Griffin PowerDock 4 Four Position Charging Station for iPod and iPhone Aluminum
Griffin PowerDock 4 Four Position Charging Station for iPod and iPhone Aluminum
Does your family own a family of iPod models? Can you only find one charger that four of you have to share? Put an end to the power struggles (literally) over recharging with PowerDock 4.PowerDock 4 is a charging base where your family of iPod players can get together to charge its batteries. Four Apple universal docks, built into a single charging base. Includes a collection of universal dock insert adapters to ensure that every iPod gets a place at the table.
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star Poorly designed
Very disappointed. A worthless product. The inserts make the dock unusable. Even without the inserts you need to remove any case or skin for either an iPod or iPhone. This is ridiculous; Griffin must know that many, many people use cases and skins. Even without the case the connections are not strong. I would never recommend this product. I was ripped off.
1 Star Shame on you Griffin–poor quality control, frequent charging errors
I just received my Griffin PowerDock 4 today, and already need to return it.
Pros: Compact design. Recharging adapter built into base, so no need for bulky adapter at outlet end. Makes for easy portability. Light weight.
Cons: Perhaps I got a “lemon”, but the unit I received immediately had power supply/charging issues when I tried to charge our 2 iPhones. When a single iPhone was placed in a docking bay, it appeared to charge properly for about 5 minutes, then the phone would vibrate, beep (as if being connected to a USB cable and then disconnected–similar to the description in Charles Willson’s Amazon Review for same product), screen would turn on and off, and error message would appear saying that the legacy device was incompatible for charging the iPhone…then about 15 seconds later, it would appear to be charging again. When 2 iPhones were placed simultaneously in both front docking bays, the beeps and error messages occurred more frequently…as if the power supply of the device was insufficient to charge both iPhones at the same time.
I requested an exchange for a replacement unit from Amazon…we’ll see if the next one has the same issues….
1 Star Good idea. Not so good execution
Purchased this product for our 4 iPhone family.
I had read about the charging problems and had hoped that they were resolved. They weren’t. With 4 iPhones in this unit, they sporadically lose the charging status and cycle with a “beep”. At 2 in the morning, it’s not what you want. This problem alone was a show-stopper.
Even if this problem were resolved, I agree with other reviewers about lack of external USB ports to charge devices other than Apple products. Same with the lack of indicator light to display charging status. With “iffy” connections using the dock adapters, you can’t tell the phones are charging without pressing the iPhone button in each… a little like the 1960’s game “Operation” because the phones are so close to each other front to back.
Finally. due to size and weight of the unit, in my opinion, this is not for travel use.
Ultimately returned the product and happily substituted the lenmar 4 USB portable charger at less than half the price, a fraction of the weight and with more flexibility.
Hope this help others.
4 Stars Good value for the price
Overall a great way to charge multiple IPODS or IPOHNE, though the IPOD 3GS at times does produce an error that it is not a compatible charging device. Would be nice to be able to order additional adapters at a cost that is not so expensive. While at $1.99 not bad, the shipping brings the cost to almost $8.
2 Stars Only too bad you cannot sync from this
Looks and feels nice, but has some notable shortcomings as product:
- There is no USB connector for connecting this to a computer. You cannot sync from this; it is only–as advertised–a charging station.
- The AC power cable they give you to plug it in is only 3.5 feet long, meaning you’d better have this very near an outlet or extension cord. At least it’s not a “wall wart”.
- The package includes only one of each type of plastic adapter fitting. The good news is, you probably don’t need to use them in all cases. They seem to server more as guides for plugging devices in than as structural supports.
If you just need a charger, this will do the trick–it’s not all bad. I would, however, think you’d want to keep looking/waiting for a dock station that also lets you sync.
