The latest iPod accessory from Logic3 combines a more traditional clock radio with a mount for your player, putting your favourite music at your fingertips first thing in the morning. It has a rather retro feel, which we''re going to assume was intentional, and is not entirely dissimilar to the LED display clock/radio alarms that started doing the rounds in the Eighties.

This is obviously a bit more advanced, though, and as well as the radio (AM/FM only - there''s no DAB) you get some degree of control over your iPod, which will charge when mounted and synchronise with iTunes if connected to your computer via USB. Unfortunately this control isn''t all-encompassing, as you still have to fiddle with the player''s scroll wheel to get to the right album; all you can do remotely once there is skip back and forth through tracks and adjust the volume.

There''s 12W of power on offer from the twin speakers, and a supplied remote control, so it feels a tad unfair to shoehorn the i-Station Clock Dock firmly into the clock/radio category. Of course it''s capable in this light, offering a choice of source material for each of two alarms, a dimmable display and the all-important snooze button, but it can also double up as a stereo system for the bedroom.

While the unit is obviously intended for iPods there is an auxiliary port that allows you to connect any audio player with a 3.5mm adaptor cable. Since you get a remote control in the box you''ll also have the convenience of adjusting settings from a distance, but it''s not particularly responsive and often frustrating to use.

In terms of audio quality, we found that the speakers distorted quite heavily at maximum volume, but it''s certainly loud enough to fill a fairly large room before you get to this stage. Unfortunately there are no options here for adjusting or rebalancing the sound so you get what you''re given, which, while certainly listenable, isn''t overly impressive. Mid-range and high tones are rather muffled and, while there is bass impact, it''s not particularly distinct, resulting in a rather convoluted experience.

There are other minor niggles, such as the lack of an auto-tuning function for the radio so you''ll have to search for and populate a list of presets manually. It''d also be nice if you were given full control over your iPod rather than just track skipping, and perhaps even ID3tag information on the main display. Considering the asking price, we''d like to have seen these sorts of features built in to be able to recommend the i-Station Clock Dock as a respectable solution

by Zen (few years ago!) / 293 views