The iPod would be much easier to use if Apple allowed the device’s GUI to be output to an external video display. The remote control accompanying Kensington’s Entertainment Dock 500, however, makes it easy to navigate the player’s menus from afar.
What looks like a familiar control wheel on the remote is a fake-out: It’s really just a thin layer of plastic covering the primary function buttons. These light up when pressed, but the other three buttons don’t. Maybe Kensington figured you’d have to cozy up to the iPod before you could read its screen anyway, so you could rely on its illumination.
The docking station itself is compatible with every iPod except the Shuffle, charging the player while docked. Kensington wisely provides both composite and S-Video outputs. The one feature Kensington missed—an omission that cost this product a Kick Ass award—is a USB port, so you could sync the iPod to your PC while it’s docked.
Month Reviewed: June 2006
+ DOCK OF THE BAY: Great remote control; attractive industrial design.
- CROCK OF THE BAY: Won't sync your iPod while it's docked.
VERDICT: 9
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