We've looked at a wide variety of accessories over the past couple of years: cases, cradles, headphones, speakers, etc., but I'm not quite sure we've ever seen a product like Une Bobine. In a nutshell, it's a microUSB cable. But it's not your average USB cable - it's an adjustable, bendable, flexible USB cable that can be used to hold your phone – a dock and cable in one, if you will.

Now, the first question you may be asking yourself is: why would I want this? To answer that honestly, I really have no idea. I've had this thing for several weeks now, and I really can't find a good use for it. It's cumbersome, awkward, and pretty unstable. In short, it's beyond clear that this is another case of "let's take a product that we designed from the ground up for iPhone and make it work for Android!" You and I both know that never ends well. Prior to the 5, the iPhone had a very wide, large, locking connector that could easily stabilize the phone on the Une Bobine. MicroUSB, though? It's tiny and narrow - and it just doesn't work well for the intended purpose of the Une Bobine - despite the array of "adapters" included with the cable.

The Good

  • Despite its flaws (which are many), this can be useful if positioned just right. Especially for when you are throwing commands at your phone via abd and need to see the output on the display.

The Bad

  • It's cumbersome to use. You have to position the phone exactly right to keep it from falling over. That in itself makes it more annoying than practical.
  • Don't bother using it on a desktop computer - it will basically try to rip the USB ports out of the tower. Because, let's face it, USB ports simply aren't meant to bear the weight of a phone.
  • It still requires an ample amount of desk space in order to provide enough "coil" to make it stable.
  • It's not all that stable on devices with bottom microUSB ports, but it becomes even less stable on devices where the microUSB port is on the side, like the One X/X+ for example.
  • Why? Just... why? I really can't fathom a worthwhile use for this product. It simply is not practical. At all. You'd be better off with a USB cable and a phone stand. That makes a whole lot more sense.

As I stated in the intro, this thing is probably pretty solid when used with an older iPhone (pre 5), due to the massive connector. With microUSB, though, I just don't trust it. It's anything but stable, as all of my phones just wobble around on it regardless of the adapter, which makes me too nervous to use it on a regular basis.

Don't get me wrong - your mileage may vary. But at $30 a pop, I not only find it impossible to recommend the Une Bobine, but can't even suggest to give a try for yourself.

Buy: [Fuse]Chicken, Bite My Apple

We'd like to thank BiteMyApple.co for providing the Une Bobine review unit.