I’m getting tired of waiting for the Nexus 7 pogo pin dock
The Nexus 7 is a tablet that I’ve enjoyed using quite a bit, but ever since the OEM desktop dock leaked for the tablet, I’ve been feeling like I’m missing out. It may seem a bit odd, but allow me to explain why.
I’m simply anxious for the pogo pin dock to be released because I want to get the most out of my Nexus 7. This is one of the first tablets that I’ve had in a long while that I intend to keep for some time, and I’d like to have a nice setup. Primarily, it is quite annoying to fumble around with plugging in the Nexus 7, when there are perfectly good pogo pins there that I simply can’t use. It isn’t an issue of laziness, just disappointment that I can’t use features that are already built into the tablet.
I’d also like to use the dock for audio out to my surround sound system, and then control the tablet with my phone. It would be great to be able to drop the tablet in a dock, have an NFC tag there to enable “music mode,” and then control the music from my Nexus 7. Yes, this would be possible with a bunch of cables, but I don’t want to waste time putting together a custom cable based setup when the pogo dock would work much better.
The most ambitious of my plans was to use components from the pogo dock to install a quality Nexus 7 mount in my project car. Although the dock may end up being so expensive that I can’t really afford that, I won’t know or have a choice until it is actually released. I suppose I could make my own pogo dock, and may do so eventually, but for now I’m holding out for the official version from ASUS, if only to get the parts.
The reason I mention this isn’t just to complain, but to comment a bit on how Google handles their devices. Something that makes all of Apple’s hardware quite appealing is the varied mass of accessories available for each device. Admittedly, this isn’t as practical for Android when there are so many different devices on the market, but it doesn’t help that Google hasn’t managed to offer an official accessory. In fact, for a while even the basic Nexus 7 case was listed as “coming soon,” and while there are plenty of replacements, it doesn’t make Google look quite as competent.
Some are blaming this issue on a miscommunication between Google and ASUS, or just think that the demand for a pogo pin Nexus 7 dock isn’t great enough to warrant a release. However, while it may seem insignificant, I think that accessories like this can affect some user’s device experience a great deal, which is why I hope Google will get this sorted out soon, and continue o make the Nexus 7 a better experience. It’s all about the experience nowadays, after all, and the hardware can only go so far.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to win a free Nexus 7 in our contest (which ends in just a few days), because perhaps by the time it gets to you the dock will have been announced, and you can use the money saved to buy it.
