The Seidio Innodock Jr. Desktop Cradle for Sprint HTC Evo 4G was one of the first desktop cradles to come out for the Sprint Evo 4G, and as such it holds a special place in the section of my heart reserved for gadget accessories. So, after the break, let us take a deeper look at it, shall we?
The cradle is designed to support your Evo with or without a case -- and even if you use an extended battery. Also included in the package is a male-to-male USB cable that plugs into the back of the dock and into a charger or USB port on your PC. That may seem a tad odd, but it also allows you to swap it out for a longer one if you need more reach. All that, plus the convenience of a desktop dock for your phone, make this a very nice thing to have sitting on your desk at work, while your co-workers walk past and turn green with envy at your setup.
The Seidio Innodock is extremely light but feels pretty plastic because of it -- almost too light. And that worries me a little when I set my Evo into it. Speaking of actually putting my Evo in its cradle, that took a few tries because the only port on this thing is the male microUSB end sticking up out of a piece of plastic that moves when you push on it. I understand the movement, considering this is supposed to handle phones in cases as well as with extended batteries, but it still gives the whole thing a wobbly feel. Which brings me to my next point: The Evo 4G has an HDMI-out port on it, but the cradle doesn't take advantage of it.
Other than work or by my TV, the other place I would think to use my desktop cradle would be by my bedside. I, like many others, use my smartphone as my alarm clock. Right now I use the Evo's kickstand for this, but the cradle would be even better. But as often is the case, the cradle's power LED is so bright that it would keep my wife awake. Not to mention, I could see myself breaking the cradle trying to turn off the alarm because it's so flimsy.
Pros:
- Holds your phone upright
- Comes with a detachable male-to-male USB cable
- Decent basic cradle
Cons:
- Very light
- Takes a little effort to line my phone up in the cradle
- Power LED is annoyingly bright
- No micro-HDMI support
All that said, if you're looking for a very basic cradle on which to charge and sync your phone, this is it. Not much in the bells and whistles, but you know that going in. The Seidio Innodocko Jr. Desktop Cradle is available now in the Android Central Store for $29.95.
