iPort FS-21: iPhone/iPod Accessory Review

Posted by Cyprian on September 12th, 2009 at 03:50pm Comments

iPhone/iPod Accessory Review: iPort FS-21
Reviewed by: Cyprian Peters
-Official website
Price: $250.00

Ever have a video that you want to show all your friends but not crowd around the small iPhone screen? Why not up it from a 3.5″ screen to a 50″! With the iPort FS-21, you can do just that. Output iPhone/iPod video and/or audio to a TV or monitor.

This item I’m reviewing is a dock which can be used for a variety of different tasks. First and foremost, this dock connects to your computer via USB cable and allows for syncing. It is self powered which means it will charge your iPod/iPhone while it’s in it. There is a large button on the front that allows your device to connect to the computer. Initially, when you put the iPhone in it, it will charge and there is a clear LED that glows, letting you know it’s in there. When you push the button, the LED goes red and the computer picks it up as a connected device and you can sync with iTunes.

There is a rubber pad on the bottom of the iPort that makes sure it doesn’t slide all over the place on whatever surface you put it on. The dock is black has a black layer on top with a silver base, making it look very sleek. It definitely looks good next to a TV or computer. It doesn’t look cheap, probably because it isn’t. It is also decently heavy.

There are a few different inputs and outputs on the back. First of all, there is an IR input which can give you the capability to use a remote, however, this is sold separately. For a $250 dock, I’d really like to see this included with the dock. It’s annoying to have to get up and change things on it manually. There are two other outputs other than the USB cable. These are for audio and video. Included are an audio RCA cable as well as a component video cable. The video output can also be used with a composite/S-Video cable, making it very versatile. Both these outputs have the 3.5mm headphone jack style.

I used this with my computer for a while and really enjoyed it. I love having a place to plug in my iPhone and have it not lying flat on the desk. The syncing capability is definitely a plus as well. Where this thing really shines though is when you hook it up to the TV. The video out is only 480p but that is an iPhone limitation unfortunately. This picture is still just as good as standard definition television and is very watchable, even on a 50″ flat screen TV. It’s great to be able to throw a video file on my iPhone, pop in the FS-21, and watch a video without delay or hooking up a computer to the TV, etc.

This dock can do some really cool things, but the $250 price tag is a bit much I think, especially since you don’t even get a remote. If you really want the convenience and something that looks really good, check this out, otherwise grab an Apple dock for the computer and a video cable to hook up to the TV.

Score:
7/10

Related posts:

1. Kanto Syd 5 : iPhone/iPod Accessory Review
2. Marantz IS301 : iPhone/iPod Accessory Review
3. Logic3 Pro-Dock: iPhone / iPod Accessory Review
4. iRecord Pro: iPhone/iPod Accessory Review
5. Tivoli Audio iYiYi: iPhone/iPod Accessory Review

Care to rate this iPhone World article? Current news rating:

Filed Under: iPhone Reviews

comments