Apple’s iPhone and iPad docks suck. They look great, but they also grab onto your phone and won’t let go, they don’t fit if you use a case and they don’t do anything but charge the phone (yes, you can plug it into a stereo, but who does that?) The LIL KIKR, on the other hand, looks awesome, sounds awesome, and is made from tough, long-lasting aluminum.
I have accumulated a stack of iPod and iPad docks, but I almost never use them because I test so many cases. If I was in the market for another one, though, I’d probably choose the LIL KIKR, currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. It consists of a milled aluminum cylinder with a cut-out in the side for the iPhone, a horn-shaped hole at either end which channels and amplifies the iPhone’s speaker by up to 10 dB, and a pair of legs that stick out the back and let the whole thing perch at a jaunty angle.
The dock comes in two versions. The LIL KIKR fits the iPhone 4/S like a glove, but that’s it. The LIL KIKR+ comes with a set of foam pads and inserts to customize the dock to fit any other iDevice you have, with or without a case. Both will cost you $50, or $10 less than Apple’s own piece of junk.
[Thanks, Valerie!]
Charlie Sorrel writes reviews and how-tos. Follow Charlie on Twitter at @mistercharlie, and at micro.blog on @mistercharlie
6 responses to “Elegant LIL KIKR Dock Shames Apple’s Own”
One of the things I like about Apple is that they offer a very basic range of Apple-labled accessories. This opens a HUGE market for others to innovate/develop things like this, making money and jobs for lots of non-Apple folks. I like that model. Apple doesn’t need to do it. If their boxed products are OK with you, you’re set. If you demand more, there’s a HUGE market out there – cases, speakers, etc. etc. Apple could never and should never waste time on some huge range of accessories IMHO.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE will someone make a dockable speaker like this that accounts for the phone or iPod being in a case? iHome kinda does with their adapter inserts but someone needs to think or a REALLY universal type docking “mechanism” if you will, so you don’t have to remove from case all the time. I know auxillary works etc. but these docks look better with the device IN them actually docked.
Go without a case. They’re all ugly anyway and take away from Apple’s design… I never use them. Buy insurance upfront and then don’t sweat breaking the little guy.
I recently bought this at amazon:
Satechi iFit-2 Portable Rechargeable Speaker Stand for Smartphones & Tablets: for $28. It plugs in to the headphone jack and has a slot that holds any phone or tablet with or without a case. Works great and is cheaper than the above non-powered hunk of aluminum.
I want a dock that gives you the option of parking the phone without charging. When I come through the front door I want to park my phone in a dock so I always know where it is. My ideal dock would advise me of the battery level when I park it. If the battery level = > than 20% it would ask if I want to charge and I could choose to charge or not. If the battery level is below 20% it would automatically start charging.
A nice add on would be speakers. They could wrap around the above dock like a U (viewed from above).
Yeah, I want a dock that can accommodate a case too.
Talk about “vaporware”…this is in the funding stage?
I will eat my hat if, a. it is only 50$ and, b. it actually sounds good.
Let us not get into the habit of overhyping things that don’t even exist.