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Review: Griffin PowerDock: A Potential Superstar With a Few Small Annoyances
With the phenomenal success of Apple’s handheld products, it’s becoming more and more common to have multiple devices within the same household and this makes charging them all a much bigger challenge. Recently, my wife and I became new iPhone 3GS owners and like many, we found ourselves wanting a way to charge both phones simultaneously from a central location. Fortunately, Griffin Technologies has created a line of PowerDock charging bases that do precisely that. Available in two and four bay models, the Griffin PowerDock is a very capable charging solution for both iPods and iPhones. Resolving a few small annoyances would make it a superstar.
The first thing that strikes you about the Griffin PowerDock when you open the box is just how nice it looks. Shod in understated aluminum with a subtle griffin logo centered on the curved front fascia, it thankfully shuns the ubiquitous shiny white plastic which has become the unfortunate standard for iPod accessories. At just 7” in length and just over an inch in total height, the PowerDock is very compact and can live comfortably on crowded desks and countertops without being intrusive. To recharge a device, simply drop it into one of the open bays. That’s it. There’s no button to push or software to load. It simply does what its supposed to without any unnecessary fuss or drama. Brilliant.
Unfortunately, before you can start using the PowerDock, it has to be configured to work with your devices and here’s where some of those little annoyances begin cropping up. To start with, the PowerDock comes with 8 different adapters for Apple’s universal dock connector. These plastic inserts are numbered and those numbers corresponds to the specific models they work with. Once you’ve found the proper adapter for your device (Griffin provides a helpful list of models and numbers) the first task is to try and read the tiny number molded into the plastic on the bottom of each adapter. I have very good eyes but even I had some difficulty both finding the number and then actually reading it. Those with poorer vision will find the process even more challenging.
The second potential issue comes from the fact that while Griffin includes adapters for a wide range of possible iPod combinations, they only include two iPhone adapters, one for the original iPhone and one for the 3G/3GS. If you need to charge 2 iPhones as my wife and I do, then you’ll find you’re missing a necessary piece. Fortunately, these adapters can be ordered individually from Griffin’s website for $1.99 each, a price much lower than the Apple store charges for their adapters which only come in a 3-pack. Unfortunately, once you add UPS shipping (the cheapest shipping option) to the initial cost, the price jumps up to nearly $7 which is really quite a lot for what probably amounts to probably a dime’s worth of custom plastic.
Finally, because the adapters are precisely molded to the size of particular devices, they are not compatible with any kind of external case. Perhaps I’m lazy but I find the process of having to remove my iPhone from its case each time I want to charge it to be somewhat annoying. Ironically, my wife and I discovered quite by accident that we could charge our iPhones while in their cases, by pulling out both adapters and simply using the charger without them. Because the universal dock is larger without any inserts in place, it becomes large enough to accommodate the extra bulk. I’m sure what Apple or Griffin would think of our final solution but it does work, even if it’s a bit unconventional.
Despite these small issues, the Griffin PowerDock is a very good solution for multi-device charging. It’s not Griffin’s fault that Apple has a lousy implementation for its universal dock connector and it’s a shame that such a nice product is ultimately burdened with design problems it had no part in creating.
That being said, I think there are a few simple things that Griffin can do to address several of these annoyances. First, I’d like to see them add a large, easy to read sticker to the bottom of each adapter showing its number, so finding the one you need isn’t such a challenge. Better yet, if that sticker were color coded to a chart with pictures of the various models, it would streamline the entire process of matching adapter to device. Best of all, it would only cost pennies per unit to implement. I also think that Griffin needs to include 2 adapters for each iPhone model to ensure that everyone is supported right out of the box. Nothing is more infuriating to a customer than to buy a product, get it home, and then discover that you’re missing a piece. In the end, bad retail karma ends up creating more work for everyone. Adding 2 more adapters would make the whole process simpler and cut down on the possibility of consumer dissatisfaction.
I was really pleased to see that Griffin chose to cover the bottom of their charger with a nice rubberized material. It was a thoughtful touch. On slippery surfaces like my laminate kitchen countertop however, the base doesn’t have quite enough weight for the non-slip material to really bite down and keep the charger from sliding. By adding a bit of additional weight to the base, the non-slip material would grip harder and the process of docking and undocking your devices would ultimately be made easier.
I also found myself wishing for some kind of indicator to show when the devices themselves were fully charged. Older iPods display an energy meter when they charge, but newer models like the iPod Touch and iPhones do not (well, they do until your screen goes dark a minute or so later). A small LED for each bay which lights up when charging is completed would save me the effort of going over and having to manually press the sleep/wake switch on top of the each device to check its status.
Now we come to the big wish, the one I think could potentially slingshot the PowerDock into the realm of superstardom….and that’s the creation of an improved docking system, one that doesn’t rely on plastic inserts. Maybe Griffin could create a new docking bay where the back wall is adjustable and can slide forward to accommodate a range of sizes. Maybe they could create a new adapter which is itself more adaptable. I don’t know what form this innovation might take, but I do know that whoever finds a more elegant way to support a wide variety of these devices will have not only my personal gratitude, but a real strategic advantage in the marketplace.
So to sum it up, the Griffin PowerDock is very good at what it does and at $39.99 for the 2 bay model and $69.99 for the 4 bay model (with lower prices online) it’s also reasonably priced. I really like this product because it takes the awkward task of charging multiple devices and for the most part makes it utterly simple. A few small tweaks would make the product even better. A new docking mechanism to replace Apple’s flawed implementation would make it a superstar.
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