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(More customer reviews)I've been searching for a few secondary iPhone docks for a while, as I've wanted to use the iPhone (first generation) docks as audio docks on a couple of stereos in the house. Moving the came-with-it dock to that venue meant I wouldn't have one at my Mac. Technically I didn't need it (just needed the USB to Dock Connector Cable) but I wanted the ease of docking. Apple's price for their docks are rather high -- and I figured if I was going to spend the money, I might as well get something with extras.
Enter the Simplifi which, while not doing anything earth-shattering, adds a few pluses to the arguably-required dock for your iPod or iPhone: a two-port USB hub and a camera card reader, capable of handling the most common types (Compact Flash, SD (including SDHD), xD, and Memory Stick/Memory Stick Pro).
A warning if you use Memory Stick Pro (the little card); it will read the small cards but you need to use the adapter (that makes it sized to the original cards). You can put that little card all the way in there, and it'll read it, but it's too small to be able to pull back out. (Yeah, I did it. To get the MSP out, I just kind of stuck the adapter on it and pulled it back out. Boneheaded move as I knew it was too small for the port.)
The finish is nice and the build seems good. The unit is a bit heavy, unlike some USB hubs, which always (and, to me, inexplicably) always try to be the lightest object on the market (which aids in their flipping over, leaning, falling off the back of your desk, etc.).
Included is an AC adapter (which gives it some extra juice should you have the unit a little too far down the chain or connected to an unpowered hub) and a very short USB cable. Maybe that's just me; the USB cable is a mini USB to regular USB plug, and about a foot long. I figured this was no problem as I had plenty of longer cables on hand, but whenever I used one of them (and I tried several) my iPhone would eventually bounce off as "unrecognized", scaring the bejeebus out of me. Going back to Griffin's included USB cable solved the problem. (FWIW, a quick response from Griffin tells me that an extension cable, and not a replacement, would be a better solution). I got around the issue by making it the "first stop" off my MacBook Pro's left USB port, and hooking my other hub downstream of it. (FWIW, hooking it up to the hub via the included cable wasn't an option as the hub is pretty far removed from where I wanted the dock to be.)
It's a little on the pricey side; nearly as much as Apple's own Universal Dock. Still, it's go the added card reader, though some may consider that unnecessary fluff. I like it for the weight and the fact it's not a dead end (i.e., it's a hub); the card reader capability is lagniappe. After a few weeks of daily use, I'd recommend it.
PROS
- USB2 hub (has two "free" ports when in use)
- Card reader for most popular camera cards (see above)
- iPod/iPhone dock*
CONS
- A little pricey
- Included USB cable is short**
*Note that I confirmed with Griffin that, though their site and literature is not yet updated, the Simplifi works with docking iPods and iPhones (including the 3G; confirmed this with Griffin via email)
**Again, per my review, you have to use the USB cable it came with; trying to use an aftermarket miniUSB to USB male will cause drop-outs. I emailed Griffin about this and they recommended using a USB extension cable with the included cable rather than using an altogether different cable (in fact, they offered to send me one).
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Griffin Simplifi Dock for iPod and iPhone, Media Card Reader, and USB Hub in One Device (Aluminum)
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