Had Apple decided back in 2007 to make the iPhone and iPod touch user interface entirely horizontal rather than mixing vertically-arranged icons with a horizontal video interface, many speaker accessories would have made a single major change back then: they'd have redesigned their docks to perpetually hold these devices on their sides rather than upright. But because of the iPhones and iPods' accelerometer-aided orientation shifts a feature subsequently added to the fourth-generation iPod nano speaker developers have had to figure out whether to let users mount them in one position or the other, or come up with passive, orientation-agnostic device docks that use flexible headphone plugs rather than fixed Dock Connector plugs.
Philips unveiled two different alternatives to address the needs of iPhone, iPod touch, and fourth-generation iPod nano users, both of which are becoming available in stores this month. One is the circular SBD7000 and the other is the wider SBD7000 both designed for affordability and compatibility with most but not all recent iPod and iPhone models. Notably, these systems both come with physical support cradles for both iPod touch models and the iPhone 3G the SBD8100 also includes a 4G iPod nano cradle but neither promises support for other models, such as the iPod classic or the prior-generation iPhone. These other devices do physically fit on the docks, but Philips makes no assurances as to their performance or stability.
The SBD7000 is the simpler of the two systems. It is subtitled Rock n Roll and packaged in an amusingly cool circular box, highlighting both its shape and the user’s ability to manually rotate the system on one of two angles: iPod or iPhone vertical, with the Dock Connector at the bottom, or horizontal, with the Dock Connector on the right. These changes are made via a pop-out rear stand that is required to prop the system up; otherwise, it will wobble on a flat surface like a half-globe. It’s capable of running off of four AA batteries for around 10 hours; Philips includes a power supply in the package, but nothing else save for the cradles. A top-mounted power button, two volume buttons, and a bass boost switch are all found on top; a backlighting switch discussed further below is hidden in the rear battery compartment.