Livespeakr turns iPhone, iPod touch into portable sound system for $85

The Livespeakr is the most innovative speaker system for the iPhone and iPod touch on the market.

At least that's what I've come to believe after spending considerable time with the device during the past few weeks.

The Livespeakr is an extremely portable speaker system designed only for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. At about an inch thick and roughly the length of a Ballpark hot dog, the Livespeakr offers a surprising amount of aural oomph from its pair of half dollar-sized speakers, it serves doubly as a speaker system for music listening and as a mini home theater system for watching TV shows and movies on your Apple device.

Innovation is the Livespeakr's calling card, evident from the moment you open the packaging, which envelops and coddles the device much like...well, Apple's packaging. (It comes with a velvet drawstring pouch, too.)

What makes the Livespeakr different than other speakers on the market is the innovation engineered into every aspect of the device. The metal "stand" flips out in the back, and the speakers move on a track to accommodate for vertically-oriented music listening and horizontally-oriented video watching. A springy cradle keeps your iPhone or iPod securely anchored while the speakers do their thing.

And play they do. Livespeakr's manufacturer says the speakers are the star of the show, better than any at this price point for iPhone/iPod accessories.

In practice, it's a fair assessment. Powered by a rechargeable Li-ion battery that the company says lasts 16 hours, the shielded speakers project an impressive quantity and quality of sound out for such an inexpensive audio device.

To be sure, this device won't replace the rich depths of a several hundred- or thousand-dollar sound system. But with a pleasing lack of shrillness and a spirited attempt to replicate the lower end shunned by cheap systems, it's more than expected at this price point.

(The Livespeakr does not charge your device as it plays, however.)

Still, when cranked, a mid-range heavy music selection exposes the limits of the device. The mid-heavy guitar distortion present in most alternative rock doesn't separate from the rest of the spectrum, and doesn't quite raise the hairs on your arms the way it would on a better sound system.

Piano and less "thick" audio, on the other hand, is represented well for such a small device: The tinny horns of Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain carried through the air nicely, while the segregated frequencies of most modern rap and electronica tracks (Jay-Z and The Prodigy were used in testing) survived without too much degradation.

In fact, the sound stamp of the Livespeakr meshed well with older recordings. Derek and the Dominos' "Little Wing" felt surprisingly warm.

Besides the fact that the Livespeakr is available for only certain iPod/iPhone models -- this can be fixed by offering "Super Cradles" for other devices -- my only concern with the device is its usefulness.

In cases where you would use the system plugged in, you may opt for a less-portable but better-sounding bookshelf system. On the other hand, in cases where you'd need portability, you might just opt for headphones, which offer a more immersive experience.

Still, the punchy Livespeakr outperforms many cheap speaker systems, particularly those sold especially for the iPhone and iPod touch. For just $85, it makes a clever gift for an iPhone or iPod touch-wielding music fan.