In today’s iPod-connected world, listening to your own favorite music wherever you go is easy. But if you want to listen to the music with a friend or significant other, you could use a portable speaker dock to play the music through the dock’s speakers or use a plug adapter that would allow you to connect two sets of earbuds to your iPod. This solution may not be appropriate in some situations, such as in the coffee shop or out roller blading.

Enter the i2i Stream (Aerielle, www.i2igear, $99.99/pair or &69.99/single), a new, thumb-sized device that allows you to share your music with one or more people, wirelessly, within a range of 30 feet. Better yet, each unit can act as a transmitter or receiver. And good news for your ears: the i2i Stream uses FM 2.4MHz transmission technology and specially designed filters, so the device(s) will transmit and receive CD audio quality sound with better frequency response, less distortion and lower noise than with Bluetooth technology.

The units use rechargeable batteries that can take 4 - 6 hours to fully charge using the included USB charging cable. A full charge will give you 5 - 7 hours of music time, depending on whether you’re sending or receiving. Also included with the i2i Stream are audio cables, pocket clips and neck lanyards. An optional AC adapter ($9.95) that will charge the units in 2 hours is available.

Two units act as a pair--one transmitting, and the other receiving. Usage is very straightforward. Just plug your iPod output from its headphone jack into the audio input of the i2i Stream you wish to use as the transmitter, select a channel to transmit on (seven are available), push the "send" button, and bingo! You’re transmitting. Or, select the same channel as used by the transmitter on the unit you wish to receive on, push "receive," and enjoy your friend’s music. That simple. Or, there’s the option to listen to your own music by plugging your ear buds into the transmitter’s headphone jack.

You can add an unlimited number of receivers, but only three transmitters can broadcast at any one time in the stated 30-foot range. This allows you to choose whose music you want to share. If you get tired of someone else’s music, transmit your own.

The i2i Stream can accept audio input from MP3 players, CD players, stereo systems, computers, cell phones, and the like, allowing you to share music from an assortment of sources. A cool use of the i2i Stream units is in setting up wireless speakers by plugging the output of the receiver into a pair of powered speakers. A quick and convenient way to get music, talk shows and such to areas not easily accessible to audio wiring.

Our own experience with the i2i Stream was mixed. At close range (0-20 feet) music quality was excellent, especially with audio CDs as the source. Once beyond that range, the sound starts breaking up, depending on a number of factors. Walls, for example, aren’t very signal-friendly, so two rooms away (24 feet in our test) the music totally blanks out. With no obstruction between transmitter and receiver, however, using the longer 20 inch cord stretched horizontally we were able to eek out more than a 100-foot range usable signal. We thought the i2i Stream is a fun, maybe even useful device for some limited applications.

Another approach to carrying your music with you is to take advantage of the music playing and wireless Bluetooth capability of many cell phones. Such a wireless unit is the slick new JayBird JB-200 Bluetooth Stereo Headset (JayBird, www.jaybirdgear.com, $129.99). Left and right earpiece bodies tuck comfortably behind your ear, with the earbud wrapping around to your ear canal; the bodies are connected by a cord. Once paired with your Bluetooth cell phone, three buttons on the right earpiece control play, pause, next/previous track, volume, answer/reject/redial calls. Simple as that. The ear units are smoothly styled and weatherproof, but they are not easily compatible with eyeglass wearers. The included charging unit with earpieces in place looks very futuristic and charges up the devices in less than two hours. JayBird has optional Bluetooth adapters available for iPods ($49.99) and a generic adapter ($49.99) that can be used with any audio output from MP3 players, computers, stereo systems etc.

We gave the JayBird a test run and it worked fine, playing music clearly up to the usual Bluetooth range of 30 feet. When the phone rang, we used a touch of a button on the earpiece to answer the phone and another touch to end the call. Another and you redial your last call. Cool.

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