It's just about as big as a day planner.

Road warriors like to travel light, which makes the iPod a nice travel buddy. Now your iPod can have a travel buddy of its own, thanks to the i-Station3 portable iPod speaker stand.

Measuring 4.41 by 6.3 by 1.18 inches, the i-Station3 easily fits into carry-on luggage or a backpack - though you'll either need to make a little bit of room for the power adapter or use four AA batteries. The iPod dock folds out, and when you attach your iPod (you get several iPod adapters for a good fit), the i-Station3 charges it when the power adapter is used. The i-Station3 has a rear USB dock so you can connect it to your Mac for some syncing goodness. There's also an auxiliary-in jack for other audio devices.

The i-Station3's audio quality matches that of similarly priced portable radios or CD players - not particularly warm sounding, with some bass distortion and weak highs, but acceptable. But when we're on the road, the i-Station3 makes hotel living a lot more comfortable. And we used the iStation3 to occupy a couple of toddlers during a road trip - we played a few videos on the iPod while the audio went through the iStation3 so both kids could hear (some of us can't afford to install elaborate DVD theaters in an SUV). A remote control isn't included, however.

The bottom line. The i-Station3's small size and battery capability make it a nice traveling companion for your iPod.

COMPANY: Logic 3
CONTACT: +44 (0) 20 8902 2211, www.spectravideo.com
PRICE: $59.99
REQUIREMENTS: dockable iPod
Decent audio quality. Small and portable. Can use batteries.
Weak bass and high-end sounds. No remote control.