It's funny that the most interesting iPad accessories so far have been the ones that try to squeeze Apple's tablet into more traditional shapes -- we've seen a wave of rebranded Bluetooth keyboard cases that ape the netbook form factor, a number of cases that aim for a Moleskine vibe (including some from Moleskine itself), and even an official Etch-a-Sketch case. And now we've got SMK-Link's PadDock 10, an iPad stand that unapologetically turns your tablet into the tiny touchscreen iMac you've maybe always wanted. But is it worth $99 for a rotating stand and some speakers? We just got one to play with -- read on for our full review.
There's really not much to know about the PadDock 10's hardware -- it really does look like an iMac, although the speakers in the "chin" actually fire backwards and down, rather than to the front. It comes with a mini-USB sync cable and a power cable with a USB plug on the other end that's supposed to plug into your existing iPad charger. That's a little cheap, if you ask us -- a $100 stand should come with its own charger. A switch on the side of the main stand selects between charge and sync modes, and there's a volume dial on the side of the chin to control the speaker volume.
Once you've got the iPad docked, you can rotate it 360 degrees pretty easily, with detents at the four cardinal positions for easy adjustment. You can also tilt the iPad, but the hinge was a little too stiff for one-handed operation. One you've got the iPad where you want it, it's all quite stable, although there is a little wobble while you're touching the screen. The stand itself is just about the perfect height to use on a kitchen counter -- if you use iPad recipe apps or watching a lot of SlingPlayer while cooking (like us) you'll definitely want to check the PadDock 10 out. Having the iPad at this height also makes it a pretty great iTunes interface -- combined with AirPlay and / or the Remote app, the PadDock 10 makes the iPad a solid whole-home audio control panel.
More @ engadget
There's really not much to know about the PadDock 10's hardware -- it really does look like an iMac, although the speakers in the "chin" actually fire backwards and down, rather than to the front. It comes with a mini-USB sync cable and a power cable with a USB plug on the other end that's supposed to plug into your existing iPad charger. That's a little cheap, if you ask us -- a $100 stand should come with its own charger. A switch on the side of the main stand selects between charge and sync modes, and there's a volume dial on the side of the chin to control the speaker volume.
Once you've got the iPad docked, you can rotate it 360 degrees pretty easily, with detents at the four cardinal positions for easy adjustment. You can also tilt the iPad, but the hinge was a little too stiff for one-handed operation. One you've got the iPad where you want it, it's all quite stable, although there is a little wobble while you're touching the screen. The stand itself is just about the perfect height to use on a kitchen counter -- if you use iPad recipe apps or watching a lot of SlingPlayer while cooking (like us) you'll definitely want to check the PadDock 10 out. Having the iPad at this height also makes it a pretty great iTunes interface -- combined with AirPlay and / or the Remote app, the PadDock 10 makes the iPad a solid whole-home audio control panel.
More @ engadget
