Sinjimoru Sync and Charge Stand for iPhone and iPod Review

• Tweeti

I have a habit of spilling my sodas on my desk, so you can imagine that I don't like just laying my iPhone on the desktop as I sync it. I don't usually have anything to drink sitting on my nightstand, but I don't like just laying the phone on the tabletop because I'm blind as a bat without my glasses and could put something on top of the phone without seeing it. I wanted a stand that would make my phone visible as it charges and keeps it out of harm's way in case of spills. I wanted something small because I have a tiny little computer table, and I wanted something cheap because I actually needed to buy three of them. While surfing, I found the Sinjimoru Sync and Charge Stand for iPhone and iPod and posted a news item about it a couple of months ago. I found some on eBay, placed my order, and waited for them to arrive.

Click any of the following photos for an enlarged view.

In the top two photos, the right adapter is for the Bumper Case. The bottom right images shows the cable inserted in the Bumper Case adapter.

After I placed my order, I realized that I wasn't sure if these stands would work with the iPhone 4 Bumper Case. All of our iPhones are kept in Bumper Cases, and I didn't want to have to remove the bumper every time we needed to sync or charge a phone. I started researching the Sync and Charge Stand and learned that newer models of the stand come with an adapter for the Bumper Case. The eBay listing didn't have any details, so I worried that I'd get the version that wouldn't work with my case. I got lucky - all three of the stands I received had the adapter.

Both eBay and Amazon have the Sinjimoru stands in a variety of colors - white, black, soft pink, vivid pink, green, light blue, and navy blue. Prices vary from $18 (no charging cable included) to $20 (charging cable included). When I ordered, I got a slightly better deal at eBay for the three white stands I wanted.

The stands I received didn't come with a charging cable. I used the cable that came with my phone. There's a cutout in the back of the stand so you can run the cable through for a neater appearance. Both the normal cable connector and the bumper case adapter work only with the newest Apple charging cables. You won't be able to use the older style that have the pinch buttons on the side to release the cable from the Apple device. You can easily remove the cable from the charging stand if you want.

The Sinjimoru stands remind me of the way my first white iPod looked. There's a layer of colored plastic - white in this case - covered by a layer of clear plastic that gives it an "encased in glass" look. They are plain except for a little icon on the front that matches the one on the Apple 30-pin connector showing which side goes up and the Sinjimoru name and URL on the back.

The stand weighs 1.55 oz without the cable installed. It's about 1.9" wide X 2.2" deep X 2.25" tall. It's light enough that you could throw it in your gear bag to use as a travel dock if you wanted.

My iPhone 4 very easily fits in the dock for charging. The wide-placed feet on the bottom of the stand are very stable; the back foot has a rubber pad to prevent sliding. The stand has never tipped or wobbled with the iPhone plugged in for charging. It's very easy to use the stand with the Apple power adapter as a charging stand on my night table. I can just unplug the cable from the adapter and use it as a stand while syncing with my computer. The Sinjimoru is also a simple stand to hold the iPhone in the horizontal or vertical position – just prop the phone in front of the 30-pin connector and lean it against the back support.

The Sinjimoru stand works with iPods and other versions of the iPhone, as well. My 2nd generation iPod touch in a Belkin Grip Vue stand didn't fit easily on the connector in the bumper adapter. It does work well as a simple stand for the iPod touch.

The Sinjimoru is a very nice, simple charging/syncing stand for iPods and iPhones. It's stable for either horizontal or vertical positions. It comes in a variety of colors, and it's inexpensive. It's become a permanent fixture on my nightstand.
source: The Gadgeteer

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