivers the all-important bump of the bass without a subwoofer.
Special features include:
* Charging and synchronization of the Palm device through the iMT1 dock. Charging is automatically initiated whenever the Palm product is docked and the iMT1 is plugged in. Data transfer can be triggered by connecting the iMT1 to the user’s computer via a standard USB 2.0 port on the back of the product and then pressing the “Sync” button.
* A full-duplex speakerphone, permitting hands-free conversation whenever a Palm Treo smartphone is in the iMT1 dock. The full-duplex feature makes it possible for both parties to hear each other when they are talking simultaneously. Users can switch from music to speakerphone mode by pressing a button on the iMT1 unit. The speakerphone can also be muted to prevent background noise from interfering with the conversation. - more -
* Fold-flat design for easy packing, with a closable dock door that also protects the connector mechanism when the iMT1 is not in use.
* Optional connectivity to other audio devices such as CD, MP3 and portable DVD players through an input jack on the back of the unit.
“Convergence is one of the major appeals of our Treo smartphones and our other mobile devices, and the iMT1 extends our capabilities even further by providing an audio docking system, speakerphone and charging device in a single piece of hardware,” said Jim Schwabe, general manger, Accessory Solutions, at Palm, Inc. “This is convergence at its best, a tribute to Altec Lansing’s engineering leadership in the portable audio space, and a strong alliance that adds even more versatility to products that are becoming essential in consumers’ everyday lives.”
