There is no denying the fact that the iPod has dominated the PMP industry right from its inception. This level of popularity has made several design houses and manufacturers develop products that are aimed at making the player’s user experience much better. The market is flooded with excellent docks that do everything from charging your player to playing the content on much powerful speakers. Here we’ve collected ten such docks that have been designed especially for those who want to better the player’s experience without hurting their green lifestyles:
• Wood Music Speaker Dock:
This wooden music dock for the iPod has been made from salvaged timber with holes drilled into the log to make space for the speakers and the electronics. The elegant design and the recycled aesthetics make it desirable for all those who love to posses un-common and sustainable gadgets to refine their homes interiors.
• Regen ReVerb:
The ReVerb by Regen is a gigantic iPod dock that is powered by solar-energy. Measuring 3 feet in length, the dock kicks out the equivalent of 60W and carries a backlit LCD display to keep you informed about the status of the player. The company believes that the system can work for three hours after three hours of exposure or about six hours of indoor light exposure.
• Solar iPod Dock:
Designed by Tom Pritchard, the Solar iPod Dock harvests solar energy to play the music on an iPod. The design includes two speakers which can run in passive mode from any iPod or iPhone attached to it. However, when sufficient light hits the solar cells, which are mounted on the rear of the speakers, the built-in amplifier turns on and boosts the volume and charges the docked iPod as well.
• Vers 2X:
The Vers 2X iPod Dock allows you to express your music choice to the world in an eco-friendly fashion. Encased in a sweet looking cherry-veneered wooden cabinet with wood from sustainable plantains-the 2X is a naturally good-looking piece of kit, standing out from its surgically enhanced pouty plastic counterparts in the dock market. It almost gives you the feel of going back in time to the 70’s. But the technology inside it promises awesome sound quality. This is achieved courtesy of its 3-inch full range speakers offering 20 watts per channel and class -D amplifier.
• Soulra iPod Dock:
The Soulra iPod speaker features a full-range 8W RMS speaker that draws power from an onboard solar panel. Packed inside a water-resistant body, the dock offers 7 hours of continuous iPod play on a fully charged battery.
• Vers 1.5R iPod Dock and Speaker:
The Vers 1.5 iPod Dock works as an alarm clock and an AM/FM radio. The dock is handcrafted in a week from sustainably harvested bamboo and walnut.
• Cardboard iPod Dock:
Designed by Suck UK, this sustainable iPod dock comes in the form of a mini Boombox that has been crafted from cardboard. The system comes flat packed and features actual speakers that are powered by four AA batteries.
• iBoo iPod Dock:
The iBoo iPod Dock is a sensor remote controlled sound system, which incorporates a 9W subwoofer along with two speakers and a 3.5mm input jack for connecting whatever else you might see fit. The dock is free from all toxic compounds established by RoHS.
• Industrial iPod Dock:
The Industrial iPod Dock has been made using electrical parts found around while sifting through bins of rusty old parts at the second hand hardware store.
• Regen ReNu Solar iPod Dock:
The ReNu system by Regen is a freestanding power module containing solar cells, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and an intelligent user interface. The solar panel can either be hung or placed in direct light to harvest solar energy. When fully charged the device can be connected with one of the several extensions to charge a wide range of gadgets.