Quirky Converge Gadget Charging Station Review
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Docks began as a way to prop up your shiny devices in all its glory, a way to turn your gadgets into a piece of décor for your work-desk. We all know of the classic Apple Dock for the iPhone and iPad, but at $30 per dock, it is tough to justify purchasing too many of those. Quirky, a start-up website similar to Kickstarter, has brought Jin Chai’s docking station, the Converge, to life. Capable of docking up to four devices, you can show off all of your prized gadgets in one place. Check out the full review after the cut!
Straight out of the box, you’ll find the standard power connector and the Converge dock. The dock itself is simple enough. Its curvy design is meant to allow your devices to sit safely on the dock. Obviously, this is one of the bigger docks out in the market and can dock multiple devices, such as iPhones, an iPad, a point and shoot camera, and etc.
Along the back, there are a total of four USB ports for your USB cables. By threading your cables through the TPE slots, it ensures a secure grip on your cables and holds them in place. You can charge gadgets that charge either from the bottom or the side, making this dock compatible with a lot of devices out in the market.
You’ll also find rubber feet on the bottom of the docking station to prevent the dock from moving during docking and undocking. While the dock may not move side to side on your desk, but it will definitely move up and down when you try to take your device off of it. Unfortunately, undocking is much more of a hassle since the TPE slots don’t create enough friction to hold back your USB connectors and you end up pulling the cable out along with your device, so you won’t find any one-handed undocking here.
On the bright side, no matter what case you prefer to protect your products in, the Converge docking station will have no problem docking and charging them.
On the back of the dock, there is an indent in the plastic to store your cables and to keep them clustering up your work-space. This idea is great in theory but could have been better executed in the end product. The standard Apple 30 Pin to USB cable had a hard time fitting into the cramped space; the cable had to be tightly rolled up and squeezed into place. This became even more of a problem as more cables were added. Trying to put four USB cables in would definitely be a tight squeeze. This was definitely a great cable-managing concept, but Quirky just didn’t quite deliver.
The Converge docking station is a fantastic concept that was unfortunately poorly manufactured. You can easily spot imperfections in the build quality; the plastic feels cheap and there are gaps between where two separate pieces of plastic were put together. Despite these flaws, you can’t argue with the price-point. At a mere $40, you can pick up on of these to see for yourself on Quirky’s website. So if you’re tired of having your gadgets strewn all over your desk and want to keep them in one place whilst replenishing their batteries, the Converge might be your solution.
