mStation 2.1 Stereo Orb
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The sphere is here.

In the vastly overpopulated Ipod speaker market how does one company differentiate itself from the others? Does it focus of providing superior sound quality and let its product speak for itself (pun intended), or does it design a uniquely styled device and rely on attractive looks to stand out (like me)? With the 2.1 Stereo Orb, mStation is determined to do both.

All the pretty colored balls.


Appearance:

Whether or not you will like the appearance of the mStation Orb will really depend on your affinity for 60’s mod style. Fundamentally the unit lives up precisely to its name. It is an orb, a spherical speaker array with a row of six circular control buttons, and an iPod dock on top, and a plate on the rear bottom with ports for USB mini B, power, IEEE1394 6-pin, and 3.5mm stereo mini jack. All of the plastic, which comes in 7 different colors, has a glossy sheen to it, and the matte finish speaker grilles are color-matched to the plastic. Even the included 10 key IR remote matches the unit’s finish.

Even the remotes match.


While 60’s mod is not really my style, I can definitely appreciate the simple aesthetic of the Orb. Having 7 color choices ensures that you will be able to match any iPod finish and most any home interior. The only objection that I have to the form factor of the Orb is the fact that when an iPod is docked, the cool spherical profile is broken. I would have preferred a docking system that allows the mp3 player to lay flush against the surface of the unit, but this may have not been feasible from an engineering standpoint.



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