This is the first, in a series of reviews I'm writing, for the OEM accessories available for the Fascinate. 1st up is the desktop dock.
This package includes the dock and wall charger. It retails for $39.99.
This first shot is the front view of the dock. The dock is made of shiny black plastic, but has a solid feel to it, with rubber "grips" on the bottom to prevent it from sliding around:
It is aesthetically pleasing and blends well with the Fascinate when cradled. There is a soft blue light on the front that illuminates while cradled & plugged into an AC outlet. However, the fact that it doesn't cover the entire back of the phone is just weird. It appears it was designed this way to prevent the speaker from being covered up.
While cradled, it is impossible to access the volume rocker. The volume rocker, as you may know, is on the left side of the phone where the phone attaches to the dock. More than once, I became frustrated that I could not adjust the volume of an audiobook, song, or video without removing the Fascinate from the cradle.
Lowering the back panel by just a few millimeters, and extending the side, would have added increased stability while allowing the speaker to operate without interference.
The 3.5 mm jack - for whatever reason - will not be operable until Froyo is released. This is odd, since the Epic cradle is compatible with 2.1.
By far, my biggest concern is stability of the Fascinate while cradled. The Fascinate attaches to the cradle via the charging port. Slight pressure to the backside of the phone will easily "wiggle the phone" while cradled. I can only imagine the damage this could potentially do to the charging port.
Overall, I'm not impressed with this particular accessory and would not recommend it due to significant design flaws and the inability to access the volume rocker. At 39.99, this is a pricey item considering these 2 issues.
This package includes the dock and wall charger. It retails for $39.99.
This first shot is the front view of the dock. The dock is made of shiny black plastic, but has a solid feel to it, with rubber "grips" on the bottom to prevent it from sliding around:
It is aesthetically pleasing and blends well with the Fascinate when cradled. There is a soft blue light on the front that illuminates while cradled & plugged into an AC outlet. However, the fact that it doesn't cover the entire back of the phone is just weird. It appears it was designed this way to prevent the speaker from being covered up.
While cradled, it is impossible to access the volume rocker. The volume rocker, as you may know, is on the left side of the phone where the phone attaches to the dock. More than once, I became frustrated that I could not adjust the volume of an audiobook, song, or video without removing the Fascinate from the cradle.
Lowering the back panel by just a few millimeters, and extending the side, would have added increased stability while allowing the speaker to operate without interference.
The 3.5 mm jack - for whatever reason - will not be operable until Froyo is released. This is odd, since the Epic cradle is compatible with 2.1.
By far, my biggest concern is stability of the Fascinate while cradled. The Fascinate attaches to the cradle via the charging port. Slight pressure to the backside of the phone will easily "wiggle the phone" while cradled. I can only imagine the damage this could potentially do to the charging port.
Overall, I'm not impressed with this particular accessory and would not recommend it due to significant design flaws and the inability to access the volume rocker. At 39.99, this is a pricey item considering these 2 issues.
Last edited:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram