The Facts
Specifications according to the manufacturer:

- 3.5 mm (1/8") stereo jack for line-out audio
- Includes two 6 ft. ultralight and ultra-compact white audio cables: One with 3.5 mm (1/8") stereo plugs on both ends, one with stereo RCA and 3.5 mm plugs
- Includes a detachable keyring dock
- Compatible with 4G iPod (click-wheel), iPod photo, and iPod mini. (Editor's note: The line out functionality should work with any dock connector iPod.)
- Price: US$ 29.95
- This product features the "Made for iPod" seal.

Construction and Materials
Upon first examination two things struck me about the PocketDock: it is quite thick - as thick as an iPod mini - but it has to be in order to accommodate the USB plug. The other thing I noticed was how light it was, there is hardly any weight to it when you hold it in your hand.

The exterior has a glossy finish to it and the white color matches the iPod well. The seams in the plastic halves, the USB and audio connectors, and the iPod dock connector plug all seem to have very high build quality.

The included audio cables (one of them 3.5mm-to-3.5mm and the other 3.5mm-to-dual RCA) are very nice. They are thin and very flexible and colored and shaped to match the Apple earbud cables, and the RCA connectors match the power cable on my iBook. This is a great pack-in and makes the PocketDock immediately more useful. These cables also add a lot of value to the PocketDock's $30 price tag, and in my opinion, makes it a great deal.

There is a pictograph (speaker with sound waves emanating) that denotes which connection is for the line out audio and it is curiously placed in the middle of the two connections on the PocketDock. Now, I know that it's obvious which hole is the audio jack, but it would still make more sense to print the pictograph to the left of the jack instead of in the middle of the two.

Usage
Works great. Sounds great. My iPod synced just fine with any old USB cable that I was able to find. The line out audio worked wonderfully and the included audio cables are a very nice pack-in (read more about them later).

My time was limited with SendStation's new pack-in keyring adapter. This is a small transparent smoke-colored piece of plastic that fits onto the dock connection and features a loop so that you can attach the PocketDock to a keyring or something. I've spoken about my cats before, and it wasn't two days after opening the box, that they struck again - the keyring adapter went missing. I looked everywhere for it and finally resolved myself to being without it. About a week later I found it again when one of my cats was caught playing with it. Little hellions...

I only have one criticism for this product and that would be to make is attach securely to the iPod. You know, make it "click" into place and make it removable only by pushing in detents in the side. However, the PocketDock stays attached well enough the way it is and this is provided more as a suggestion of how to improve the product than to identify a fault with it.

Listening Test: Cable Comparison
Okay, this is silly: Compare an MIT interconnect with AudioQuest adapter to the packed-in PocketDock cables? The price difference between the two might be a multiple of 100. Well, I was impressed by the PocketDock cables, they are flexible, thin, and seem to be high quality, albeit with the omission of gold plated connectors. So, I was curious to know how they sounded. I'm not trying to stir up any debate about audible cable differences, to me, there is an undeniable difference in the sonic characteristics of audio cables and I can hear it.

So, how did the PocketDock cables sound? Fine... For the majority of listeners and for the majority of playback systems, these cables will be just great. For the record though, from an audiophile perspective, they possess all of the typical sonic degradation characteristics of low-end cables.

The Bottom Line
The SendStation PocketDocks are one of the simple, brilliant ideas that make you wish you would have thought of it. Their PocketDock Line Out USB expands on the usefulness of the device and makes owning one a no-brainer. If you're an audiophile who listens with a headphone amp, the PocketDock Line Out is one of the few, and probably the best, method of obtaining a high quality line out audio source. It's well built and looks nice, it's light and easy to carry (especially with the key chain attachment, that is, if your cats don't steal it). The included audio cables make the $30 price tag a great deal. 5/5 stars.

The good: Insanely handy, well made, the PocketDock matches the iPod's aesthetics and the included audio cables match my iBook power cable.
The not so good: No real faults. A locking connection to the iPod would be an improvement.

For more information: SendStation.com