Blackberry 8700 USB Desktop Cradle

Hands on review by lgreenberg

May 24, 2006

Price as reviewed: $24.95 for cradle with USB cable only or $34.95 for cradle with USB cable and Travel charger

** I have been told by Seidio, but can not comfirm since I only have a 8700c in my possession, that this cradle works with all variations of the 8700x series.

There’s nothing like being on the cutting edge. I love when companies see something that’s missing in the market place and fill the hole with a wonderful new product. Seidio has done it again with the release of their Blackberry 8700 Desktop Cradle.

Since the Blackberry 8700’s charging port is uniquely located on the side of the device designing a cradle which would not only hold the device upright but charge and sync it as well would be no easy task.

RIM themselves hadn’t done it yet. Those of us who liked using a cradle were forced to use the RIM cradle designed for the 72xx series Blackberry.



This sort of worked but it really didn’t hold the 8700 securely. The slightest bump and out came the device. Not to mention you needed to plug the OEM cables directly into the Blackberry. This was really nothing more than a stand. Good for keeping the device upright but not really safe.



Well it wasn’t long ago that David Chang from Seidio surveyed Blackberry Forums members about what products they’d like to see developed for the 8700. A cradle seemed to be at the top of everyone’s list. A few short weeks later, BAM! Seidio releases there own cradle for the 8700. I love it!



The cradle is available in two configurations.

For $24.95 you’ll get the cradle and a mini USB to USB cable. This will allow you to sync your Blackberry with your computer as well as charge it but only when your computer is turned on.



Or for $34.95 you get the ultimate set up. Not only do you get the cradle and the mini USB to USB cable but you also get a DC to USB cable and a USB/DC charging adapter. This allows you to both sync your Blackberry with your PC. It also allows you to charge your Blackberry even when your computer is turned off.





For me it’s no decision. For the extra $10 I’d go with the full package every time. Personally I turn my computer off every night and that’s the time I plug my Blackberry in to be charged. I mean think about it. When your computer’s turned on, you’re sitting in front of it. Chances are you’re reading your e-mail on your PC. I let my Blackberry charge when I’m not using it.

The cradle is made of hard, durable, black plastic. There is no branding of any kind on the cradle.



The back of the cradle has to ports, one for the mini USB cable and one for the power adapter.





Once everything’s plugged in the cradle emits a blue light on the front letting you know it’s drawing power. I was somewhat disappointed to see that the light really doesn’t do anything else. It just keeps a constant blue.

I don’t use my LED on the Blackberry itself. So it would be great if the blue LED on the cradle was actually a charging indicator. I wished it only lit up when charging was actually occurring instead of lighting up as soon as the cradle itself is plugged in.



To insert the 8700 in to the cradle you simply position it along the grooved area of the cradle.

Because of the special location of the mini USB port on the Blackberry it's important to really push hard on the device to make sure a proper connection is made. It's not as easy as simply dropping the device into the cradle and off you go. It does take a little work to get it done. It can be inserted one handed but for me requires two to remove.

After speaking with Seidio's technical support people it seems that the side convenience key is partially to blame for the difficulty in making the connection between the cradle and the device. Since it's right below the mini USB port it can sometime prevent the connection from being completely made. Rest assured Seidio is aware of this issue and is looking at alternate solutions. It's not that it's a major issue but a fix could simply make things easier.

Edit- I awoke this morning to find my Blackberry only at 80% battery even though it had been in the cradle all night. So it looks like the Blackberry lost it's charging connection sometime during the night. It seems the connection issue might be a bigger problem that I thought. I do have Egrips on the back of my Blackberry so this may be causing the issue. I'll have to test it tonight with the Egrips removed to see if it happens again.



Then you slide it in.



For those of you who use Egrips I found when I had them on my battery door it was much harder to make the proper connection between the device and the cradle. Once I removed the Egrips from the back inserting the device into the cradle became much easier.

I don’t plan on removing my Egrips but wanted to make anyone who does use them aware of this. It’s not a problem per se. It doesn’t seem to effect the overall usage of the cradle itself. It just makes that initial insertion of device to cradle a little stiffer.

With both cables plugged in the back you’ll also be able to sync your device with the cradle.





One thing worth mentioning. If you are an extended battery user take note. Siedio is working on a version of this cradle which will accommodate the extended battery. So if you primarily use the larger battery you may want to wait.

Also, it's impossible to use this cradle while your device is in a case or skin. If you use a form fitting case or skin just be aware, you'll have to remove your device from the case every time you want to charge it on this cradle.

Several people have reported having similar issues to the one I mentioned above where the Blackberry will not stay connected while in this cradle. This seems to be a bigger issue than I initially thought.

I'm also not going to give this item a rating until the above issue is addressed.

Pros: Nothing else like it available, charges and syncs.
Cons: LED doesn’t indicate when charging is occurring, won't work with any skins or cases, possible problem with connection.

lgreenberg,
Great review. I'm a little confused about one thing. It seems to me that you could just plug the original Blackberry charger into the cradle. I guess the advantage of the extra charger is that a) you have two now, and b) you can have the charger and the USB cable plugged in at the same time.
I wonder: would you want them both plugged in at the same time? That would be a double electricity source...

I was a little confused at first myself.

But I think you get it and I do now.

If you plugged the OEM Blackberry charger into the back of the cradle you'd have to unplug the sync cable to do so. You'd then be limited to only charging the Blackberry. When you wanted to sync your device via the cradle you'd have to then unplug the charging cable and plug in the sync cable.

By using the DC in 5V cable you're able to both charge and sync and more importantly charge when your computer is off without ever having to unplug a cable.

The cradle claims to utilize some sort of "quick charge technology" so I'm guessing having two power sources plugged in won't have any adverse effect. Personally having owned and reviewed many of Seidio's products over the years I trust what they stand behind.

Thanks. That sounds right. I'm going to use this at work so I think I'm okay without the charger which wasn't available when I ordered it...

Yeah, in that sort of situation you wouldn't need the DC charger.

If you're at work more than likely your computer will be on and that'll power the cradle.

I have this plugged in at home. So the DC cable is important to me since I do turn off my PC at night. And since it's at night when I like to leave my BB to charge.

Thanks Larry. Been waiting for your review before placing the order. 5 blackberries did the trick.

I can't wait for mine to get here!

I've updated my review with concerns over the connection issue.

Mine just got here. However, I can't get it to connect at all...

If I hold it in, it connects, but if I let go, it pops right off the usb connection.

It's almost like the usb connection that plugs into the BB is just a TOUCH too short. My side convenience key is what's getting in the way...

BEWARE...this thing is NOT working for me...

EDIT - So you know, My case is completely stock...no case, no e-grips...it's factory fresh.

Now what?

Just experimented with this. If you take a hard straight edge and lie it flat against the length of the left side of the 8700, then press inward upon the edge, (at least in my case) the convenience button is not depressed at all. Therefore, it's the body's curve that is preventing the solid contact with the charger's usb connector, not the convenience button. If you look at the vertical edge of where the 8700 sits within the charger, it doesn't appear to accommodate its concave curve. Then again, there may be enough 'slop' in the tolerances of either the 8700's plastic body and/or the charger that this combo may work for some but not others.

Can anyone confirm that Seidio is doing the OEM production on these? They're all over the place either with someone else's branding or without any branding whatsoever. Seidio shouldn't get nailed for a design oversight if they didn't do the work.

Seidio is not manufacturing these cradles.

I had a lengthy talk yesterday with Seidio's technical support person. He is aware of the issue and is working at a fix.

It's definetly a concern.

My cradle arrived today and I too am having the same isue. It only charges if I squeeze it on the cradle much the same way as Pizzle noted. My blackberry is completely stock with no skin whatsoever.

I thinks it will have to go back. Oh well it was work a try.

I've gone back to the 72xx series cradle already.

It's way to difficult to insert/remove the BB from this cradle for me.

Mine has not yet arrived but obviously my enthusiasm level is dropping quickly. This was an expensive purchase in Canadian dollars with shipping. I expect Seidio to address this issue with customers that have paid for a product that apparently doesn't work as advertised.

And I don't agree that they are in any way off the hook if they didn't design and/or manufacture it. You brand it, you sell it, you have to stand behind it. This is especially true if you are a boutique outfit like Seidio that greatly relies upon word-of-mouth recommendations such as are shared on this forum.

I'll post with further feedback when my unit arrives.

lgreenberg, have you heard from David and the folks there? Should we send these things back already?

Haven't heard back from them yet re: a PM I sent about the problem this morning.

Right on. Thanks for being the point person on this. I LOVE my Seidio holster, and have had a great experience with them. This doesn't sour me on the company...just hoping we can get a fix for this issue.

Thanks again.

Yeah, I have no doubt, not should anyone, that they'll work with everyone to get through the issues.

Just be patient.

Absolutely. The holster is great and problems do happen. What sets companies apart is how they deal with the problems. David seems like a stand-up guy so my expectations remain high.
Lgreenberg, thanks for following up.

Well, I just got mine today, and all I can say is I don't seem to have any problems at all making the connection. I just plugged my charger into the USB port in the back, slipped in the BB, and it's been charging just fine.

100% satisfied.

Bob

hmmm. i got mine today and my 8700g with (8700c-r) egrips fits on there and syncs up. granted, it's a tight fit.

i'm glad the thing seems to work, but what's with the blue light? it's so damn bright i'm afraid it's going to burn a hole in the ceiling, and i'm afraid to look directly at it (like an eclipse) in case it'll burn a hole in my retina.

Just to clarify, I didn't intend to imply that Seidio has no responsibility. The only level of responsibility that I feel they are exempt from is from a design/spec perspective because this charger is not their creation. As a vendor, of course, they should stand behind this and any product they sell, regardless of who actually produced it.

Really no flame was intended towards you. The post was expressing (perhaps emoting) my growing disappointment over a product that I had been looking forward to receiving.
Anyway we now have some positive reports so it seems to be case by case. Hopefully my cradle - 8700r combo will work out. Otherwise I have faith that Seidio will make it right.

A little duct tape will fix that eh Baggman? Is it that bright?

Got mine yesterday and I too am having the problem with the USB connection. That is it does not make a good connection. You can actually see the charge indicator go on and off. And since the connection is poor desktop software does NOT synch as it does not see the connection. If I grab the thing with two hands and push it towards the USB nub it will charge and the USB will work to synch. But as soon as you ease up on pressure USB connectivity is lost and the battery charging goes back to intermittent. BTW I have no skins,grips or anything else on the BB. This seems to be a poor design and I look forward to see what Seidio does to correct, replace or satisfy us customers. They seem to be a stand up company from everything I have read on this forum so I hope they do something. My suggestion to them is that they stop selling this cradle until the problems are fixed. And for us that already have them, replace them once they solve the problem.

I am not normally one to keep adding insult to injury, but in case David or someone else at Seidio is reading these posts (as I am sure they are), then mark me in the "won't connect" column - times two.

I purchase two cradles - one for myself and one for an employee. One cradle absolutely won't work, even with significant force applied to make a connection. I get the one-second lightning bolt, as described by a few other posters. The other cradle works pretty well most of the time. I have to eyeball it for a few seconds after loading it to make sure it is going to connect. If it does, then it seems to hold the connection. If it does not, then a little manual intervention seems to do the trick.

This mini head-to-head test was done with the same USB cable and same BB 8700c. The BB has a full-body BestSkinEver on. The only variable was the cradles themselves.

I sent an email to Seidio customer service and David about 15 minutes ago. Like the others that have posted, I am sure that Seidio will stand behind their product, but it sure is disappointing. We were all pretty psyched about this product.

Blackberry people, by definition it seems, are not patient people. If we were, we would not need to check our email every 7.3 seconds.

The connection issue is not there with the AMZER logo ones. make sure you buy the real thing.

Great Keep us posted hopefully David will come to our rescue

I was almost going to get this cradle when i first saw lgreenberg's initial review giving the product 5 stars. Good thing i procrastinated. I hope they work out all the bugs. Maybe the rating for this product should be reflective of the inconsistancies.

Is it me or does it seem that even though they do make good in the long run, this company is forever rushing products in the market that have to be fixed?

Of course it is. What a ridiculous statement.

The cradles are EXACTLY THE SAME. I have both in me possession. The only difference is the placement of the Amzer logo.

I wonder, do you work for Moftware?

What a shame. You would think this would have gone through some decent level of testing before launch. You know this is RIM's fault really for not including cradles anymore!!

If that is the case, is Seidio pushing the OEM mfr for an extended battery version, or designing and producing one themselves? If they're working with an OEM on this, then hopefully they also have the juice with them to get the connection issue solved with the standard battery version too.

I've got the same connection problem but did anyone else get a box that looked like it was packed by a 5 year old?

When I opened the box, this is what it looked like, and no I didn't remove any peanuts before taking the picture...

I have already heard from David Chang and David Silver at Seidio about my concern. Both assure me that they are working on the issue and will respond with a solution as soon as possible.

As cooperpwc pointed out, the mark of a good company is how they respond to these kind of issues. We have seen great responses recently from GizmoSkin and Fortte, both of which exhibited incredible customer service following failures of newly launched products. I don't remember the details of the GizmoSkin deal, but I can speak from personal experience that my opinion of Fortte is extremely favorable because of how professionally Salo handled the recent "loose fitting STi" issue.

I am hopeful that David at Seidio will do as good a PR job for his company. As disappointed as I am that the cradle is not what I had hoped for, I get the impression that Seidio will come out of this with better good will than they went in.

From what I understand this current cradle was manufactured by someone other than Seidio. Not hard to beleive since it's also be branded by Amzer. Seidio simply threw it up on their site and began selling it.

They know of the issues now and also the need for a cradle which supports the extended battery.

It's for these reasons that they plan to design and manufacturer a new cradle themselves.

I had placed an order to Seidio, but upon seeing the problems I sent them this email to Seidio:

David,

I have been noticing on the Blackberry Forums that there has been a problem with the mini USB connection on the 8700 docking station/stand. I am willing to put my order on hold to make certain that this problem has been solved. I would rather not have to return it. Your service is exemplary, but it will save both of us aggravation if you can be certain that the stand's problems are behind us.

Their Reply, (which came within a matter of a few hours)

We would advise you to do exactly that. We are expecting new and improved cradles within the next 2 weeks. Until then, we have taken this item offline. We will post this in the forum shortly.

Order Dept.
Seidio, INC

Sign of a company that cares about their customers.

Hi All,

Most posts in this thread have some validity to them. We DID test them before we made them available for sale and didn't experience these problems. They ARE manufactured by a company other than ourselves and retrospectively have not lived up to our - or your - expectations. Any who are dissatisfied with this cradle can send email to me and I will work out with you individually whatever it takes to show you that we most definitely stand behind our products. On a VERY positive front, we are working on a better solution and will have one available shortly. As a gesture of goodwill and an acknowledgement of the problems listed above, we have removed the cradle as being for sale from our website. We won't put it back up until it is the product you expect and should have received. Please email personally with any questions and/or concerns and I'll be happy to help you out.

David

I do see this as a rookie error. If I'm getting a supplier to make something for me, I'm checking it throughly before pushing it to clients, and it's difficult to accept the issues were not noticed when such a large majority of customers that use this forum alone have experiened this problem. That said, seidioseidio's response is positive news, and seems to be going in the direction that will benefit all involved. I think we all look forward to seeing the fruits of these developments.

"Rookie error"? It's nowhere near that. How many recalls do we hear about from major manufacturers? Apparently some cradels work and some do not. They stopped shipping within 3 days of hearing about problems. Now that's what I call quick response from a concerned company. I ordered a cradle and have asked them to place my order on hold until problems can be worked out. I received a quick response and am completely satisfied with them. More than I can say about many other companies that do not get back to you for weeks.