Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air is a high end, sleek looking stereo speaker for iPod or iPhone. It supports Apple’s AirPlay capabilities for audio streaming. On the rear end of the device, there is Ethernet port, USB 2.0 port for connecting to computers, 3.5 mm aux stereo input jack, and composite video output for TV connectivity. Video output will come handy when displaying videos and photos from compatible iPod models but you cannot use it for streaming videos through AirPlay. There is also Wi-Fi support which means you aren’t just limited to the wired home networks.Apart from accepting the standard analog cables there is 3.5 mm jack for input which works along with the optical digital cables too. USB port is meant to be used with connections for Macs and PCs. You can use it for firmware upgrades, as syncing dock for iPhones and iPods, and for playing music directly as USB speaker. For the Apple devices, there is 30 pin docking port which can accept all the latest iPhones and iPods but just like most iPod accessories, this system has some issues with the older iPods. (via)
You can use the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air as iPhone or iPod dock and it worked really well in my lab tests. It also charges the Apple products when you place it in the dock. If you have a case for the iPhone, you might have to take it off or else the gadget might not slip in well.
The biggest selling point on the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air is AirPlay and plenty of people will be interested in streaming music from iPhone/iPod to the speaker system and the handsets can be used as remotes for playing music. Also, I would recommend you to check if the device is running on the latest firmware after you buy it. Updates for the firmware are done through USB cord and you need to connect it directly between your Mac/PC and the Air. This works well but I would have preferred over-the-air updates for the firmware.
You will first need to get Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air on the home network for AirPlay. This can be done by connecting Zeppelin directly to Mac or PC through Ethernet. Alternatively, you can log in to the initial temporary Wi-Fi connection of the Air. I tried both the ways and it worked well enough for me. Rest of the set up too is really easy to do.
