docking

$560,000 iPod dock requires a ladder

There's run-of-the-mill ridiculous and then there's redonkulous. The AeroDream One from Jarre Technologies is pure redonkulous. It's an iPod, iPhone, and iPad dock. Big deal, right?

It's an 11-foot-tall, chrome-slathered, 10,000-watt iPod dock that requires a ladder just to get your device up to the top. It weighs more than 870 pounds. It also costs a wallet-shattering $560,000. Redonkulous.

Each AeroDream One is custom made and takes six months for delivery. This behemoth comes from a company created by Jean Michel Jarre, a man best known for electronic music, over-the-top shows with laser displays, and luxurious flowing hair.… Read more

A perfect mixture

Cocktail is both useful and fun for inveterate Mac tinkerers and would-be power users (that is, power users who aren't hard-core enough to use the command line).

This multipurpose utility can help you keep your computer happy and healthy, giving you access to scores of tweaks and optimizations pulled together from various utilities, preferences, third-party hacks, and command-line tools. Cocktail can help you with routine maintenance and customization across your disks, system, files, network, and interface. Cocktail is organized around these five areas, with highly customizable options for everything from clearing caches and repairing permissions to changing the appearance … Read more

Get a Sony iPhone-iPod speaker dock for $69.99

If you own an iPod or iPhone, a speaker dock is a must. It not only gives your gadget a place to roost and recharge, but also belts out your playlist for all to hear.

The Sony RDP-X50iPBLK is fairly no-frills as speaker docks go, but it's got it where it counts: it sounds great. It originally sold for $199, and still sells for at least $100 most places, but today only, 1 Sale A Day has the Sony RDP-X50iPBLK iPhone/iPod speaker dock for $69.99, plus $4.99 for shipping.

This is a new unit, not a … Read more

iHome iA63 review: A head-turning iPhone dock

The iHome iA63 is a clock radio with a twist--or more precisely, a clock radio that has a motorized rotating iPod/iPhone dock that allows you to turn your device from portrait to landscape mode for video watching with a touch of a button.

It's relatively light and compact, measuring 8 inches high, 6.7 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. Yes, it looks odd without a device docked in it (think mini satellite dish), but it's actually kinda cool with your iPhone or iPod Touch charging. (Like all "Made for iPhone" products, the iA63 is … Read more

The 404 881: Where we sweat it out (podcast)

CNET Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg (not that one) is back on the show and telling us why iPod docks, Beats Audio, and Spotify are ruining the music industry. Steve also has a few ideas on how to make one last buck off said music industry, and advises us on the rules of listening to music in public.

He still also has a pair of V-Moda earplugs to give away to a few lucky 404 listeners, so be sure to add him on Twitter and mention both of us in a Tweet for a chance to win!

The 404 Digest for Episode 881

Spotify and the search for meaning in music. Steve says: " They should stop making CDs." Do people really care how their gadgets sound? Planet Money podcast: Manufacturing the song of the summer.

Episode 881 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Use Lion Tweaks to customize your OS X Lion experience

We know, there are some things about OS X Lion you just hate. We feel the same way. Major changes in the tech we use daily are not always welcomed, and the transition hardly ever goes smooth or in a timely manner.

Thankfully, 9to5Mac has pointed out that some creative developers have put together a one-click solution for those who aren't comfortable cracking open Terminal and changing system level settings, the app is called Lion Tweaks.

Monitor Audio i-deck 200 iPod speaker, worth $599?

It seems more than a little strange to me, but iPod speakers are really popular. This much I do understand, people love their iPods, and if they don't have a hi-fi system an iPod speaker might look like the best way to go. At $599 (MSRP) Monitor Audio's i-Deck 200 is priced at the upper end of the market, and competes with the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air ($599), Bose SoundDock 10 ($599) and the Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox iPod Dock ($449), but are any of these worth the money?

For most buyers of high-end iPod … Read more

Keep applications from stealing focus when opening in OS X

One of the frustrating aspects of using a graphical user interface such as OS X is that when you launch a new application, the system assumes that is the application you wish to bring to the forefront. If you launch multiple applications, sometimes they may take a few moments to load and if you decide to switch focus to another program in the meantime then you chance having the program you launched grab your focus and place windows above those of the application you are working in.

These behaviors can be exceptionally frustrating, and while the basic remedy is to … Read more

Can a $199 iPod speaker be good enough to satisfy audiophiles?

My brief exposure to the Altec Lansing's Octiv 650 iPod/iPhone speaker dock ($199) at the CNET office in New York made a strong, very positive impression. It sounded so nice, I had to try one for myself at home.

Before we go any further I have to say I'm not a big fan of iPod/iPhone speakers. The cheap ones mostly sound pretty awful, and while the best of the expensive ones are fine, they aren't worth the money. Think about it: for $600 you can buy a pair of bona-fide hi-fi speakers (from Aperion, Boston … Read more

60GHz tech promises wireless docking, USB, HDMI

Every now and again, the rules for how to build a personal computer change. One of those moments may arrive next year with a high-speed wireless technology that could let people link tablets with big-screen TVs or dock laptops when arriving in the office.

The technology, which uses the 60GHz band of radio spectrum and is designed to transfer as much as 7 gigabits of data per second, matches what many wired connections provide, either inside a computer chassis or through the profusion of ports that perforate laptop sides. A group called the WiGig Alliance is developing it, and the … Read more