I love 2007! Don't you? The MacWorld hasn't even started yet, but a lot of software and hardware products are being made available by the producing companies, and this can only mean one thing - no matter how slow, Apple is going up. Of course that Apple's growth in 2006 wasn't slow at all, and all the additional accessories for the iPods or MacBooks make me think about a really interesting period that lies ahead.

Now, it's time to interface your iPod with your home entertainment system again. No, it's not one of those docking systems that I was used to; this time it's something a bit different. The full name of the device released yesterday by Escient is "FireBall FP-1 Music Manager", and its purpose is to provide on-screen music management features for your iPod. The color interface of the FireBall makes music management a real pleasure, but if you need it, you can take full advantage of this device's ability to provide access to a PC or Mac connected through it.

The FireBall FP-1 has a USB pass-through connector for Mac and PC, and integrates a dock connector charging station as well, compatible with the iPod nano, iPod mini, color display iPods and video iPods. The FP-1 even allows other FireBalls to access and play the music stored on the iPod, including music purchased from the iTunes Music Store. The supported audio formats are PCM, MP3, FLAC, WMA and AAC, and the included accessories and cables that come with it are the IR remote, A/V and Ethernet cables, as well as the power cord. At last, the price: the FireBall FP-1 can be yours for 599$.