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| Design(5/5): |  |
| Features(3.5/5): |  |
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Review
iSM524 or iLuv Art station is a Samsung galaxy tablet docking station / speaker station that is designed to ne unique, great looking and with the average guy in mind as it has no complicated settings and it is just plug and play!
Design
Iluv has designed this art station as the only device that is missing when you buy your galaxy tad as this will hold your tab in an upright position, charge it and also stream music trough those built in 38 Watt speakers that sound just right for movies, music and video calls.
When you look at this device from any angle it just makes you feel like in a movie or cartoon like Jetsons as it is so futuristic with that holding arm that holds your Samsung galaxy tab in place. Simply saying the one that designed the overall look and functionality has a sense of great design but lacks some real world experience but more about that in a bit.
At the bottom there is the whole speaker/control unit that has the dimensions of about 14.5 inches x 14 inches x 10 inches (39.3 cm x 35.5 cm x 25.4 cm) so it is not that big if you compare it with other similar charger/speaker docks for other Android devices. The whole fixture weighs around 8.1 pounds (3.6 kg) so it has some weight to it but it also has some great functionality. The whole bottom stand sits on 4 rubberized knobs that allow you to move it around with ease but will not allow it to slip on almost any surface. The whole thing is made from plastic and metal and has a black/grey middle speaker cover that gives this device a great feel and makes it look very professional. At the bottom there is a line spanning around this device that also accents that speaker cover and creates a line separating it from the rest to give users better aesthetic feel. At the top the top plate is created from a metal and it has a glared surface and 6 buttons at the front for various controls.
But that is not all as I have not mentioned the top docking arm yet. This docking mechanism/adjusting arm is an extension to that bottom box shaped speaker and control unit and it allows you to place your Samsung tablet on top of this device with a very futuristic look as that hinge that can be adjusted higher or lower has a hole in it and it looks stunning! The only drawback to this docking arm/mechanism is that it has no way of adjusting it to the sides as you are only allowed to move it up and down.
Functionality
Functionality wise at first glance everything looks amazing as there are 38 Watt speakers, control buttons and a remote and it feels like it all goes together seamlessly. The sound from those stereo speakers is amazing and you are able to enjoy a loud bass-rich music or watch some movies with this dock but also place it in the most convenient viewing angle and adjust you Galaxy Tab in just the right way. The docking mechanism is easy to use and you just have to plug your tab inside to start streaming music and charging it. This mechanism is specially designed for galaxy line tablets so it probably won’t work with any other device and that is a shame because this dock has the potential to improve any tablet with that great style and functionality.
When you plug in your tab you have the options to control music and videos from those top buttons but also use a remote that can be attached with a convenient magnets at the back side of this device. And at the back there is also a 3.5 mm audio jack and an external USB port for charging and that is a nice addition to any device.
This all sound great but there are some flaws where the first is that there are no indication lights telling you if this dock is turned on or off and that felt strange as usually you have at least one dim LED diode to tell you the status. And the problems do not end there as for example there is no way to adjust the loudspeaker bass, treble and other levels that many sound enthusiasts like to do and you will have to only adjust your devices built in setting and that usually is not enough. Then there is the problem of connection other Galaxy tabs besides the 10 inch (25.4 cm) one as you need some sort of rubberized pins to properly hold your device in place and iLuv has not included these things in the package!
Conclusion
Overall the design is brilliant and I can strongly recommend this dock to anyone who like great looking devices but functionality wise I feel that iLuv can deliver much more with a device that has a price tag this high. If those few flaws would be resolved and this would be a multifunctional dock then I could say that it is the best tablet stand out there but now I don’t know if I can recommend this device to anyone.
