Detonation
Member
I know everyone hates propriety cables and ports, but android phones are really missing out on functionality by not having a multifunction "dock" port. Simple things that can be done with a dock port are hard or impossible to do with usb/3.5mm , and it severely limits the accessory market. Some examples:
Alarm Clock Dock (without a dock port)
1. Plug in usb charger
2. Plug in 3.5mm cable from headphone jack to alarm clock
3. Set alarm on phone, mute alarm volume
4. Set same alarm on alarm clock on aux headphone setting
5. Turn off alarm clock when it goes off
6. Turn off alarm on phone when it goes off
For playing music:
7. Must control everything through phone
Alarm Clock Dock (with a dock port)
1. Plug in phone
2. Set alarm
3. Turn off alarm when it goes off
For playing music:
4. Control music via alarm clock or possibly a remote
Car Integration (without a dock port)
1. Plug in 3.5mm cable from headphone to aux
2. Plug in car charger (if desired)
3. Set volume on phone
4. Set volume of car stereo
5. Change tracks via phone
Car Integration (with a dock port)
1. Plug in dock cable (which is plugged into your aux and possibly cigarette lighter depending of features of the cable)
2. Set volume of car stereo
3. Control music on phone via car stereo (if you have the right hardware)
4. Sound quality is better (line out amped once > headphone amped twice)
Basically, the main benefit of a dock port is analog line out audio and external I/O commands. I recently ditched my ipod and use my Droid X as an mp3 player, but I lost a lot of things in the process. I wish there was some sort of "iHome" for droid phones, because the alarm clock solution explained above is obviously too unfeasible to use. Car integration isn't as good as well, since you're stuck with just a 3.5mm. I know some cars have usb ports, but that tries to read the music off the phone digitally like drive, losing out on whatever music app features you have, along with being somewhat buggy.
I know this would never happen, but it would awesome if phone manufacturers (or possibly the industry in general) could agree upon a universal dock port that could include at least power, some I/O commands, and line out audio. It would open up a world of possible accessories - something that apple has a huge advantage over android with.
Alarm Clock Dock (without a dock port)
1. Plug in usb charger
2. Plug in 3.5mm cable from headphone jack to alarm clock
3. Set alarm on phone, mute alarm volume
4. Set same alarm on alarm clock on aux headphone setting
5. Turn off alarm clock when it goes off
6. Turn off alarm on phone when it goes off
For playing music:
7. Must control everything through phone
Alarm Clock Dock (with a dock port)
1. Plug in phone
2. Set alarm
3. Turn off alarm when it goes off
For playing music:
4. Control music via alarm clock or possibly a remote
Car Integration (without a dock port)
1. Plug in 3.5mm cable from headphone to aux
2. Plug in car charger (if desired)
3. Set volume on phone
4. Set volume of car stereo
5. Change tracks via phone
Car Integration (with a dock port)
1. Plug in dock cable (which is plugged into your aux and possibly cigarette lighter depending of features of the cable)
2. Set volume of car stereo
3. Control music on phone via car stereo (if you have the right hardware)
4. Sound quality is better (line out amped once > headphone amped twice)
Basically, the main benefit of a dock port is analog line out audio and external I/O commands. I recently ditched my ipod and use my Droid X as an mp3 player, but I lost a lot of things in the process. I wish there was some sort of "iHome" for droid phones, because the alarm clock solution explained above is obviously too unfeasible to use. Car integration isn't as good as well, since you're stuck with just a 3.5mm. I know some cars have usb ports, but that tries to read the music off the phone digitally like drive, losing out on whatever music app features you have, along with being somewhat buggy.
I know this would never happen, but it would awesome if phone manufacturers (or possibly the industry in general) could agree upon a universal dock port that could include at least power, some I/O commands, and line out audio. It would open up a world of possible accessories - something that apple has a huge advantage over android with.