Gadgets: Tilt dock for wide-screen video

Most iPod docks are fine for audio, but video? They're not really built for that. Their insistence that an iPod remain upright, not on its side, means you're limited to narrow-screen viewing on iPhones and iPod Touch models. The i-Station25 from Logic3 does double duty by working in either of two positions: upright for space-saving audio use or on its side for more expansive wide-screen viewing. The dock comes with four speaker drivers that deliver eight watts of audio and also help cut down on noise distortion. There's an AC adapter, but the i-Station can also be powered using four AA batteries. It comes with a 3.5-millimeter line-in jack that handles MP3 and CD players. Think of it as a standard audio dock with a little video on the side.

Cowon's S9 media player includes a touch screen display in a 16:9 format that uses super-bright AMOLED (active matrix organic light emitting diode) technology. It also has FM radio, and it will play 55 hours of music files between charges. The S9 has Bluetooth, and a built-in microphone for live recording, and it comes with a 500-megahertz dual-core processor and supports almost every video and audio format (as in, not iTunes). The 2.7-ounce S9 is available now with eight gigabytes ($200) or 16 gigabytes ($240) of internal flash memory. The Cowon also has a brand so obscure, you'll look like a globe-trotting tech wizard.