Clunky look, original concept: Panasonic ditches the traditional concept of an iPod dock in the form of its new MW-10.

Dubbed a multimedia audio system, the device combines a CD player, with a photo frame, AM/FM radio and iPod dock. Resembling a small TV the MW-10 has a 10-inch screen with a 800 × 480 resolution, 4 gigabytes of internal memory, SD card slot and a USB-port. The all-important iPod dock is at the rear of the unit. The built-in amplifier puts out 5W × 2 through the 40-cm speakers and makes use of bamboo fibers to aid sound reproduction. Alternatively, users can take the option of using the headphone plug. The device can play AAC, MP3 and WMA files, display JPEG photos and can do double duty as an alarm clock. Panasonic will also be releasing a smaller version, the MW-7. It has similar features except for a 7-inch screen and it lacks the iPod dock.

While Panasonic has set no prices for the pair, the MW-10 is expected to cost around ¥50,000 and the MW-7 in the neighborhood of ¥40,000 when they go on sale Oct. 23. While the reimagining of the iPod dock concept is interesting, the execution is wanting. The lack of networking ability in particular limits its usefulness. The MW-10 weighs 1.9 kg and the MW-7 is not much less.