Review: DLO iDirect

Many iPods come with a remote, although it is hardwired between you and the iPod. Until recently, very few third party wireless remotes existed, most notably TEN’s NaviPod. DLO hopes to take a bite out of TEN’s market share with the iDirect, their own take on the iPod remote.

The iDirect consists of two components – the remote and the receiver. The receiver resembles many iPod accessors that attach to the top. It requires an iPod with the remote connector next to the headphone jack (the iPod Mini, iPod Photo, iPod 3G and iPod 4G). The remote is small, and features 5 buttons for adjusting volume, pause/play, and skipping songs.

iDirect Remote

iDirect Receiver

iDirect + iPod

The iDirect was simple to set up – all we had to do was connect it to the iPod, put the included CR2032 battery in the remote, and we were set to go. It also should be noted that universal remotes that can “learn” work with the iDirect, too.

We found the iDirect to work fairly well. Headphones or speakers can be plugged into the iDirect’s receiver, thanks to the pass-through port. Unlike the NaviPod, there is no optional stand, so a dock or speaker system is required.

The receiver tends to only like perfect line-of-sight use, unlike many TVs and other products where you can just aim the remote in the general direction. While this might not be a big deal, it should be noted.

With a bit of imagination, the controls on the remote are like the iPod shuffle. Play/Pause is in the middle with skip and volume controls around the outside. The buttons give a satisfying click when pressed, and are quite easy to control, even when in a pocket.

For iPod Photo users, the iDirect does not control a photo slideshow, which is a tad disappointing.

Another notable mention is that the iDirect does not control the volume of the audio output from the dock connector, something that owners of iPod-specific speakers should take into account. This isn’t the iDirect’s fault, as the speakers don’t necessarily have the capability to receive infrared signals.

The iDirect is also good for pocket use or use in a car, especially when the iPod is in a case that does not allow easy access to controls. We really found it to be a good product, with very few drawbacks.