, initially added in iOS 4.2 and , lets you send media wirelessly from your iOS device to an AirPlay-enabled speaker system, receiver, or media player. Since it's running iOS 4.3, the iPad 2 can send all audio to any . Once you've switched audio to an AirPlay system--for example, by using the AirPlay menu in the iPod app--all audio is send to that system until you switch audio back to the iPad itself. You can also send video from the Videos app, and photos and video from the Photos app, to a .

A year ago, we noted that few ""--speaker systems with a 30-pin dock-connector cradle--fit the iPad, as most use , which is intended for iPods and iPhones. Sadly, that hasn't changed much, despite the popularity of the iPad. Only a few vendors, including , , and , have released docking speakers with a cradle large enough for the iPad.

The other issue is, as noted above, power. If you manage to connect an iPad to a speaker dock designed for an iPhone or iPod--we did so using --the iPad's audio plays through the speakers, and any on-speaker playback controls work as expected; however, the system won't be able to charge the iPad's battery while the iPad's screen is on--an AC-powered system will generally be limited to keeping the iPad's battery level steady, while a portable speaker system running off battery power may not even do that. (An iPhone/iPod speaker dock charge the iPad's battery, very slowly, if you turn off the iPad's screen during music playback.)