- Output: 2 X 2.5W RMS
- Power: 120V AC Adaptor (included)
- Rotating dock for landscape view
- Compatible with iPad, iPhone 3GS, iPod nano, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPhone, and iPod (5th generation)
- Auxiliary input jack for connecting iPod suffle, MP3, and other digital audio players
I have owned this dock since October 2010 and use it every night as a loud alarm clock and to watch Netflix before I go to sleep. If mine broke, I would buy it again, but I've had almost a year to learn the quirks of this unit.
I do not normally write long reviews, but after reading some of the reviews here, I felt compelled to piece together all the tid bits of info and correct some of the misconceptions provided by other reviewers, some of whom it is painfully obvious never bothered to pick up the well written, very simple, easy to follow instruction manual.
DOCKING/UNDOCKING
When you are docking your iPad, right befor you reach the connector, apply a little pressure pushing down on the iPad to get the proper alignment. If you're unit does not appear make a ding sound or flash a screen showing a green battery charging then you more than likely have slipped the connector on the dock behind the iPad instead of into it. It's very easy to do.
When you are ready to take the iPad out, I wedge my thumb in between the iPad and the dock to free it a little before popping it out. Trying to just pull it out seems dangerous to me and I had visions of my iPad flying across the room, so I use a little extra effort to be as gentle as possible.
CHARGING
It does not matter if the green light is on or off, your unit will charge. To verify this, unlock the screen when docked and look at the battery remaining indicator in the top left corner. If there is a lightening bolt inside the battery, then you are charging. The screen also should have quickly turned on when you docked and showed a large green battery charging.
AUDIO DEFAULTS
I hate this feature and I have no idea what brainiac at Jensen thought this was good BUT, when you dock your pad and turn the dock on (that means green light is on) within 10 seconds music will automatically start to play from your library.
There are 2 ways to stop it:
1. (Short Way) Hit pause on your remote (remeber to aim your remote towards the green light)
2. (Long Way) Unlock your screen, locate your iPod icon, open iPod, tap pause or stop
Now you're free to do whatever you want (EXCEPT WATCH VIDEOS (Including NETFLIX, that's the next section).
VIDEO DEFAULTS
Just like audio, the braniacs set a weird default for video. You've docked your iPad, turned the dock on and turned the default music off. Now you want to watch a video, stream Netflix or whatever. The dock ASSUMES you want to watch these things on your TV and you've set up all necessary A/V cables and are just waiting for it to start up. Well, 9 times out of 10, it's WRONG!!
After you start your video you should be hearing it, but not seeing it. Right? If so, you will need your remote again. Aim the remote towards the green light and press the Video On/Off button. It takes a second, but you should see your screen flip.
Let's take NETFLIX. When you started the movie, you were hearing it but looking at a red logo screen. Yes? Good. After you use your remote, the screen should flip and you should now see the video you selected on the screen in pause mode. Tap the screen, hit play and everything should be working perfect now.
AUDIO/VIDEO REDOCKING GOOD/BAD NEWS
Good news, you've figured out how to use it. Bad News, everytime you take the iPad out of the dock, you will have to repeat these steps when you dock it again, so if you're not sure about the steps, print this review for future reference.
IPAD 2
Don't complain about having wiggle room in the brackets. Blame Steve Jobs for always changing things jussst enough that the accessories form one generation don't translater perfectly to the next. Not Jensens fault. This dock was built for the 1st Generation. Jensen has come up with an adapter to use with the iPad 2. Contact Jensen Customer Service.
CASES
You cannot dock the iPad in it's case, which stinks. I put a skin on mine after I had the Rocker about a week to avoid getting scratches on the back. Remeber "skins" and "cases" are different things. Skins are a sticker that adheres to the iPad like a bumper sticker and can be used with the docker. Cases add bulk and cannot be used while docked.
TROUBLESHOOTING
STARTS PLAYING MUSIC WHEN TURNED ON
See Audio Defaults section above
SOUND, BUT NO PICTURE
Read above section on Video Defaults. Remember you have to repeat these steps everytime you remove the iPad from it's dock once it's redocked.
NO SOUND AT ALL
This one frustrated me at first, but I finally figured it out. The first time this happened to me, I emailed Jensen and they offeren an exchange even though I had already had it for 8 months. We were leaving to move cross country the next day, so I figured I'd do it after we moved.
The next day in the car, I tried to watch a movie but there was sound coming into my earbuds. Switched buds, no sound. Unplugged buds, no sound. So I reset my iPad and got sound back. Later I plugged in my Rocker and the sound worked fine. hmmm A few days later, no sound again through my docker, reset the iPad and Viola! Let there be sound! This all started happening one day after I did an update on my iPad in July 2011. After this update I kept seeing a Dock Connector message in the upper right hand corner of my iPad in iPod mode that wasn't there previously.
TO RESET YOUR IPAD (also works on iPod Touch and iPhone)
Hold down the power button and home key at the same time until a red slider asking you if you want to Power Off appears. Power Off your iPad. Hold down the buttons again until an Apple appears inthe middle of your screen. Let go and wait a couple of seconds.
LOST YOUR REMOTE
The manual includes instructions for how to perfom the different remote functions using different button sequences using the volume and power buttons, but I suggest keeping your remote with your dock and not losing it.
ALARM CLOCK/WEATHER APP
I found the APP that came with the Rocker to be very cheesy. They obviously didn't put anything into it for the iPad. I prefer the Nightstand App. You can download a free edition, but I bought the $1.99 edition for my iPad and iPod and if Sprint ever gets the iPhone, I'm sure I'll buy it again.
RESET BUTTON
I used this only once when trying to resolve the no sound issue and it did not work for me. Try the method I described above.
PROS:
Tilts in Landscape and Portrait mode.
Tilts at a perfect angle for typing.
Sound Quality is very good
Customer Service responded to my email quickly and were very helpful
Long cord for moving it around from my night stand to my bed depending on what I'm doing
Price
CONS:
The defaults that have to be fixed everytime you dock (why I took away a star)
Speakers on the sides only, none in the front
Horrible App Included
People that write bad reviews without reading the manual, which is actually very simple yet thorough
If you have any questions regarding the Jensen Rocker, Comment below and I'll answer what I can.
I tried covering everything here and if I think of anything else I'll add it later.
Buy Jensen JiPS-250i Docking Station for iPad, iPod, and iPhone (Black) Now
Overall, I feel this unit is an great value for the money! When I originally read the Amazon reviews, I decided not to buy even though it looked great. Two days later, I coincidentally saw the same item at Target, so I decided "why not".
The GOOD NEWS: (1) stand works great rotates and tilts, (2) charger is excellent -charges faster than Apple charger and comparable to Griffin PowerBlock, (3) sound quality for type of unit is very good, and (4) you can use with your iphone and ipod too. For $70, you cannot beat this price for an all-in-one unit that is a rotating stand with charger with speakers... buying separately (and I have!) you will spend $120+. I have seen rotating/tilting stands alone for $50+.
Now, to address an inaccuracy in another review... someone indicated that the unit does not play video when docked, but it does. From first purchase, the default is "video out" but there is a button on the remote to turn it off and then it works just fine from then on. You can also push a button combination on the unit to switch "video out". The manufacturer should have set the default to "off," but there is a solution.
The BAD NEWS: (1) Other reviews are correct that when you turn it on, it automatically starts playing music... a bit quirky. (2) The Jensen application is poor as others have indicated, but that is not why I bought it anyway. I don't use it. However, the unit will continue to ask if you want to install the app each time you dock if it is not installed, which can be annoying.
BOTTOM LINE: I liked the Jensen dock so much that I went back to buy another -one for the bedroom and one for the office. It comes down to how you will use it... my primary use is charging and rotating stand... once in a while I use the speakers... While there are some quirks, the benefits far outweigh. For me, it is an excellent product and value.
Read Best Reviews of Jensen JiPS-250i Docking Station for iPad, iPod, and iPhone (Black) Here
They almost got it right. Once docked it will start playing your music immediately, whether you'll like it doing so is up to you. Sounded pretty good, much better than the built in iPad sound for sure.
It holds the iPad in portrait or landscape mode with an almost endless variety of viewing angles which I really liked, some docks seem to be only able to do portrait mode.
The bad, once docked if I tried to play any video it would say that is was connected to a TV when it wasn't, no cable was connected. I used a paperclip to reset the unit and then videos played. Until I undocked and docked again, then same thing and this may be a deal breaker. Not sure if this is a defective unit or they all suffer from the same problem.
The app that it downloads is awful, an iPhone/iPod app for a device that seems to be primarily for the iPad is an odd choice to say the least. You can connect those devices sure but look at this thing, it is designed for the iPad, at least have a choice of a higher resolution iPad app. Since the app is how you interact with this device it made it seem "cheap".
So I would say with just a little more work and minimal investment they could make this a 5 star device, I would recommend they do so.
As some have noted yes I understand the way the video was supposed to work by pushing the button on the remote, unfortunately with this unit that didn't work.
Also if you got a unit that works great I am happy for you, this one didn't and I could only base my review on the unit I bought.
Want Jensen JiPS-250i Docking Station for iPad, iPod, and iPhone (Black) Discount?
I ran into the same issues as the "Almost" reviewer. I REALLY wanted the device to function as described in the product description but that just wasn't the case.
CONS:
1) While trying to watch a video, I had the error message that stated the unit was connected to a TV when it wasn't. The manual's solution is to press the Video button on the remote...didn't work. Tried powering the unit off & on; tried docking & undocking; etc etc, but never could get the videos to play.
2) In addition to the lack of resolution that "Almost" mentions as relates to the onscreen images, I found that when the iPad is in landscape mode, you can no longer "flip" through the four screen pages..Clock/Weather, Music, TV/Video, etc.
3) Within Sleep Mode, I would select length of time & sound options then select Save. The options would be saved for one time; the next time I wanted to use Sleep Mode, I would have to go back & reselect and Save them again.
4) The remote has limited functionality once you begin using the Jensen app.
5) It is a little concerning that it says in the manual (& I can't quote it because I have since returned the product, but in paraphrasing..) that slight power surges and things of that nature can happen frequently and will require the unit to be reset using a paperclip & the reset button. I read that to mean they had a number of glitches that would necessitate doing system resets to resolve them.
PROS: 1) Flexibility of screen positioning. 2) Sound quality was much better than the iPad and much better than I expected. 3) Great concept.
Like I said, I really wanted this to work; I love the idea; I love what their intended functionality was; but, as of now (Nov 2010), they don't have the bugs worked out so I would not recommend it to anyone. The only reason I did not rate it a 1 was because of the PROS; and if they can resolve the CONS, I'd buy it again and rate it a 5.
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To reiterate it will not dock an iPad 2 ! I wanted to love this Jensen's name at a good price point perfect, right? Don't risk damaging your iPad 2's connection port. Wait for a product designed specifically for the iPad 2.
