Hi guys,
I've gone through a few generic mounts of eBay and unfortunately none have lasted me more than a few months. I've tried the design that consists of the round suction area and round mount, and the cheap claw style mount.
I know there must be a perfect one out there. What I'd like is one that has minimal vibration, strong suction, great build quality and NFC would be a nice bonus.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
What exactly has failed with the previous mounts?
surprising nobody responded to this one, anybody got a good experience with mounts?
I asked for more details about his previous experiences, without any reason... What else could I have said more? Maybe you, @sam008 could add something and we could continue the discussion from there.
PS: I have some experience with mounts.
Well the issue I've had and most people see as well is the suction has a very short life. In a few months, when driving, the phone just falls off and you have to re-attach it
That behaviour is rather normal. It's rather hard to create a plastic (rubber, silicone or whatever it is) that can resist in the sun. Even the suction cup that came with a Garmin (which might be considered above generic suction cups) fell down after a few weeks. Imagine that that suction cup is constantly pulled on and the longer the arm (I've seen 20-30 cm or almost one foot long arms) the worse it is. Not to mention that the phone will balance more.
That is why I tend to avoid suction cups and prefer vent or CD slot mounted holders, with as short as possible arms.
Vent mounted holders also have the advantage that during summer the phone will be cooled down by the car's A/C.
One of these days I'll come back with a few opinions about what I tried until now.
Even my iOttie dock couldn't handle the Texas heat! Not only did it keep falling off, whatever the suction cup is made of came apart and left a sticky goo all over my windshield. Now I use a CD mount that is below the dash and gets cold AC blown on it to help keep the phone cool.
At first I used a cheap suction cup holder. It was OK, but the phone was a little bit too far away from me. It used to fall every now and then, but not too often. But then again, Eastern Europe is not Texas. Some venting would have been welcome anyway.
Then I used a CD slot holder. It was pretty OK, A/C was blowing on the back of the phone (small clamp). But it used to resonate sometimes with the car at around 110 km/h.
Then I switched cars and broke the CD slot holder so I could use a vent holder and I did. The clamp is a bit big on this one, so the A/C is not that efficient, but it goes. Actually this one is made up of two holders, the clamp from one and the claws (that go in the vent) from another.
I tried a very small one for a few minutes (bought it from a mall and promptly returned it after I tried it in the parking lot) but it looks like it doesn't even have a chance of being stable.
Now I am using the amazon bought combo, but I might switch back to CD vent.
The linked pictures are as example only. The amazon links are the actual products.
In the end I recommend something that can easily enjoy the A/C and with a very short arm. Be careful that some car brands (like my old Fiesta) don't allow the air flow to be turned off while the vent's fins are used for the phone holder.
Related
Hi, just wanted to give a quick impression of 2 windshield mounts I ordered.
http://www.amazon.com/Arkon-Univers..._1_3?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1305654075&sr=1-3
http://www.amazon.com/Arkon-IPM515-...Holder-Compatible/dp/B003Z4L68S/ref=pd_cp_e_2
Overall they both work OK. I much prefer the "Universal Mount" just because of how the Slim Grip opens/closes. The Universal is a squeeze style close with a button release. The Slim Grip you have to push the lower part down to open it, and the same to get your phone out. Kind of a pain.
Plus, even though the Slim Grip seems to be OK in Landscape...it still scares me not having a physical piece there to hold it up in case the spring force isnt enough.
I am using the Slim Grip as a vent mount (using the vent mount supplied with the Universal) and the Universal as a Windshield mount. So far the suction cup on the Universal seems very strong and I have not worried about it coming down.
One thing I noticed on the Universal that is a bit annoying, when the unit is fully opened and you are driving it rattles. This is remedied by simply closing it 1 or 2 clicks (which still allows you to put your phone into it without opening it back up).
I have the same Universal mount but with the frictionless pad. How do you like the Vent mount though in the terms of removing it? I got scared away from it because the reviews had that the two clips to hold it in place easily break.
Ordered the Universal yesterday, should have it tomorrow. I'm curious to see how well it works with the extended battery, but I like the idea of mounting it to the vent. Can't wait to get it regardless though, since the other one I have will only work with the stock battery.. Grrr..
I had a mount similar to the universal mount here (different brand) that I grew to loathe quite a bit because it rattled with no device in it. I didn't put my phone in it every time I got in the car and this bothered me greatly. I'm glad I avoided that universal mount because I would not tolerate that at this point.
The second mount (that you have to push down on the lower part to insert device) is the one I use now. It doesn't bother me how it functions and it is quiet. It grips well enough that you shouldn't worry about it slipping, and the extended clips make it work great for this phone without needing a huge stretch on the cradle to insert the phone.
I got the universal mount yesterday. Love it so far. Haven't noticed any rattling, but I may not either unless I switch vehicles. Keeps the phone secure though, and it works nicely with the extended battery in place (no case yet).
I do kinda like the looks of that other one too. Maybe I might order it for the wife and try it out. Not sure how often she'd use something like that though...
frankspin said:
I have the same Universal mount but with the frictionless pad. How do you like the Vent mount though in the terms of removing it? I got scared away from it because the reviews had that the two clips to hold it in place easily break.
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Hi, I do not have much experience with this yet as this mount is in my wife's car.
The vent mount clips do seem a bit flimsy...especially since I am using it on the "slim" mount. With the universal I wouldnt worry too much because of the button release, squeeze in. You arent putting much if any pressure on the clips.
But with the slim mount...I have a feeling these could break on me down the road.
Those clips are definitely flimsy. Solved the problem though: rather than use the clips, I pulled that other piece off and cable tied it to my vent. Solid, and not moving.
Obviously, it does no good if you switch vehicles, but for that I will use windshield mount then.
Sent from my ADR6350 using XDA App
Just wanted to update on my "hack" for the vent mount. Been very solid so far. I have some concern over the longevity of the cable ties, but honestly, it's a very minor concern. Very little movement of the phone, great location being on the air vent (especially in the summertime, keeps it cool).
I can post pics if anyone wants to see, but I'm glad I went that route. Leaves the windshield mount available for when I'm in a company vehicle or my wifes car.
Do any of these after-market mounts activate the car panel app? I've seen how you can find and run it through the HTC universal search but is there any other way to activate it (like with a magnet on the OG Droid)?
jesand83 said:
Do any of these after-market mounts activate the car panel app? I've seen how you can find and run it through the HTC universal search but is there any other way to activate it (like with a magnet on the OG Droid)?
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Not with a magnet. My gut is that a resistor or something is what's required. Check this thread:
http://androidforums.com/htc-droid-incredible-2/350066-there-anyway-trick-dinc2-into-car-mode.html
FWIW: I finally got this the other day after they were mentioned on Gizmodo a couple weeks back. Exogear sold out, Amazon sold out, and I got back ordered for week.
This is my second car mount, I also have one of the HK shipped ones that you can buy on eBay with the X10 specific mount which will let you use programs like DailyRoads Voyager to record your trips or take photos through the mount.
The main problem with that ebay mount is that it could only be mounted on the windshield, and with some cars, it's impossible to mount low without the phone being more than an arms length away, and if you mount it high, you block your view (like adding another rearview mirror) and risk a stop and ticket by a police officer for 'blocking your view' which is one of the old rules now being enforced. Additionally, your car charger may not be long enough to reach and/or adds an additional distraction.
Anyway, Exogear had a video of this new universal car mount and Giz put a link up on the Exomount. They claim that this is the stickiest mount and can stick to pebbly/leather textured dash and frame panels as well as smooth glass without an additional pad or double stick tape. Additionally, since it has a clamp at one end, as well as the suction cup, you can suction cup your phone and clamp to the air ducts which might be a necessity with the battery overheating problem during Summer.
Well, in short, Exomount does everything it says it does. It's a very short form factor (a couple inches shorter from screen to mount than my Chinese car mount), it will clamp to the airducts, and suction cup your phone (extremely well) that you may pull the back off when you try to release it and it will stick to pebbly dash. Just make sure that your surface is CLEAN. The material will pickup all the dirt/dust and have reduced suction as a result. The suction cup can be washed in the sink. The mfgr says it's better after washing.
You may want to keep the cardboard ring to put on the unit when not in use.
It does not come with one of those 'keep the louvers open' clips, but it's clips are very long and I didn't have a issue with the louvers closing once I had it in position since I spread the clip to span several louvers. I didn't see any warping of the vents.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/oona...=referral&utm_source=pulsenews#mkcpgn=rssnws1
looks nice and simple.
might not be full-featured as our Moto car docks. but. just throwing it out there.
A similar option it’s the Exogear Exomount Universal Car Mount
This product looks very promising, and the only thing that I’ll be worried about is the quality of the suctions cups that I think it’s the key about this product.
I have been using the Exogear Exomount Universal Car Mount with my Garmin gps device and my Motorola Atrix and works great.
Doesn't really look like the hold will be up to much tapping or sliding on the screen. I guess if you just use a bluetooth headset and want to be able to SEE the screen ... Interesting design though.
I don't know, the way I fling my car around corners and stuff, I don't think Oona will be riding with me.
nunjabusiness said:
Doesn't really look like the hold will be up to much tapping or sliding on the screen. I guess if you just use a bluetooth headset and want to be able to SEE the screen ... Interesting design though.
I don't know, the way I fling my car around corners and stuff, I don't think Oona will be riding with me.
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I got my wife one of these for her iPhone. It was one of those 9PM "oh ****" kind of purchases, because her Garmin gps crapped itself during an update the night before a trip. Got it at Wal-Mart. The cool thing is the suction cup has the sticky stuff on it as well, so I'm pretty sure it's not coming off even in a head on crash with a Mac truck. I tried it out with both my phones and even my HTC Flyer. They all stick fairly well. The first time I pulled my Droid Charge off it left the back cover attached to the mount!
barry99705 said:
I got my wife one of these for her iPhone. It was one of those 9PM "oh ****" kind of purchases, because her Garmin gps crapped itself during an update the night before a trip. Got it at Wal-Mart. The cool thing is the suction cup has the sticky stuff on it as well, so I'm pretty sure it's not coming off even in a head on crash with a Mac truck. I tried it out with both my phones and even my HTC Flyer. They all stick fairly well. The first time I pulled my Droid Charge off it left the back cover attached to the mount!
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I had that mount as well. While the suction cup is great, the sticky material that holds the phone is not. It will quickly lose it's "stickyness." The instructions tell you to clean it with soap and water once in a while to restore the adhesive, but this will only work a few times. Also if you leave it in your car on hot days, the adhesive will begin to melt a bit. If you use it after that, the adhesive sticks to phone even after you take it off.
biggins1870 said:
I had that mount as well. While the suction cup is great, the sticky material that holds the phone is not. It will quickly lose it's "stickyness." The instructions tell you to clean it with soap and water once in a while to restore the adhesive, but this will only work a few times. Also if you leave it in your car on hot days, the adhesive will begin to melt a bit. If you use it after that, the adhesive sticks to phone even after you take it off.
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Good to know! We've also found that when it's in the 30's the sticky doesn't work so well.
I live in canada, and therefore, have to deal with below freezing temps. The issue I have right now is trying to find a car mount that does not utilize that cheap plastic tab in the middle of the sgs2 to hold it in the mount. I have purchased 2 different types on ebay, and both have had that tab snap off due to the cold weather making the plastic brittle. Does anyone know of a product somewhere that has that clip either on a spring hinge, and one that uses a metal clip that wont break in cold weather?
colinlinton said:
I live in canada, and therefore, have to deal with below freezing temps. The issue I have right now is trying to find a car mount that does not utilize that cheap plastic tab in the middle of the sgs2 to hold it in the mount. I have purchased 2 different types on ebay, and both have had that tab snap off due to the cold weather making the plastic brittle. Does anyone know of a product somewhere that has that clip either on a spring hinge, and one that uses a metal clip that wont break in cold weather?
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I used to own a classic Mini, anyone that has owned one will tell you there is not really any protection inside unlike a modern car.
I used a exogear - exomount in it over winter (-6c for a week was the lowest where I live) and no cracking/snapping or loss of suction.
Its a really great mount, someone posted up about it in here somewhere and Ive loved it ever since.
Here, in Poland, i had a maybe similar issue, the temperatures get from freezing cold to melting hot, always any holder gets broken or just falls off from the window due to the temperatures deforming the sucker. Now im using a Spiderpodium and i can totally reccomend it, if you got a vent near enough to allow you to see the screen without any trouble then that might do the job for you. As an additional pros the vent with air conditioning keeps the phone cool all the time. About a traditional car mount then you could maybe try a universal mount, phone doesnt need to be squeezed into such so there are zero parts that could break off.
Hi,
im using this product ordered from eBay, this is by far the best holder i had, and i tried about 4:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-C...685656?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item27c9391418
didn't try it in a cold weather. i live in Israel and i bought this product this summer. during summer the temperatures can get to close to 40 degrees in the place i live (probably higher inside the car).
in a few occasions my car was in direct sunlight all noon, when i got back to the car the suction cup was a little bit loose, but after a few moments when the car cools down the suction cup is strong again.
it can be rotated 360 degrees, it doesn't wobble and make noise during driving and the suction cup is very strong, never fell of the windshield.
Why not get a proper mount for your phone ? I'm using a Brodit one and it's very tough even when offroading (not mounted on windscreen, but mounted with screws). It fits and holds the phone just great.
All variants for the S2 are here, there's even an adjustable one in case you use a skin case.
I'm looking to get a car mount for my Nexus 5, but I'm not sure which style to go with. My dad has the Aduro u-grip and likes it, but he says it has fallen off his dash a couple times. He doesn't use the 3M tape though, so I imagine that could stick it more permanently.
http://www.amazon.com/Aduro-Univers...GLF8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405607983&sr=8-2
I've also seen options that fit on your vent.
http://www.amazon.com/Kenu-Airframe...1B4W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405608084&sr=8-1
The vents in my car are fairly close together, so I'm a little concerned about that fitting.
I haven't really seen many of the traditional windshield mount options, but I never had much success with those sticking well anyway.
Any thoughts on the two I posted plus other possibilities?
raptir said:
I'm looking to get a car mount for my Nexus 5, but I'm not sure which style to go with. My dad has the Aduro u-grip and likes it, but he says it has fallen off his dash a couple times. He doesn't use the 3M tape though, so I imagine that could stick it more permanently.
http://www.amazon.com/Aduro-Univers...GLF8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405607983&sr=8-2
I've also seen options that fit on your vent.
http://www.amazon.com/Kenu-Airframe...1B4W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405608084&sr=8-1
The vents in my car are fairly close together, so I'm a little concerned about that fitting.
I haven't really seen many of the traditional windshield mount options, but I never had much success with those sticking well anyway.
Any thoughts on the two I posted plus other possibilities?
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Hello,
The one that your dad has is awful, it won't stick even with the 3M tape/disk. As for the second one, I used with a smaller phone and it worked fine, but I think it might be a tight fit for the N5, especially if you use a case.
I currently have these two:
http://www.amazon.com/iOttie-Windsh...ie=UTF8&qid=1405608590&sr=8-5&keywords=iottie
http://www.amazon.com/iOttie-Univer...ie=UTF8&qid=1405608655&sr=8-7&keywords=iottie
The first one is in my car, the other one in my wife's. I particularly like mine, as it is easier to get the phone in and out. Also, you won't need the 3M tape. iOttie uses an special type of suction cup that attaches to virtually anything. I will also like to mention that both mounts have fallen a couple of times, during the winter time, but I am talking about really cold temperatures. You can put them in the windshield as well as in the dashboard, but I don't like to put them in the windshield, because I mostly listen to music through my phone and it is kind of far away to use for me.
Regarding the vent mounts, I have used them in the past with other phones, and there is just one major benefit in my opinion. When you are using the navigation app, the phone tends to get really hot and if you are listening to music is even worse. With your phone in the vent, that won't be an issue, even during the winter. The only con I can think of is that some of those vent mounts won't have a strong hold in your phone, so if you hit a big bump in the road the phone might come out.
I hope this helps.
cgjjaf said:
Regarding the vent mounts, I have used them in the past with other phones, and there is just one major benefit in my opinion. When you are using the navigation app, the phone tends to get really hot and if you are listening to music is even worse. With your phone in the vent, that won't be an issue, even during the winter. The only con I can think of is that some of those vent mounts won't have a strong hold in your phone, so if you hit a big bump in the road the phone might come out.
I hope this helps.
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Yeah, that's why I was looking at vent mounts. My old HTC Incredible would overheat if I didn't position my one vent in such a way as to blow cold air on it. Unfortunately in my new car the vents can't angle to blow cold air on where the phone would be in a window or dash mount.
I have a Kenu Airframe and am a huge fan. I've had it for a little over a year. Excellent product.
atoy74 said:
I have a Kenu Airframe and am a huge fan. I've had it for a little over a year. Excellent product.
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+1 on the Kenu, but I used it with the Nexus5 Qi charger. See this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/goo...es/kenu-airframe-n5-wireless-charger-t2573184
It's very convenient to have the N5 magnetically mounted. I tried without the magnetic charger, it's a bit hard to insert/remove the phone from the Kenu mount.
I use a vent clip one I picked up from Wally-World. It worked fine for the last three phones I've had. $15.