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Get an iPhone charging dock for $5.99 shipped

Normally $15.99, this handy desktop dock is yours for 6 bucks out the door. It should charge any iPod or iPhone that has a dock connector.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
Why spend $49 on Apple's charging dock when you can get one for 6 bucks? Meritline

Tired of your iPhone's USB cable flopping all over your desk? Wish your handset could sit upright while it's charging? Sounds like you need a dock. Unfortunately, Apple charges a whopping $49 for its Universal Dock. Surely there's an alternative for cheapskates?

There is! Meritline has an iPhone charging dock for just $5.99, shipping included. (From Hong Kong, no less!) It normally sells for $15.99, already a good deal compared with Apple's product.

Granted, this dock doesn't come with a remote, nor a bunch of dock adapters for charging various iPods. However, although Meritline's product page doesn't specifically mention the Touch, Nano, etc., my semi-educated guess is that this dock will have no problem charging them. (If it can charge a 3G, it should be able to handle anything with a dock connector.)

The dock does have the same kind of line-out port as Apple's, so you can plug in headphones, speakers, etc.

And there you have it! There's not much more to say, other than "I just ordered one." Docks are decidedly handy to have around, and for 6 bucks, how can you go wrong?