No, it’s not the kind of ex-doc who was a little too free with
handing out prescriptions. The Creative Labs Xdock Wireless Music
System for iPod is just one of over 9,000 dancers in the never-ending conga line
of iPod adjuncts that promise to “set your music collection free”, blah
blah blah. You know the type: hook your iPod up to one thing, music
comes out of another thing. In this case, you dock it in the Creative
Labs Xdock Base (or connect another audio players with the 3.5mm
connection) and your choons pipe from the Creative Labs Xdock Receiver,
sans wires, cords, cables, or conduits of any kind. Please, hold your
applause until we’re finished.
But here’s what we want to
know: how “Creative” can these “Labs” be if they’re still using the
tired old X as a signifier of futuristic hipness? Xdock? X-Fi? Xtreme
Fidelity? That’s some straight-up 1999 junk right there, and unlike
when you were a kid, 1999 is no longer the future. It happened already,
remember? “Hey now, you’re an all-star” and all that crap?
In
the interest of lifting the general level of coolness abroad in the
land, here’s our take on some potential replacements for X as the new
rebel letter.
K: strong in a sort of
European way, K is a more grown-up alternative that doesn’t sacrifice
energy, like X with its hair combed. The sound is nice and forceful,
too. Just imagine it, Creative Labs: “Kdock”. Highly recommended (just
don’t use it in threes).
N: visually
striking, and a little mysterious. But when spoken, the sound is too
subtle, without those satisfying hard edges. And it might just be too
common, too pedestrian – the kids need a letter that’ll shock Mom and
Dad. Moderately recommended.
V: again,
looks good. Easy to scratch into your desk at school, or modify into
some sort of lightning bolt. Has some of X’s sense of danger, as Alan
Moore understood. But Winston Churchill and Richard Nixon both used to
throw this sign long before we were born, so how cool can it really be?
Moderately recommended.
Q: sorry, guys,
James Bond beat you to this one. Besides, it’s a little too
self-consciously kooky, a little too showy about its weirdness, to the
point that it starts to get on your nerves: the Andy Dick of the
alphabet. Not recommended.
J: the hook
shape has promise, and J has served well as the first initial of
countless rappers. But if the surfeit of common male J names (John,
James, Jason, Josh, Joel, Jeremy, Justin, etc.) didn’t kill it, J-Lo
did. Not recommended.
W: ugh. Only a true
lame-oid would build a brand identity around this mush-mouthed,
over-wide, multisyllabic disaster of a letter. Avoid!
Warranty: 1 Year Creative Labs
Features:
- Simply place your iPod into the Xdock, place the included X-Fi Wireless
Receiver in any room of your home and connect it to your home
entertainment system or powered speakers.
- The included
remotes control music playback on your iPod, volume and the X-Fi
technologies.
- Stream wire-free music from your iPod or 3.5mm audio device around your home
- Enhance
your iPod audio with a high-quality Xtreme Fidelity sound system, It
restores the detail and expands your music to surround sound
- X-Fi
Crystalizer, restores the detail and vibrance to your compressed music
and movies. All the highs and lows are intelligently enhanced, ensuring
you’ll hear everything in crystal clear clarity
- X-Fi CMSS-3D technology expands your stereo MP3s into surround sound over multi-channel speakers, stereo speakers or even headphones
- DTS Interactive,
Xdock connects to your home theater receiver and sends audio through a
single optical cable. Just connect to any receiver with DTS decoding and start enjoying your music in surround sound
- Stream your music to additional rooms by simply adding more X-Fi Wireless receivers, control up to 4 individually or an unlimited amount from one remote
- Watch video from your iPod by connecting your X-Dock to your TV via S-video or RCA video (depending on iPod generation, see below)
- Easy plug-and-play setup with no configuration needed
- Dedicated audio transmission technology with uncompressed streaming – no network required
- Charge your iPod or sync to your Mac or PC. (depending on iPod generation, see below)
Xdock Connections:
- Audio out (shared optical / analog out via 1/8” jack)
- Audio in (analog in via 1/8” jack)
- Headphone out (1/8” jack)
- S-video and RCA video out
- USB connection (mini USB jack – cable available separately)
- Power connector (5V DC)
X-Fi Wireless Receiver Connections:
- Line out (1/8” mini jack)
- Line out (2 RCA jacks)
- Headphone out (1/8” mini jack)
- Power connector (5V DC in)
Wireless Specification
- Range: up to 100 feet (30 m)
- Frequency: 2.4 Ghz
iPod Compatibility
- iPod 4th generation (original and color display)
- iPod 5th generation (video)
- iPod nano 1st, 2nd generation
- iPod nano 3rd and 4th generation (audio only, video not supported, 4G will not charge on dock)
- iPod mini 1st generation
- iPod Classic (audio only, video not supported)
- iPod Touch 1st and 2nd generation (audio only, video not supported, 2G will not charge on dock)
- iPhone and iPhone 3G (video not supported, airplane mode recommended, 3G will not charge on dock)
In the box:
- Receiver
- Base
- 2 Power Adapters
- Optical Cable
- 2 Remote Controls
- Users Guide
