MP3 players: 3rd party ipod nano docks? (2nd G)

You don't need a dock.

My wife has the iPod Nano 2 GB (black). We plug spare PC speakers directly into the headphone plug all the time and it sounds great. True, you do not get a charger that way, but if you just get a simple wall plug adaptor or even a cheap wall plug that has a plug on the other end for the iPod (I bought one for $5 on the street in NY without haggling), you can plug both speakers and charger in at the same time. It is not the most fashionable way to play your iPod, but it is very cheap, as you can use any powered speakers that you would normally plug into a computer's back panel. One great thing about the Nano is that it sounds almost as good through cheap speakers as it does through earbuds!