When I first got my iPad, my first thought was getting some sort of stand that would let me charge it on my bedside table, but also owning an iPhone, I had a difficult time finding an affordable solution that would charge both at once. Then I found the InCharge Duo. Read on for my thoughts.
The InCharge Duo is a sleek, professional device that will allow you to charge two assorted iDevices at the same time, such as two iPhones, an iPhone and an iPod, and iPhone and an iPad, etc. It comes with fittings that will work for pretty much any current Apple device, and looks great sitting on a dresser or night stand.
Overview
The InCharge Duo, which is both compact and sturdy, is capable of charging both my iPad and my iPhone at once, and I discovered early on that it also works for the iPad 2 – the original iPad’s insert does a great job holding up the new device. While many things impressed me about the InCharge Duo, there were nevertheless a few downsides as well. You can jump to the end for a quick summary of some of the pros and cons, or read on to digest the full force of the review.
What’s In The Box
The InCharge Duo is very well packaged. The device comes in a thin printed cardboard box, inside of which is the dock itself, an AC adapter, an iPod/iPhone converter, an iPad converter (attached by default), five dock adapters for various devices, and a users guide.
The InCharge Duo is composed of black plastic with two dock wells found on the top of the unit. The plastic is sturdy, and the base unit feels very solid. It is light weight and fairly compact so you can bring it with you when traveling if needed.
Design / Look And Feel
The InCharge Duo is an example of quality design – it’s made of materials that look and feel sturdy, is as compact as possible without hindering practicality, and has an extremely professional appearance. The front of the dock contains a small, tasteful XtremeMac logo which covers the base of the device, and there are two grips on the base to prevent the unit from sliding around.
Also on the unit are LED light that serve to indicate when devices are fully charged. The rear of the device houses the AC connector. The InCharge Duo is designed so the iPad is always charged on the rear connector while other Apple devices can use either dock. This rear connector provides 2.1 amps for the power hungry iPad. Xtrememac designed the 2.1 amp dock to work with certain Apple devices; it is only compatible with the iPod Nano (1G-5G), iPod Classic 160 GB (2009 version), iPod Touch 1G, 2G. Other devices will need to use the front dock for charging.
One thing that struck me is the lack of a USB connector on the device, meaning that the InCharge Duo is not meant for data transmission, but instead for providing a quick and powerful charge of the devices battery.
Functionality
The provided dock adapters fork for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, 5th Gen Nano, iPod Classic, and 2nd Gen iPod Touch, and click securely into the base of the InCharge Duo to provide a secure and well-supported docking position for your device.
The device works well, powers my devices quickly, and looks great while doing it, although I was concerned that with nothing on the front and an iPad on the back, the device felt as if it might tip backwards without too much pressure being exerted.
One further concerning matter is that it doesn’t work well with cases (though personally, I don’t tend to use cases, so it wasn’t an issue for me.
Conclusion
The XtremeMac InCharge duo is a simple, well-designed, and professional looking device, and while it does have its flaws, it is largely an excellent and affordable solution for those that would like to charge multiple devices on a bedside table type setting. While I occasionally felt as thought the base should have been weighted a little better, the matter never actually became a problem.
Wrapping It Up
The InCharge Duo is a fine device, especially if you tend not to use cases with your iDevices. It’s stylish, does its job well, and features indicator lights to tell you when the charge is full. The device looks brilliant with both an iPhone and an iPad on top of it, and serves as an excellent place to put your devices if you plan to use them as alarm clocks.
Although there were many great things about the InCharge Duo, I ultimately felt that there could have been improvements, such as making it adjustable enough to accomodate cases, and weighting the case down a little better. Still, for it’s mere $60 price tag, it just can’t be beat, so in light of its faults, I award it 4 out of 5 stars. Below is a list of a few of the pros and cost I encountered:
Pros
- Compact and attractive.
- Is capable of rapid charging on an iPad.
- Can simultaneously hold an iPhone and iPad without any problems.
- Works great with several free apps that turn your iPad into an alarm clock.
Cons
- It’s very lightweight, and if you only have an iPad in it, it doesn’t take much to knock it backwards.
- It does not work well with devices in cases.
For more information, or to purchase the InCharge Duo ($59.95), visit XtremeMac’s product page on the web.
