Sunday 28 September 2008

Android Tablet


I paid $40 for my iPad dock, and it's tiny, and only holds the iPad in portrait, which...I still don't know why.



For the people complaining about no speakers, no USB connection...the ipad dock was exactly the same in that regard, all it had was an audio out port on it.



Docks in general are a ripoff, but at least this one isn't tiny and I don't have to use my fingernails to hold it still while I pop the tablet off it like the other one.



But WOW, the "HD" dock for the Xoom, now that's a joke...well over $100 and all you get is a marginal speaker and HDMI out...lol...



For $40 though this is right on par with pretty much everything else comparable to it. Motorola Standard Dock and Power for MOTOROLA XOOM (Motorola Retail Packaging)

Does the job, it seems like a good build quality, however i really wish it had a rail or grove that lined up the xooms usb and power plugs with the dock. I have to really be careful when putting the xoom in the dock to get everything to line up. I feel like ovet time this could easily dammage the usb plug in the xoom itself.. not many other options, so it does thr job and works.. its also heavy enough so it doesnt lift with the xoom when u pull it off the dock, as long as you pull straight up.

First, this dock performs as advertises and I would buy again. I found the docking process touchy It works if you notice the dots on the dock and on the Xoom and then it is easy. I also suggest that they change the slant just slightly so you could more easily type of it. It is at about 86 degrees and I think something like 80 or slightly less make it easy to use but still watchable as a TV or movie device. It is a must have accessory. There is an output for speakers by the way.

No it does not have a USB-out or an HDMI-out. It's just a nice way to display and prop up your tablet when it is charging. I wanted to use less space when charging and setting it aside, and this fits quite nicely at the back of my desk and looks rather spiffy. It is a bit expensive, but then again branded docks have always been pretty expensive.

This is a nice way to charge the Xoom. Your other option is to plug it into the adapter and have it lying flat on a table somewhere. This is the better option. It also prevents you from having to use the adapter's tiny charging pin and risk any problems there. I really only have two issues with it.



Issues:



1) It is way too hard to put into the dock. I can't do it at all with the lights off. I have to look for the charging light on the device and line it up with the dot on the dock. It can't be done by feel. This is inconvenient and unlike other docks out there for other devices. Mostly the problem seems to be that the dock is much narrower than the device, so you cant use the edges of the device to determine the correct docking position. And there are no guides or anything to help.



2) There is no functionality (yet) in honeycomb to automatically go to clock or slide show or something upon docking. It just goes to the lock screen. I expect this to change down the road but right now it is a limitation.



Things that I don't consider issues:



1) No USB. I almost never need to connect the Xoom to USB (I can copy files to and from the Xoom over wifi) so I don't really care if this has a USB port or not. On the rare occasions I do I don't mind using a cable (off the dock of course since the USB is in use by the dock).



2) Cost. The dock includes the adapter so I don't consider the cost all that high, given what you have to pay for an adapter alone. It is also pretty much the standard pricing for a dock. The pricing on the HDMI speaker dock on the other hand, is crazy, and that is why I ended up with this one.



3) No HDMI. This would be nice to have but it is understandable they didn't include it since they want you to spend almost 3 times as much on the speaker dock to get this functionality.



Overall, while it could definitely use some improvements, I think it is worth the price and a better way to charge up the device than the stock adapter.

I strongly recommend against purchasing this product, as it is very easy to damage your Xoom's mini-HDMI port, but very difficult to actually dock a Xoom. The dock uses the mini-HDMI port as the only mechanism to help you align the zoom correctly from left to right. Getting the angle front to back is difficult enough, but getting the position right to left is almost impossible and you have to move the Xoom a little left to right to align it. But doing so gradually damages the HDMI port, especially if you think it is aligned and push down when it is not perfectly aligned. You can use the charging light on the Xoom to align it to a gray dot on the dock, but remember the charging light will be unlit until you dock, and when unlit it is only visible in a well-lit room. A swappable plastic piece allows it to fit a Xoom with or without a gel case, but either way docking is difficult, even after using it for 2 weeks. I bought a good portable stand instead, and just set the Xoom on it and use the normal charger, and it works much better and is adjustable and no damage occurs.'


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