Udoq – because all gadgets need power
Udoq
€69Pros
- Looks great
- Top notch quality
- Keeps things tidy
- Customisation options
Cons
- Doesn't solve the cable problem
Whether in the office or at home, keeping all your gadgety lovliness charged can be a chore. If you do have enough plugs you end up with phones, tablets and chargers strewn about the place. Udoq wants to solve that in a very stylish manner.
The German-built Udoq is a universal charging stand that not only welcomes all manner of power connections, it will also neatly organise up to eight devices.
Udoq design
This cunning carved piece of aluminium known as Udoq charges all your devices along a single, rubber-backed aluminium shelf.
I really like the look of the Udoq and the aluminium finish will work well with your Apple products.
It doesn’t look too shabby on my desk next to my aluminium Corsair K60 either.
Thanks to a clever slot and sliding connectors you can position your tablets and phones however you need them.
The Udoq I have been sent to review is fitted with a Lightning connector, Micro USB, USB Type-C and Apple’s 30-pin connector for older iPads and iPhones. The Apple connectors are all certified, apparently.
Of course, you can order different connectors to suit your requirements.
Each connector has its own 5-foot cable with a standard USB-A plug at the end. This is where my Suaoki 6 port USB power brick comes in handy. It is a shame that something similar isn’t included in the bundle just to keep things tidy.
The Udoq comes in four different lengths: 250mm, 400mm, 550mm and 700mm.
The smallest Udoq will accommodate an iPad and iPhone (or four iPhones). The largest will fit an iPad, six iPhones and an iPod.
As you can see, there’s plenty of room for a couple of fruity devices next to my Shield tablet and Nexus 6P in the 400 version.
Udoq performance
The Udoq works well and looks good doing it. The cables are easily hidden out of site and the dock certainly keeps the devices handy.
The dock comes with a small tool to pop off then end caps so that you can add/remove/change the connectors you have installed in the Udoq.
The cables are fitted in to a barrel-style runner that allows the connectors to run up and down the slot. As you can see in the image above, you can change the height of the connector to allow for chunky cases and bumpers.
The cables all seem to be of good quality and I’ve not had any issues with charging my devices. Some of the guys at work used to to recharge their iPhones and iPads and all did as they should.
Udoq review conclusion
This is a well-built and stylish addition to anyone’s home or office. The fact that it can be offered with legacy as well as up-to-the-minute connectors will no doubt be good news for many.
For me it’s a bit of a shame that something with such clean lines still could have 8 individual leads trailing out from it. Up front, really pretty. From behind, some cable Cthulhu chaos.
That said, it certainly beats a desk full of devices plaited together.
I reckon that this would be a great buy for neat freaks and high-end hotels alike.
Udoq price and availability
Udoq is debuting on Kickstarter with a 50% discount.
Kickstarter pricing starts at 50 euros for the small 250mm version, which will be 100 euros retail. The largest Udoq costs 125 euros at the moment.
If you miss out on the half price offers, the next tier still shaves 30% off. Be quick though, they’ve already hit €61,177 of their €50,000 goal and there’s only 27 hours to go!
