Nowadays, it's not uncommon for a person, or family to have numerous phones and tablets at home. However, it can be an annoyance when you have 3, 4 and 5 devices taking up multiple outlets, or hogging up a power strip. Fortunately, Griffin has produced the PowerDock 5, which aims to relieve this issue, as the charging station features five USB ports for multiple charging, while only using a single power source.
This station, while optimized for iOS devices, can charge pretty much anything that uses a USB port. It's designed with five charging bays, as a clear backrest divides each section that is big enough to hold an iPad, even if it's in a case. The unit pumps out 10 watts, at 2.1 amps per charging bay, though unlike previous PowerDocks, does not have it's own set of cables. Users will have to provide their own USB cables, which might seem like a drag at first, but is meant to allow for the use of devices that use micro or mini-USB ports.
As such, I put it to the test, charging an iPad, iPad mini, an HTC One, an iPhone 5, and a Bluetooth headset. To my amazement, the PowerDock 5 powered them all up without hiccup. If I had one complaint, it would be that when you have multiple devices charging, it looks a bit sloppy, mainly due to the fact that there is no cable management, as cables will simply dangle from the side. Obviously you can flip the charging station the other way, if it's on a night stand or something similar, so that the cables are out of sight, but hey, I'd prefer to be able to use any USB cable I want, than to have predetermined cables set on the station that can be hidden away.
When I first heard about the charging station earlier this year, I was excited at the idea of having an all-in-one charger, and fortunately, it's worked like a charm. It's nice to be able to have all my devices charging in one spot, using only one power chord, instead of having devices all over the house, and while the PowerDock 5 may be marketed towards iOS users, it's a great buy ($99.99) for anyone needing to charge any device via USB.
Final Score: 5 out of 5
via Examiner National Edition Gadgets & Tech Channel Articles http://www.examiner.com/article/review-griffin-powerdock-5?cid=roadrunner