CP Docks has come out with two cell phone docking stations, the Plug In Shelf and the EZ Mount, which claim to provide cell phone users with a place to conveniently charge a cell phone without a tangle of cords. These cell phone gadgets look useful at first glance, but are they really?
What Does the Plug In Shelf and EZ Mount Do?
A cell phone docking station is essentially a home to place your cell phone while it charges. The EZ Mount is a plastic shelf that replaces a regular wall outlet plate. It includes a place to store the cell phone charger’s cord and a place to hang your keys. The Plug In Shelf is a plastic shelf that plugs into an outlet. It has a place to wrap up the cell phone charger’s cord, and the charger plugs into the device.
Installing the Docking Stations
Since the Plug In Shelf plugs into any wall outlet, it is a no-brainer to use. You plug it in, wrap the charger cord around the base and plug your charger into the base.
The EZ Mount, on the other hand, isn’t as easy to install. When you open the package, you will find five screws, a plastic shelf, an outlet plate and a plastic oval. The directions only tell you how to attach the device to a wall outlet, not how to put the thing together. So, if you’re not mechanically inclined, you’re out of luck.
Is the EZ Mount Cell Phone Docking Station Practical?
To make these cell phone docking station gadgets practical, the plug you use to charge your phone has to be fairly high on the wall for easy access. The EZ Mount also has to be in a location that makes it a logical spot to hang your keys. For example, if you usually charge your phone by your bed so that it will be accessible while you sleep, it’s probably not going to be logical to hang your keys by your bed if you’re used to hanging them by the front door. The docking stations are also not practical if you charge your phone using a power strip to avoid damaging power surges.
All-in-all, these products do keep your cell phone charger cords neat. But, for a large number of people, they aren’t going to be practical.
Enter to Win Your Own!
Until March 31st, you can enter to win a CP Docking Station of your own! Check out our Spring Cleaning and Organization Survival Kit Giveaway for all the details.