Looking for D2 secure car mount

[patchm00]

I'm interested in using the proclip bracket (fits across an AC vent).

I got the pro-clip mount and put a double-T mount on it. To that I attached the moto cradle. The angle is pretty much perfect for viewing at the wheel. The back of the cradle has a protruding USB socket. Using that with a straight USB plug causes the cable to come a bit too close to the radio behind it. So I got a right-angle micro-to-mini USB adapter (via ebay) and connected an old mini-usb charger left over from my XV6800. The whole setup works great. No need for the ball mount at all.

I tried a vent mount and was NOT pleased with it. The clips don't grab the vanes of the vent securely enough to make decent use of the phone. Touchscreens are tricky to operate and the way the mount shifted made it problematic to use the screen. Missed or doubled taps were a big problem. If you're going to pick up the phone to use it then, maybe. But if you expect to use the phone while it's in the mount I would not recommend one attached to a vent.

The downside is now my 2yo son wants to see picture slideshows on it. "See family at the beach?" calls from the back seat...

Where did you mount it? I think for my car there are 2 choices (side of AC vents and on the console at the bottom). Do you have a link for the mount you bought so I can see the "T" you are talking about. So, you just took the cradle out of the moto mount and that went straight on that "T"?

thanks

 

[wkearney99]

Pro-clip makes two mounts for a Jeep Grand Cherokee. One goes on the passengers side of the console, down low. The other goes on the vent up between the steering wheel and the radio, this is the one I chose. I've had vehicle specific mounts several times and have been pleased with how they work. Not cheap but worth the price paid.

The double-tee mount is from an APGN-VSM from Arkon. It's basically the double-T and a 17mm ball. I go this cheap (via Amazon). I figured if the T-mount wasn't right then I could use the T with the ball and then connect that to the standard moto car mount. Turns out the T by itself works fine for me. So I've got a spare 17mm ball should I never need to rearrange things.

The setup is the pro-clip mount on the dash. Then the T portion of the arkon mount screwed into that. Onto the T I have the regular moto car mount cradle. Yes, I bought the whole moto car mount and use only the cradle from it.

At some point I'd like to hard-wire power to the cradle. But for now I just use a coiled accessory plug charger. The Jeep has two outlets, one powered full time and the other just when the ignition's running (I use the latter).

I don't have a case on the phone, nor the extended battery so I have no idea how well they'd work in the moto cradle. It has a removable tray so that would probably help with those.

 

[patchm00]

Pro-clip makes two mounts for a Jeep Grand Cherokee. One goes on the passengers side of the console, down low. The other goes on the vent up between the steering wheel and the radio, this is the one I chose. I've had vehicle specific mounts several times and have been pleased with how they work. Not cheap but worth the price paid.

The double-tee mount is from an APGN-VSM from Arkon. It's basically the double-T and a 17mm ball. I go this cheap (via Amazon). I figured if the T-mount wasn't right then I could use the T with the ball and then connect that to the standard moto car mount. Turns out the T by itself works fine for me. So I've got a spare 17mm ball should I never need to rearrange things.

The setup is the pro-clip mount on the dash. Then the T portion of the arkon mount screwed into that. Onto the T I have the regular moto car mount cradle. Yes, I bought the whole moto car mount and use only the cradle from it.

At some point I'd like to hard-wire power to the cradle. But for now I just use a coiled accessory plug charger. The Jeep has two outlets, one powered full time and the other just when the ignition's running (I use the latter).

I don't have a case on the phone, nor the extended battery so I have no idea how well they'd work in the moto cradle. It has a removable tray so that would probably help with those.

Oh crap you bought 3 different mounts to do this? I thought the Proclip had the doublt tee and/or the Akron also have air vent mounts so why not go with one or the other? So I wonder how Redflea did it with just the Arkon and the moto mount. I'll pvt msg him to find out i guess

By the way, the moto mount i bought has two cradle inserts, one for Droid 1 and one for Droid 2 (without case). If I take it out, my phone with the hard case fits perfectly so you really have 3 fits (Droid 1 and 2 without case and either with no case).

 

[wkearney99]

The bracket on the car is independent of whatever you put on it. So that's one part. I like the moto cradle but of course it only comes with the whole arm/suction thing. That's two. Getting the moto cradle onto the bracket meant cannibalizing the double-T mount from a $5 special off Amazon, not exactly a wallet buster. I believe pro-clip sells a double-tee, but it was cheaper to get the other one.

In addition I also have the arkon vent mount too and DO NOT LIKE how it works on the Jeep's vents. I have it as a spare for using in a rental or travel. But I would never want to use it day to day.

Yes, I think mine came with both the D1 and D2 inserts also.

 

[patchm00]

The bracket on the car is independent of whatever you put on it. So that's one part. I like the moto cradle but of course it only comes with the whole arm/suction thing. That's two. Getting the moto cradle onto the bracket meant cannibalizing the double-T mount from a $5 special off Amazon, not exactly a wallet buster. I believe pro-clip sells a double-tee, but it was cheaper to get the other one.

In addition I also have the arkon vent mount too and DO NOT LIKE how it works on the Jeep's vents. I have it as a spare for using in a rental or travel. But I would never want to use it day to day.

Yes, I think mine came with both the D1 and D2 inserts also.

Thanks that clears it up completely. Ya, I checked the price of the Dual T's on proclip and they wanted $25! Good tip from you, thanks.

I've read where some think the air vent types are fine and others do not so now it all makes sense and matter of taste and needs.

 

[wkearney99]

If you don't intend to use the phone while it's in the mount then the air vent kind might be OK. But since the phone is a touchscreen you really want a pretty secure mount. One that doesn't move when you press or use gestures on the screen. The air vent kind tend to move, just enough to cause misinterpreted actions. Especially with swipes, even more so if the phone is mounted horizontally. They're a cool idea but not so useful in practice.

It's also helpful to mount the phone in a place that gives you a nearby point to stabilize your hand. You don't want to have to use it with your arm extended without support. It's harder to make accurate taps on the screen without a way to steady your hand.

 

[patchm00]

If you don't intend to use the phone while it's in the mount then the air vent kind might be OK. But since the phone is a touchscreen you really want a pretty secure mount. One that doesn't move when you press or use gestures on the screen. The air vent kind tend to move, just enough to cause misinterpreted actions. Especially with swipes, even more so if the phone is mounted horizontally. They're a cool idea but not so useful in practice.

It's also helpful to mount the phone in a place that gives you a nearby point to stabilize your hand. You don't want to have to use it with your arm extended without support. It's harder to make accurate taps on the screen without a way to steady your hand.

This is all very excellent information. The Motorola Droid mount that comes with the window mount has exactly that second problem - I try to go hit a button and my arm is moving all over the place and I press the wrong dang thing!

I was looking at a couple of mounts and was about to ask here if anyone tried a mount that comes from the AC/Lighter or the cupholder which I saw had either the T's or the ball joint. But after reading your post both of those would have both those problems above (moving when you press and not having a place to rest your hand when you use it).

I thought of the lighter mount because one of my friends has one for his iphone and likes it. Maybe I will try his for a day if he lets me. His is similar to this one:
Amazon.com: IG-CL4SA+SPH+SM050-2: Cigarette Lighter Mount & Socket and Universal Cradle for Motorola - Most non-flip models including Devour, Backflip, Droid, Droid 2, Moto W755, Moto i1, W233 Renew, Cliq, Cliq XT: Everything Else

 

[wkearney99]

Yeah, it really depends on the make/model of the car and your desired use patterns. I wanted something that was up in my driving line of sight, not stuck down on the console. I want to be able to use the phone for mapping/navigation. I can steady my hand on the steering wheel or arch my fingers onto the nearby top of the dash. But if I had to use the phone for a lot of entry I'd still have to pull it out of the cradle. And stop driving, of course. The last thing anyone should be doing is fiddling with their phone while driving the car.

But not all vehicles are going to have the perfect spot. The idea is to really think about how you want to use it and find a spot that makes the least number of compromises.

 

[Redflea]

If you don't intend to use the phone while it's in the mount then the air vent kind might be OK. But since the phone is a touchscreen you really want a pretty secure mount. One that doesn't move when you press or use gestures on the screen. The air vent kind tend to move, just enough to cause misinterpreted actions. Especially with swipes, even more so if the phone is mounted horizontally. They're a cool idea but not so useful in practice.

It's also helpful to mount the phone in a place that gives you a nearby point to stabilize your hand. You don't want to have to use it with your arm extended without support. It's harder to make accurate taps on the screen without a way to steady your hand.

This is all very excellent information. The Motorola Droid mount that comes with the window mount has exactly that second problem - I try to go hit a button and my arm is moving all over the place and I press the wrong dang thing!

I was looking at a couple of mounts and was about to ask here if anyone tried a mount that comes from the AC/Lighter or the cupholder which I saw had either the T's or the ball joint. But after reading your post both of those would have both those problems above (moving when you press and not having a place to rest your hand when you use it).

I thought of the lighter mount because one of my friends has one for his iphone and likes it. Maybe I will try his for a day if he lets me. His is similar to this one:
Amazon.com: IG-CL4SA+SPH+SM050-2: Cigarette Lighter Mount & Socket and Universal Cradle for Motorola - Most non-flip models including Devour, Backflip, Droid, Droid 2, Moto W755, Moto i1, W233 Renew, Cliq, Cliq XT: Everything Else

I've been using the Arkon vent mount w/the D2 car mount backing plate for the past several weeks, and movement has not been an issue...sits very secure and I can dial numbers/make selections w/out errors...frankly parallax issues are the only problem I have when making selections, I tend to tap too low and select an item below what I mean to.

 

[pool_shark]

I bought a universal cell phone windshield mount from a Verizon store. It swivels so I can have it in portrait or landscape. It feels pretty secure to me.

 

[patchm00]

If you don't intend to use the phone while it's in the mount then the air vent kind might be OK. But since the phone is a touchscreen you really want a pretty secure mount. One that doesn't move when you press or use gestures on the screen. The air vent kind tend to move, just enough to cause misinterpreted actions. Especially with swipes, even more so if the phone is mounted horizontally. They're a cool idea but not so useful in practice.

It's also helpful to mount the phone in a place that gives you a nearby point to stabilize your hand. You don't want to have to use it with your arm extended without support. It's harder to make accurate taps on the screen without a way to steady your hand.

This is all very excellent information. The Motorola Droid mount that comes with the window mount has exactly that second problem - I try to go hit a button and my arm is moving all over the place and I press the wrong dang thing!

I was looking at a couple of mounts and was about to ask here if anyone tried a mount that comes from the AC/Lighter or the cupholder which I saw had either the T's or the ball joint. But after reading your post both of those would have both those problems above (moving when you press and not having a place to rest your hand when you use it).

I thought of the lighter mount because one of my friends has one for his iphone and likes it. Maybe I will try his for a day if he lets me. His is similar to this one:
Amazon.com: IG-CL4SA+SPH+SM050-2: Cigarette Lighter Mount & Socket and Universal Cradle for Motorola - Most non-flip models including Devour, Backflip, Droid, Droid 2, Moto W755, Moto i1, W233 Renew, Cliq, Cliq XT: Everything Else

I've been using the Arkon vent mount w/the D2 car mount backing plate for the past several weeks, and movement has not been an issue...sits very secure and I can dial numbers/make selections w/out errors...frankly parallax issues are the only problem I have when making selections, I tend to tap too low and select an item below what I mean to.

Two things i worried about the vent mount (well 3 but you took care of 1 above).

1. Blocking the AC! I live in Florida and I gotta have my AC. Seems like this would block the air flow quite a bit
2. Worry about moisture in the phone. With all that AC blowing on it doesn't moisture build up (or have a chance to)? The Air vent I have doesn't have a way to turn off for that vent only but then I'd have a problem with #1 above

 

[harv2000]

This is all very excellent information. The Motorola Droid mount that comes with the window mount has exactly that second problem - I try to go hit a button and my arm is moving all over the place and I press the wrong dang thing!

I was looking at a couple of mounts and was about to ask here if anyone tried a mount that comes from the AC/Lighter or the cupholder which I saw had either the T's or the ball joint. But after reading your post both of those would have both those problems above (moving when you press and not having a place to rest your hand when you use it).

I thought of the lighter mount because one of my friends has one for his iphone and likes it. Maybe I will try his for a day if he lets me. His is similar to this one:
Amazon.com: IG-CL4SA+SPH+SM050-2: Cigarette Lighter Mount & Socket and Universal Cradle for Motorola - Most non-flip models including Devour, Backflip, Droid, Droid 2, Moto W755, Moto i1, W233 Renew, Cliq, Cliq XT: Everything Else

I've been using the Arkon vent mount w/the D2 car mount backing plate for the past several weeks, and movement has not been an issue...sits very secure and I can dial numbers/make selections w/out errors...frankly parallax issues are the only problem I have when making selections, I tend to tap too low and select an item below what I mean to.

Two things i worried about the vent mount (well 3 but you took care of 1 above).

1. Blocking the AC! I live in Florida and I gotta have my AC. Seems like this would block the air flow quite a bit
2. Worry about moisture in the phone. With all that AC blowing on it doesn't moisture build up (or have a chance to)? The Air vent I have doesn't have a way to turn off for that vent only but then I'd have a problem with #1 above

I can't speak to the extreme humidity of Florida. Air conditioning is actually a dry air, so I tend to think that the air conditioning will dry the phone. When it might be an issue is when you pull a cold dry Droid out of the mount and walk around with that in a warm moist environment. It was Florida though that sent me this direction. I overheated the phone while it was mounted on the dash in an air conditioned car on a trip in Florida. It hasn't overheated once since I put it in front of the vent.

 

[patchm00]

I've been using the Arkon vent mount w/the D2 car mount backing plate for the past several weeks, and movement has not been an issue...sits very secure and I can dial numbers/make selections w/out errors...frankly parallax issues are the only problem I have when making selections, I tend to tap too low and select an item below what I mean to.

Two things i worried about the vent mount (well 3 but you took care of 1 above).

1. Blocking the AC! I live in Florida and I gotta have my AC. Seems like this would block the air flow quite a bit
2. Worry about moisture in the phone. With all that AC blowing on it doesn't moisture build up (or have a chance to)? The Air vent I have doesn't have a way to turn off for that vent only but then I'd have a problem with #1 above

I can't speak to the extreme humidity of Florida. Air conditioning is actually a dry air, so I tend to think that the air conditioning will dry the phone. When it might be an issue is when you pull a cold dry Droid out of the mount and walk around with that in a warm moist environment. It was Florida though that sent me this direction. I overheated the phone while it was mounted on the dash in an air conditioned car on a trip in Florida. It hasn't overheated once since I put it in front of the vent.

So I ordered the Arkon air Vent mount just to see. It was only $5 from an amazon vendor after shipping so I figure I can't lose too much (should get it Friday). Main thing I'm trying to figure out is if the Moto Car Mount that costs almost $40 is worth it just to use the cradle with a different mount. I can't use a window mount since on my car the window has too steep of an incline so I couldn't reach it if I wanted (maybe that is safer).

 

[dThurman]

Maybe I'm just a little different, or maybe lucky with my background-a machinist. I took my new Droid and placed it where I thought I would want it to be in my truck. Somewhat just below the radio, in front of the ash try, which is never used. I then took the swivel part of the mount off, leaving the ball mount on. Then I figured out how I would make a sturdy piece of sheet metal to mount behind the plastic panel of the truck that the mount would bolt to. Voila--a very sturdy mount for the Droid mount. My phone locks into place, does not vibrate going down the road, and gets charged as I go, and I can see it as needed. It does not shut down in this mount for one. Hmmm, maybe I should mass produce these. David

 

[patchm00]

Two things i worried about the vent mount (well 3 but you took care of 1 above).

1. Blocking the AC! I live in Florida and I gotta have my AC. Seems like this would block the air flow quite a bit
2. Worry about moisture in the phone. With all that AC blowing on it doesn't moisture build up (or have a chance to)? The Air vent I have doesn't have a way to turn off for that vent only but then I'd have a problem with #1 above

I can't speak to the extreme humidity of Florida. Air conditioning is actually a dry air, so I tend to think that the air conditioning will dry the phone. When it might be an issue is when you pull a cold dry Droid out of the mount and walk around with that in a warm moist environment. It was Florida though that sent me this direction. I overheated the phone while it was mounted on the dash in an air conditioned car on a trip in Florida. It hasn't overheated once since I put it in front of the vent.

So I ordered the Arkon air Vent mount just to see. It was only $5 from an amazon vendor after shipping so I figure I can't lose too much (should get it Friday). Main thing I'm trying to figure out is if the Moto Car Mount that costs almost $40 is worth it just to use the cradle with a different mount. I can't use a window mount since on my car the window has too steep of an incline so I couldn't reach it if I wanted (maybe that is safer).

Just an update - The air vent mount i bought above sucks! Does not hold well and shakes terribly but it was only 5 bux so not total loss. I finally bought the 3 part solution that wkearney99 talked about in this thread. I had to drill bigger holes in the car mount to git the double T thing on it but that was easy. It's a WIN!