IME Dock Combats In-Vehicle Obsolescence
There are a few problems with in-vehicle accessories such as player docks and other player specific accessories. Let’s say that you bought an iPod and had a dock professionally installed to look and work seamlessly with your car’s stereo or after market head unit. Then you finally see all the cool features and devices you are missing outside of the fascist iPod ecosystem. Now you have to tear out that incredibly slick install you just paid top dollar for.
IME has developed and answer to this problem with the IME Dock. The modular dock system will give you a clean install and allow you to upgrade your device across different brands. Each dock will power and supply audio and video line out to your factory stereo or after market head unit.
Currently docks for Microsoft Zune, SanDisk Sansa, and iPod. But IME also has future plans for other players and mobile phones. An interesting thing that I found out while talking with IME was that the Zune dock system has been selling the most preorders. Go Zune!
Soon to be released the dock system will sell for $250 and include one snap on dock for the brand of your choice. When you are ready to change brands a new dock will only cost you around $90. I will be checking one of these out as soon as they are released. This will be a very useful accessory for my massive collection of MP3 players.
[IME Dock]
Comments
Slaughter on January 15, 2008 2:37 AM
Does this allow you to control your player with the factory radio? If not, then this is almost useless.
DocktorIME on January 15, 2008 12:06 PM
Hello I represent IME, and as for full radio control, we have designed the IME system to keep the player's full control in mind. It is a clean system that allows for hotdocking, you control the player by lifting it up selecting what you want and redocking the player and it will continue to play. Unlike other solutions the player's menu is not eliminated while docked. And unlike conventional aux input the sound's output is coming from a pre-amp level allowing the vehicle's stereo to perform the sound processing.
slaughter on January 15, 2008 9:32 PM
Line-out sound quality is not $250 better than using the headphone jack. Especially for a product like the e200, in which the dock costs 2-3 times more than the player. And if I am not mistaken the e200 does not have a true line-out in the hardware. With that being said, I think your product is a good idea and on the right track. I would think you could make a control module to control the player through the radio, but this is probably not feasible from a cost standpoint since your sales are probably pretty limited right now. Maybe the next version will be more than a glorified line-out.
Good Luck.
Addie on February 12, 2008 3:45 PM
DOC IME-
I am a Creative Owner and am aware that Creative makes a Competative quality product line that appeals to a wide market segment,
When or Will IME develope a product that accomodates Creatives product line such as the new ZEN?
Your product IME is inovative and unique but I feel you are missing out on a market niche of Creative users that would benefit from an IME designed to be compatible with Creative PMP's DAP' such as the ZEN.
Please help us so we do not Lose our ZEN.
Addie-Hermosa Beach
Addie on February 12, 2008 3:46 PM
I am a Creative Owner and am aware that Creative makes a Competative quality product line that appeals to a wide market segment,
When or Will IME develope a product that accomodates Creatives product line such as the new ZEN?
Your product IME is inovative and unique but I feel you are missing out on a market niche of Creative users that would benefit from an IME designed to be compatible with Creative PMP's DAP' such as the ZEN.
Please help us so we do not Lose our ZEN.
Addie-Hermosa Beach
caraudio on April 12, 2008 6:29 PM
I would think you could make a control module to control the player through the radio, but this is probably not feasible from a cost standpoint since your sales are probably pretty limited right now