Gizmodo: cradles

Microsoft Patents Shows Smartphone Cradle for Media Streaming, Peripherals

John Herrman — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 07:21:08 EST

The Register stumbled across a patent for the "Smart Interface System for Mobile Communication Devices", a smartphone extension dock that lets you easily plop your phone onto your home network and connect peripherals.

The dock contains a processor and storage of its own to run its OS, but its main function is to expand your smartphone. Think of it as a brawny RedFly, but without a screen or peripherals built in. Here's the predicted use: you connect a keyboard, mouse, monitor and printer to the dock as

The prospect of easy printing, streaming and file sharing between your phone and your other hardware has inherent appeal, so I won't pass judgment until the product actually starts to take shape. Assuming it ever does, that is. [Register]

Personalized Bobblehead iPhone Holder (Yes, Someone Went There)

Mark Wilson — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:30:00 EST

What do you get for the Apple lover who has everything? This. You get them this. It's a personalized bobblehead iPhone holder. The subject sends in three different shots of their face, chooses the skin, hair and eye color, and through the magic of...well, we don't know exactly how they're built...a figure arrives that looks somewhat like someone, somewhere. But there's more!

While the base bobblehading service runs $89, you can add on all sorts of extras. $5 buys you a painted name, or $15 adds a voice recorder to the mix. Plus, for the extremely narcissistic, a second, identical bobblehead can be ordered for $50.

In case you're actually considering it as a gift, give yourself lots of lead time. Orders fulfilled within 15 days cost a premium, so procrastination will make you pay. After all, you just can't rush art. [Custom Bobble]

How to Make a Universal Cellphone Cradle: With LEGO, Duh

Matt Buchanan — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 17:16:35 EDT

There really isn't anything you can't build using LEGO. Case in point: Check out this LEGO dock for the Sharp [es] W-ZERO3, a slightly older Japanese smartphone. The builder has cradles for both vertical and horizontal orientations of the phone, and each one has a LEGO man standing guard over it to stare down marauders. It's not the most hardcore LEGO project ever, but it's definitely one of the more practical ones. Should we go ahead and place our bets on how long it'll take for a "special" iPhone version to follow?

[Arupapa via Gizmodo Japan]

Samsung's Future Phone Concepts to Mimic the K5

Louis Ramirez — Wed, 23 May 2007 09:30:24 EDT

Design-wise, Samsung's K5 MP3 player is spot on, so it's no surprise the company's modeling its future cellphones on the stylish MP3 player. Recent Samsung patents show cellphones with sliding/slanting screens and cradles that let you "stand" your handheld for watching videos or making video calls. It's a simple design tweak, but one that would make today's media phones a bit more practical to use. – Louis Ramirez

Slanting Cradles Coming to Samsung Phones and Media Players [Unwired View]