I grew up with a bedside alarm clock.  Regardless of where I was sleeping, there was always something grounding and reassuring about having something for my eyes to focus on when being awakened to a pitch black room in the middle of the night.  Although my smartphone has taken on the responsibility of keeping me on time and getting me punctually out the door in the morning, the bedside clock retained its appeal.

Weighing the Upgrade Tax

Smartphones evolve fast.  Every year or so as I bought into the phone upgrade, I found myself being pained more and more by the need to replace my bedside clock.  Although the clock was still perfectly good, the phone's new connector precipitated yet another purchase.  A tax if you will on the cost of the upgrade.  How could I break this viscous cycle?

Design Requirements

As an engineer and a longtime gadget geek, I truly appreciate technology.  However useful though, they do lack the warmth and beauty of natural things.  My goal was to blend the natural beauty of wood in a form that had classic clean lines with the utility of making the screen visible while prone in bed.  Years of using commercially available smartphone docking clocks also led to the requirement that  the phone had to dock without having to remove the case.  Nothing is more painful than beginning and ending each day by wrestling with a tight fitting case.  It also goes without saying that the dock needed to recharge my power-hungry electronic companion.

The Results

The footprint of #1 Shaker box size provided ample support at a proportion that didn't appear too heavy visually.  After quite a few lengthy sessions with Google, I was able to find a USB cable that would protrude far enough from the base and would allow the connector to pivot.  This allowed the phone to dock even with cases of varying thickness and configuration.  All but the thickest "lifestyle" cases can remain on both the Apple and Android smartphones.  Since the connector pivots, the critical dimension is not in the thickness of the case on the back, but at the bottom where it surrounds the connector.

It took several iterations, but I'm really pleased with how the dock design turned out.  It's equally stylish as an iPhone docking station or an Android docking station.  It's been a popular item with customers as well - they frequently share positive comments on how the docking station helped them earn revered status as a gift for both the men and women in their lives.