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Sony has recently begun shipping the mylo com2 with a free charging cradle. While its certainly not a must have item, and I am not sure it would push me over the edge and make me run out to purchase a mylo, its always a nice deal when you are getting a $29.99 item for free.

A dock or charging cradle is one accessory that I consider a must have for most gadgets. It looks much nicer sitting on the desk, it helps to keep your device from getting bumped and knocked to the floor and is much easier to stick your device in the dock or cradle as opposed to fiddling with a loose wire.

Sony has not made any mention of whether this is a permanent or just a limited time offer, but if you were already considering a mylo purchase, this sounds like as good a time as ever to make that purchase.

Product [Sony Style] Via [pocketables]

Product: Kicker iK500 iPod Speaker System
Price and Availability: Currently available and retailing for $299.99
Rating: 9/10
Pros: Simple, easy to set up and use
Cons: Docked iPod sits a little “off”
Overall: Solid sound with a great overall look

While we were able to review the iK500, which is made for the iPod, Kicker also offers the ZK500 for the Microsoft Zune, which also retails for $299.99.

The iK500, after first getting it out of the box has a nice look to it. Keep reading for the rest of the review…

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Following the release of the Touch Diamond, the official accessory lineup from HTC is beginning to show up as pre-orders. While the handset is still a little ways away from release, as previously announced it is expected to drop in Europe beginning in June, with Asia and the Middle East to follow later in this quarter and both Latin and North America to follow during the second half of 2008, it should be a little while before the accessories will actually be shipping.

The first to show its face is the desktop cradle, which is available at Clove Technology and is retailing for £25 (around $48 US). However, as expected, also included is a note that the “official price and availability to be confirmed.” The cradle will, of course dock and charge the phone but also offers a 3.5mm line-out connection. It also offers a “sleek and stylish” look that according to HTC will be the “perfect accessory” to the Touch Diamond. Basically it will not only look good sitting on your desk, but also keep the phone from getting bumped around and knocked down to the floor.

Product [Clove Technology]

While we are taking some time getting our full thoughts down, we wanted to show off the pics of the latest gadget to make its way into the Gadgetell headquarters. Its the Kicker iK500 iPod speaker system. While we have the iK500 which is made exclusively for the iPod, Kicker also has the zKick ZK500 for the Microsoft Zune.

Aside from the obvious difference that one is made for the Zune and the other for the iPod, they both offer the same features. The systems both ship with a remote control that offers a full range of options, and have two 5-inch woofers, two 3/4-inch tweeters, one 6-inch square reflex subwoofer that are powered by a 40-watt stereo amplifier. In addition they both have a 1/8-inch stereo aux-in jack and stereo RCA out. They both measure in at 8.5 x 19.2 x 8.4-inches and weigh 9.2-pounds.

The iK500 includes eight dock inserts that will allow for just about any iPod to fit snugly in place, and the ZK500 comes with three inserts to fit the various available Zune players. The iK500 and ZK500 both retail for $299.99 and are currently available. During our (so far brief) testing the system sounded great and worked well with a variety of iPods, to include the nano, Shuffle and even the iPhone, while in airplane mode. Be sure to check back for our full review and in the mean time enjoy the pics…

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As we all consider greener solutions, this product looks promising.  The CES crowds around this booth are a clear indication that being green is on everyone’s mind, and that hasn’t escaped the notice of some clever folks from Connecticut.  Releasing by year’s end, the NRG Dock consists of a solar panel, a battery to store the suns power and a series of connectors for your gear.

The NRG Dock for the apartment sticks onto a window via suction cups while the home unit sits outdoors facing south.  The battery connected to the system insures you can power up any time of day.  Supported devices include Blackberry, iPod, PDAs, Game Boy, PSP and cell phones.  Good luck keeping track of all those connectors.

What’s more, these units qualify as a renewable energy resource and able to reap the state tax benefit.

Product Page [NRG Dock]

I’ve had it with cables.  The sheer number of cables we have to carry around is getting insane.  I’ve got (and I bet you do too) a drawer full of cables that I don’t even remember what they go to, but one day might need.  My breaking point was reached during my review of the Samsung Blackjack II where they redesigned not only the battery, but all the cables as well.  Good for companies that sell cables, bad for everyone else.

For many of us, our cell phones are our connection to the world.  We email, talk, browse, navigate, text, IM, Twitter, etc. on them nonstop.  They are becoming powerful and power-hungry.  The future is powerful cell phones; one look at the iPhone and it is easy to see.

What isn’t easy to see is why car manufacturers haven’t jumped

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Griffin Technology is quite famous for its many iPod accessories, more specifically it’s iPod docks. Well it seems Griffin has another item to add to the list, the TuneFlex Aux. The Griffin TuneFlex Aux is a dock, charger, and direct line-in connection to your car’s stereo.

The TuneFlex plugs right into your car’s 12 volt accessory outlet to power and charge your iPod with it’s flexible neck. The TuneFlex is also very flexible when it comes to playing your music through your car’s stereo with it’s built-in 1/8” stereo line-out audio jack. Don’t have an aux-in on your car stereo? No problem. You can use a range of other Griffin products to listen to your music, including: the iTrip FM transmitter, SmartDeck cassette adapter, as well as a slew of other options.

The TuneFlex Aux is compatible with both 4th and 5th Gen iPods, and the TuneFlex Aux nano is nano-sized and made specifically for your 2nd Gen iPod nano. There is no release date for the TuneFlex Aux current so in the mean time, check out the site.

A pretty clear theme at this year’s CES was not only home media servers, but also adding a friggin’ iPod dock to virtually everything. With that in mind, PCMag’s iPod accessories roundup also suggests a new remote, an additional screen and some wireless headphones.

• Kensington Entertainment Dock 500 with remote


• DLO HomeDock Deluxe with remote


• Apple iPod Radio Remote


• ATO iSee 360i 3.6 in. screen (only good with Windows-formatted iPods)


• Logitech FreePlus Wireless Headphones via Bluetooth

Read [PCMag]

If you like a little extra bling in your PC peripherals, Razer has a couple computer mice (or is that mouses?), an iPod keyboard and speakers they’re pimpin’ at CES 2007.

First, the tunage. The Razer Mako 2.1 is a bi-amplified speaker system, THX certified with THX Ground Plane and THX Slot Speaker technologies. It has a frequency range of 30 to 20,000 Hz, 6 channels, 300W and includes an amplified headphone port on a wired remote. (BTW: Mako is a type of shark with razer sharp teeth. Get it?)

Next are two gaming mice, the Razer DeathAdder and the Pro|Click. DeathAdder is an 1800 dpi 3G infrared sensor mouse with 1000 Hz Ultrapolling 1 ms response time, and five large, programmable non-slip buttons bundled in a right-hand form factor design (sorry lefties). The Razer Pro|Click Mobile Bluetooth notebook mouse may be just a l’il guy but has a 1600 dpi sensor, an always-on mode, seven (yep, that’s seven) programmable buttons and a gold-plated USB connector.

Finally they have two new keyboards to brag about: The Pro|Type and Reclusa. The Razer Pro|Type is the first keyboard - that I know of - to incorporate an iPod dock. In case you actually need to type with the thing, it includes ten customizable profiles with on-the-fly profile switching, 10 programmable keys and two USB ports (my favorite feature for a new gen keyboard).

The Microsoft Reclusa gaming keyboard that includes two gold-plated USB ports (snazzy), ambient backlighting, 6 programmable buttons including two 360 degree jog dials, two side bumper buttons (for pinball applications, I presume), blue LED backlit keys (oooh, shiny), and a detachable wrist pad. It will be available March 2007 for $69.95. One feature that will likely be overlooked yet supremely appreciated by gamers on the go is the Smart Cabling System, where the USB cable can be shortened and stowed in the keyboard’s casing.

Read [Razer] Site [THX] Product [Reclusa] Product [DeathAdder] Product [Mako] Product [Pro|Type] Product [Pro|Click]