Product Reviews

ViewSonic's ViewDock VX1945wm takes its name from the iPod docking station located in its substantial base. This base also houses a memory card reader, subwoofer, four-port USB2 hub, audio-in/out connectors, headphone and microphone jacks. The glossy black surround and stand trim look fabulous, but quickly become dingy with smudged fingerprints. There is a cable tidy at the back of the fixed-height stand, but it feels flimsy and we weren't confident it would stand up to much use.

The iPod dock comes with clip-in adaptors that adjust the dock's size to suit your iPod. All models are supported except the Shuffle, which has no dock connector, and the new Nano. You can connect the Nano directly without an adaptor, but it's wobbly and doesn't look as elegant. Newer iPods come with an adaptor designed to fit Apple's Universal iPod Dock, but this didn't fit the ViewDock, which uses a different-sized adaptor. We're surprised, as Apple licenses the Universal iPod Dock to third-party manufacturers to prevent the problem we encountered.

As well as synchronising your iPod

ADVERTISEMENT

with your PC via the USB connection, the dock can be used to play audio from your iPod when your PC is turned off. Video and pictures, however, can be played only through iTunes, which seems a like a missed opportunity.

Sound quality for a monitor isn't too bad and could easily replace a cheap set of speakers. However, the subwoofer lacks bass and the 2.5W speakers are quiet. Even with every volume setting turned up full © there's a dedicated volume dial on the front of the stand © we strained to hear dialogue in films.

There are DVI and VGA connectors. We tested over both with near-identical results; however, it is best to use DVI if your PC has a digital connector. We were pleased to find ViewSonic bucking the trend by sending out both VGA and DVI cables with its monitor; most manufacturers include only a VGA cable.

The Windows desktop appeared crisp and well focused at the native resolution of 1,440x900. Contrast can be directly adjusted using the control buttons, but there is no dedicated control for brightness. This can only be changed from within the onscreen display. Illumination of the screen is even. Viewing angles are pretty good, with only a slight loss of brightness when viewed from the side. Our test images looked great, with detail in the darkest areas displayed clearly. Colours weren't quite as vibrant or rich as on some other monitors we've seen, though.

The iPod dock isn't a good-enough reason to buy this monitor, but the USB2 hub and memory card reader make it more attractive, and it's good value if you want all these extras. If you're just after a high-quality monitor, HP's LP2065 is a better choice.