Quick look: HTC EVO 3D dock (official desktop cradle)
There's still some uncertainty about when the official desktop dock/cradle for the HTC EVO 3D is supposed to be released, with Sprint allegedly waiting until mid-August and some Best Buy locations holding off until this Sunday to start selling it, but I was able to grab three of them at my local Best Buy today. Why three? One for me and two for you, of course!
Giveaway details will be announced after the weekend, so for now, let me show you what the dock ($49.99 MSRP, $52.99 here in Hawaii) is all about.
Here's the description from the back of the box:
Compatible with HTC EVO 3D
- Sleek and stylish design. Perfect for home, office, or frequent secondary locations.
- Synchronize with HTC EVO 3D using HTC sync.
- Charges from USB or AC adapter.
- Supports the inline connection of AC M490 MHL HDMI adapter.
Inside the box are the dock, microUSB cable, and USB AC adapter. Neither an MHL cable nor an MHL adapter is included.
The cradle has a considerably larger footprint than the EVO 3D and is made of two types of good quality plastic: glossy black on the top and sides, and matte black on the bottom. There's a decent heft to it that prevents it from feeling cheaply made; the weight and four rubber feet keep it in place on a flat surface. That said, you'll probably want to hold it down when you disconnect the phone; it'll get lifted up with the EVO or at least move a little otherwise.
The design of the dock is very simple, with a single MHL port on the back, the MHL jack in the low-backed seat on the top, and a round video button surrounded by an LED that glows white when pressed. Pressing the button when the EVO 3D is docked and charging via USB or AC toggles Dock Mode (already preloaded on the phone). Unfortunately, I don't know what it does when the cradle is connected to a TV, as I don't have an MHL cable/adapter on hand and no documentation was included in the box.
The EVO 3D fits into the dock very easily, with little to no fiddling around; it's almost drop-and-go (at an angle). The seat is designed to fit the EVO when it's not in a case. There is no extra room to accommodate a case unless it's paper thin, and even then it might still be a tight fit.
Dock Mode will launch by default when the phone is properly seated, but you can disable it in the settings if you don't want to bother with the "X" button in the bottom corner all the time. There are some other options in the settings as well, like displaying Friend Stream status updates, auto-connecting to a Bluetooth device, auto-resuming the most recently used app, automatically turning on the WiFi hotspot, dimming the screen after a set interval, and choosing a default connection type (charge only, HTC sync, disk drive, USB tethering, internet pass-through).
And that's a quick look at the official desktop cradle for the HTC EVO 3D (it would've been a full review if I could test the MHL connection). It may be big, glossy, and overpriced, but it's MHL-compatible, built well, and offers a more presentable way to charge the phone than laying it flat and messing with a cable.
Come back next week for a chance to win one of two EVO 3D docks for free!
