I recently decided to ditch my nightstand clock, and use an alarm clock app on my iPhone for that purpose (I’m still trying out a few different apps). My setup wasn’t very elegant, with my iPhone propped up against a box so that I could see the time. I also was constantly fighting a tangle of cords, between my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook, and a USB cord for a few different devices. Knowing that setup wouldn’t meet the WAF (Wife Acceptability Factor) for long, I researched some dock solutions, and found one ended up working well, and that my wife has even been eying with some envy.

I settled on the Everdock, which was released earlier this year. I bought the Everdock Duo, which holds two devices, but there is also a version that holds one device. The Everdock is a solid chunk of aluminum, which looks nice and is very sturdy feeling. The pad on the bottom isn’t sticky, but uses something that the Everdock folks call “micro suction technology.” I was skeptical at first, because my nightstand has an uneven surface, but I can pull both my iPhone and iPad off of the dock without dislodging it. Part of the bottom pad is covered by a small piece of plastic by default, with instructions to remove it if you need more suction. That exposes more of the pad to the desktop surface. Because of my nightstand surface, I did need to remove the cover, and it did the trick (just make sure that you only remove the clear plastic; I almost misunderstood the instructions and removed the entire pad).

You supply your own charging cable, which feeds snugly through a fitted canal underneath the dock, and up through an adapter that holds the connector in place, ready for your device to slide onto it. The Everdock website states that it works with lightning, 30-pin, and micro-USB connectors, and “with devices from Apple, Samsung, HTC, Motorola, Nokia, LG, BlackBerry and others.”

I’ve only tried it with my iPhone and iPad, which both use the lightning connector. I keep my iPhone in the front position, and it slides onto the dock with ease, clicking into place on the end of the connector. It comes off just as easily.

My experience with the iPad hasn’t been quite as favorable. The iPad can be a bit tougher to line up in the back slot, and I don’t even try it without first removing the iPhone from the front spot. It is the iPad case that makes it tough (I’m using the Invellop Leatherette Case Cover for the iPad Air). With the iPhone, the front of the phone is open, so I can just easily line up the home button with the connector on the dock. The iPad cases goes onto the dock closed, which covers the home button, leaving me with nothing to line up. Sometimes it takes me a few tries to get the iPad in place. I might solve the problem by putting a small mark on the case. I also have to tilt the iPad at just the right angle to get it to click into the connector.

The Everdock comes with a spacer that you may or may not need to put on the dock, depending on the thickness of your case. I have a Belkin Grip Candy case on my iPhone, and an Invellop Leatherette case for my iPad Air, and didn’t use the original adapter for either (in fact, I don’t think they would have fit on the dock with the adapter). FŪZ Designs did release another thinner adapter later, and I have found that is a good fit for my iPad. The best part is that they sent that to me for free.

Both of my devices now sit on the dock with plenty of forward and aft support, and look nice. From reading other reviews, it seems that the dock works great without a case, too. I can rock my devices left and right with my hand if I try to do so, but you’d never guess by just looking at them. The rocking of the iPad was also greatly helped by the free, thinner adapter that FŪZ Designs sent me after purchase. I don’t know if that is now included with all docks or not.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how happy I was with the customer support of FŪZ Designs. After my purchase was complete, and I had already had the dock for a week or two, FŪZ Designs announced the impending release of the previously mentioned thin adapter for those who have thin cases and were experiencing some left to right rocking of their devices. They sent it to me for free, and not just because I’m a world-famous blogger.

The Everdock is available in three colors: Silver, Space Gray, Black, or Gold. I picked up,the Duo in Space Gray. The Duo sells for $69.99, while the single version goes for $49.99. There’s also a combo pack available, which includes one of each, for $109.99. There are discounts for multiple purchases.