RIM has a new charging pod for the Bold:



While I think this would look very nice on my desk, I currently charge my Bold through the USB port on the left side of the device - does anyone know if you need to do the same with this charging pod, essentially rendering it a $40 stand? Any info would be appreciated!

I have this unit, and love it. It is where I place my phone every night.

To asnwer your question, you do not need to plug a USB cable into the side of the phone. The cradle uses the contacts on the bottom corners of the phone to charge it. All you need to do is supply power to the back of the cradle, either by USB or wall charger.

My phone sits in the cradle on my nightstand, and is great with bedside mode enabled. Just remember, this cradle does not sync your phone.

It's a great unit but $40.00 is too much. Look around on google shopping and you will easily find it for much less (I also bought the BB premium headphones with remote control for $14.00 online). For some reason you can always find BB OEM accessories for a steep discount online. Why this is, I don't know but I surely accept it

Back to the stand now. I have two...one for my office desk and the other for my bedside. I love it! My wife especially loves the bedside mode so she can easily see what time it is in the middle of the night.

In my opinion its a good buy but you can find it for cheaper. It is a recession after all.

Blackberry Desktop Charging Cradle Pod [OEM] ASY-14396-003 for Bold 9000 - by Eforcity - CBLA9000DTC1 - Buy.com

its worth it, amazing product.. the best thing about it, that you dont need to connect to the USB to charge it

May i ask, does it mess anything up or charge any faster or change anything at all if you plug in a USB to sync while its on the cradle???

I have been using it for the past 10 months and it works great, but it does wear out the finish on the bottom of your phone, the painted chrome is wearing out from constantly docking the phone in the pod.

I would highly suggest this pod for charging. My last Blackberry, an 8300 Curve, had the pins break in the USB connection before it was two years old with the daily plugging into it. A charging pod would have extended its life. My new 8900 has a charging pod and I love it.