Tytn Music Dock

Manufacturer: Brando

Item webpage: http://shop.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=01820&cat_id=200&dept_id=005

Price: US$28.00

Included accessories: The dock comes with a USB to USB-mini cable, 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo line-in cable, and an USB A/C adapter.

First impressions:  The dock arrived from Hong Kong in a plain, lightly padded shipping envelope, not a box. Inside the envelope, the dock had no padding and my first thought was that after 3 weeks of waiting it would show up broken.

The product packaging is simple and easy to open, unlike the typical blister packs. The dock is displayed in front and a bubble in back contained all the accessories.

The dock is smaller and lighter than I anticipated. I connected the included USB cable to my PC, connected the min-USB cable to the back of the dock, and inserted the Tytn.  It holds the Tytn very firmly, in fact I thought it wasn’t working but I hadn’t seated it deep enough in the slot.  Once seated properly, the Tytn immediately received power and began to sync as expected.

Detractors: The blue LED has got to go.  It serves no useful function besides trying to light up a room at night (which it does very well). The light is on at all times the dock has power applied. Since the PDA has its own charge indicator, the use of the blue LED is redundant at best. The first thing I did to it was cover the LED with ½” squares of silver/grey duct tape.  After 4 layers of tape the light is still visible glowing through, but it is much more subtle now.

The speaker cones are not covered in any way so it would be easier to damage them than if they had a simple screen in front of them, as well as being more aesthetically pleasing. The sound volume is not amazing, but is sufficient for desktop or nightstand use. The sound reproduction is also a little flat, but is acceptable. The speakers are powered through USB, but not greatly so. It is only slightly louder than the Tytn itself, but with a bit more bass.

When docked, there is no way to turn on speakerphone and the dock does not have an integrated mic, so the Tytn needs to be removed from the cradle to be used. I attempted to use an external mic plugged into the line in jack in the back of the dock, hoping that the manufacturer would have connected to the mic jack in the USB port, but that didn’t work.

The Tytn seats in the cradle so firmly that it takes a bit of effort to remove it. In doing so, it is easy to press the side buttons inadvertently. I activated the camera and PTT several occasions during undocking. It would have been nice for an assist button/lever, but in any case undocking is a two hand operation.

Summation:  For $28.00 it isn’t bad. There are several music docks for iPods and such and they start easily 2 or 3 times this price. If you consider the price of a USB cable and A/C adapter, which alone can cost $10-$15 dollars, the difference is well worth the benefits of this dock. However, I’d really have liked an external mic and answer button as is standard on the Tytn’s included wired headset.

Rad’s Rules: 

Rule #1 says all devices should charge via Mini-USB.  This uses any standard mini-USB cable  :approve:

Rule #2 says all devices should have more than one function. This provides power/sync and external music   :approve:

Rule #3 says BT LEDs are too bright and should only be on when necessary.  While not BT LED, it is blue… and very bright… and on ALL THE TIME   :thumbsdown: