Related
Hi
Can anyone recommend a good quality car cradle for the xdaII and where to buy?
i need something that won't leave a permanent mark on the dash board.
Thanks!!
Fais
Take a look at http://www.brodit.com
What he ^^ said
I have a brodit cradle in my car for my XDA and its brilliant.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2786867099
I just bought one of these, look here for review, at the price on ebay it is unbeatable, as I have just bought the one listed on ebay you will need to ask the seller if he has more, he seems to have them to fit every pda, it offers a 2.5 mm socket for handsfree headset, built in speaker, charging circuit etc, I dont know what the "pda" socket is for but will let you know what its like, I will try it with xda and xda2.
review here. http://www.data-nation.com/index.asp?redirect=arkonmnts.asp
or here http://www.arkon.com/CM530.html
thanks everyone!!!
Went for the Arkon on ebay - other reviews have been great too... very good price since the brodit was costing more with delivery. wish i hadn't bought a car charger no
Thanks as always crusin-thru!!! all your advice/help has always been spot on! Thanks!
I have now received the Arkon powered cradle, first impressions are of a solidly built piece of kit that wont fall apart after 5 minutes. The cradle comes with flexible window mount which is very solid in use, a dash mount which turns the window mount into a pedestal mount by affixing a circular plate to the flat part of the dash then attaching the sucker part of the flexible mount to the plate, this also works well. There is also a vent mount which is solid in construction too, the actual cradle slides onto the mount and is very stable. Also come with a converter cable for xda1/xda2, this plugs to the earphone socket then another cable plugs into that which in turn plugs into the audio in on the speaker which sits in the rear of the cradle. The power is by way of a cigarette lighter plug which terminates in a plug that plugs into the base of the cradle. On the base of the cradle is 2 usb type ports, the one on the right takes the supplied lead which powers the xda1/xda2, the one on the left can be used to charge/power your bluetooth gps or any gps with usb lead. The good news is the audio in TomTom2 is absolutely crystal clear rom the cradles speaker, audio from mp3 etc is very good too. The bad news is when the phone is used, you know that sound you sometimes get from your speakers in the car when the phone is hunting for networks, well on the cradle speaker it is truly awful, if you originate a call the noise is like dum de de dum, for approximately 15 to 20 seconds, eventually it fades and the audio is perfect, when you end the call the same noise comes back for approximately 5 to 10 seconds. Its a real shame because its such a good piece of kit. If anybody knows a mod that can be carried out to stop the radio breaking through to the speaker I would be interested to know. I almost forgot, there is also a dc out socket so you can power another device from the cradle.
I came across this product and had to order one for my tomtom kit, it is the loudest speaker moutn I have ever heard, and the XDA 2 fits in the mount perfectly:
http://www.pdamods.com/products.asp?cat=78
I used to have a ipaq 1910 and the speaker on that was rubbish, then upgraded to an XDA 2 and thought it was better than the 1910 but could not hear the voice directions if the radio was loud, however this mount is seriously amazing, it has its own built in amplifier with full volume control.
I have got this holder for the car, unfortunately the TomTom GPS receiver has a RJ11 connector and the holder has a mini USB port, so therefore i can not use it.
It came with a PS2 to mini USB connector and thats it.
Very sad if you ask me
I'm now waiting for a lead connector from TomTom RJ11 to Mini USB
Sorry to hear that they may have made a mistake cos I chose tomtom cable and they sent me the RJ11 cable - believe me when you get the right cable you will love this device !!
On ebay is sold a little rechargeable device called car baby, it clips over the speaker and then you get the audio from the xda or any other device through your car speakers.
Arkon PDA Mount
Hi guys,
I'll let you know my experience with the Arkon car mount kit.
First what I have?
1) O2 XDAII
2) Arkon car mount kit for Vent and Windshield mount.
3) Arkon cables for XDAII
4) Emtac CRUXII/BTGPS
What you gain?
1) A complete car kit that charge both devices (XDA and BT Gps)
2) A handsfree car kit with a good speaker
3) A handsfree Navigation system
Hope this helps a choice.
All these powered mounts are great (i've got the Arkon PDA Mount) except that they all pick up the background radio signels that the phone transmits when it is active or syncing with the network and that's really annoying if you're driving along trying to listen to anything else.
I've had the same problem as you jashry but I've found a little S.P. (Service pack) to that.
Just turn the 3,5 mm cable so that it touches the Arkon device on the backside. And you'll hear less noise due to GSM signal.
Hope it helps!
Arkon 700 car mount for XDA2
I called a well known supplier of kit based in Manchester and asked for a car mount for the XDA2, to run with (and charge) a Bluetooth Tom Tom headset.
The first set came without an audio lead - so rendered the XDA2 useless for receiving calls.
I called and was rudely told of the company's arcane returns policy which made me see red (working in the legal profession) as the kit was clearly defective. To save time, I bought another one subject to some concessions re postage and return of the original etc.
The second kit arrived - complete with a 3.5mm audio lead. The XDA2, which I specified, has a (standard for mobile phones) 2.5mm audio socket. So, it is still useless.
Tried it with a jack adapter (3.5 to 2.5mm) - sound is barely audible, even with everything turned up and "loud' selected on the Ultra Profiler. So, both are now going back with a terse note regarding the Sale of Goods Act.
Can anyone recommend a good car kit (and where to get one from, ideally quickly). Basically, I need something loud and reliable, that will charge a TomTom bluetooth GPS. Ideally, I would like something that can be vent mounted (neater, less 'shake') tha can be hard wired (neater).
I am afraid that finding a jack adapter was at the limit of my technical abilities - suggesting that I splice this and patch in that is akin to suggesting that I learn to fly or communicate by ESP. I wish...
Thanks
PDAMOD Speaker mount for Qtek
Bought one of these mounts that Jashry recommended, but I'm having all kinds of problems with it!
To use the amplifierfacility I have to use the audiosocket in the corner of the Qtek, and they do indeed supply a small cable for that.
But when this cable is mounted, the Qtek barely touches the bottomsocket of the mount, and the connection is lousy!
Actually I HAVE heard the voice, because I can "rock" the Qtek to the side a little, and then I can test the TOMTOM voice, and it sounds great, problem is this prohibits the connection to the GPS, so at the moment it is useless.
On their homepage I can find pics of a Qtek in the mount, but without the little cable in the corner....!
Wonder if anyone uses this device, and if they have had the same problems and maybe somehow solved them?
/HM
angusmcintyre said:
All these powered mounts are great (i've got the Arkon PDA Mount) except that they all pick up the background radio signels that the phone transmits when it is active or syncing with the network and that's really annoying if you're driving along trying to listen to anything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I'm a bit late on this thread, but have you tried using an external antenna lead on your device? This should direct all of that radiation where it belongs.
I have to add that I haven't chosen my amplifier cradle yet because of this issue, but I am eager to know whether the antenna theory does work.
I too tried the mount recommended (after the Arkons which went back) and the loudest sound I have ever heard is interference from the radio signal of the 'phone.
Anyone want one? At the moment it is just an overpriced charging cradle.
I now have a 'Silver Shield' mount, and yes it does sqawk when the phone transitter is operative. However, it also does that when I hold it near my nokia, but not when the nokia is in its car-kit. I should be receiving an external antenna tomorrow, so I'll let you know whether the theory works in practise. In the meantime Dr. Fresh, I'll take any unwanted goods!
I tried the Arkon mount, it landed somewhere near the service station at Bristol on the M5 when I launched it out the window, interference was so loud, it should have been returned to the designer and inserted up his ass....sideways.
It works!!!!
Just got my external antenna and adaptor; plugged it into the XDAII, inserted this into the amplified mount and hey-presto, you can hardly hear the interference, whilst the audio signal is strong enough that you could leave the whole lot at home and hear it on a trip to France! (Well, almost!)
My only problem now is that the Antenna adaptor is a bit bulky, sticking out of the back (about 11mm or so), which makes it a little lop-sided in the holder. I now have to take a look at modifying the mount to fit the connector in. Will let you know how I get on
Inspecta. I am interested to know if using an external antenna fixed the problem. I think it will probably make it worse, it is direct rf breakthrough from the phones radio causing the problem and I think the antenna lead is just another place for it to splash its unwanted interference over.
Interference
Hiya Cruisin,
absolutely, it is the external antenna which rectifies the problem.
When using the internal antenna, all of the r.f. energy is in close proximity to the speaker and amplifier. By using an external antenna, you have the same amount of energy, but it is radiated from the antenna located on (in this case) the windscreen. Energy is radiated in all 3 planes, so the interference reduces by the CUBE of the distance, therefore, by doubling the distance from the speaker/amplifier, the amount of interference reduces by eight times. You can verify this effect by placing any mobile up to your car radio; it will eventually pick up the noise, no matter how good the radio.
........ sorry about going off on one! Yes it does work; I removed the external antenna, and the set-up went back to its bad old ways, replaced it and everything is great!
(Now got to get some shares in external antennas!)
And now I will admit my stupidity by telling you I was pretty stoned when I wrote that reply and for some reason i thought you were referring to an external gps antenna, now I cant blame the dope so i will accept all responsibility, thanks for the lowdown on the rf.
or you couyld get a holux like received this morning just tried it and its great amplified speaker and built in gps receiver worked with my xda2 no problem
Must have missed something here.
I've got an arkon powered mount CM532 with built in speaker and gps connection but the voice prompts from the nav software only come thru the internal speaker on my XDA2. I can't get them thru the mounts speaker.
Any suggestions?
ROM 1.60.00WWE
ExtROM 1.60.50
Radio 1.10.00
Did you get a cable to plug into the handsfree socket and into the amplified mount? You need this for all of the mounts that I looked at. If you ordered the mount specifically for the XDA, you should have received a cable to go with it.
Hi all
Has anyone any experience of the O2 Car Kit like this one
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=57252&item=6382293875
I'm well past the stage where I should have installed and be using one, (the car is a Diesel L/R Disovery Tdi, and not exactly quiet), but I'd like any opinions on the best to use, or any problems that might arise.
Althogh I have a BT GPS Unit, I dont use any Route Planning S'Ware, cause few have any usefull maps of Northern Ireland, so its the call audio I'm really interested in.
TIA for any opinions
Based on the pictures this carkit is the same as the QTek2020 / T-Mobile MDAII carkit.
It is said to be of very good quality.
BUT: It is also said that when using ie TomTom Navigator (or the like) your car-audio will be muted permanently.
This carkit was sold in Germany for approx 170 euro (about 110 gbp). So I would say the current auction price is rather high . . . .
I was not aware that O2 sold this carkit. I am using the XDAII carkit that is/was sold by ie. Expansys. The quality of that thing is not as good. Especially the mic sound is horrible for 'the other side'
BTW there are many threads on this (all approx 1 yr old)
Car Kit Query
Hi Ed
>>Based on the pictures this carkit is the same as the QTek2020 / T-Mobile MDAII carkit. It is said to be of very good quality.
Yes I agree, part of what drew me towards this one is the look of it.
>>BUT: It is also said that when using ie TomTom Navigator (or the like) your car-audio will be muted permanently.
I have considered this, and I'm not sure when or if I would use anything other than 'Pocket Streets', (and its maps of this area aren't that good either).
Most of the mapping I have been able to view provide street level detail, only in Larger Built up areas, and main routes connecting these.
Fortunately I already know my way between Belfast and other towns, As a result I dont know if TT or indeed any of the others would be of any real use. As a result, I really am more curious about the Call audio from the Speaker and Mic, during calls.
>>This carkit was sold in Germany for approx 170 euro (about 110 gbp). So I would say the current auction price is rather high . . . .
yes I found it on the T'mobile (D) site still on sale,
fully agree re the price but .... if it works ... then ... maybe ..
>>BTW there are many threads on this (all approx 1 yr old)
Yes and I think I managed to read most of them, I was sorta looking to see if someone else has lived with one of these for while, and have a experienced opinion on the it, any Rom Upgrades needed etc ...
I'm not sure how much more stress I am prepared to endure to get various aspects of this great unit to work as I hoped it would, (can't afford to be pulling on my hair much more these days)
I have yesterday just bought this car kit from the company advertising it on ebay, first of all the compnay are absolutly brilliant to deal with and would recommend them highly.
As for the car kit i have found three little niggles:
1) it isn't as easy as other car phone kits to place the xda2 into the holder, this is probably the case for most xda2 car kits due to the body of the xda2 itself.
2) any sound from the pda will mute the car radio, this so far hasn't been too much of an issue, but you can always just disconnect the car radio mute lead, but side effect of course is that you would have to turn the radio down when you recieve a call, however it is nice that the tomtom directions etc come out the car phone speaker loud and clear.
3) now this one may not be the car kit itself and maybe just that i haven't managed to find optimal settings or have missed a setting up procedure (if there is one). Basically there is a lot of background noise through the microphone, speech can be heard ok but i haven't experienced this amount of noise from any other kit, however i am going to try and relocate the mic to the middle of the car instead of up the windscreen frame near the driver door, this may solve this.
Apart from that it is a very easy kit to install (would recommend a professional install due to problems of bodged installs and car air bags!), it is of a very good physical quality and have seen it advertised for over £150 in the UK.
O2 car kit query
see now thats what I was hoping for.
thanks macca
I'm just about convinced
now just need to know where my wife hid my c'card ???
macca: Just a tip for the mic: Make sure the airstream from then vents does not reach the mic. I read several threads on background noise and most of them appeared to be created by the airstream blowing over the mic.
thanks edsub, i'll investigate that furthur, i maybe moving over to a orange m2000 soon as i have been offered an upgrade, unfortunatly it won't fit in my car kit, so i may have to sell it and get a xda2i instead. xda2 is great, i just miss the wlan.
david young, glad to have helped.
Brodit kits
I wonder if anyone has any experience of these Brodit Car Kits at pdahut? I do like the idea of ProClip Brodit have so you don't have to drill holes anywhere in your car. Any other suggestion?
http://www.pdahut.com/store/home.php?cat=378
I have Brodit and Carcomm cradles installed and they are both excellent. At the moment I have my XDAII in a Carcomm cradle which is powered and has a serial input cable to which you can connect a GPS Mouse or charge a BT GPS.
The Brodit cradles also have the option of an amplified speaker, in the photos you'll see my 2210 on the right of the steering wheel is connected to this type.
In the UK TotalPDA sell Carcomm and Handnav are the appointed Brodit resellers.
See here for images of the cradles in my car.
I too liked the idea of not drilling in my (leasecar) dashboard.
Afaik there are two options then:
Brodit Procip (plastic)
MTU dashmount (metal)
I opted for the MTU and decided to imitate it myself from a metal plate strip. Its quite easy from the MTU specifications:
http://www.mtu.no/english/DashMount/DM_pdf/70224.pdf
I managed the get the cables through the airvent that is now blocked by the carkit.
Now did I get a bargain or did I get a bargain.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5196552992&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT&rd=1
So long as you want it for an XDA rather than an XDAII then yes.
I have my 2i in a Brodit kit connected to the cigarette lighter and then a bluetooth Motorola HS810...works a treat. Luckily the 2i fits perfect as I got the cradle originally for the XDA2.
I've also got my TomTom wireless BT receiver on the dash...all work nicely (other than ongoing issues with phone mast transfers causing TT lockups)
Aww hell, I'll just take a picture and show you...my only wish is that on the Mini the holder was locked in a bit higher to show off when people drive past
A
PS - yes that IS a Care Bear...that my girlfriend puts there to "watch over me". I have one of those little dog things that Clintons Cards do (the ones with the big heads and little bodies) in the other cup holder. Thought I'd get that in now to avoid the "errr....is that a care bear?" questions!!
griffog said:
See here for images of the cradles in my car.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Errr....just how many PDAs and phones do you want in your car?? Hehe...
They're not all used all of the time but I need them when performin comparison testing
Actually I tend to use TT Mobile 5 on a C500 most of the time now!
Griffog, yes it is for xda however I had an official car kit, the original I think for xda in the past and that would take an xda 2 quite happily although I never tried it out in the car it charged the xda 2 on the bench ok, what are the issues, is there a wiring difference preventing it working?
FYI
I am after a XDA Orbit Brodit Active Mount, I spoke to the helpful chap at www.dsldevelopments.com he explained the HTC P3300 active brodit mount does not fit the Orbit as the usb port is about 3mm offset compared to the HTC P3300. He said Brodit are addressing this and may have the Orbit Bodit Active mounts available in a few weeks.
Nick
I spoke to Dave at DSL Developments on 7th January. He said that Brodit currently had an Orbit, were now designing a holder, and hoped to get one into test by end of January, possibly to market in February. He said he'd get back to me by email when it's available (he's developing an email list of people awaiting one!).
I would love to see their Molex adapter to use for something USEFUL like AUDIO OUT. So everybody could use the Orbit/Artemis for connecting to car stereo AUX IN.
Sorry but I have to disagree with the assumption that this mount will not work with the orbit as I am using it on my Orbit.
Yes at first it did not work so I used a bit of gentle pressure to align it and it works really well.
Not really an issue in my opinion.
Brodit orbit active holder finally here
Just for information noticed this morning that the orbit active holder has finally appeared on the brodit website!
Does anyone know any uk based shops where these will be available soon?
Joel_Croft said:
Just for information noticed this morning that the orbit active holder has finally appeared on the brodit website!
Does anyone know any uk based shops where these will be available soon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
We are please to announce that the holder range for the XDA Orbit has just been released, stock is due into the UK in 5-7 working days so to order and get one allocated to you, please follow the link,
If you have any questions do please get in touch,
Many Thanks,
Bryson
http://www.dsldevelopments.com/brodit/new_holder/o2+XDA Orbit-Brodit-Holder.asp
Can anyone tell me how to mount the brodit holder for Artemis in your car?
There are 3 holes for screws, but I don't want to damage my car interior when installing the PocketPC car holder.
The documentation included does not say anything about how to install it
You will need a Pro-Clip to suit your vehicle, the holder will attach to that via screws, or Brodit Move-it Clip (which is a better solution as it makes it easier to remove from the vehicle) it also leaves less evidence of a mount in the car when removed - Mike
Thanks for the quick reply! I didn't knew that
Brodit Mount
Have at long last received my XDA Orbit mount from Brodit courtesy of DslDevelopments, its a peice of cake to install (you need car specific proclip to mount it onto!) the Orbit fits nicely and feels very secure, I got the active version so phone is always being charged in the car - recommended even if it did take brodit 2 months to produce it!
Philby
esackbauer said:
I would love to see their Molex adapter to use for something USEFUL like AUDIO OUT. So everybody could use the Orbit/Artemis for connecting to car stereo AUX IN.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is there any solution for this issue by now?
i fancy that brodit active holder but it would have to be capable of connecting the device to the power supply as well as my car stereo AUX IN.
could get this sorted out with a self-built solution but i prefer having just one single cable visible in my car....
...any suggestions?
You will need to use the Passive (non powered mount) and a 3 in 1 addapter like this one http://www.easydevices.co.uk/pp/HTC_Accessories/HTC_P3300/HTC_P3300_3_IN_1_USB_ADAPTER.html
It does work very well and allows you to charge the device up, use the supplied ear phones and use the 3,5MM socket to feed the Aux input on the car.
It does not pass the earphones through as an aerial though, so you cannot use the Artemis radio when using the addapter, I have one and use it in this exact same way in the car, your other alternative is to change the stereo to one that supports Bluetooth and stream the audio to the car deck using A2DP - this works very well, but it is also very costly for a stereo that can do this - Mike
bluetooth is no good to me as i dont wanna change my car deck due to design reasons
reckon i'll actually get this sorted exactly the way you described it as brodit's active holder concept seems to be no good for audio throughput, which is a shame if you ask me
anyways, cheers for your replay mate..
My solutions
I bought a Sony MEX-BT2500 for £90 on ebay - bluetooth streaming, brilliant!
However, there are other things I've done too...
Got the standard universal PDA holder that O2 ship sometimes, or for a fiver on ebay... it's one with sliding 'feet' at the bottom of it... then put your usb connector (either straight power or a 3-way if needed,) into your device,and slide the feet to hold it tight. With this done, gently remove the device, holding the connector in place, and stategically place a couple of drops of superglue to hold the usb connector to the feet... job done.
I then fastened my holder to a bolt-free bracket for my Passatt (another ebay find) for a perfect solution...
NickR said:
FYI
I am after a XDA Orbit Brodit Active Mount, I spoke to the helpful chap at www.dsldevelopments.com he explained the HTC P3300 active brodit mount does not fit the Orbit as the usb port is about 3mm offset compared to the HTC P3300. He said Brodit are addressing this and may have the Orbit Bodit Active mounts available in a few weeks.
Nick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look here for active holders for XDA:
Brodit XDA Orbit Car Holders.
Cheap prices and good service.
Hi all.
Just took delivery of my dock kit, and it's very nice. Well built, but whether its worth £35 quid is another story.
Anyway, that aside...
When the default "Driving Menu" is enabled, is there a way to change it, especially to use CoPilot instead of Google navigation?
I have had a quick search in this section to see if anyone else asked the same question.
Im in the same boat. It would be nice if someone could do a workaround. Nice bit of kit for the price.
NatTheCat said:
Im in the same boat. It would be nice if someone could do a workaround. Nice bit of kit for the price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you get audio to come out of the rear connector. I plugged my 3.5mm cable into the socket and the sound still comes out the speaker!
Have you tried it?
Settings - dock settings
ALexander
alx37 said:
Settings - dock settings
ALexander
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep! I should have read the booklet, it did tell me in there ;-)
RTFM!
I struggle to take the phone out cleanly using on hand - always hit the power button. Dock mode seems pretty poor to me, seems to get all voice activated with road noise - is the google one any better? (we have a samsung 'special', I think?)
Another thing I've noticed is the terrible engine whine from the loudspeakers when its charging.
Now I tried headphone out socket too, and the same problem occurs.
To me it's a lovely piece of kit, but if you have it connect via Aux then u need to listen to the whinning noise from the charging.
Anyone conquered the noise suppression from an in car charger? It's doing my head in!
stratplayer said:
Anyone conquered the noise suppression from an in car charger? It's doing my head in!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you checked it's not your car? Will try and remember to test if mine does this...
i also have the whining problem when charging. after some investigation, it appears to be caused by poor connections. in my case i suspect the head unit, as i didn't connect the rod at the back to the car frame with the bolt and nut.
you can get a ground loop isolator for about £15, but they just mask the problem - should really get it fixed if there is an electrical problem
Interesting. I have a 2008 Ford Mondeo from new. I'd hope that is electrically correct, but who knows.
I am awaiting delivery of a new car (Audi A3), so I will see if this has the same issue.
It's a real shame because the AUX out on the device increases the volume limit sent to the head unit and it makes a massive difference all round, this limit set by the poxy EU rules on the headphone out socket of the phone is really low (83% of max volume) and when you compare the two on the device its obvious the car kit is better.
BTW it makes the whining noise out of the headphone socket too, when plugged into cradle.
from what i've read, the noise when charging is usually from the alternator. do you notice the whine change when you speed up. if so, i'd get it checked out.
There is a method of basically powering the head unit direct from the battery, bypassing all the other connections and wires the juice has to go through to get to the head unit. probably what i will do if mine doesn't work after i've installed it properly.
I plugged mine into the radio today. From the headphone socket, no problem apart from a lack of volume (even on max gain, it is only just loud enough against the road noise). No background noise though.
Plugged into the connector on hte back of the dock is a completely different story. A ~10khz whine, which is present even with the 12V lead disconnected, and worse when it is connected. Sounds like breakthrough from a switch-mode power supply to me. Makes the audio-out on the dock not fit for purpose. Time to add my review on a fre sites selling them...
The other complaint I have is that it doesn't grip well enough to the windscreen.
tshoulihane said:
I plugged mine into the radio today. From the headphone socket, no problem apart from a lack of volume (even on max gain, it is only just loud enough against the road noise). No background noise though.
Plugged into the connector on hte back of the dock is a completely different story. A ~10khz whine, which is present even with the 12V lead disconnected, and worse when it is connected. Sounds like breakthrough from a switch-mode power supply to me. Makes the audio-out on the dock not fit for purpose. Time to add my review on a fre sites selling them...
The other complaint I have is that it doesn't grip well enough to the windscreen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, although I get noise from the headphone socket when in the cradle and charging.
I have raised a returns to send my unit back for a refund. It's a waste of time having it if you cant listen to music on it! Imagine listening to the SatNav with all that silence and "whine" on the speakers, it would drive you bonkers.
It's a real shame as the overall quality is pretty good, but it is not fit for purpose in my opinion.
Will update this thread if I get any more news.
Just posting a review on Amazon... found this review too
2.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointing, 28 July 2011
By
Sean Houlihane
This review is from: Samsung Vehicle Dock Kit for Galaxy S II (Electronics)
For the price, this does not do well enough. Yes it fits well, and holds the phone, with an integrated dock connector. However:
It is a push-fit corner grabbing design, and I find it almost impossible to release the phone with one hand.
The windscreen suction mount is feeble, so maybe 20% of the time rather than removing the phone, I end up with the whole thing coming un-stuck.
Dock mode on this phone is almost useless, so plan on replacing it if you think it is a good feature.
The audio-out functions, but there is a very poor electrical design - even if the charger is not plugged in, the signal picks up a constant high pitched whine (even with the car engine off)
Buy a cheaper one, and you'll feel less hard done by.
tshoulihane said:
I plugged mine into the radio today. From the headphone socket, no problem apart from a lack of volume (even on max gain, it is only just loud enough against the road noise). No background noise though.
Plugged into the connector on hte back of the dock is a completely different story. A ~10khz whine, which is present even with the 12V lead disconnected, and worse when it is connected. Sounds like breakthrough from a switch-mode power supply to me. Makes the audio-out on the dock not fit for purpose. Time to add my review on a fre sites selling them...
The other complaint I have is that it doesn't grip well enough to the windscreen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hilarious, just posted your comment on here from Amazon, didnt realise it was you until after I posted it!
There's one more for you to find - and it's not a cut'n'paste... Maybe not live yet.
If you don't want to run a car Samsung's menu
If you don't want to run a car Samsung's menu install aps from the store :
Dock No-Op .
If you want to restore the default you have to uninstall the application.
Samsung Cars Menu and that sucks and this increased volume of system sounds, it's up scares. I think everybody can hear it in the around car
And what this menu is, and so one can make your own card to use in the car.
Personally, I mounted the Launcher 7 menu that conforms to the Windows Mobile 7 and has the icon in the system ankles. Cubes as they rotate with the vertical grip twist at the best level for navigation. This arrangement works well in the car, because after docking nothing changes and I can continue listening to your music on the equipment in the car, not a hundred times to click to activate the music listened to on headphones before
Sorry for bad english, but google translator
I was a bit apprehensive about buying this dock as I'd read a lot of reviews complaining about engine noise and sub-par audio quality when outputting sound through the line-out but since receiving it I've been really pleased with it. There is no engine noise or unwanted sounds so I guess this varies from car to car and depends on how your stereo is wired up. I've also run a few low frequency speaker test mp3s through the line-out and headphone-out it as I'd read reports of the line-out cutting off some of the low frequencies but to my ear I hear no different and I get a good response from my sub with both. My only gripe is that the call audio is not routed through the line out. Although I knew this was the case prior to buying, I just can't understand why Samsung would have left this feature out. I've read that this was the case with other Samsung phone's official docks previously and in most of the cases I've read about a solution has been found either through a OS/kernel tweak or an app which sorts the problem out. I'm just hopeful that a helpful dev is able to have a look at this and see if a solution can be found for the SGS2. Otherwise it's a great dock
I have to say I am disappointed with this dock. Coming from a Moto Atrix dock, this is poorly designed. Love my phone, hate the dock.
At first glance it seems extremely well made but after using for a while it is fustrating.
One, they use to many materials compared to the Atrix dock. This thing is huge.
Two, its hard to get out of the dock. The atrix dock had a nice flip up latch that secured the phone.
Three, you have to run two cables from the dock for changing and audio. The atrix dock had one cable coming from the dock with an audio out dongle near the end of the cable.
Last, the freaking background noise is terrible. Dont even try to listen to audio at a low volume.
I like the flip up charger adapter. Also it works with the official extended battery. But thats about it.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium