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Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
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iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
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Discover New Music

  • The Last 5 Years (2002 Off-Broadway Cast)

    • 10 out of 10
    • Jason Robert Brown
    • The soundtrack to this moving off-broadway musical is heart moving. The lyrics follow a couple in a relationship for five years, one point of view going forward in time, and the other tracing time fr
  • Suspended Animation

    • 8 out of 10
    • Fantomas
    • Mike Patton may well be one of the hardest working men in showbiz these days, and his latest with Fantômas underscores just about how far out he is willing to travel.

      Suspended Animation

  • Goodbye Jumbo

    • 8 out of 10
    • World Party
    • Released in 1990, World Party's

  • How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

    • 6 out of 10
    • U2
    • U2's latest entry is a mostly underwhelming collection of songs that does very little to sound any different from its equally pedestrian predecessor, 2000's "All That You Can't Leave Behind." While

  • Now Here Is Nowhere

    • 10 out of 10
    • Secret Machines
    • The Secret Machines' inaugural album, Now Here is Nowhere is both old and new in its sonic assault. The trio's surprisingly big sound evokes Pink Floyd (without ever sounding like any Pink

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In-Depth Review

PivotDock USB Adapter for iPod shuffle

Plugged into a computer, Apple's iPod shuffle sticks out a good three inches, begging to be inadvertently bumped or, in a worst-case scenario, broken off. A simple USB extension cable can alleviate that risk, but I prefer the new PivotDock from SwitchEasy.

Billed as the smallest dock for your iPod shuffle, the PivotDock is a tiny L-shaped USB port adapter that can pivot 180-degrees. If having your iPod shuffle stick straight up from your laptop doesn't seem much better than having it stick straight out, just rotate it towards or away from you as you wish.


PivotDock by SwitchEasy

PivotDock's fit and finish is what impressed me the most. In a market that's saturated with cheaply made or assembled products, it is apparent just looking at the box that SwitchEasy took the extra steps to make the PivotDock buyer feel like they are purchasing a quality product. A hidden LED even notifies you when the PivotDock is receiving power and the whole package complements the iPod shuffle perfectly. The 90-day warranty is a bit light, however.


PivotDock in use with a PowerBook

PivotDock is only compatible with flush-mounted USB ports. That leaves the original iMac G3, Titanium PowerBooks, and some Power Mac G4 systems out of the running, as well as some third-party keyboards. It's also almost as wide as the iPod shuffle itself, meaning it won't help the problem of tightly space USB ports like on the iBook and 12-inch PowerBook as DLO's Flexible Dock US($19.99) does.

SwitchEasy is offering PivotDock for the early-bird special of $9.99 through September 9, 2005 when the first units will ship to customers. After that, the price goes up to $15.99.

Just The Facts

PivotDock from SwitchEasy

MSRP US$15.99
Street Price: US$9.99 - From SwitchEasy's Introductory Pricing.

Pros:Neatly tucks your iPod shuffle away, excellent design and construction

Cons:Requires flush-mounted USB ports

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