I've tested a lot of iPod speakers over the years, many of which included remote controls. And while the design and sound quality varied greatly among them, they all suffered from two huge flaws in my book:

1. Most remote controls didn't let you control some (or often many) of the iPod's functions.
2. Even if they did (which they didn't), you couldn't see the iPod's screen from across the room to use those functions anyway.

I've found several quasi-solutions but each of them had its own drawbacks. For example, both AppleTV and DLO's HomeDock Deluxe get around both issues by using your television to display information. But AppleTV requires a computer running iTunes, a wired or wireless network, and a TV, which is just too much stuff. And while HomeDock Deluxe is smaller, less-expensive, and doesn't need a computer, it does require a TV, which makes it inappropriate for use with most iPod speaker systems most of the time.

So I was tickled to learn of the Cerulean TX and RX from iSkin, a pair of tiny Bluetooth devices that essentially turn your iPod (or your computer) into the remote control so you can stream music from it to any iPod speaker system with a dock connector. For the most part the product worked as advertised and I wasn't disappointed.

The two components are the TX transmitter (left), which attaches to your iPod or Mac, and the RX receiver (right), which pops onto the dock connector of your iPod speakers. Just plug in both and in a few seconds you're ready to rock. Unlike many Bluetooth devices there's no pairing process necessary. And, in fact, there are no buttons or switches whatsoever on either component. Furthermore, neither piece requires batteries of its own. The TX gets its juice from your iPod or USB 2.0 port on your computer while the RX gets its power from the dock connector on your speakers. You can also use the TX to transmit from your iPod or computer to optional Bluetooth wireless stereo headphones such as iSkin's own Cerulean F1s (not reviewed at this time). And, although my iPhone warned me that Cerulean TX wasn't designed to work with it, it worked just fine.

That's the good news. Now for the not-so-good. Remember when I said "for the most part" a few paragraphs ago? I meant it. While the product does what it's supposed to do and does it quite nicely most of the time, it does have some issues. First and foremost the TX transmitter sucks the life out of iPod batteries much faster than usual. So where my 5th generation iPod video usually gives me over 10 hours of music-playing pleasure after a full charge, with the TX connected I was lucky to get 5 or 6 hours. I suppose that's a reasonable trade off for avoiding the hassle and additional size a battery would add to the TX but it still bothered me. Another minor irritation was that every so often the TX and RX would lose touch with each other, requiring me to detach and reconnect both to get my music back. While it didn't happen often, it did happen a couple of times over several weeks of testing. Finally, at $150 the Cerulean TX and RX costs more than many of the iPod speaker systems I tested it with.

The Bottom Line

If you've dreamed of a remote control for your iPod speakers that offered all of the power and control of an iPod with a display as big and bright as your iPod's screen (because it is your iPod's screen), Cerulean TX and RX are just the ticket. While it's not cheap and wrecks havoc on iPod battery life, it does exactly what it's designed to do and mostly does it quite well.