The Sharper Image ESI-A682 Ambience Home Audio Docking Station for iPod, iPhone and iPad

The docking station is excellent, sound is great and main thing it actually can be used for the iPad. Only minus is the power supply didn't have a Australian cable but that was easy to solve.

Love this speaker! Good, quality sound! Easy to move from inside to outside! Great buy.We highly recommend this Sharper Image speaker!

I received the Sharper Image Docking Station through the Amazon.com Vine Program (meaning that I paid nothing for it).In the box, I found the main unit, a power cord, and an external power supply, similar to what you'd find in a laptop.After using it for several days, I can report that it has some pros and some cons.Pros-Sound Quality- the single unit includes five speakers (a left and right tweeter, a left and right mid-range, and one woofer that is located directly behind the ipod/ipad). The sound quality is very good and produces very good highs and decent bass for a unit it's size. However, unlike some more expensive products (most notably Bose), it does not fill the room with sound.Compatability- It has an iPod dock and it also has rear inputs for a line in, so that you can use it with non-Apple devices.iPod Dock- The integrated iPod dock will support both the iPod or the iPad with an adaptor (which is supplied). There's even an eject button that will cause the dock to retract into the unit so that it doesn't mar the design of the unit when you don't need to use it.Remote- The unit includes an infrared remote control which can control the volume, power, and also an iPod or iPad if attached.Cons-iPod Dock- Like most devices with an integrated iPod dock, the dock will not mate with an iPod or an iPad that has a case on it. You must either remove your case, or purchase a dock extender at an additional cost. Since I keep my iPod secured in an Otterbox Defender, I didn't use the dock. I don't understand why these manufacturers don't provide a dock extender or dock cable, or design the dock connection to allow iPods to be used with a case!Design- The unit really is not physically attractive unless it has an iPod or iPad attached to it. See above for why I couldn't do that.Remote- the remote has some buttons on it that are not replicated on the unit itself or on the ipod. For example, there is a bass up and down button which appears nowhere else. So, if you lose the remote or it is broken, you'll be unable to change these settings.Display- The unit has no display. As a result, its impossible to tell what volume level or bass level you've set. There are a few buttons on the unit itself (volume, input selector, eject button for the dock), and they have a backlight that comes on when the unit is powered up.No Battery- This unit has no internal battery, and so the unit is not really portable.Overall, I like Logitech S715i (which I purchased at my own expense) much better. The Logitech includes an internal battery and is a bit smaller. The sound quality on the Logitech is almost as good, but with less bass. There are no buttons on the Logitech remote that aren't replicated on the unit itself or on your iPod. And I like the styling on the Logitech better as well. The Logitech is priced a little lower than this unit.The Bose Sound Dock II totally blows this away, as you'd expect for something that costs more than twice as much money.

EDIT: I have had it for about three years now. The remote is long-lost (so therefore I can't change the bass settings), and the mechanical drawer that slides in and out to hold the iDevice is now failing. I am sticking with the 3-star rating, though.I've been in love with this system since I got it. It's my first iPod speaker dock. Granted, I did not have to pay for it, so the biggest question becomes: If I had to pay the purchase price, would I?In short, well--no. You can stop reading now if you like, or you can find out why.Why I like it so much--Mainly, the audio quality is excellent. I've had a lot of speaker units in my life, and it's amazing to me how good this can sound in such a small package. The bass is great and deep. It's really a perfect home unit. I noticed nuances in my music that I'd never heard before.Sadly, it just has too many niggly little things to recommend it at this price point. The bass can only be adjusted via the remote, so if you lose the remote, you're out of luck. The dock itself slides out on a motor, which seems impressive, but if that fragile little motor breaks, again, you're out of luck.I didn't think much about how it looked. I don't care. It's form factor seems fine to me, even though the adapter is a bit clunky. It's sturdy, but, again, for its price, it feels a bit cheap and plasticine.If it cost half what they're asking, or if they could make some smaller, budget version with all the sound quality and none of the weak parts, and all the controls on the unit instead of a remote, that might be something to consider. At this price, I'm not sure I would. I haven't used any other units, but I'm sure there are others with the excellent sound quality for less.I don't mean to sound ungrateful! I love this item, and I'm happy I got one. If it were broken or lost, however, yes, I would seek a replacement, but it probably wouldn't be the same thing unless it was a swinging discount. Surely there is a better way to make these.Other reviewers seemed upset about the inability to use it with an iPod or iPhone in a case. I wasn't bothered by this. I take my iPod out of its case to put it on the dock. It's not much of a pain. It also comes with a jack for non-Apple MP3 players. This can be put into the iPod/iPhone headphone jack. Yes, defeats the purpose a bit, I admit, but it's still handy. I sometimes plug my netbook into it, though, and for that, it's nice to have.