People who've complained about the iPod's sound quality are invariably talking about the headphone output, not the output through the digital dock connector on the bottom, so I'm going to recommend it based on that.
Die-hard members of the Apple cult don't seem to mind paying extra for features to say nothing of high-priced add-ons like the Bose SoundDock so where are all the seriously high-tech accessories that could really take advantage of that digital dock connector?
You can also hook up other audio sources via an analog input but chances are it won't sound as good as an iPod through the all-digital Dock Connector port.
But there's no power cable for the digital radio/iPod dock, and though there's a little cafetière with the tea things (on a wholly unnecessary nest of tables), there's no ground coffee.
Last year, American sales of digital speakers with physical docks fell 16 percent to $505 million, while wireless streaming speakers, most of which used Bluetooth, jumped 175 percent to $383 million, according to NPD Group, a research firm that tracks retail sales.
Two other recent additions: the Westin Boston Waterfront hotel (425 Summer Street; 800-937-8461; www.westin.com; doubles from $359) and L.T.K. (Legal Test Kitchen), Legal Sea Foods' high-tech -- digital menus and iPod docks at tables -- Asian-fusion outpost (225 Northern Avenue; 617-330-7430; entrees $9-$9-$24
* HDMI High-Definition Output (with included Docking Station) * Digital Image Stabilization * Superfast Startup (Record in as little as 1.3 seconds).
The seat also plays several soothing sounds, and doubles as a dock for your digital music player.
Bose Sound-dock Series II Digital Music System – $269.99.
Another model, the Photosmart 420 series GoGo Photo Studio, includes a digital camera which can be docked directly into the printer, and will start at $299.
