This revised and improved speaker system builds on the portable Ipod speaker system that sold so well last year, the revised spec provides for a 4 Watt output from the 4 x 28mm drivers. Altec's package has to balance portability with sound output and this is a tricky tightrope when competing with products from JBL at one end of the market and PC speakers at the other.

Unpacking the Inmotion IM3 you slide out a small (204 x 29 x 139 mm) laptop shaped ice white gadget, along with this are the adaptors that make the IM3 suitable for all Ipods, including the Ipod Mini but excluding the large 60gb Ipod photo. Swapping out the adaptors is easy enough and the unit we had for review came with the 15gb Ipod one fitted which needed to be swapper out for our 30gb Pod.

Once we'd put in 4 AA batteries (which are good to run the Inmotion IM3 for 24 hours) it was simple to just slide the Ipod into the now snug cradle, then time to fire up the Ipod and see just what sort of sound Altec have given to the revamped device. There are only a few controls on the IM3 itself, mainly the power switch and volume control, however there is a rather nifty wireless remote control which can not only control the IM3 but also your Ipod allowing tracks skipping and basic device control.

So to the music, starting with some laid back Jazz we had prepared ourselves for a ok but lacklustre sound, the previous Altec units have been good but never a room filler. But to our surprise they seem to have given the IM3's a tweak in some way, its still not a boom box and you're not going to DJ a party with these but the bass seemed warmer and more detailed that the older model giving an overall sound that was pleasant if not deafening.

Switching to a newer dance track we started to unearth some of the weaknesses of the Inmotion IM3, strong bass seemed to defeat the 28mm drivers with audible distortion at anything beyond half volume, this was again repeated on several other harsh bass tracks, of course you have to be at a high volume for this problem.

Just to rule out the Ipod we tested the ability of the IM£ to take an Aux input by feeding it a line input from a CD player, again while it performs well up to mid level volume it did start to distort on demanding tracks. Plus when using the aux facility you do wonder why anyone without an Ipod would buy the IM3, after all its styled to match an Ipod, has an Ipod cradle and frankly looks daft without an Apple device sat in it.

Overall it is a well built package, the Inmotion IM3 worked well in terms of interface to the Ipod and the remote is a cool extra, running on batteries or mains the IM3 is a stylish companion for your Ipod, but and its a big but don't expect it to deliver too much volume, when pushed hard the Inmotion does distort.

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