Hello?…Is this thing on?
Hi, SC here. Puzzlepaws is unexpectedly out of town for an extended period (longer than expected due to “track maintenance” and “curfew”), so I decided to do a post (or two).
While we were at Toy Fair 2019, we came across a vendor selling this thing called an “iCaddy”. The original design was (not kidding) built out of toilet paper roll cores. The basic concept is simple: a compact, durable phone and tablet stand, with replaceable charger, and cord storage. The iCaddy website calls it a mobile device multitool!
We received the cat print, which is perfect for PuzzlePaws! Currently, iCaddy has thirteen different patterns.
The entire unit was easy to assemble, instruction were provided in the introduction letter. The charger fits in a secure pocket in the section of the iCaddy that isn’t used for cord storage.
While the iCaddy is not intuitive in its use, a bit of fumbling and looking at the back of the box allowed me to place it in its two configurations: Tablet Mode and Phone Mode.
The iCaddy appears to be incredibly handy. It holds the tablet incredibly securely (I was not worried that it would fall or tip), while the Phone Mode left the phone available (with minimal fumbling) if you had to take a call. While it is not shown, there is sufficient space at the bottom of the phone to charge it while it is on the stand.
I was a little leery of “built-in storage”, but I’m pretty sure an engineer was involved in this design. The cover is secure, but easy to open. The storage is large enough to contain: earbuds of your choice, charging cable for the iCaddy battery, and a phone charging cable up to about 3′ in length. It snaps securely closed once loaded.
Surprisingly enough, the iCaddy came with earbuds. Being an audiophile, included equipment comes in three forms: surprisingly good quality, name brand, or crappy. (Not to say that name brand doesn’t also come in “crappy”.)
I compared the audio quality of the supplied earbuds (no brand listed) to my standard set of Skullcandy Ink’d earbuds. While I couldn’t do a direct comparison as I don’t have that equipment, I was not disappointed. The iCaddy earbuds have a good weight and a decent range, they fit my (admittedly standard) ears comfortably, bass support was good with little distortion (even at near-painful levels), the lyrics were not muddy, and the cable felt sturdy. For an included set of earbuds, these were excellent.
The only glaring thing not included? A charger. As chargers have basically become ubiquitous (I think I have about 10 in the house not including the computers), a special charger just for the battery is really unnecessary. The battery will charge with just about any 0.5A to 1A charger outputting 5V. Charging time is reported to be about 3.5 hours. Having owned similar chargers, they will supply about 1 fully battery’s-worth of power for a typical phone.
Overall this is an excellent product with a great design. Since this is Convention season, I’m sure the iCaddy will be torture-tested in the field.
Where to buy: The iCaddy is available on their website for $24.99 USD. It may be available in mass market retailers eventually.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary product from the manufacturer in exchange for review. The opinions are my own. All links are direct, I do not make money from them.
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