Grace Digital Inc, a company many will likely know for their internet radio players, has announced in a recent press release that they will be offering their own Kindle Fire Speaker & Charging Dock. The concept is sound, the design is attractive, and the price is high. Most of those things are exactly what most of us are likely to be looking for in a product like this. At $129.99, the dock will cost nearly as much as the $199 Kindle Fire itself though. Can they really expect to attract much interest at that point?
In this particular case, I would give that question a solid “maybe” answer. The Grace FireDock, as it is known, will definitely address some very real shortcomings of the device and offers more than just the bare essentials for doing so. It is one of those cases where sometimes the features being provided are worth the money depending on how applicable they are to your habits, at least until competition drives down the price a bit.
The most important thing is probably that this is an accessory designed specifically for the Kindle Fire. Let’s face it; if there is anything the Fire needs, it is surely better speakers. The cradle will seat the device perfectly, connecting both power and audio as it does so, without any hassles. Once docked, the Kindle Fire can be viewed from two different angles and turned to be used in either portrait or landscape orientation. While plugged in, the dock with charge the Kindle as you use it. When disconnected from the wall, it has access to an optional 6 hour battery that will keep the speakers running as long as the Kindle’s own battery holds out in most cases.
Much of why this is such a seemingly great option is that it accounts for the Kindle Fire’s capabilities. The cradle does not interfere with use of the touchscreen. There are different options for screen orientation, but not an overly complex and breakable system for them. The wide viewing angle of the Kindle Fire’s screen allows for somewhat more simplicity there than might otherwise be the case. The dock doesn’t even have its own internal radio option, since the Kindle Fire will generally have access to far higher quality than you can get over the airwaves anyway.
At the moment, we can expect the Grace FireDock to be available as of July 2nd this year. As mentioned previously, the price is a little high for something meant to accommodate a $199 tablet. This seems to reflect its usefulness, though. We can’t know how it will perform for sure until the docks hit shelves, but if the promo page is even mostly correct this could easily become a standard accessory for people who love their Kindle Fire.