The adage of “two’s company” must have been what iHome had in mind when they took their now ubiquitous iHome iPod dock/alarm clock and retooled it to handle two iPods or iPhones. As a strong evolution in the series, the new iHome iP88G is a well featured package and comes a surprisingly long way from the original iHome dock.

First, the iHome iP88G lets you dock two devices and charge or play music simultaneously (yes, in mix for those of you with clock-radio DJ aspirations). iHome has also equipped the system with a standard AM/FM radio, EQ controls, calendar, a 3D sound expander using SRS WOW technology, programmable snooze times, and a handy time-set sync feature which inherits the time from your iPhone. Thankfully, iHome has included a variety of brightness settings so the large, eye-piercingly bright LCD clock won’t impact your (or your neighbor’s) sleep with its effervescent glow. On the waking up side of things, there are not two, but three alarms, each with a dedicated button that can be set to buzz or play music from your iPod, FM, or AM radio. Oh, and yes the snooze button is large and slappable.

In terms of design, the iP88G takes on a mainstream consumer electronics design (in a good way) with squared edges, fabric grill, and nicely arranged flush mounted buttons. Also included is a thin, candy-bar size remote to control the main functions of the iP88G.

For $150, the iP88G is asked to perform quite a few duties, and it does them admirably. No, you won’t get THX sound, but we’re willing to be you wouldn’t want to wake up to a Transformers action sequence. Rather, the iP88G has an almost warm sound to it, aided by two larger drivers, rear bass ports, and a sound chamber design iHome calls Reson8.

Quick Tip: We suggest keeping it a couple feet from the wall to maximize the sound stage. Yes, the sound stage of a radio alarm clock. In our tests, it proved to work well against a brick wall (as shown in our photo above).

Cost: $150

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