gadgets: ONKYO UP-A1 iPod/iPhone dock

when i bought the ONKYO TX-SR507 AV receiver and i knew i would need an iPod dock, if they have any. i chanced upon this sweet little dock on the Official ONKYO website and have been trying to get my hands on it. months later, i found out its availability in Singapore and i wasted no time in getting it. got it from Harvey Norman Singapore @ Funan Digital Lifestyle Mall for less than 100 bucks. i hardly want to talk about build quality but it is good. the unit comes in shiny piano black. frankly, that's a potential fingerprints magnet but then again, we hardly neat to touch the unit after setting it out. the unit connects to the ONKYO AV receiver via 1.5m long cable with a universal port connector. the dock itself has a little round 'button' where you can adjust to suit the different iPods or iPhone you are going to dock with. nice touch.

this unit does support visual interface & supports video playback up to 1080i (known as the extended mode) and photo slides but only on higher series of ONKYO AV receiver, therefore, i can't comment on the user interface. the beauty of this unit is that it allows user to do basic music control of their iPod/iPhone via the stock ONKYO remote. functions such as scrolling through the albums, forward, next, play et cetera. the lack of interface support for lower end AV receiver can be a minus point. from a far, without visual, users can't see the songs when scrolling though the menus and songs list. we all know how tiny the iPod screen can be. for those who has the ONKYO SR507 AV receiver might want to reconsider this option, if you desperately need to have a interface. i ended up squatting in front of the unit to do the selection. so much for remote control, huh?

this unit is compatible with most iPod models except for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd generations iPods. there's not much installation to talk about. 'installation' is basically plugging in the universal connector to the universal port at the rear of the compatible ONKYO AV receiver - so there you go, the true meaning of 'plug & play'. usage is simple. just dock your iPod or iPhone and switch your AV receiver to 'Port' and you are ready to savor those music jammed in your iPod or iPhone. when docked, the cradle also charges your iPod or iPhone. neat huh? this plug-play-&-charge at the same time is already kind of a must-have feature in all dock/cradle. As mentioned earlier, this dock does not work with all ONKYO AV receivers. The manual indicated TX-SR507, TX-SR577, TX-SR607 or later models. so those hunting for one of these do take note, and remember if you are those who cannot live with visual, then i would suggest you give this a miss.

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what's up over the past one year?

though i haven't been posting but my acquisition, especially on the toys and gadgets aspect remains strong. the more recent purchase would be the Google Nexus One phone. yea. that's right, i have ordered them direct from Google Web Store and will be putting up for sales in Singapore's websites. i still can't let go of my 3G and 3GS, speaking of which, the latter will need some repair work done. if it even can be repaired. i also bought an alienware m11x a couple of months back. with that came the LaCie external DVD writer, Razer mouse and mouse pad. over the years, i have gotten myself a late 2008 macbook aluminum (aka unibody macbook), a late 2009 iMac (finally!), the WD TV live!, the Onkyo UP-A1 iPod/iPhone dock for my Onkyo AV receiver, the Logitech Harmony 1000 universal touch-screen remote, a pair of vintage B&W bookshelf speakers and i gotten myself an iPhone 3G and of course, the iPhone 3GS.

on the fun side, i had and lost a good radio controlled helicopter, the Hirobo SRB quark fixed pitch micro helicopter. i have been in and out of this hobby over the last decade and finally, this is a tiny item that got me flying again. it really defines the meaning of 'quality'. trust me, if you're still struggling to fly, get of this baby and you will be mastering your basics in no time. i have lost it but i am getting one more replacement very soon. just last week i got my innovator (from the fame Taiwan manufacturer, Thunder Tiger) MD530 which is a size 450-class radio controlled helicopter. it came ready to fly (aka RTF). i will detail more on these 2 babies in my later post, and of course my take on the m11x. how can i forget to mention my lovely Iron Man mark III figurine by Hot Toys? and not did i bought it, but i pre-ordered an iron man mark III bust too! can't wait for it to arrive in Singapore!

so many stuff in a year! unbelievable. besides my wife, i did live every other day for tech, gadgets and toys! the wonder of tech has me going. well, what's these talks without some of my take on each and every item that i bought? keep a watch out, cos' that's what i am going to do. see you soon!

goodness, gracious me! how time has passed!

i can't believe it has been a year since i lasted posted. the failure to blog is a combination of the following attributes: laziness, busy work schedule and the down trend of blogging... i have since started a twit, and that has some update now and then due to its accessibility via my iPhone. well, not that i am out of the busy-bee job, i should have more time to do this, again. i shall update this in due time... that's if my lazy bone ain't hindering me again. in the mean time, enjoy life! we only live once! :D