iDuo iPod Dock and Card Reader
www.AtechFlash.com
Price: Around $50

Many of us everyday use card readers or at least should be using a card reader. Flash cards have become a part of daily life for many of us whether it be from cameras, PDAs, or even cell phones. But when it comes to how to connect and use these flash cards with your computer, many find that most card readers are either very expensive, or limiting in the formats they support. Plus there are just so many out there which should you choose?

After some talking to Atech Flash we were able to get a review sample of their newest card reader product on the market. Atech Flash is a company devoted to making card readers and flash card accessories, but not always in conventional ways. For example, they have integrated card readers into computers, made keyboards with card readers, and now today I get to introduce their newest achievement, a card reader in an iPod Dock!

The iDuo as its called is essentially a 10 in 1 card reader and an iPod dock with Line Out and S-Video out (for the photo iPod). So you get a fully functioning card reader, plus a fully functional iPod dock and its all in one compact unit. I love this idea as it save a lot of desk space (you do not need a separate card reader and iPod dock taking up desk space). In this world of PDAs, Cell Phones, and Portable electronics we know that your desk space becomes very valuable and that is what this product targets.

Upon receiving the iDuo, the box is a very nice looking retail box. It is one of those boxes with the shiny type card board outside that really lets you know a quality product is inside. Once you get the box open and everything taken out you will find you have received:

• iDuo Dock
• USB Cable
• Setup CD
• User's Manual

This unit is really simple to setup and mostly consists of plugging the cords in. If you use Windows XP you will not need to use the driver disk, the drivers are already in the Operation System. To hook everything up, first I used the included USB Cable to go from the Dock to my PC. This cable is for the card reader but NOT the iPod. You then need to plug in your iPod's Sync cable into the back of the cradle and into your PC. This is really the only downside I found on this unit, you do need to use two separate cables, one for the card reader and one for the iPod, but luckily you should have both on hand since it comes with the USB cable and you should have gotten the sync cable with your iPod.

If you like, you can setup the cradle by your TV and use the Line Out and S-Video out ports to connect the dock to your TV and Stereo for playing your music and slideshows (from the iPod Photo). Do note that you will need to get your own stereo to stereo cable and S-Video cable if you would like to hook the dock to your stereo and/or TV.

Once everything is plugged in, you are ready to start using the iDuo. The design is that on the top you have the dock for the iPod, and on the front you have the card reader. The Dock on the top also has a tab that flips out to help support the smaller iPods like the Mini. Being one of Atech Flash's great card readers, the card reader is very fast and performs perfectly. This is a USB 2.0 card reader so the transfers are very fast and much faster than using your cameras cable (at least for most cameras, now there are some USB 2.0 cameras that will give the same performance). The card reader supports the following formats.

• (CF) Compact Flash? Type I,
• (CF) Compact Flash? Type II,
• (MD) Microdrive?
• (MMC) MultiMedia?
• (xD) xD-Picture Card?
• (SM) Smart Media?
• (MS) Memory Stick?
• (MG) MagicGate Memory Stick?
• (PRO) Memory Stick PRO? (true 4-bit support)
• (SD) Secure Digital?(true 4-bit support)

This really covers all the standard formats you will come across with just about any electronic device. It even supports Memory Stick PRO cards for you PSP users out there.

In testing the unit, transfers to and from the iPod were just as fast as using the iPod directly connected to the sync cable. The card reader performed flawlessly and had no problems reading or writing to the CF and SD cards I have. It also seemed very fast and had no problems transferring big files back and forth. After testing the iDuo with my computer, I went and hooked it up to my TV and stereo. After placing my iPod photo in the dock, I was ready to show some slideshows and play some music. The video image was again very clear and just like the iPod video out cable I have (do note that picture quality mostly depends on the iPod and pictures being shown). The audio line out seemed to be of very good quality, but do note that just like with any audio out for the iPod that uses the sync port, the volume control on the iPod does not effect the volume of the output through the line out. You need to use your stereo to control the volume. I was impressed by the sound quality and it was up there with the Kensington Dock that we reviewed before, the only thing is that there is no remote or volume control.

Overall I think this is a great unit. The packaging, display, and quality is perfect, and every thing it claims to do it does perfectly. It is a great way to save desk space and yet not loose any features or performance. Plus with the TV out and Audio out features, this is a great dock to use by your TV and Stereo as well and has all the features as the standard iPod Photo dock.

Pros:

• All in one design
• Fast Transfers
• Sleek Look
• TV and Audio Out for iPod
• Blends in with iPod Style (white)
• Cables Included for Card Reader and iPod Docking (uses your existing iPod Sync Cable)

Cons:

• Need two cables running to your PC (one for Card Reader, one for iPod)
• No Audio or Video out cables included (but standard cables, so easy to find at any electronics store)

Suggestions:

• Integrate an IR remote and this would be right up there with the Kensington Dock plus it has the card reader and Video out which the Kensington does not have

Thanks to Atech Flash for the Review Sample!