[Fuse]Chicken goes natural with the LEDGE iPhone charging dock
You'd expect a company named [Fuse]Chicken to be different, and they certainly have come up with some different products over the years. They started with the Bobine, then moved on to the togoDock and PLUGdock with a successful Indiegogo campaign. Now the design house is going natural with the wood LEDGE, a Kickstarter campaign that is funded with a little over a week to go. The company sent a prototype LEDGE for us to test, and we'll be giving that away along with a production PLUGdock.
Design
The LEDGE is made of two pieces of hardwood; one is machined to hold an iPhone (5/5s, 6 or 6 Plus) with a small case comfortably, while the other is a prop to hold up the LEDGE at an angle. The main piece has a couple of channels machined into it as well - there's one for the charging cable (you need to supply your own Apple-approved Lightning to USB cable) that snakes out of the back of the LEDGE, while another provides an open area where a headphone cable can comfortably plug in.
The bottom of that main piece has a piece of non-slip foam on it, while the prop has two foam bands wrapped around it to keep it from slipping on a desktop.
The LEDGE is given a natural hand finish, with each one being produced from a piece of African Bubinga, African Padauk, or North American Cherry wood.
If there's one thing about the LEDGE that I'd like to see is for the foam bands to be installed a bit more carefully. The band on the bottom of the pre-production LEDGE I have was installed a bit unevenly, and even though it can't be seen when the LEDGE Is in use, it made my OCD kick in.
Functionality
LEDGE is an amazingly simple design and provides a desk or table top home for your iPhone. I've already run into issues with some competing charging stands, as they don't work well with iPhones in cases. Not so with the LEDGE - I have a rather thin case on my iPhone 6 Plus, yet it fits comfortably in the phone pocket with a bit of space to spare on each side. [Fuse]Chicken made sure to take cases into account when designing the LEDGE, a feature I really appreciate.
You can determine if your iPhone and case will fit in the LEDGE phone pocket quote easily: the standard LEDGE pocket (for iPhone 5/5s/6) is 3 inches (75mm) wide, while the large version is 3.5 inches (89mm) wide.
Conclusion
Pledge US$35 on the LEDGE Kickstarter page in the next week and you can get your own LEDGE shipped to you next month. Pledge $60 or more, and you'll get two! LEDGE is a nice, natural looking charging dock for your iPhone, case-friendly, and affordably priced.
Note that we don't usually provide a TUAW "star rating" for items that are pre-production, crowdfunded projects. However, [Fuse]Chicken has a good track record of bringing projects to market and the LEDGE project has reached its funding goal, so the charging stand is getting a rating.
Rating: 3-1/2 stars out of 4 stars possible
Giveaway
One lucky TUAW reader is going to win not only a large (iPhone 6 Plus) LEDGE, but also a [Fuse]Chicken PLUGdock. Here are the rules for the giveaway:
Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button.
The entry must be made before November 29, 2014 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time.
You may enter only once.
One winner will be selected in a random drawing and will receive a FuseChicken LEDGE charging stand (large size for iPhone 6 Plus) valued at $30 and a FuseChicken PLUGdock wall-mounted dock valued at $10.
