Well, this is a first...the first one I've seen, anyway. Yesterday at CES, Viewsonic announced the ViewDock projector, which features a built-in iPod dock. According to Viewsonic's press release, iPod users are "three times as likely to download video clips, movies and Web casts to their computers"--the company is obviously interested in capitalizing on this fact. Viewsonic asserts that the ViewDock is great for on-the-go sharing, but at 3-plus pounds and roughly 12 x 10 x 5 inches (my estimate), it's not really all that portable. In a car, certainly, but I wouldn't really want to cart the thing on a flight to grandma's house. Still, it's a nice looking device, with a shiny black finish and understated curves. It also offers multiple connectivity options for hooking up to a PC, a gaming console, or a DVD player, and it charges the iPod while its docked. For my part, I think it's a pretty good idea. I mean, why not have a projector with iPod compatibility? The ViewDock is due out in Q1 of 2007 and is a premium-priced "accessory" at $999.
Just the facts:
- 1,024x768 XGA resolution
- S-Video and VGA inputs
- Delivers 2,000 lumens of brightness and a 2,000:1 contrast ratio