I ordered the Motorola Droid Multimedia Station on the Droid's release day because I thought it was a cool idea. I didn't see it in person until it was delivered to my door and the geek in me loves it!
PROS:
- Nice build quality
- Non-skid base
- Turns your Droid into an alarm clock and weather station
- Sync your data via USB cable
- Just plain cool looking
CONS:
- Will not work with cases
- Somewhat expensive
The box includes 4 items, the actual dock, a micro USB cable, an AC adapter, and a user guide. The dock itself is very well made and is quite hefty in weight. You won't be accidentally knocking this dock around from your desk especially since it also has a non-skid base. The dock has a micro USB port that you plug the cable into and then you plug the other end into the AC adapter. This of course, powers and charges your Droid, which is perfect for your nightstand. If you want to sync your Droid, just plug the micro USB cable into your PC. This will charge your Droid too, but at a much slower rate and only when your PC is powered on.
When you dock the Droid in, the orientation changes automatically to landscape. You select what city you want your weather widget to display and boing, you have your multimedia station. The dock has magnets located in specific areas to activate this mode, which I just found can be activated by using an app called "Dockrunner." It is available for download in the Marketplace.
It's a little pricey for what it does but it is cool nonetheless. An audio out or built-in stereo speakers would've been cool but no biggie! Motorola DROID Multimedia Docking Station [Retail Packaging]
I really wanted this for my Droid, and its good quality. When you place your Droid in this Charging Cradle/"Multimedia Station", it charges you battery and magnets activate a Multimedia mode on your phone, allowing you to brows photos, listen to music, and work with your alarm clock right on your nightstand. Not owning an iPod, I can't tell you how much I love having all mp3's and so forth available right next to my bed. This is a lovely product.
Pros and Cons:
1) The magnets override your lock feature, which may be a security issue for some.
2) The Droid won't fit in the cradle with any kind of body armor/silicone/hard plastic case attached around it. You'll have to take this off when you want to use the cradle.
3) The Multimedia mode has a built-in "dimmer" switch for night time use, but I personally find even that setting emits too much light in my room, and that makes me crazy. If you don't have an issue with things emitting light while you sleep, this is a non-issue for you.
4) The cord that comes with the cradle is the same as comes with the phone- its VERY short. I had to use a USB extension cable to get from an outlet to my nightstand.
I really like this though- the problems I have all me.
The droid multimedia station is a nice desk accessory, but it has its problems and don't buy it as a bedside alarm clock.
Pros:
1) Beautiful and compact
2) Easy to exit dock mode and access most other Smartphone functions.
Cons:
1) There is only one dimming level, which is still fairly bright in a dark room.
2) When the display is dimmed, there is little contrast between the numbers and the background, making the display hard to read. This
problem could be solved if the background and/or time coloring were customizable, but this is not the case.
3) When placing a call while the droid is in the dock, the in-call screen does not shift into landscape mode, making it difficult (but not impossible) to accesses the features such as the dial-pad and speaker button.
4) The buttons on the bottom of the screen stay illuminated, regardless of if the screen is dimmed or not.
5) It would be nice to change the widget buttons while in the multimedia dock mode. For example, I do not use the built-in android alarm clock (I use the app Math Alarm Clock), so I would like to have direct access to that application instead of the standard alarm.
6) Sometimes it takes a while for the weather to update. Importantly, the latest droid update mostly fixed this problem, giving me hope that other issues will be fixed in the future.
7) There is no audio jack to send music to speakers
8) Expensive (especially since you can make your own dock with multimedia mode easily)
For the money, you might expect a bit more than a weighted base (with magnet!) and a power adapter. I know I did. You can use software to go into the same mode as the dock for free, so YMMV.
I appreciate the design. It's heavy enough to not get knocked around too easily on my desk, and my wife keeps hers in the kitchen. It would work equally well as an alarm clock/night stand device. We got these with our 2 droids since it was a nice refined way to charge them and still get plenty of functionality (weather/time/music) at a visible angle.
Pros:
1. Well weighted with rubberized bottom keeps it from bouncing around easily
2. Designed nicely - Looks sharp. The Droid's audio is surprising clear in speaker mode for playing music (especially for such a small speaker), but a Bluetooth or corded headset (or speaker setup) would work here.
3. Nice angle for keeping an eye on the clock. I'm hoping Google improves the interface... the weather section is a bit small and doesn't give much info. A real-time radar with more info would be best and perhaps a smaller alarm clock with more configuration/personalization options for color, stock ticker, etc. would be great. But this doesn't affect my review of the dock.
4. Fits perfectly and makes it easy to remember where you left your phone. :-)
Cons:
1. I thought that the cable for USB/DC Converter was a bit short. It's the same as the one that came with the Droid. Nothing that can't be amended, but for $30 they couldn't throw in another meter?
2. It boils down to being a weighted/angled slot with charger/usb cable for $30. It probably amounts to $2 in materials if that. It would be expensive at $15.
3. It really doesn't deliver much. You can get everything but the pre-positioned angle without the doc, and the doc software needs improvement (not a slam on the dock itself, just pointing it out). Unless you're really using it as an alarm clock, It's difficult to see the point now that I have it. If you're watching movies on it as a sort of TV replacement, then maybe... yeah.
4. No cases allowed (it won't fit with them on).
In the end, it is well built and designed nicely. I think it should offer more for the money (maybe built in speakers?) but it is what it is, an overpriced accessory, and for what it's worth, usually overpriced accessories are built like junk, so this gets a 4. - Charging Cradle - Dock - Droid - Docking Station'
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