Earlier this month, I was sitting on the can reading the latest issue of MAKE magazine. Inside, I read about Laurier Rochon and his deodorant-based docking station. At first, the concept sounded a bit off color but after reviewing his project, dubbed “I Am Clean”, as a whole, I’m proud to report I’m obsessed with it.

Laurier used an Arduino and an XPort along with a combination of PHP, SQL and XML to create a docking station that lets the world know how long he used his stick of deodorant for. You pick up the stick, use it and put it back in the dock. Instantly, the information is sent to his website Iamclean.org, where users use a slick Flash interface to view when and how long Laurier was messing around with the Old Spice. It’s a both an innovative and complex technical project, one that you have to see to believe. Hit the link below for the full goods.

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The iPhone 3G comes with:
* Stereo headset with mic
* USB power adapter
* Dock Connector to USB cable
* Documentation
* Cleaning/polishing cloth
* SIM ejector tool

NO DOCK? What the fuck? Guess we might have to build own or come up with some kind of bullshit.

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An e-mail from usually-decent accessories manufacturer Proporta landed in my Inbox this morning. It was for a Universal iPod Dock that’s supposed to fit the iPhone, iPod, etc. and charge it via USB. OK. Fantastic, right?

Not really. Problem is, according to the pictures on the product page, it looks like they took a goddamned iPod cable directly from Apple (the logo is still there on the cable!) and shoved it inside a plastic housing that was mass produced in Taiwan, China or Switzerland. I mean, Apple’s official iPod Dock has an audio-out port so you can hook it up to your stereo system. Proporta’s doesn’t it looks like.

So tell me, Proporta: Why should we buy your dock for $22? I see iPod USB cables for $4 online. Buy some Play-Doh for $2 and you have yourself a Universal iPod Dock. I’m not disowning Proporta or writing them off as a company. I just want to know who thought this was a good idea.

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Construction workers like music too! Especially the sweet sound of a buxom booty making its way past the construction site. Oh, yeah! But enough of that. The point is, that just because you wear a blue collar, doesn’t mean you don’t rock out to a little ABBA every now and again.

The ultra-rugged AM/FM Construction Radio is protected with hard side framing, and is capable of acting as both a radio, and an iPod docking station, but also has its roots dug deep into the blue collar heart, with the addition of two DC power ports, a USB charger for mobile phones and two AC outlets so workers can plug tools right into their music center. Grab your own for $130. — Andrew Dobrow

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Boynq, why oh why must you taunt us with your simplistic geometric beauty. We’d promised ourselves (and the devil) we would not post anymore about every run of the mill iPod dock (sorry Sony) that was announced, but then again, the Boynq Wake Up is in no way average. And even if it was, the design is sexy enough to allow our eyes to ignore the average specs.

This attractive dock contains a charging dock, FM radio alarm, 20W amplifier, line out support, and blah blah blah. Just listen, it’ll look pretty and it’ll play / charge your iPod. ‘Nuff said. — Andrew Dobrow

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Audio system manufacturers have been brainstorming for so long the best way to connect speakers with the audio system. The traditional way is the copper wire, now we can do it over WiFi and Bluetooth. The problem with these wireless technologies is that they have limited coverage and they are subject to interference, there are also people concerned with the potential health hazards associated with 24-7 EM wave exposure. Pioneer Japan announced this morning a new line of audio systems that they call the Music.tap. What’s so special about the new system is that the speakers are connected to the main combo via the power line for the first time in the world, using the PLC broadband technnology. So you can pretty much put your speakers anywhere in the house: every single room and your basement as long as there is a power socket around.

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Sony made a product for the iPod? Whoa, did you see that sheep just fall from the sky? No? Oh, well, I guess the world isn’t coming to an end, and Sony really did just release an iPod Docking Station. The CPF-IP001 iPod Docking Station blasts your music at a pretty small size with its 2 15-watt tweeters and its 15-watt sub. What is nice about this is not that it blends with the iPod style, the big thing is that it has a relatively low profile. At least the speakers do. Just take a look at that power adapter and that whole idea of a small footprint just went out of the window… Too bad, Sony really had me there for a second. Anyways, this dock will run you about $250. A premium cost, but you are getting a pretty big sound for its size. –Nik Gomez

Sony releases iPod Docking Station [via UberGizmo]

Having a Rolling Stone on your team of developers is a sure sign to success right? Not necessarily in the iPod accessory market. Chestnut Hill Sound’s new George joins the slew of iPod dock/speakers with one feature that will blow you away. It’s way to interface with your iPod is a simple display with buttons…that detaches from the unit! Check out this full review of the Chestnut Hill Sound George.

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This is a very nice looking stereo, something that has become commonplace with iPod docks. Yes, this is an iPod dock, what is new? This particular stereo is called the Victor/JVC UX-DM8 (companies still having a hard time with the naming process) and it is set to be released in February. So what sets this iPod station apart from the competition? The fact that it has 1GB of internal flash storage mean  something. It also has a USB connection to hook up to your PC and truly communicate with your PC, not just charge it. The speakers look as if their covers come off, revealing some very nice looking monitors. The units will come in three colors: black, white, and grey. They are a standard size for a small stereo (140×251x234.5mm), meaning they won’t require you to buy a new cabinet to hold all the hardware. One other nice feature is the remote. Most other remotes are very small and limited. This remote looks as if you could control every function from the remote, something that is very useful if you do quite a bit of sound tweaking.

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Now that Macworld is over and done with, you’d think that the iPod accessory market would slow down. All the vendors released last week, right? Guess not, because Princeton Corp. has just released its i-Bird iPod dock. The i-Bird has an iPod dock, AM/FM radio, and an integrated alarm clock. As for its sound output, it has two 3W speakers with a 8W subwoofer to bump out the bass. In case you were wondering, there isn’t much explanation as to why it is called an i-Bird. Its probably just another company riding the current trend of “i-insert animal name here” for anything remotely iPod related. One nice feature that not all other clock/dock have is the ability to connect to iTunes and sync via a USB cable. The i-Bird measures 180×170x61mm and weighs in at 738 grams. With a price tag of about $105, there are better places to put your money. — Nik Gomez

Princeton i-Bird iPod Dock [Newlaunches]