The Bluelounge Saidoka Is The iPhone Dock You'll Actually Want To Use
The facts
Company: Bluelounge Product: Saidokā Price: $29.95 for 30-pin, $49.95 for Lightning Compatibility: iPhone Website: Bluelounge.com Date reviewed: July 11, 2013
The basics
This week, Bluelounge released the Saidokā. The Saidokā is an iPhone dock and charger for your iPhone. It’s beautifully designed, customized to fit your phone with or without a case, and, best of all, allows you to easily use your iPhone while it’s docked and charging or syncing.
The good
I don’t know about you, but I’m not one to use docks for my phone. I mean, sure, I use the SETA stand for my nightstand, since my phone is my clock and alarm, but other than a simple stand, I never really found a need for an actual dock.
Most docks are counterproductive in that it’s not easy to actually use your iPhone while it’s docked. Why do people create docks that force your iPhone to sit vertically? This is so unnatural.
The Saidokā, on the other hand, props your iPhone up at the perfect angle. It’s the same angle as your keyboard, making it easy to read, look at images, talk on the phone using the speaker, and pretty much all typical iPhone activities (like Letterpress!). With the Saidokā, you can comfortably use your iPhone while it’s in the dock, charging.
The Saidokā comes with three pieces: A base (the actual dock), a rubber piece (the bumper) to snap into the dock for a perfect fit, and the charging cable. Now, it’s a snug fit, perfect for your case-less iPhone; just be sure to snap the bumper in all the way. However, without the bumper, you can fit an iPhone in with most any case on. And, overall, the entire thing is very lightweight.
The dock itself has small, rubberized grips on the bottom, making it easy to dock your phone with one hand. This prevents the dock from sliding around.
True to how Bluelounge designs its products, the design is simple and sleek. It also comes in black or white, so you can dock your black or white iPhone in style — color coordination FTW!
The bad
Although you can do most things very easily while your phone is secure in the Saidokā, you can’t type very easily while it’s in the dock because of the tight fit and the sides (e.g. text messaging). It can be done, it’s just not optimal. And due to the snug fit when the bumper is in place, you have to be careful when sliding your phone into the dock and onto the Lightning connector. I am worried that the Lightning connector may bend or break. It does give a little bit, but it still seems a bit fragile.
The other aspect I’m worried about is the cable itself. Not only is the connector that goes into the dock a bit wobbly, so is the USB plug. I am unsure if this is just my specific product, but I can certainly say that mine is very loose; the connectors don’t seem to fit properly. Both ends plug in okay, but, for example, if you were to pick the dock up while it was plugged in, the cable will very easily come loose, unplugging itself. It’s almost as if I don’t quite have the right cable. Overall, it isn’t an issue, but it can be mildly frustrating if you move it around.
Our advice
Because this is the only dock I’ve seen that truly allows you to easily use your phone while it’s docked, I highly recommend it. It is a bit pricey, but if you want a great dock that is beautiful and functional, this is the one to get. Hands down. Plus, because the bumper can be removed to accommodate different sized iPhones (with cases or not), if you purchase the Lightning dock, you should be able to use it for many iPhones to come.
You can purchase the Saidokā dock from Bluelounge: $29.95 for the 30-pin or $49.95 for the Lightning.
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