Jan 10 2007
wiDock Wireless iPod Dock from silex
There is no shortage of iPod accessories out there – including every kind of dock you can think of. Yes, I’m thinking of the toilet paper holder. None of these are much more than a repackaged USB connector.
The wiDock from silex technology snips the wires on the iPod dock, and lets your iPod run as far as your wifi stretches. And, in case you were wondering what to do with your newly freed iPod, the wiDock also sports AV connectors bridging the gap between your ‘pod and your entertainment system.
Wireless Sync Comes to the iPod
Like I said, there are all kinds of docks that have one thing in common – the cord. The wiDock is more than a cord and stand. It’s actually a fully autonomous member of your wireless network. The device accepts all iPods with a dock connector. Once docked, the unit charges the iPod until the sync button is pressed. It then finds the Mac designated to sync with the iPod, and initiates a sync – as if it were connected directly. That means with disk access enabled, your iPod even mounts on the Mac.
Setup is pretty easy, much like adding any kind of wireless device to your network. Connect it directly to your Mac’s Ethernet port and configure your wireless settings (like SSID and encryption). This is all done with an installer application, but you can also access these settings through browser-based settings. Once the device has been set up and has joined your wifi network, the web interface (run off the device’s built-in web server) will show you status information, allow you to change settings and set up additional computers and iPods.
The More the Merrier
Yes, that’s iPods plural. the wiDock will match up multiple iPods with multiple Macs of PCs in a one-to-one sync relationship. So you can use one dock with multiple iPods and multiple computers. Pretty intelligent for a dock eh?
Syncing isn’t nearly as slow as I expected it to be. The initial connection sometimes takes a while, but once connected syncing is not much slower than wired. Large files or lots of files will drag the transfer, so you’ll still want to use your wired connector to initially fill your iPod.
If you put your geek hat on, you can really appreciate what these guys have done. The dock recognizes iPods, correctly matches them with Macs on the network and initiates a sync as if the iPod were physically attached to the Mac. It uses your 802.11 network and Windows file sharing (to identify your computer) to do this, so conceivably you could VPN to your home network and sync your iPod remotely from anywhere in the world. This is NOT supported by me or them, but isn’t that cool? Okay, done with the geek stuff.
Move your Music (and more) to the Living Room
The fun doesn’t stop there. The dock also comes ready to plug right in to your stereo or TV. Via RCA stereo connectors, you can plug into you audio equipment. You can also watch slideshows and video using the S-Video port. What about control? They thought of that too: the wiDock works with your Apple IR remote. With no additional hardware you can relocate your iPod to your entertainment center and sync back to your Mac.
Now, I would have preferred RCA component video to S-Video. And a digital output would have been even better. And, since this is a cross-platform solution they had to go with Windows network identification. I can’t help but wonder if syncing would happen faster via a Bonjour service. The client application that runs on the Mac could be better integrated into the OS, instead of a clunky full-sized window. But these are polish issues, not function issues.
Functionally, the wiDock does something I wouldn’t have expected to ever work this well. It is one of the most creative iPod solutions I’ve seen. I’d have liked to see it more Mac-snazzy, but you can’t argue with something that works well and does something no one else has figured out yet.
If you are looking for a remote sync solution, you’ll be happy with this. It will work without too much setup, and open up new possibilities. Most important it will keep your iPod connected to your Mac and get your media where it belongs: plugged in to your entertainment system.
Pick it up at Amazon
