The Desk Genie is billed as a phone holder, universal phone charger, USB hub and 8 in 1 card reader.
To be honest, as with a couple of recent products, I didn't really understand the point of it at first. When charging my phone I normally just put it on my desk and plug it into the wall. I decided to give the Desk Genie a go to see what it has to offer.
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| I stole a stock image from MobileFun |
Upon opening the box, I didn't really believe that the "non-slip" surface would hold my phone (HTC Wildfire). The surface is at an angle of about 45 degrees and I was positive it was just going to slip off. It was pretty surprising to see how it stayed exactly where I placed it. I have read a few reviews that say it can't support heavier phones though so if you are thinking of getting one you should check first!
After a few days of using it, I kind of got it. In my eyes its much like combining your kettle, toaster and microwave. All useful products but not something that's normally put together. I could understand a phone holder and charger but throwing in a card reader and USB hub confused me a bit.
That being said, I do use a USB hub and plugged into that is a card reader. This product allowed me to take the hub and card reader off the desk which saved on space and reduced the amount of cables I have lying around.
I love the style of the product and feel it doesn't look out of place on my desk. I love the bright silver on matte black look and the blue LED is a nice finishing touch.
Another positive to the product is that it comes with 9 different phone chargers which allow it to charge nearly any phone. As a self confessed addict, I think this is actually a smart investment. Personally, I change my phone a lot and because of this I always have to buy new car chargers and accessories. I think what I'm going to do now is put this in the car. I have a USB to car cigarette lighter adapter and using this, I can charge any phone I'm using without having to buy new adapters.
I can only find one thing I don't like about this product. The 9 cable heads it comes with are only for charging and not for USB data transfer. I'm not sure how feasible it is but I think it would be technically possible to connect it up internally. Its not a big deal but if your phone is on charge, you have to switch over the cabling to enable USB transfer.
I have tested it with the below phones:
Sony Ericsson Vivaz (landscape and portrait, needs to be at the top of the holder)
LG Optimus One (landscape and portrait)
HTC Wildfire (landscape and portrait)
Nokia X3 (landscape and portrait)
2 kitkats and a USB pen (I got a little bored today...)
Hopefully the above will give you a good indication of the kind of weights it can hold.
Overall it's a nice piece of kit. I will defiantly carry on using it either in my car or on the desk! I give it 4/5, it would get a solid 5 if you could transfer data using the cables it comes with!
If you wan't one and want to make me rich, then buy one using my link! By clicking here!