Charging stand and case that work happily together

[melvynadam]

I'm due to receive an iPad as a gift in the next couple of weeks and am researching accessories.

I'd like to have a docking station by my bed so that I can simply dock the tablet after use and ensure it's charged overnight.
Since I have an iPhone 4 too, these two seemed the most obvious candidates:
i.Sound Power View Pro Dual Charger for iPad, iPhone, and iPod
Incharge Home Duo Plus For iPad™/iPod®/Iphone® (Xtrememac - 2186) - Chargers & Docks, iPhone, Cell Phones - nuLime.com

Both of those docks look fantastic but I also want to put my iPad in a case and so the only option that I can see is to buy a case which can be removed quickly and easily. I'll need to be taking it out and putting it in every day. Clearly, this is far from ideal. So.... does anyone know of a dock that supports charging while the iPad is in a case?

 

[MachThree]

There are a couple of different "shell" type cases that I know of that open up in the back so that they can fit in the official Apple dock / keyboard dock - specifically Griffin's Standle and Speck's CandyShell. But the openings on these are just wide enough for the Apple docks which are not as wide as the iPad itself. Any dock that's wider than Apple's own docks probably wouldn't work with these cases.

Its easy to unmount the iPad from many different cases that are on the market, but some of them might not stand up to the repeated wear and tear of doing so.

Most cases at least expose the USB connector on the iPad so you can plug the cable in and charge it that way. If it were me, I'd get that kind of case and skip the dock, as you'll have many more choices to get a case that you like.

 

[melvynadam]

That's good advice. Thanks. I've just seen this case however which is a possible solution:
Ultra Slider Case for the Apple iPad - SGP - United SGP

The trouble is, I'd like a case with a built-in stand that does the same thing (removable bottom piece for docking).

I might just give up on the idea of the dock as you suggest - a case that allows the device to stand is just as easy to place on the bedside table and then I can manually connect the charging cable. Shame though, 'cos those docks look so nice

 

[MachThree]

That's good advice. Thanks. I've just seen this case however which is a possible solution:
Ultra Slider Case for the Apple iPad - SGP - United SGP

The trouble is, I'd like a case with a built-in stand that does the same thing (removable bottom piece for docking).

I might just give up on the idea of the dock as you suggest - a case that allows the device to stand is just as easy to place on the bedside table and then I can manually connect the charging cable. Shame though, 'cos those docks look so nice

I just stumbled across another case called the mCover - it doesn't open to let you dock but they show the iPad in the case docked in an apple dock - so maybe the case is thin enough where it would work with most docks?

ipad keyboard:Blue mCover® Hard Shell Case (with Hard Screen Protector) for Apple iPad tablet (WiFi & 3G models, compatible with Apple original Dock and Keyboard dock for iPad) Free Shipping - Apple iPad Universe - Zimbio

The other thing I was going to mention to you is you probably won't want to dock / charge the iPad every night - I use mine for about an hour a day and the batter life is incredible (so far I haven't even charged it, I've had it for nearly two weeks). Apple says to fully charge it and let it run all the way to zero at least once a month. To me, this implies several days of use without recharging every month.