14 DAY TRIAL // Some iPod owners see their portable Apple player as more than a... well, portable Apple player. They also use it as a living-room entertainment device as it connects beautifully to a stereo and plays a whole library at max volume. But you don't want to sit around your stereo all day, you want to control the iPod remotely. Getting an iPod remote still doesn't solve the problem, since you can't see what's on screen from across the room, so is there a better alternative?
Yes, there is and it's called Belkin's TuneStage II. This device does wonders for your iPod as it turns IT into a remote. So then, where does the music come from, right? The iPod again. You see, what Belkin is making available is actually a Bluetooth receiver/transmitter system that connects to both your stereo and your iPod.
"You connect a small, Bluetooth transmitter to your iPod's dock-connector port, and the transmitter wirelessly sends your audio to a receiver hub connected to your stereo or speaker system," say product reviewers computerworld.com.
Here's how it's done. First you need to connect the Bluetooth receiver to your stereo system using the cables Belkin's TuneStage II ships with; you turn on the receiver (which, according to the aforementioned source, is powered by the included AC adapter), connect the transmitter to your iPod and wait for a few seconds as the receiver and transmitter pair. A successful connection is confirmed by a blue light on the receiver. As soon as you are given the green... er, blue light to start playing music, just hit Play on the iPod. The device will send music wirelessly to your stereo system from as far as 30 feet away, with no "increased levels of static as you get farther from the receiver," according to the reviewers.
There are some drawbacks of course, one of which is battery life. It drops to 50 percent less juice time as the iPod needs to send strong wireless signals while also playing music. A "very faint hiss" is likely to be heard from your speakers too, but if you're not a very picky audiophile, Belkin's TuneStage II is exactly what you need.