Friday, May 13, 2011

Kensington Quick Release Car Mount for iPhone and iPod Touch Review

Kensington Quick Release Car Mount

    Mobile phones and other gadgets have become so much a part of our daily lives that sometimes you just need to stop and organize your life. Purchasing items to make life easier is usually the goal when buying or trying out new products; whether it be to speed up washing the dishes, ease the chore of cutting the grass, or in this case, to make driving a vehicle safer. We've all seen the guy in the next car over fumbling with his iPhone while trying to drive. It's not just annoying, it's a massive safety issue to everyone else on the (sidewalk) roads.

Another issue with having our mobile phones with us every waking minute is that they tend to get thrown in the worst of places while we attempt to do other things. In this case drive a car. Do you toss your iPhone in your vehicles cup holder? What about in the console? How about up on the dash? Our mobile phones really get placed (or thrown) in some places that they weren't designed for. 

Think about how fragile a new smart phone is. Just getting some dust in the ports can effect its performance. And we all know that liquid and electronics do not mix. So what happens if you throw your iPhone in the cup holder and there was some left over condensation in there that just went directly into the charge port of the phone? Kiss it goodbye. Grime, dust and liquid will damage your device and the best way to avoid that is to keep it up off the dash, console or floor. Have you considered picking up a windshield mount? Think they're too bulky or expensive? Well, think again.

I'd like to introduce you to the Kensington Quick Release Car Mount for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Don't let the name fool you though because this will work with anything with roughly the same dimensions. So, many smart phones will work in this also.

Features:
  • Mount securely holds your iPhone or iPod touch even when in a case
  • Flexible arms let you insert and remove your iPhone with one hand
  • Cradle pivots for both landscape and portrait modes
  • Includes both windshield and vent mount-use the one that works best for your vehicle
  • Cable holder keeps charging cable connected (charging cable not included)
Specifications:
  • Cradle compatible with iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, iPhone, iPod touch
Warranty:
  • Quick Release Car Mount is backed by the Kensington 2-Year warranty.

Packaging:




Retail Front

Retail Rear


Video Review:







Mounts:




Windshield Mount

Vent Mount


Conclusion:

The Kensington Quick Release Car Mount may be designed for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but keep in mind that with a little research online, I've seen people with the HTC Evo and other phones that will fit in the spring loaded grippers. I really can't recommend this unit enough because of it's simple design, quick release grips and quality materials. Throw in a ridiculously low price of $10.98 on Amazon.com right now and you've got yourself the deal of the century.

Sure there is beefier windshield mounts of there but they are typically 2x - 4x the price of this unit. The Universal mounts are generally bulky, but will fit just about any device so if you don't have an iPhone or iPod Touch specifically, you'll have to test this for yourself. Kensington also has plenty of other car mounts for a universal fit.

One final note, using this unit as a holder for playing music or a movie with your iPhone or iPod is great also. Simply twisting the base to landscape mode and popping on a Disney movie works great to soothe a cranky kid and frees up a hand to actually drive the car! What I like to do is slap my iPhone 3GS in the Kensington Quick Release Car Mount, plug it into my trucks audio via the Aux In port, twist the phone to landscape and fire up a Pixar movie for my 2 year old sitting in the back. The full sound from the vehicles speakers really sell the movie and having it up high enough for him to see it is great.

This would also be great when using your iPhones Navigation app, etc. Music, Movies, Apps or anything in between. Since the entire screen is usable while in the holder, it doesn't limit your ability to actually USE your phone in the holder.

If you like what you see here, hurry over to Amazon.com right now and pick this up for just $10.98 before the price jumps back up to $19.99! Though it's still recommended at that price too.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks! Im gonna try it with my Nexus S

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  2. This system is made of quality plastic and the discharge location will work very well. The vent clip have a spring in them, so they are quite safe.

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  3. I would like to have this product. The suction cup based mount is handy and is quite applicable to any car or vehicle.

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  4. This looks promising. I have one in my car, but this product seems like a perfect fit. I was actually looking for great audio supplies and tools. I think I should try this one as well. I like the idea of making this product an easy to install product. It looks compelling and compact as well.

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