Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, iPod Family, Peripherals, Odds and ends, iPhone, Road Tested
Road Tested: Dexim Dual Dock Charger
It's fun to talk about cool apps and play multi-user games, but it's annoying trying to find a place to plug in our iPhones and iPods. Right now we have two iPhone 3GS's, an original iPhone being used as a game device, and an iPod nano that all need charging.
Things have been a lot easier in our household since we got a Dexim Dual Dock Charger. This unit, available for $44.95 from RichardSolo.com or directly from Dexim, is an attractive and functional dock in which you can simultaneously charge two iPhones, two iPods, or any combination imaginable. Since the devices need to be held securely in the dock, Dexim includes a set of plastic insert cradles that fit the bottom of your particular device (no, I'm not using them in the photo above). There are cradles for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 2G, iPod touch, iPod Classic, iPod nano, and 5G/U2 iPod.
When a device is placed in the dock for charging, a cool blue LED light goes on. That could be irritating if you want to use the Dual Dock Charger in a bedroom, so a switch to turn off the light is thoughtfully provided. We placed ours on a small table located on the way to our garage, so we can just pick up our phones on the way out of the house.
The Dexim Dual Dock Charger allows us to keep our iPhones constantly charged up, and it looks great while doing its job. We've had three-plus months of charging bliss without having to search for our cables, AC adapters, or iPhones. The original Apple chargers and cables are now used for topping off the devices when we're away from home, or for syncing with our Macs (the Dual Dock doesn't provide syncing capability).
If you live in a multi-iPhone family, the Dexim Dual Dock Charger is a must-have gadget.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Maurice said 4:09PM on 7-08-2009
Which dock insert are you using with that iPhone case? I loved my Contour Design case but without a dock insert, all of these docks are useless since I refuse to take it out of the case every time I want to charge or sync.
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Steven Sande said 4:38PM on 7-08-2009
Hi, Maurice -
Strangely enough, I tend to use the Dual Dock without the inserts. That works for my wife's iPhone 3GS, the old iPhone, and the nano. Since I recently switched to an OtterBox Defender case, I just use a regular cable now since there's no way that big-a** case will fit in the dock.
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Tiger said 4:15PM on 7-08-2009
I have the exact same one. I think it is a great charger and very convenient. It would be cool if they could also allow ipod and iphones to sync as well. I bought mine from gadgetblvd.com though.
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Dan said 4:24PM on 7-08-2009
Griffin's got something similar (just no LEDs) for about $32 on Amazon - been using it with an iPhone 3G and an old mini.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018CWY3A/ref=ox_ya_oh_product
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Chris said 4:56PM on 7-08-2009
Ditto on the Griffin PowerDock. Do without the pointless LED lights and and get some nice Apple quality brushed aluminum. They also have a model that charges 4 Apple devices at once for $70.
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powerdock
Ryan S. said 4:37PM on 7-08-2009
Nice! We have an iPhone 3G, iPod Touch, 5.5 Gen, and 2 shuffles. Soon to have another 2 iPhones, hopefully. I'll DEFINITELY have to check this out! :D Thanks!
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qwerty613 said 6:28PM on 7-08-2009
In our house, we have 2 iPhone 3Gs (not 3G S, just clarifying for non-confusion), a 3rd gen iPod Nano, a 4th gen iPod Nano, and two 1st gen iPod Touches. For the iPhones, we use the chargers that came with them, the iPod Touches take turns on my dad's computer (note: I'm 14), and the Nanos cycle through on my mom's iMac. It works out well enough, but I might have to take a look at this!
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RyanMcMahan said 9:44PM on 7-08-2009
We have a Griffin PowerDock that has become the nightly resting place for our 2 iPhones. The computer lives downstairs. The PowerDock lives by the door to the garage. PowerDock wins.
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Tom L said 9:48PM on 7-08-2009
The main knock on the Griffin device seems to be that they only give you one of each type of dock insert. My wife and I each have an iPhone 3GS, so that's not too cool. Does Dexim give you duplicates for the extra cash?
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Y-Guy said 11:26PM on 7-08-2009
Tom, Check Griffin's website, they sell them $1.99 each.
Tom L said 11:41PM on 7-08-2009
Yeah, plus about $5 shipping; which makes a big dent in the apparent cost difference. I'm wondering whether Dexim has a similar gotcha.
Y-Guy said 12:08AM on 7-09-2009
Looks nice, but the cheaper Griffin on Amazon just won the $ from my wallet, and the ability to charge 4 at a time was a big plus. Plus not having yet another charge adapter was the final straw. Thanks for the story, and the links from the other posters.
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Mike Brauner said 12:36AM on 7-09-2009
having dual charging is nice and I've got the griffin which works well enough.. I just recently upgraded to Xtreme Mac's InCharge Duo (which allows for one of the cradles to sync) - I picked it up at the apple store.. it's awesome - best dual dock yet (until someone finally comes up with a dual sync and charge setup)
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SIP said 6:35AM on 7-09-2009
Nice device, I'm going to check one of these out -- is there one that also doubles up as a iPod-to-iPod recorder?
What I want to know is, why you're using an original iPhone as a game device?
Why not just jailbreak, activate and unlock and use it as a backup phone?
It appears that a number of iPhone owners have spoken to AT&T and Apple about unlocking their phones for use overseas and were told to search the internet for an unlock solution, but also warned that this would affect their warranty (which doesn't apply to your original iPhone).
I bought my original 16GB version and now the 32GB 3GS (payg) knowing full well that I was going to unlock the buggers.
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Chris said 7:57AM on 7-09-2009
buy.com has the dreamgear i.Sound Twin Charger - DGIPOD-1500 which does the same thing with the blue light. $32.54 shipped. I've had this for about 5 months now works great.
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=209959816
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Bill said 9:05AM on 7-09-2009
The only thing I wish with these dual docks is that it could also be used for syncing with your computer. Any dual dock I've seen has been only charging. I am sure there is a reason no one has done it, but it certainly would be a nice feature to have.
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cycladic said 10:37PM on 7-09-2009
Another vote for the Griffin PowerDock which I got at a bargain price from Amazon. We have two in our two-person household; one on the desk by the front door; another in a bedroom. I don't even bother with the inserts--just plop the iPhone (in its case) in and also charge all manner of iPods, including a Nano. I don't know what I would have done this year without them.
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thevary said 12:21PM on 7-09-2009
I just purchased. I like the look of the led's! I will review when it arrives.
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snap said 5:09PM on 7-09-2009
Full disclosure: this is an advertisement.
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