Depending on who you ask, the usefulness of having an iPod dock can vary substantially. Originally bundled with select iPod models seemingly to help consumers better justify the premium iPod pricing Apple was charging, Apple continues to sell iPod docks separately, marketed at users who have their USB ports located in an inconvenient place. Never mind the fact that the included iPod cable is a sufficient solution to that problem or the fact that your $39 effectively gets you a plastic block with a relocated dock connector that can stand your iPod up...

Things in the iPod docking world changed for the better when Apple rolled out color-screen iPods. Suddenly, being able to connect your iPod to a television actually became a truly viable reason to invest in a dock. Third-parties have lined up to fill that need as well, and towards the top of that spectrum is DLO with its hundred-dollar HomeDock.

One hundred dollars? Indeed, that's not much less than what buying Apple's flagrantly overpriced and sterile-white equivalent accessories would set you back. Extra features and an all-in-one package help DLO justify the price tag. A beefier remote control than Apple's is also included with HomeDock, with buttons specifically for setting playback mode to shuffle or repeat, for example. And perhaps most conveniently, because your iPod sits on top of the dock connector and not down inside of the dock itself, you probably won't need to take your iPod out of its case to hook it up to the HomeDock.

A piece of clear plastic and a thumbscrew help prop your iPod up while it straddles the dock connector. It's a setup that may seem a little precarious at first but is perfectly stable and makes accommodating different sized iPods and cases a breeze.

DLO is thoughtful enough to include RCA cables and a battery for the remote, but not so thoughtful as to also bundle an S-Video cable or a USB cable for connecting the HomeDock to your computer if you desire. Granted, many people probably have extras of both lying around somewhere, but a premium priced product shouldn't skimp on the basics.

Whether the HomeDock's design is to your liking depends on your tastes and the color of your equipment. The black trim and silver top is attractive enough to us but certainly not breathtaking. A rather large LED on the front glows blue or green depending on whether the HomeDock is turned on and an iPod connected. A less conspicuous indicator would surely have been preferred by some, particularly Power Mac G5 or Mac mini owners accustomed to a pin-hole sized white dot.

The HomeDock delivered every feature we could want in a dock but stumbled a little in the execution of one the most important: the remote control. The remote's design itself is fine, but the line-of-sight infrared feels underpowered. In our testing, range topped out at about 10 feet, with even shorter distances if you were hitting the HomeDeck base unit at an angle and not directly perpendicular to it. People used to aiming their remotes at the ceiling and still getting immediate feedback will certainly feel frustrated using the HomeDeck remote at distance.

Bottom Line

If you're giving or getting the gift of hooking your iPod up to your TV, DLO's HomeDock is a good all-in-one alternative to Apple's own solution, but the price of admission and mediocre remote prevent it from truly standing out.