A tube? Are you sure that's not just the magnet for the smart covers and styluses?
I recently upgraded from PhoneView to DiskAid (Disclaimer - I was given a promo license):
http://www.digidna.net/diskaid
It costs $30, and lets you access the device wirelessly along with the usual USB connection. I really like it because I can backup an entire app's data. I've been using it instead of iTunes to add eBooks/whatever to it aswell.
Some of the other things I like about it is the iCloud access to pull out my text files and then the Shortcuts.
So if you're really bothered about having to still stick your device to your computer all the time, check out the trial. Probably some cheaper/free alternatives that can do this too, but I wouldn't know.