Altec Lansing's inMotion iM600 is an excellent high-performance portable iPod speaker system with FM radio. It sounds great for its size, weight, and price, and includes a number of thoughtful and useful features.

There's a lot to like about Altec Lansing's inMotion iM600 portable iPod speaker system. First and foremost it sounds good for its size. But it also has a bevy of handy features you just don't find on every portable speaker system.

A big one for me is the rechargeable lithium-ion battery that provides up to 7 hours of continuous playtime. I've spent a fortune on batteries for portable speakers over the years and love that these are rechargeable.

Since I often use my portable speakers in hotel rooms, and I don't trust the alarm clocks in hotel rooms much, so I really like the built-in alarm clock.

The full-function remote is also handy. You can control your iPod (next, previous, fast forward, rewind, and volume), switch inputs (Aux, FM radio, iPod), and select from the 4 FM radio station presets.

Furthermore, unlike some speaker systems, this one not only charges your iPod but also syncs it when it's connected to your Mac via USB.

Other useful features include dock adapters for all iPods with dock connectors, automatic shut down mode (after 4 minutes of no audio) when running on its battery, an auxiliary audio input jack, and composite video output.

The downsides I see are that unlike my original inMotion speakers, these don't come with a carrying bag or case. And I wish its battery could be recharged by USB so I wouldn't have to lug yet another AC power wart with me on the road.

The Bottom Line

My portable "take 'em for hotel rooms" speakers for the past year or two have been the original Altec Lansing inMotion portable speakers. But even though the inMotion iM600s are somewhat larger and heavier than the original, I plan to take the iM600s from now on when I travel. They sound a lot better, and I really like the alarm clock, rechargeable battery, and automatic shut down features.