Just read this- I can't find it anywhere online yet, but it might be available in store at T-mo.
Link:
http://www.tmonews.com/2010/12/the-mytouch4g-dock-has-arrived/
EDIT: Changed title so as not to get anybodies hopes up.
(OPINION- UNDERWHELMING)
Its does NOT use the dock pins. It uses the microusb port thus does not launch the dock app. Just FYI before we get 10,000 "does it use the pins?" questions. Source.
FYI, there are links in the tmo forum that I linked where you can purchase it but EVERYWHERE is sold out already.
EDIT: Fixed source.
Awesome, thanks for the info...and the save! Lol
Sent from mytouch 4G using Tapatalk
I guess if they did have the pins, it wouldn't be able to rotate the device into the upright position. This would be more secure. When I had the N1 dock, one little nudge and the device would fall to the floor
@Kid Poker, man that's crap,o don't know if it would be practical, buy it would be nice if they make the mt4g dock in a way that it would use the micro usb and the pins, so it would stay in place better than just sitting on a few contacts.
Sent from mytouch 4G using Tapatalk
Sorry I don't have pics, but had some hands on time with the dock. It does use the usb connector and swivels, and has bluetooth. $50 in a T-Mobile store, but buy 2 $3.99 straps with it and you get 30% off. It is a snug fit. I imagine a body skin will still fit, but no case will work with it.
kitsunisan said:
Sorry I don't have pics, but had some hands on time with the dock. It does use the usb connector and swivels, and has bluetooth. $50 in a T-Mobile store, but buy 2 $3.99 straps with it and you get 30% off. It is a snug fit. I imagine a body skin will still fit, but no case will work with it.
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lol Oh tmobile, I will never understand your pricing structure- but it's awesome! As far as a snug fit- thats what I kinda figured, I bought a Zagg full skin and a SS realook for the display (a little excessive I know- but hey that 50% off black friday deal from Zagg was awesome) instead of a case, so I could use the docks when they come out. Appreciate the info... but, do you work for t-mo, how did you manage to get access to the dock already???
Why would the dock not use the pins? Can we assume other docks will come out in the future that do use them?
mountainboy said:
Appreciate the info... but, do you work for t-mo, how did you manage to get access to the dock already???
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Just walked in the store, the downtown Minneapolis store has two of them. If I had been able to split it up on my bill I would have gotten it, but my credit is burned up with the MT4G. I'll have cash on me tomorrow, I'll pick one up and play with it for a while if they're still in stock. I'll post some pics tomorrow night.
wow $50 for a dock that uses the micro usb port, i wonder if you could do better with ebay knock offs. I'm sure you can probably not as nice but it'll cost 1/5th of the price.
What is the point of having a dock like this that DOESN'T utilize the pins on the phone? That doesn't make much sense at all to me.
You missed the "bluetooth" part, I see. Still, should be at least $10 cheaper imo.
kitsunisan said:
Just walked in the store, the downtown Minneapolis store has two of them. If I had been able to split it up on my bill I would have gotten it, but my credit is burned up with the MT4G. I'll have cash on me tomorrow, I'll pick one up and play with it for a while if they're still in stock. I'll post some pics tomorrow night.
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Click to collapse
Cool, I'll keep an eye out. The pics make it look a little top heavy with the phone in it- I wonder how it balances out- wonder if the base is weighted...
greenstuffs said:
wow $50 for a dock that uses the micro usb port, i wonder if you could do better with ebay knock offs. I'm sure you can probably not as nice but it'll cost 1/5th of the price.
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Click to collapse
Yeah $50 is steep- the other links are showing $38 though- that seems more of a fair price if it's a legit product. I'm thinking I would buy this for use in my office, and wait for the one that makes use of the contacts to use at home.
I'm using it right now. Got it at T-Mo retail. It looks like every store only got two in-stock for some reason? I guess I could take pics, but it would be with my crappy old iPhone 2G camera, which would be really low-res and pointless. :/
So, the quick-n-dirty 'review', for those of you who are as nerdy as me:
Synapsis: Don't bother!
myTouch 4G Swivel Dock
Pros:
Nice, weighted base (where the BT antenna is housed, along with micro USB intput and 3.5mm audio out). It is definitely weighted and nice feeling.
Looks fairly sleek, despite the cheesy 'my' logo on the front of the dock.
Bottom of the 'weight' is rubberized, so it doesn't slide around.
The back of the swivel stand has the same, soft, rubberized material so the back of the phone does not scratch on the plastic.
It serves the purpose of securely (emphasis on this) docking your device. That thing isn't coming out without some force.
No Bluetooth PIN is required to pair (simply pair in BT settings).
Allows you to charge and sync over USB (think 'iPod / iPhone dock')
Streams audio from the phone to the dock, via BT.
Cons:
Does not come with an extra USB cable.
No solution to use the FM Radio without just dangling your headset off of the side (in fact, the 3.5mm from the phone is blocked by the cradle). So, so, so, very lame. I realize I could just buy a cheap FM Alarm Clock, but what's the point of having all of this cool tech in my phone if there's no practical way to use it? Wasted opportunity, if you ask me.
Getting the phone in there at first, you feel like it might be really easy to damage the USB port.
A small amount of 'rattle' to the swivel mechanism, but otherwise, sturdy.
It is somewhat difficult and awkward to seat the device into the dock; this is a really snug fit.
BT audio kind of sucks biggity balls. Highs crack and there is a general layer of compression running through everything. Basically, there's no point in playing files that are encoded at anything above 64KBPS. Listening to music on high-end speakers kind of sounds like ass. So, yeah. Not sure why they didn't just route the audio through the USB port, iPhone-style? It's not terrible, but if you're an audiophile, you will cringe a little bit. Directly inputting to the phone sounds 200x better.
There doesn't appear to be a way to pair the dock with your computer, to try and re-route the audio stream (super nerdy stuff on my part).
T-Mo, in all their wisdom, left out support for landscape viewing throughout most of the OS. Really bone-headed and stupid (same complaint I have with using the phone as a GPS device -- sideways contacts / phone = stupid).
The docking pins are not used in any way, shape, or form (no automatic 'desk mode' / no automatic alarm clock). Lame. So lame. I'm so disappointed by this, because the docking pins were one of the main reasons I went with this phone (assuming super-fancy docks would be coming out).
The 3.5mm audio cables you plug in can very easily be unseated / pulled out from a bump. I don't know if this is because I'm using super-professional-grade cables that have a hefty weight / insulation to them? But if the cable applies any pressure to the dock's input, I get the infamous analog 'BUZZZZZZ!' sound. It's not cheap, I just think the cables are too heavy-duty.
The Dock wraps over the volume and lockscreen keys. Kinda dumb, but I understand why this has to be. I imagine the BT audio normalizes anyway.
They really should've thought out how to integrate their docks with the OS a bit more.
It's not terrible, but it's not mind-blowing. I got it for 20% off, and was able to use credit from a returned accessory. I got it for about $30, and I think that's probably a more reasonable price for what amounts to nothing more than a fancy USB port with lousy Audio Out capabilities. It's a solid and safe way to charge your phone at night, basically. I'll probably keep it, but it is a bit of a letdown, if you were expecting to drop your phone into it and have it automatically launch some kind of cool interface. I think they should've routed the 3.5mm stream from the USB input, and that they should've found a way to include an FM antenna into the device to make use of the super nice FM radio app. The fact that it doesn't automatically go into Desk Dock Mode is infinitely disappointing to me.
Basically, if your only other solution was to have it nervously balance on the edge of your table, sitting on your laptop, with your cat / dog or a child running around the house? This is a much better and safer solution.
If they just built landscape support into Sense, this would be pretty sweet. But I guess that's why they have it 'swivel', right? Lame.
Feel free to ask me any more questions, if you've got 'em.
@Jon C Wow, I'm impressed! Kudos man, I have a hard time typing out a whole paragraph. Excellent review! So, is the bluetooh in the cradle just for you to be able to plug in headphones at the base of the unit, or is there a built in speaker? I like their attention to detail with the rubberized parts you mentioned. So, with the phone being such a snug fit in the cradle via the micro usb- do you think that could cause any issues with the phone potentially being docked and undocked several times daily? I was pretty bummed when I noticed that the volume rocker is covered as while I'm @ work sitting at my desk, I like to put on Pandora with the ability to adjust the volume when I have to make phone calls. I'm thinking I will just continue using my business card holder for my phone stand- it seems to have more of the functionality I'm looking for lol.
@Jon C. Thanks for the write up! I really only want the dock to prolong the live of my micro usb port and for the auto clock function (I use it on my night stand) so I will NOT be purchasing this one. I really hope they come up with something else, total waiste to have the dock pins and not use them.
Man I miss my Nexus dock!
I updated the review a little bit. Not only does the dock block the volume keys, but it blocks the lock button and the 3.5mm out.
To answer your question: No, there is no speaker on the dock, simply a 3.5mm out.
Also, I need to stress how annoyingly difficult it is to actually seat the phone. The dock feels like it was engineered back when the phone was called the 'myTouch HD', and probably had slightly different dimensions (much like the gel cases, which do not fit exactly).
I really have to jam the phone hard against the back of the dock, to line up the USB port. I could easily see the USB port getting damaged from repeated 'misses'. The stupid little USB connector actually put a nice little dent into the side of my soft-touch paint.
Man, how the **** do you mess this up? What a letdown.
Sadly, guys, I don't think we're going to get anything better. That said, I'm really thinking about taking this thing back, based on how impossibly hard it is to even get the phone in there to begin with.
Jeez! Yeah I would take that thing back for sure. That really sucks that the stupid thing dented the side of your phone! They should give you something cool for free ;p...I'm just sayin...
Sent from mytouch 4G using Tapatalk
Normally, my OCD would require that I swap out my current phone for another one. However, with all of the bull**** with the variances in screen quality and so forth, I'd rather not push my luck. Plus, the reps at all of the T-Mo stores around here are kind of pushy / annoying and get angry when you want to swap out phones.
Still, I am pissed. Super lame, T-Mo and HTC. What the hell were you idiots thinking?
I hope a third-party makes a dock with pin support. Odds of that happening? Slim-to-none.
Yeah, I can understand the ocd thing lol! You do have a very sad but true point about a new hit or miss phone. Just to clarify though, who is the manufacturer of the dock- HTC or tmo? You would think that they would come out with some kind of dock to utilize those contacts on the side of the phone.
Sent from myTouch 4G using XDA app
Related
when I went to preorder my evo ( ) I asked about the dock. the guy there said he thought it would run around $60-$100. what do you guys think? I'm getting it no matter what but I just hope its not $100+
gmelchert said:
when I went to preorder my evo ( ) I asked about the dock. the guy there said he thought it would run around $60-$100. what do you guys think? I'm getting it no matter what but I just hope its not $100+
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IMHO $60+ for a simple dock is ridiculous... Heck, anything over 30 is way too much in my book.
well if a hdmi connector costs 40 bucks (absolutely retarded price gouging) then a hdmi dock at that price is not out of the question. Would I get one? depends on if it's for the car or desk, for a car...hmm... maybe... desk, no
either way it better have power+data+audio line out + hdmi all from one connector... and it better not look like dr frakenstein designed it... .or dr seuss =P
I can deal with something under 50$ MSRP, so that it will hopefully be less online. I think I'll take a crack at making my own dock. Just put the phone with cables connected into rubber cement or something similar. Maybe not though as I hate to waste cables
ya HDMI cables are dirt cheap at tigerdirect or similar.... I'll hackup a regular dock and make my own dock..or just lay it on the desk w/the kickstand.
You know these will be awfully expensive since Sprint's freaking car chargers are lke 30+ bones.
Anything OEM will cost you up the ass.
HTCPedia's site is selling some accessories (with a pic of the dock with no price yet)
I am looking for an all clear case. has anyone seen any online?
bhagiratha said:
I am looking for an all clear case. has anyone seen any online?
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Click to collapse
here you go... http://store.cheapdroids.com/Amzer-Clear-Snap-On-Crystal-Hard-Case-EVO.html
jvs60 said:
here you go... http://store.cheapdroids.com/Amzer-Clear-Snap-On-Crystal-Hard-Case-EVO.html
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Click to collapse
damn that sucks they are covering the front-facing camera and most likely teh back kickstand too
Besides docks that have special things like the HDMI... I'm interested in the docks that may automatically trigger modes, like on the Moto Droid where the desktop dock triggers an alarm clock/media center mode, the car dock triggers the navigation and music. I thought I saw the Evo would do this as well.
If anyone's interested in saving a couple bucks and are looking for something like that as well, here's an old article about someone who created a fake dock using a piece of cardboard with magnets on it. The magnets, in the proper position, tell the handset which mode it should be in:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/how-to-hack-your-own-droid-dock-with-magnets-and-cardboard/
Could probably add magnets to a 'dumb dock' to simulate this if the EVO supports it as well.
gryffyn said:
Besides docks that have special things like the HDMI... I'm interested in the docks that may automatically trigger modes, like on the Moto Droid where the desktop dock triggers an alarm clock/media center mode, the car dock triggers the navigation and music. I thought I saw the Evo would do this as well.
If anyone's interested in saving a couple bucks and are looking for something like that as well, here's an old article about someone who created a fake dock using a piece of cardboard with magnets on it. The magnets, in the proper position, tell the handset which mode it should be in:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/how-to-hack-your-own-droid-dock-with-magnets-and-cardboard/
Could probably add magnets to a 'dumb dock' to simulate this if the EVO supports it as well.
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I doubt the EVO has the magnets in it to activate different modes. None of HTCs phones have yet (to my knowledge).
HTC6800 said:
I doubt the EVO has the magnets in it to activate different modes. None of HTCs phones have yet (to my knowledge).
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You're probably right. Thought I saw something about the EVO's car mount that sounded like it did something like this. But god knows the kind of stuff my brain thinks it reads when I'm half awake.
has anyone purchased a decent car mount for the vibrant? I'm all over the web looking for one that I certainly wouldn't regret in buying. So, please post links, opinions, and maybe pics. thank you
I do not have it yet, but i saw this get posted several times with some good reviews http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.37823
The Verizon Fascinate is coming out this week and the press release says there will be a mount. I'm going to take my phone by a Verizon store and see if they have one they'll open and let me check fit.
Car Dock – Attachable to the windshield or dashboard, the car dock displays turn-by-turn GPS navigation instructions, rotates freely between landscape and portrait modes, and features a preloaded Samsung “Car Home” application, giving customers access to everything the “Desk Home” app can do while on the go. The car dock is available for $39.99.
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http://www.androidguys.com/2010/09/07/official-verizon-drops-samsung-fascinate-days-sept-9/
Due to the similar size and shape, I'm betting most generic ipod touch/iphone mounts out there will fit. Planning on checking walmarts offerings and maybe bestbuy sometime this week.
I just bought this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150481766101&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
I think its great if you're not using a case, snaps right it and doesn't move, and the mount seems nice and firm. The holes for the speakerphone and camera are all in the right places so its good to go.
Only complaint i have is the top snap portion is a little long and gets caught in the seam between the front and back cover if you're not careful. I snipped a tiny bit off the end of it to blunt the end a little bit, and am careful to pull the snap back when i slide the phone in, and its nice.
There are is a thread in here as well and/or the i9000 accessories forum that discusses a few options if you are using a case.
Xidroid said:
The Verizon Fascinate is coming out this week and the press release says there will be a mount. I'm going to take my phone by a Verizon store and see if they have one they'll open and let me check fit.[/url]
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And on that note, i called my corp Verizon rep and ordered one - free overnight shipping. Part# is "SAMI500MNT"
SHould be here tomorrow @ 3:30'ish, that's when Mr. Fedex shows up.
I'll post details and pics if it's legit and ends up workin on the Vibrant.
(had to edit quote as i'm too new to post links)
Much to my dismay, not only is the micro-USB connector lower on the Fascinate than on the Vibrant, rendering the dock useless unless you remove the Vibrant's battery cover & insert at an angle, but the phone doesn't seem to recognize the usb connection. Although it does give you the audible signal that it's been plugged in - the charging indicator disappears immediately and audio is not passed through the 3.5mm jack at the back of the dock.
The overall design of the car dock is very nice and I can only hope TMO will bring something along these lines for the Vibrant.
Here are some pics of the car dock for the Fascinate, for those who happened to be curious.
LabattZ said:
Much to my dismay, not only is the micro-USB connector lower on the Fascinate than on the Vibrant, rendering the dock useless unless you remove the Vibrant's battery cover & insert at an angle, but the phone doesn't seem to recognize the usb connection. Although it does give you the audible signal that it's been plugged in - the charging indicator disappears immediately and audio is not passed through the 3.5mm jack at the back of the dock.
The overall design of the car dock is very nice and I can only hope TMO will bring something along these lines for the Vibrant.
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Click to collapse
That's too bad, it looked promising. Thanks for jumping on it and trying for us.
Since the Galaxy is light in weight and came with 2 back covers, I did a DIY with velcro. I lined it up to my center dash (horizontally), hooked up the AUX and charger and BAM...only 5 bucks! I now have Google NAV/traffic and .MP4s at my finger tips.
DaSmittyman said:
I do not have it yet, but i saw this get posted several times with some good reviews http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.37823
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Click to collapse
I just ordered this one. I'll let everyone know how well it performs when it arrives.
I got this Arkon car mount.
http://www.amazon.com/Arkon-IPM515-...L68S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1287158680&sr=8-2
It says its for iPhone, but works just as well with most phones out there.
I have this mount:
http://www.amazon.com/Arkon-Univers...U3GA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1287178030&sr=8-5
Works great and holds the phone firmly.
The clingo mounts look awesome and have tons.of good reviews.
Texted While Driving
DKYang said:
I got this Arkon car mount.
http://www.amazon.com/Arkon-IPM515-...L68S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1287158680&sr=8-2
It says its for iPhone, but works just as well with most phones out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just got this mount today and well.......it's a very tight fit. This is perfect for anything smaller than the Vibrant size, otherwise it's a tight fit or won't fit at all. I won't recommend it if you need a mount where you can move the phone in and out of the mount quickly, otherwise, it should do well.
I use this one:
http://www.meritline.com/car-holder...-windshield-with-suction-mount---p-54018.aspx
With my Vibrant. Works great. You've got to be careful with the clip though to make sure you don't release it too soon it it'll snag between the battery cover and phone.
Overall very nice & doesn't obscure the phone at all & the phone can rotate 360 degrees with almost no effort (though it hasn't happened accidentally or when I've hit a bump or anything).
Anyone ever heard of proclipusa.com? They are a bit expensive but I had it for my iPhone in my 06 acura TL and it was awesome! Haven't ordered for the vibrant yet but am going to soon.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
tekkguy said:
I have this mount:
http://www.amazon.com/Arkon-Univers...U3GA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1287178030&sr=8-5
Works great and holds the phone firmly.
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Click to collapse
I got that too and it works pretty well. I've got an Xterra and it has a bumpy ride =\
~SB
Edit: I only use the vent not the windshield mount...
Xidroid said:
That's too bad, it looked promising. Thanks for jumping on it and trying for us.
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Official dock is now available... the cheapest I could find it was at Newegg for $35. Part #ECS-M979BEGSTA, I think (but some stores use this same part number for the Fascinate dock).
tjhart85 said:
I use this one:
http://www.meritline.com/car-holder...-windshield-with-suction-mount---p-54018.aspx
With my Vibrant. Works great. You've got to be careful with the clip though to make sure you don't release it too soon it it'll snag between the battery cover and phone.
Overall very nice & doesn't obscure the phone at all & the phone can rotate 360 degrees with almost no effort (though it hasn't happened accidentally or when I've hit a bump or anything).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have this one also and love it. tight fit and no matter how bumpy the road or water is (yes i use it on the boat) it stays exactly where you put it. on problem is you have to take it out of the case...
I got my Vibrant last week, and I needed a contest entry for a contest over at Instructables, so I hacked up a cheapy iPod dock into an awesome dock for my Vibrant.
The speakers are great for desktop use at work, despite being so cheap.
Unfortunately, I can't post a link to it ... so here are some pictures instead.
Not bad, how do you feed audio into those speakers? Using the AUX jack on the top of the Vibrant im guessing?
Yeah. It's not shown in the pictures, but that speaker set has a built-in 3.5mm cable. You just plug it into the headphone jack on the Vibrant.
NICE! I love instructables.
Is that Sugru for the bumpers? Trying to think of things to do with my samples - neat stuff.
Anyway, awesome dock. Need to keep my eyes open for a cheap dock like that.
Yeah, the Sugru is for the bumpers. I also used it to cover the rough edges of the cut plastic, and to give traction to the feet and stabilize the bottom of the speakers (they liked to rock forward when the phone was placed on the tray).
Those speakers are linked in the Instructable ... I can't post links, but if you search on Amazon for "folding speaker set" and then sort price lowest to highest, you can get those speakers for less than $5 including shipping. They have black ones too.
I happened to get the white set for free from a giveaway. The sugru was free too, so in my case, this dock cost me nothing but a USB cable.
Here -- I think this is your Instructable: http://www.instructables.com/id/Hacking-Cheap-iPhone-speakers-for-Android-Dock/
And the dock: http://amzn.com/dp/B000C8TSCQ
Might need to try making myself one of these too.
Personally, I'm hoping for a rotation mod (like CM has......it'll probably have to wait until CM6 is ported to it) that'll allow for the phone to be upside down. When that happens, I'll try to basically make this, but with a mount for the phone to actually dock into the connections.
If/When I ever get the ambition to do this, I'll definitely be using this instructable as a starting point.
THANK YOU!
Saiboogu said:
Here -- I think this is your Instructable:
Might need to try making myself one of these too.
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Click to collapse
Awesome, thanks for posting those. That is indeed my Instructable.
tjhart85 said:
Personally, I'm hoping for a rotation mod (like CM has......it'll probably have to wait until CM6 is ported to it) that'll allow for the phone to be upside down. When that happens, I'll try to basically make this, but with a mount for the phone to actually dock into the connections.
If/When I ever get the ambition to do this, I'll definitely be using this instructable as a starting point.
THANK YOU!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, rotation upside down would be awesome. If that were the case, you'd have to lose part of the tray in this version. But I do have a set of desktop computer speakers that are USB powered ....
Nice
Where did you get the clock app?
It's called Digital Clock, you can get it on the Market. It's a free app.
I also have those speakers. I can honestly say they are very cheap but good for the money. If you don't feel like waiting for shipping just go to wal-mart, they are packaged with some of their shirts for about 7 bucks
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Here's another one that I submitted to Instructables today ... no speakers on this stand.
tekkguy said:
Here's another one that I submitted to Instructables today ... no speakers on this stand.
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jesus hahahah
Hey bro, what case are you using, and where did you buy it from?
I'm using the Jelly Case by Amzer ... got it at Amazon: amzn (dot) to (slash) aTMvCj since I can't post links
By the way ... voting started today at Instructables, so if you're a member there, I'd love to have the votes!
Sugru substitute
You can use Goop or other similar type instead of sugru. There is also liquid handle sold as well. You can buy it at home depot or other places like that in adhesives section. there area bunch of these poly urethane polymers. Basically all you have to do to form it is use wax paper to create the depression shape desired.
BTW. You mentioned USB speakers. I have hooked those same speakers up via usb (just strip on end and shove it where the overall + and - of the batteries would be). Take very little electrical knowledge, but I would look it up if you haven't messed around with wiring things up, but I love turning things into USB powered. Although I wanted to put a mini-usb connector on mine and have yet to do it, but just say, for those of you out there, these speakers run off USB just fine.
Well when you buy them from amazon they come with a usb power cord. I didn't get mine from amazon.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
In case anyone is interested. I have a MilestoneX (DroidX variant) with an Otterbox case on it. I really wanted a dock for my truck but obviously the Motorola one doesn't work with an Otterbox without modification. In searching for the perfect mount I came across the almost perfect solution at http://www.slipgripcarmounts.com The mounts run right around $25 but of course they don't trigger the Car Dock app like the Motorola one. I did some searching on the web to find out what tells the phone that it's on a multimedia/car dock and turns out it's a magnet. After playing with the magnets from a restaurant name tag I discovered that one polarity activates the multimedia dock and the other activates the car dock A little super glue and some drying time later and I have a car dock that mimics the Moto dock with Otterbox intact and it was a good bit cheaper too!
Yeah those guys do make the best docks besides the OEM stuff, still sucks that you have to plug in a cord every time you dock it though and a second 3.5mm jack for audio out unless using bluetooth... I just used a rocketfish case and a little time with a dremel to make the Moto dock work with a case and it is by far the slickest setup I've ever had with a car accessory. I do wish I had known about these guys when I was using my Epic 4G though, I had a Seidio ActiveX case on that and my god I HATE the clamp style universal mounts. I'm sorry but those things are trash and look like crap too.
I just wish more manufacturers (looking straight at you HTC), would realize that the majority of people out there (or at least people I know) use cases and don't like the fact that they can't use the good docks with their case. I mean seriously, deductibles are often $80+ up to $99 for some people even if you do have phone insurance. Not having a case=1 "oh chit" and there goes $100 down the drain and no phone for 2 days while they ship you a new one. Every time I see someone with a naked phone, especially an iCrap, I just shake my head.
That's awesome! Ill have to look into one of these, I use an old Life Hacker binder clip mount I made about a year ago, works well but I have been thinking about getting something nicer.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
Thanks for the info.
Sent from my DROIDX using xda premium
(All images are linked to their full size. Just click on em. Yes, I know a few of the pics are terrible.)
So I received this little guy as a Christmas gift. Gotta say, while he has a couple things about him that annoy me, he's really pretty awesome. Lets review him, shall we?
Cool. So the box says he's a USB powered speaker that'll work with anything. Kinda vague tho, and because of that security sticker you can't see much. Either find a review or you won't really know what you're buying. And since this was given to me as a gift, neither did I until I unpacked him. So let's see what's inside.
Little android guy. Cute. iHome branding printed on his belly. At least I hope that's his belly and not his crotch. Let's go with belly....
And it is printed, not a sticker. Shame, that.
And look, his arms move! Nothing else does tho, that's it, his arms. Honestly more than I expected out of a speaker tho =P
His back is pretty bare, only having an on/off switch and a single port - MicroUSB, that's labeled audio/charge. I'll explain that down the line. No, he's not a wireless speaker, sadly. No Bluetooth or anything, you have to use a cord.
Here he is with my Galaxy Note II, for size comparison.
Let's check out the rest of the contents of the box.
So we got the android himself, his cable, an instruction paper that actually has some good info about the product on it, and a cool little drawstring bag with the android logo on it. I will say i find it funny that this is the "robo speaker" because they can't use the android name, but they can use the mascot without so much as an (R). Guess Google doesn't' care. More reason to love em, eh?
My Note II sitting on top of the bag. Little big for the speaker and cord, but w/e. Its a cool, android branded bag. Will definitely use this for something - not holding the speaker tho.
So this is the cable. You'll probably want to click on this picture, even if you don't click on any others.
It starts in a MicroUSB and ends with two plugs - a male USB 2.0 and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The big white thing on it is a clip to hold the cords (surprisingly sturdy construction) and includes a little slider to keep the split cord in check.
Better view of the clip.
So this is how you're supposed to use it - plug the 3.5mm headphone jack into your device and the MicroUSB into his butt, and let the USB dangle.
This is how I personally find it best to use - wrap the cord around his legs and use the clip to hold it in place.
Works like a charm.
Now, I want to say, since this is not an easily replaceable cord (that i can tell), you probably want to only use it to play music. Something like this MIGHT work, but I really have no idea.
Luckily, he charges just fine over a standard MicroUSB.
Now, a note on using this guy - when you have him turned on, his eyes light up blue
I don't know if you can really tell here, but in the dark you can see a line of slight glowing on the bottom of his head, actually where his mouth would be. However....
Don't charge this guy when you're trying to sleep. because his eyes turn red when he charges. That in itself isn't so bad, but that slight blue line I mentioned turns into a demented looking Joker smile. Not conductive to sleeping soundly.=P Which, to me, makes it even cooler - I knew android had some deep, dark, evil secrets in there =P
By the way, yes, you can play music through him while you charge. His eyes will be red if you do this.
Now, I have yet to field run this guy, so I can't tell you anything about battery life yet, but he did come to me with a nearly full charge.
Sound quality is frankly much better (and louder) than I expected. I'm no audiophile but i can pick out the sound of a decent speaker and this little guy impressed.
As far as build quality goes, he's very sturdily built. Strong, heavy plastic, which while is highly reflective does not pick up any fingerprints at all. I don't feel any risk of breaking the antenna, surprisingly. The weak point (because there always is one) would be the arms. For some reason they're made of a slightly different, softer plastic, and there's a little bit of bend to em if you pull them out or squeeze them in - if something breaks on this guy it'll be those, but honestly, I don't really see that happening.
Since this guy was a gift, I have no idea on pricing. I know I could look it up but frankly I feel too lazy at the moment. I do know, However, that they come in multiple colors.
Overall, I really like this little guy. The fact that he lacks a 3.5mm audio-in port confounds me, and the demented smile while charging will frighten small children (though that may be a plus to you). But overall I think the iHome Robo Ri-26 Rechargeable MiniSpeaker is great, and I plan to use it a lot.
Are you my father?
(To the right: The Official Google Cookie Jar)
Thanks for the review; well done. I got this guy in black as a gift too and I plan on putting it through the paces here over the next week. Glad to hear sound quality is above average, that was my main question heading into things.