Although the tiny thermoplastic elastomer (Rubber, meet Plastic, Plastic, meet Rubber) Piolo may not seem like much to look at, it does offer quite a bit of utility. If you follow the world of Android phones, there are a number of models which feature a “kickstand” for watching movies or video chatting. Often these seem a little tacky, add some bulk, and/or can break off. The Piolo gives iPhone users a handsfree experience without the drawbacks seen on some of the aforementioned Android devices. The biggest of which is that you can use it in different angles and orientations, and it’s completely removable, instead of something that can get hung up on things and break off.

The Piolo is available in a number of colors, including cyan, magenta, yellow, black, white, and red. Using the Piolo is pretty straightforward—fit it around an edge on a naked iPhone 4 or 4S (sorry, case & bumper users), and it can prop the iPhone in a somewhat vertical position. It works fine with screen protectors, and there is a tiny hole to attach to a lanyard or keyring.

There’s not a whole lot to say about the Piolo—it’s simple to understand, simple to use, seems well-designed, and isn’t exactly bulky. At a relatively low price no matter where you are, and cheap shipping, the Piolo is a great impulse purchase for any iPhone user.

Since the introduction of the original iPad, many have wanted the acrylic-and-rubber stands that Apple provided for iPads at Apple Retail Stores and resellers. The stand is nearly impossible to find for personal use, since Apple even has a patent on it. For the next best thing, and maybe better, there’s the wedge-shaped Nest. It’s about the same size and angle, but square-shaped. There’s a little cutout in the center so it can act as a dish for small items (the iPad Camera Connection Kit, for example) and on each side there are bits of rubber to prevent slip, and also grip your gadget when in a typing position.

The Nest has a trick up its sleeve—in the back, a small plastic piece slides out to act as a vertical stand for viewing videos or presenting content. Although the iPad’s Dock Connector would be blocked when in this mode, you could always use it upside-down. In our tests, it’s supportive enough, and very handy for a FaceTime call on both an iPad or iPhone.

The Nest accomplishes the same thing as other stands, including our favorite, the Compass, but is a fraction of the price. Although the two do the same thing, they fit entirely different needs—the Nest is nowhere near as portable or convenient as the Compass. If anything, the Nest should be compared to the $20-$30 stands flooding the market that can be found at your local big box store. It’s also worth noting that the Nest is available in a number of colors, including black, white, blue, green, orange, and pink. For the price, there’s a lot right with the Nest, and nothing significant to complain about.

Perhaps you have an excellent case for an iPhone, iPod, or iPad, but it isn’t friendly with dockable items. You can either sacrifice the functions that are provided with a Dock Connector (video/audio out, charging etc.) temporarily, or remove the case. Obviously, in most cases (pardon the pun), this isn’t too hard, but it’s certainly annoying. Many people have either had to forgo using speaker docks or other accessories, or risk damage to their iDevice or case from taking the case off too many times.

This is where the dockXtender comes in. One end plugs into the device and the other plugs into your dock. This is similar in idea to the similarly-named SendStation Dock Extender, but rather than requiring the device to sit in the “docked position”, you have the flexibility of a Dock Connector cable. This also allows devices like iPhones or iPads to be used with things they were not specifically designed for, such as iPod nano accessories. All the actual wires in the cable itself are shielded in groups, keeping the audio/video signals as separate from the data and power signals as possible. We cannot actually confirm if this affects performance negatively or positively, but it certainly sounds good. The dockXtender can also be used to (obviously) extend any Dock Connector cable.

The only downside is that the dockXtender does not work with all cases. According to CableJive, the cable was developed during the time of the iPhone 3GS, and some of the cases that are designed with very tiny Dock Connector openings won’t work. These currently include the Apple Bumper Case, GroveMade Bamboo Case, Vapor – ElementCASE, Speck CandyShell, and Ballistic HC. We cannot fault CableJive for this, since they were forthcoming about this issue and many accessories do not work with these cases.

Furthermore, some devices can still physically connect to each other using the dockXtender (such as an iPad and an Altec Lansing iM5), but electrically, they’re incompatible. Some of these are related to accessories charging via the FireWire pins, which newer iDevices can’t use, or certain features (video-out) different on each device. This is always something to check out first, especially with CableJive’s frequently asked questions.

The price may seem a little steep, but if it allows you to keep using your favorite $100+ speaker dock or other unique accessory, it serves a niche well. The dockXtender is simple, works as advertised, and is a creative take on an annoying problem.

While at $30, the PocketDock AV is a bit more expensive than its siblings, it works about the same way—plug the 1 inch-by-1 1/2 inch adapter into the iPod’s Dock Connector and then use whatever cable you’d like with your iPod. The PocketDock provides you with a standard USB “B” connector (commonly found on most regular-sized USB cables), allowing you to charge/synchronize with whatever you have lying around. It also provides a 3.5mm audio line out and a S-Video output.

If you want composite video (found on most TVs), you’ll need your own adapter cable or the provided multi-cable. The multi-cable plugs into all three connectors on the PocketDock and gives you an array of options including a standard USB connector, RCA audio (left and right), RCA video (composite), and S-Video. This cable can also be used to convert one or the other on most laptops. We found the multi-cable to be rather handy, but, like the previous cables included with the PocketDock family, on the thinner and flimsier side.

A few things to note is that the PocketDock AV does work with many cases, as long as Apple’s Dock Connector cable can be used. This is advantageous when some sort of iPod dock cannot be used.

As for compatibility, Apple’s iPod lineup is going through a bit of a transition period. Because of this the PocketDock AV works in different ways with different iPods. With the iPod photo and iPod with video (5th Generation), the iPods can output everything, synchronize, and charge. The iPod classic, nanos, 4th Generation, mini, and touch all can output audio only, synchronize, and charge. Finally, the iPhone is only reported to synchronize and charge via USB.

In summary, the PocketDock AV is a good product, as long as you have the right iPod. As soon as Apple gets a standard set of features for the iPod family, we may see products like this for current models.

When thinking about this review, I didn’t think it would have to be very long. Essentially, the Dock Extender plugs into the Dock Connector with the same clearance needed that a Dock Connector cable would use and extends about an inch outward allowing you to connect various accessories while leaving the iPod in most cases.

Also included in the package is a Universal Dock insert allowing you to use the Dock Extender with in Universal Dock accessories and give the iPod a bit of support while docked. It’s not necessary, but in the situations when you can use it, probably a good idea, as not to put stress on the Dock Connector. Three rubber caps fit on top of the support to accommodate all iPod sizes.

All 30 pins are passed through, allowing whatever iPod features exist now (and will exist in the future) to work just fine. We tried it in various accessories and had no troubles. The only situations where the Dock Extender will not work is for iPod nano accessories that also utilize the headphone jack.

Overall, the Dock Extender is a unique product that should have existed a few years ago. Fortunately, now that it does exist, most won’t mind paying the premium to get it (and won’t have to de-case their iPods anymore.