Customer Reviews

Motorola Droid Multimedia Dock (Retail Packaging) - compatible with the first Droid A855

5 star:		(173)
4 star:		(91)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

I ordered the Motorola Droid Multimedia Station on the Droid's release day because I thought it was a cool idea. I didn't see it in person until it was delivered to my door and the geek in me loves it!

PROS:
- Nice build quality
- Non-skid base
- Turns your Droid into an alarm clock and weather station
- Sync your data via USB cable
- Just plain cool looking

CONS:
- Will not work with cases
- Somewhat expensive

The box includes 4 items, the actual dock, a micro USB cable, an AC adapter, and a user guide. The dock itself is very well made and is quite hefty in weight. You won't be accidentally knocking this dock around from your desk especially since it also has a non-skid base. The dock has a micro USB port that you plug the cable into and then you plug the other end into the AC adapter. This of course, powers and charges your Droid, which is perfect for your nightstand. If you want to sync your Droid, just plug the micro USB cable into your PC. This will charge your Droid too, but at a much slower rate and only when your PC is powered on.

When you dock the Droid in, the orientation changes automatically to landscape. You select what city you want your weather widget to display and boing, you have your multimedia station. The dock has magnets located in specific areas to activate this mode, which I just found can be activated by using an app called "Dockrunner." It is available for download in the Marketplace.

It's a little pricey for what it does but it is cool nonetheless. An audio out or built-in stereo speakers would've been cool but no biggie!

I really wanted this for my Droid, and its good quality. When you place your Droid in this Charging Cradle/"Multimedia Station", it charges you battery and magnets activate a Multimedia mode on your phone, allowing you to brows photos, listen to music, and work with your alarm clock right on your nightstand. Not owning an iPod, I can't tell you how much I love having all mp3's and so forth available right next to my bed. This is a lovely product.

Pros and Cons:
1) The magnets override your lock feature, which may be a security issue for some.
2) The Droid won't fit in the cradle with any kind of body armor/silicone/hard plastic case attached around it. You'll have to take this off when you want to use the cradle.
3) The Multimedia mode has a built-in "dimmer" switch for night time use, but I personally find even that setting emits too much light in my room, and that makes me crazy. If you don't have an issue with things emitting light while you sleep, this is a non-issue for you.
4) The cord that comes with the cradle is the same as comes with the phone- its VERY short. I had to use a USB extension cable to get from an outlet to my nightstand.

I really like this though- the problems I have all me.

This docking station came up on a Droid X shopping list, and under a "Droid X docking station" search. Just be aware...this is not compatible with the Droid X.

The droid multimedia station is a nice desk accessory, but it has its problems and don't buy it as a bedside alarm clock.

Pros:
1) Beautiful and compact

2) Easy to exit dock mode and access most other Smartphone functions.

Cons:
1) There is only one dimming level, which is still fairly bright in a dark room.

2) When the display is dimmed, there is little contrast between the numbers and the background, making the display hard to read. This
problem could be solved if the background and/or time coloring were customizable, but this is not the case.

3) When placing a call while the droid is in the dock, the in-call screen does not shift into landscape mode, making it difficult (but not impossible) to accesses the features such as the dial-pad and speaker button.

4) The buttons on the bottom of the screen stay illuminated, regardless of if the screen is dimmed or not.

5) It would be nice to change the widget buttons while in the multimedia dock mode. For example, I do not use the built-in android alarm clock (I use the app Math Alarm Clock), so I would like to have direct access to that application instead of the standard alarm.

6) Sometimes it takes a while for the weather to update. Importantly, the latest droid update mostly fixed this problem, giving me hope that other issues will be fixed in the future.

7) There is no audio jack to send music to speakers

8) Expensive (especially since you can make your own dock with multimedia mode easily)

For the money, you might expect a bit more than a weighted base (with magnet!) and a power adapter. I know I did. You can use software to go into the same mode as the dock for free, so YMMV.

I appreciate the design. It's heavy enough to not get knocked around too easily on my desk, and my wife keeps hers in the kitchen. It would work equally well as an alarm clock/night stand device. We got these with our 2 droids since it was a nice refined way to charge them and still get plenty of functionality (weather/time/music) at a visible angle.

Pros:
1. Well weighted with rubberized bottom keeps it from bouncing around easily
2. Designed nicely - Looks sharp. The Droid's audio is surprising clear in speaker mode for playing music (especially for such a small speaker), but a Bluetooth or corded headset (or speaker setup) would work here.
3. Nice angle for keeping an eye on the clock. I'm hoping Google improves the interface... the weather section is a bit small and doesn't give much info. A real-time radar with more info would be best and perhaps a smaller alarm clock with more configuration/personalization options for color, stock ticker, etc. would be great. But this doesn't affect my review of the dock.
4. Fits perfectly and makes it easy to remember where you left your phone. :-)

Cons:
1. I thought that the cable for USB/DC Converter was a bit short. It's the same as the one that came with the Droid. Nothing that can't be amended, but for $30 they couldn't throw in another meter?
2. It boils down to being a weighted/angled slot with charger/usb cable for $30. It probably amounts to $2 in materials if that. It would be expensive at $15.
3. It really doesn't deliver much. You can get everything but the pre-positioned angle without the doc, and the doc software needs improvement (not a slam on the dock itself, just pointing it out). Unless you're really using it as an alarm clock, It's difficult to see the point now that I have it. If you're watching movies on it as a sort of TV replacement, then maybe... yeah.
4. No cases allowed (it won't fit with them on).

In the end, it is well built and designed nicely. I think it should offer more for the money (maybe built in speakers?) but it is what it is, an overpriced accessory, and for what it's worth, usually overpriced accessories are built like junk, so this gets a 4.

If you have a desire to use your Motorola Droid as a bedside alarm clock, then yes, this dock is definitely for you. Because that is pretty much all it does (except it also charges the onboard battery).

The dock triggers the phone to enter "dock mode", but the dock mode can be triggered by a free program from the AppMarket called DockRunner (Droid), no dock needed.

And really, the dock mode, as shown in the picture, turns your phone into a bedside alarm clock. You can set alarm, trigger "night mode" (softer contrast), and even get a preview of the weather, among a few other minor passive functions. You *could* make it also play music in the background (yes, the built-in MUSIC app has a jukebox mode), so I guess it's more of a clock-radio with alarm.

If I really want a clock radio with alarm, I would buy one in my local Walgreens (or whatever) for $10, not pay $20-$30 for a fancy piece of shaped plastic with a charger tip.

As many others have pointed out, the dock is designed for an UNPROTECTED NAKED PHONE. It is not compatible with cases. If you have a case slipped on, you cannot put it in the dock.

While, technically if you don't want the BOTTOM half protected, then you can remove *THAT* and put the phone in the dock with the keyboard exposed, but that rather defeats the aesthetics of the dock. Doesn't it?

There is ONE good thing about the dock though... The AC adapter you get with it can be used WITHOUT the dock. Yes, you can plug that tip straight to the phone, skipping the dock altogether. Since a spare AC adapter cost the same as the dock on the Verizon website, you may as well get the dock.

If you already have alarm clocks and such, then this accessory is superfluous, except it looks cool. But then, looking cool is not always a good reason to spend money.

This is the perfect accessory for power hungry Droid. The multimedia station is a charger which turns your phone into an alarm clock and weather display. It uses magnets to determine when/if the phone is docked and automatically switches to "Multimedia Mode". Kind of expensive, but worth it.

I got my DROID back in November of 2009, shortly after they were first released, and I was instantly satisfied with it. Unfortunately, what I would come to find out is that although there was no shortage of the phones themselves, or the car GPS mount (which I also ended up buying), there was a distinct shortage of the multimedia docks.

There were workarounds, of course: you could go and buy a cheap knockoff of the mount, designed to merely hold the DROID in such a way as to allow you to snake your power cable through a slot, and have a magnet hit the DROID in just the right way so as to bring up the clock interface.

It just wouldn't have been the same, I thought to myself.

And in the end, I now know with complete certainty that I was right in that mindset.

The dock is very simple in construction: it's a weighted base with rubber feet to maintain traction on most surfaces, with a brushed aluminum surface. The phone sits very securely on the power receptacle in the provided groove, and there's no wobble if you go to interact with the screen while docked.

That being said, I guess I could see where some people would have grief with it: it IS very limited in what it'll allow to fit in the dock. That is, it's only gonna seat your phone, and nothing else. If you have one of those Bodyglove-type cases, you're gonna have to remove it before you can dock.

In the end, I can't see that as being a problem as I've never used a case for the DROID. The screen is, as far as I can tell, quite oleophobic (meaning you give it a quick wipe with a cloth, your shirt, etc., and it comes clean) and is very resistant to scratches, and the rest of the phone is just as resilient it seems. In the five months I've owned my phone, it has yet to take any damage.

But yes, the dock is an incredible (and well worth it, in my opinion) purchase to accompany your DROID. It gives you immediate and intuitive access to the clock app (which you can access without it, of course), and charges your phone, while at the same time allowing you a way to steady the phone for interaction as you lounge in bed.

My only complaint would be that although you can dim the screen of the DROID, it doesn't dim/turn off the menu strip of buttons along the bottom edge of the phone. But then, that's a DROID issue, not a dock issue.

Well worth the cost, I'd highly recommend this product to all DROID owners.

I wanna say I love this type of docking station for a phone, because it makes it easy to situate somewhere where you'd put a clock, because it does essentially become that in this docking station. I love the fact its quick and easy to load up alarm clock times, slideshows of picture you have, and also play music from it without losing a charge. I want you to know that you can easily launch the multimedia station app without a problem using a magnet on the back of the device, its a polarity thing, and depending on the place you have it in....it might start the car dock app.... I did buy this thought due to having a nice charger dock right next to my bedside. My only issues with this is the fact i bought an EXCELLENT case made by Body Glove see this link Body Glove Snap-On Cover for Motorola DROID A855 at the same time, and i really liked the case, but its not an easy on easy off case by any means. It came down to quick and convenience over protection..... Anyhow the price point i think is justified because this is a sturdy piece of material well worth the purchase depending on your needs.

This item came up in the search for when I searched Droid X Dock. However it DOES NOT fit the Droid X and works only with the earlier version of the Droid.