Non-Slip Charging Stand

It appears to go by many names, but most regularly it appears to be known as the Desk Genie or Deskmate. It’s a charging stand for your mobile phone, MP3 player and other devices, which also includes a 2-port USB 2 hub and multi-card reader.

Different versions appear to come packaged differently – mine, marketed as the Kitpower Deskmate, came in a transparent plastic box. A USB cable (which is, bizarrely, white when everything else, including all other cables are black) connects the stand to your PC – a blue light glows at the front and it provides power and connectivity to the card reader and USB ports. An additional cable connects to the back and provides power to your device via a number of interchangeable tips.

The card reader is an 8-in-1 (M2/Micro SD/MS/MS Pro Duo/SD/MMC/RS MMC/Mini SD). In my case this is very handy, because it will accept Micro SD cards without the need for an adapter.

The phone is held on the device via a slightly sticky pad – when I first received it, my phone kept slipping off but a quick wipe with a damp cloth and it appeared better. However, after a few days of not being used over the bank holiday weekend (I have it on my desk at work), it’s gathered a little more dust and the phone is slipping again – it’s holding properties are certainly not as good as some reviews have made out.

My version came from play.com and cost just £12.99 (including P&P). 7dayshop are selling a version for just £7.99, but beware that this does not coming with the charging cable or tips! However, they do have a version in white.

Summary of Desk Genie

Cheap and has a very handy multi-card reader. Not sure about it’s holding ability, and that’s key to this being of use. None-the-less, as a generic phone stand it’s good value.

Reviewed by David Artiss on 4th May 2010.

Tags: 7dayshop, Charge, Desk Genie, Deskmate, Hardware, HTC Hero, Kitpower, Mobile Phone, Play.com, Stand

Category: Reviews