Wednesday, February 26, 2014

ASUS announces accessories for the Nexus 7 2013, late as usual

Accessories for Nexus devices have been somewhat of a disaster in recent times. The Nexus 7 2012 dock was leaked several times and I badly wanted one, but it was released a good 8 months after the Nexus 7 itself. By that point, I was so burned out from waiting that I didn’t even want it anymore. Now it looks like the same thing is happening again, sans the leaks.

ASUS has announced the official dock and wireless charger for the Nexus 7 2013. This time, though, it’s only been 7 months since the release of the tablet! These accessories are late as hell, especially since most people won’t be going out and buying such add-ons after being without them for 7 months. ASUS, you make no sense.

Let’s talk about the accessories, even if they are late. First up is the Nexus 7 dock. It’s a basic wired dock that holds your tablet at an angle and also charges it. It has the ability to connect to a TV and do video out, but it’s not clear if it comes with the necessary cable. It can be used in portrait or landscape orientation, making it a pretty useful dock.

The other new Nexus 7 accessory is a wireless charger that’s compatible with pretty much any Qi-enabled product. It’s a stand with a 60-degree angle, a wireless charging pad built-in and an ASUS logo that glows to indicate when your device is charging. This is a nice-looking accessory that can be used with many devices.

Unfortunately, the wireless charger is an insane $90. That’s a high price to pay for a charger, especially one with a single conductive coil. It’s also worth noting that the product images only show the Nexus 7 in landscape, presumably because the coil is low enough to charge smartphones. The wired dock is a more manageable $50, but it isn’t available anywhere except eBay at the moment. Hit the source links to check out the new products and tell us what you think of them!

Via: Android Police
ASUS Wireless Charger: Amazon
ASUS Wired Dock: Amazon, eBay