28 October 2003
by Noah Kravitz
Columnist

Sendstation Systems Pocket Dock for iPod 3G -- $18.95
Compare Prices at PCPrices/Mac

Simple, easy, practical -- that's my three word review of the Pocket Dock for iPod (3G).

Sendstation Systems has given iPod owners something they can really use, an adapter that turns any standard 6-pin Firewire cable into an iPod dock connector cable. The benefits of the Pocket Dock are twofold: First, you can use it to connect your iPod to a Mac for charging and file transfers using any standard Firewire cable. Second, you can use it to make those old (1G/2G) iPod accessories work with your new 3G iPod.

I live in a fairly small apartment in New York City, but I also love music and hate having to walk around for no good reason (hey, I work at a school so I'm on my feet all day as it is). I keep my computer set up in the office at the back of the apartment, but I like to keep my iPod hooked up to the stereo in the living room when I'm at home. So I keep the iPod's charger plugged into the power strip in the living room so it can charge while filling the apartment with music. Only problem with that is when I want to hook the pod up to my Mac, I either have to move the comptuer or unplug the cable from the power brick. Not a big problem in the scheme of things, but certainly the kind of dilemma that gadgets are born from.

The Pocket Dock lets me leave the power brick and iPod cable in the living room and turn one of my old Firewire cables into a second iPod connector back in the office. Perfect solution to a silly but annoying problem.

At $18.95, the Pocket Dock is basically the same price as a Firewire-to-iPod cable from The Apple Store. But if you have an extra Firewire cable lying around, it is more versatile solution (especially if you have any of those older iPod accessories). And if you're the kind of person who tends to stuff accessories into your bag, pocket, or glove compartment without thinking about wear and tear, the Pocket Dock will probably last you longer than a delicate cable -- in the long run it's cheaper to buy a new Firewire cable to plug into the dock than to buy a new proprietary cable from Apple.

The Pocket Dock costs $18.95 plus shipping from Dr. Bott and is also available direct from Sendstation's website (who offers a discount on three-packs) and The Apple Store.