OTHER TECH

Parrot Bluetooth Sound System $455 parrot.biz/usa A serious minisystem that doubles as a conversation piece, the Parrot consists of two powered bookshelf speakers that have Bluetooth technology so that the only cables are the ones running to an electrical outlet. Using a Bluetooth-equipped music player, laptop, or cellphone (like the BlackBerry Pearl) lets you send audio wirelessly to the speakers; but 'toothless players aren't shut out, thanks to an RCA-jack connection.

These aren't Trojan Horse computer speakers lurking inside bookshelf-size cabinets, but legitimate bookshelf contenders that happen to have Bluetooth going for them. At 11.6 x 7.5 x 8.8 inches with 1-inch dome tweeters, 4.75-inch midrange/woofers, and 60-watt amps, the Parrots are far more substantial than we've come to expect from iPod minisystems.

Don't be in too big of a hurry to plan an all-Bluetooth home theater, but this system will do nicely in a home office, dorm room, bedroom, or any place where you're looking for serious, if not seriously tweaked-out, sound.

My past adventures with Bluetooth have ranged from interesting to maddening, but the wireless connection here - both between the player and the speakers and between the speakers themselves - proved robust.

The Parrots come with hardware for mounting them on the wall - something you probably wouldn't consider doing with a pair of Costco multimedia wonders. - Michael Gaughn

JBL On Time iPod minisystem/clock radio $250 jbl.com For the On Time, JBL took its popular doughnut-shaped On Stage and set it on its side to create a kind of tabletop shrine to everybody's favorite household god, the iPod. (A blue light just above the player adds to the air of solemn devotion.) There are lots of minisystem options for your iPod, but this is one of the most compact that still provides decent, room-filling sound.

Two midrange drivers on the sides and a tweeter on top give clean separation to the sound, instead of the abrasive muddle you usually get with minisystem speakers. And the midrange drivers go down far enough to provide some solid upper bass - again, something sadly lacking in most minisystems.

The On Time has adapters for all dockable iPods - which means it can handle everything but the Shuffle. But a back-panel minijack lets you plug in that (or any other) MP3 player as well.

It's an alarm clock, too - and that's not just a gimmick, because you can set the On Time to wake you to your iPod instead of the radio. (This can be a bit of an adventure if you have an old iPod, but it's still a useful feature.)

The clock face is a large, backlit blue LCD that also serves as the readout for the On Time's menu system. The menus are pretty easy to navigate, and having a bar graphic indicate the volume is a big improvement over the uncalibrated knobs on most minisystems and clock radios.

You navigate the menus - and turn the On Time on and off, adjust the volume, and operate the dual alarms - using the clusters of big, easy-to-find-in-the-dark buttons to either side of the readout.

And let's not forget the AM/FM radio, which gives you pretty darn good reception for a tabletop model. (AM and FM antennae are supplied.) There are five AM and five FM presets.

The On Time is also available in white. (But it looks way more elegant in black.) - Michael Gaughn