multimedia dock?

[SurfingJerry]

Has anyone gotten one of these yet?
Coming fromPalm Pre I really miss the touchstone. The cost to upgrade the rezound (~$110) is just too much IMO.
Would like to have mhl to hdmi support too so I figure this would also do the job of a $15 adapter.
I'm worried about wear and tear on the port from the charging cable, so wondering how smoothly it docks/undocks.

 

[daniel-k]

I have one and it is nice. It seems to plug in smoothly. The only drawback for me is that it is a nice snug fit and I have to remove the phone case to use the dock. Because of this I find that I use it less.

 

[SurfingJerry]

Thanks. I wa noticing that htcpedia has one for $39.99 whereas the one from Verizon is $49.99. I don't see any outs other than USB on the back. Is that the same asthe one from Verizon?

 

[daniel-k]

It sounds like the same one. Verizon only charged me $32 for mine two weeks ago.

 

[rwcollett]

Is the port on the back MHL, or just a micro USB?

 

[Dukins]

Im with Daniel, ever since I started using cases on my phone its an hassle to remove the case and dock the phone. Its almost useless to me unless i'm watching something on my tv with it.

 

[daniel-k]

I watched half of a football game last night, while holding the phone in my hands. The dock was nearby, but I didn't bother to use it for the reasons mentioned. It wasn't really uncomfortable, but I felt kind of dumb since there are two nice flat screen TV's very close by.

 

[SurfingJerry]

Could you clarify for me?
Is there only the USB port on the back, or are there other ports (audio/hdmi) present but not visible in the photo.
The Verizon description could be interpreted to imply that you connect peripherals to the dock... or could be interpreted that once docked, you can still connect to the headphone jack, etc.

I would prefer that there be more ports on the dock (especially if tagged "multimedia dock").

My primary use would be for charging, but would like to know just what it is they're selling first.

thanks in advance

 

[daniel-k]

There is nothing but on USB mini on the back and another one in the slot that the phone will slide into. The phone seems to charge at the same rate as is does when using the charger by itself.

When you dock the phone a different screen pops up with short cuts for music, photos and calendar. I put a YouTube icon on mine.

I saw on some forum (maybe here) where a guy took his apart and posted pictures of the innards. There is a little cable the runs from the outside outlet to a small bit of circuitry which is just below the outlet for the phone.Gotta love people who take apart their gear just so we will know.

So it is basically a glorified charger that allows you to listen or watch stuff while it is charging. Of course you can do that with the normal charger, but this way it looks cool. Who doesn't want to look cool?

 

[daniel-k]

One more thing about the dock, it comes with another charging cable and plug. Since most folks would likely just use the one that came with the phone, this makes a nice spare.

 

[SurfingJerry]

Ok, thanks. So I guess what they mean by connecting to tv and stereo is that you can do it via NHL/usb. Ok, so I'll got the adapter to fwiw.

Yes, love those inclined to treat THEIR stuff apart.

 

[rwcollett]

There is nothing but on USB mini on the back and another one in the slot that the phone will slide into. The phone seems to charge at the same rate as is does when using the charger by itself.

When you dock the phone a different screen pops up with short cuts for music, photos and calendar. I put a YouTube icon on mine.

I saw on some forum (maybe here) where a guy took his apart and posted pictures of the innards. There is a little cable the runs from the outside outlet to a small bit of circuitry which is just below the outlet for the phone.Gotta love people who take apart their gear just so we will know.

So it is basically a glorified charger that allows you to listen or watch stuff while it is charging. Of course you can do that with the normal charger, but this way it looks cool. Who doesn't want to look cool?

I will ask my question again. Is it really JUST a micro USB or is it actually an MHL port which would allow for connection to a TV?

 

[SurfingJerry]

Must be mhl to user the same charging cable

 

[daniel-k]

To hook the phone up to a TV you need the mhl adapter. To use the adapter you plug one end into the usb outlet on the phone and the other end connects to a HDMI cable going to your TV. You also have to plug the cable from the charger into it for power. I have my cable on order so I haven't had a chance to try it.

My dock did not come with any documentation, but I'm pretty sure that the usb outlet on the back is just for charging.

 

[SurfingJerry]

Then how would you connect the adapter with the phone in the dock?

 

[daniel-k]

You don't, that's my point. IMHO The dock is not intended to be connected to the mhl cable. They are two different things.

With the dock you can view your photos or listen to music or watch a video or whatever, while it is charging. Also this way you are not draining the battery while you're doing this. It is really just a step up from using the phone while you have the charging cable plugged in. The only difference is that it is in horizontal mode.

With the mhl cable adapter, your phone display will be displayed on your television. That could be your homescreen or a video. The cable connects directly from the phone to the HDMI cable on the TV. No need and no reason for the dock. Your phone should also charge while this is happening.

There are a few YouTube videos that demonstrate the mhl cable functionality. Here is one:
HTC Rezound TV-out feature. Connect to HDTV with HDMI - YouTube

 

[SurfingJerry]

Ok, well I'm sure you'll try it out when your adapter arrives. Let us know!

 

[KSDroid01]

Please see:

HTC Rezound TV Out: Connected to HDTV via HDMI cable

According to this source, the dock output it MHL-compatible. I just wish it had a 3.5mm out so I could plug my stereo in at work.

Caution: if you get the dock, and uncheck the Dock Settings menu item to Auto-Launch the dock mode, there does not appear to be any way to get it back! I researched this and found and app called Any Cut that will let you search for and install a widget that puts the phone in Dock Mode so you can recheck the option. I also can't figure out how to get out of Dock Mode and into my home screens...you can program 3 customizable shortcuts, but...

 

[daniel-k]

Very good, I think that I actually saw that picture once before but forgot about it. I'm not so sure that there is any advantage to using the dock as a way to the TV display. It seems like an extra step, but I'll be sure and try it if I ever get the mhl cable.

 

[SurfingJerry]

Yeah, out seems a pretty sorry excuse for a "multimedia dock"