Everywhere you look these days, someone is putting an iPod dock into something to try and convince you to play your favorite audio device through their product. SI Products has launched a few interesting variations on the dock theme at this year's CES trade show in Las Vegas including a voice-controlled alarm clock, a "Roman Clock" and a news and weather information center.
SI Products, the largest licensee of the well-known Sharper Image brand, has introduced 25 new products at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. Amongst the more notable examples is a voice-controlled bedside clock and docking station for Apple's iPod or iPhone. The EC-B155 incorporates voice recognition software to enable users to make fiddling with buttons a thing of the past. The company says that all you'll need to do is "simply tell it what to do and it will accurately set your alarm for you - no questions asked."
A "smart" remote control offers manual control over the functionality of both the dock and the docked media player and a large LCD display supplies date, time and system information. Those wanting decent sound too should find the downward firing subwoofer that pushes sound through the bottom of the unit a boon. The unit also features a digital FM radio with six station presets and a back up alarm function in case of accidental incorrect alarm programming or for those who manage to sleep through the first wave!
News Central or old-fashioned elegance
Utilizing the free Sharper Image App from the iTunes store, the EC-B165 bedside speaker clock is aimed at making sure that you have access to all the information you need when you wake up. Automatically synching the docked iPod or iPhone, the app software sends live weather forecasts, news information, sports scores, stocks reports and gossip across the lower half of the split LCD/dot matrix screen.
Fusing functionality with elegance, the EC-A120 "Roman Clock" surrounds a docked iPod Touch or iPhone with backlit clockface roman numerals and the free Sharper Image app transforms the screen of said media device into analog clock hands. Undocking results in the time being rendered on a transparent digital LCD display to the bottom of the dock. This good looking piece also comes with the promise of a "dynamic, rich sound" that "fills the room". In common with the other units featured here, the "Roman Clock" also charges a docked device.
At the time of writing the new range isn't yet featured on the company website and there's no word on price but they should "be found in exclusive retail outlets across the country" in the near future.