Related
Thought I'll let ya'll know.
EDIT: Review.
Ok, I bought this from the store. I thought I'll wait to see if there was a better one, but I was unconvinced, not to mention some of them looked this, atleast from the suggestions of one of the store reps.
The mount costs 30 dollars outright from the store. If you buy two accessories, they take 20percent off both, three or more accessories and the discount becomes 25percent.
The box comes with: a cradle, window (suction) mount, a circular sticky pad (to mount the unit over the dash), and an alcohol wipe. It sucks that this does not come with the usb car charger, which apparently was a separate purchase for me ($5 dollars on amazon instead of $30 at the store).
So far I like it. Unlike other reviews, I have found it fairly easy to mount it, even with only one hand. And once you snap the lock on the top, it stays there. Once mounted, it automatically launches the car panel app, whether the dock itself is plugged in to a power source or not.
Although its sturdy, sometimes it shakes when you hit a bump on the road. Plus, adjusting the mount itself requires two hands though, and there are a couple of knobs that you can sort of tighten the adjustment into place. These are the only two quirks that I have with this.
Overall, I like it. As someone who uses the phone navigation quite a lot, it helps to have your phone mounted instead of fumbling around while driving, which is a definite no-no.
Definitely interested in this. Missing my DX's car mount.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
Did it come with the audio cable to plug into your headunit? After selling my DX I can't seem to find that cable anywhere. Plugged into headphone jack.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
No it did not come with an audio cable.
Sent from my StarTAC
My family has 3 of these mounts. The first two had the two "teeth" in the usb connector, which made it harder to pull the TB out. But the last one was bought more recently and it's missing the teeth. I think VZW heard people's complaints and redesigned it. On that mount, the TB comes off easily.
Awesome - thanks for taking the time to post pictures and a write review!
I use my phone for navigation a lot and have been holding off on getting the car mount because of poor reviews. But this definitely looks a lot better than keeping it on my lap
I find the kickstand-in-vent mount to be working quite well. Even on bumpy roads.
necosino said:
I find the kickstand-in-vent mount to be working quite well. Even on bumpy roads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That just scares me lol - I'd be afraid of the kickstand breaking after a while. Or getting worn out and start to just flap around like a fish out of water ...
YankInDaSouth said:
That just scares me lol - I'd be afraid of the kickstand breaking after a while. Or getting worn out and start to just flap around like a fish out of water ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just leave the phone angled at like 30* upwards so that all of the weight isn't on the kickstand, but everything is still completely visible. I'm thinking of adding a small support as well though. (I have a spare console vent, so if I mess it up I can replace it easy enough).
what25 said:
No it did not come with an audio cable.
Sent from my StarTAC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn. Can't find it anywhere.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Wouldn't any 3.5mm stereo cable work? I have a 2 foot cable I used to plug a cowon q5w to my car's unit. Sounded pretty nice, and I am thinking of using it for this phone in the car cradle.
Just to add to the OP's review, my recent purchase of this cradle also shows no issue with being too tight. I was disappointed it came without a power cable, though I already had one from amazon for $5 anyway. And finally, my Thunderbolt gets SUPER hot while plugged into this cradle. Almost too hot to handle.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
tedkord said:
And finally, my Thunderbolt gets SUPER hot while plugged into this cradle. Almost too hot to handle.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just today put the sticky pad below the ac vents closer to the shift stick an mounted my dock there, and so far it hasnt shown any heat issues. Previously it did, but I had it on my windshield during the day, when the sunlight was basically at the phone during the time it was there.
My .02 on the car mount....
1) Phone does get hot I noticed too. I pointed one of my dash vents directly up toward the phone, doesn't overheat, but wondering what will happen in winter when cool air isn't blowing on it...
2) Phone does tend to jiggle a little bit more than on previous car mounts I have owned. Not enough to bother me, but it's been mentioned as a complaint by others, and it does happen.
3) The stock music player does crazy things when in the car mount. I solved this by downloading the Android Music app from the market, no more issues, and free.
4) Not a huge fan of the stock Car Dock mode, as it doesn't have a link to music or voice search. I fixed this by downloading Google Car Home from the market. Free, and customizable to any app you want to use.
5) Any 3.5mm cable will work with this mount, however, the one I already owned was too big to clip into the back of the mount (has 1 clip for a charger, 1 for 3.5mm cable). Getting a standard sized one worked great however, hangs next to car dock for easy access once phone is in position.
Finally, I spoke to an HTC rep about the car dock a couple of weeks ago. He told me that the mount currently for sale is NOT manufactured by HTC, but that one from HTC was coming out soon (no idea to timeframe).
Hope this helps!
ludionis said:
Finally, I spoke to an HTC rep about the car dock a couple of weeks ago. He told me that the mount currently for sale is NOT manufactured by HTC, but that one from HTC was coming out soon (no idea to timeframe).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm really doubting that HTC will make one, since I have not seen any car mounts built by them for their other phones, except for very few (say Nexus One).
pitchblack86 said:
Definitely interested in this. Missing my DX's car mount.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed! Absolutely necessary for me on road trips and such. I'm definitely getting this...
ive had one for a while now. i couldnt live with out it.
I've got one for sale if anyone is interested. Used it twice.
It does not work with an extended battery or with a case on your phone.
PM me if you're interested...sorry to thread jack.
interesting dock but we need something that works with an extended battery/case
good pictures and review
respect
tedkord said:
Wouldn't any 3.5mm stereo cable work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is correct, yes, any standard audio cable will work. You can buy them anywhere.
Anyone figure out a way to use this with the extended battery? Getting it in & out is a pain.
I just picked this up. I really like me. I am rooted and using BAMF 1.6 remix with the Google Car.
My phone sits by my computer most of the time, and with my HTC Mogul, then HTC Touch Pro, then EVO 4G I've bought a combo cradle/battery charger. I haven't seen one mentioned available here for the Epic 4G Touch and I just found/bought one on eBay and thought I'd mention it for others interested in a device like this. Once I receive the item I can post a review if you guys would like.
Item Link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270857928655
Pics:
http://jpegbay.com/gallery/001248357-1.html
Please post a review of you get a chance. We'd love to hear from your experiences.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
This looks like the one I had for my Touch Pro 2... it worked nicely and was cheaper than the official docks.
I am interested in your impressions as well.
thanks
Question for anyone that has purchased this dock..
Have you been able to charge your phone with any type of case on it? Thanks.
Just a quick update. I got the charger, but I don't have an Epic 4G Touch yet. The first seller I bought the phone from ended up being from a scammer. I gave the dock/charger to a friend, and bought another one that's already here. I should have the Epic 4G Touch from another seller here by Tuesday and will post my impressions soon after.
Damn, sorry to hear that..
Ok guys...
Im also looking at desktop cradles and found this other one:
From an Amazon vendor:
$22 (includes shipping):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OTXKK4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3CZ5XR3PIAJMS
It's basically almost the same design as the one the OP linked to. What do you guys think?
I kind of wanted one that you could rest the phone in and charge it with a cover on, but I don't think that's gonna happen.
killabee44 said:
Ok guys...
Im also looking at desktop cradles and found this other one:
From an Amazon vendor:
$22 (includes shipping):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OTXKK4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3CZ5XR3PIAJMS
It's basically almost the same design as the one the OP linked to. What do you guys think?
I kind of wanted one that you could rest the phone in and charge it with a cover on, but I don't think that's gonna happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this one is better because you can turn your dock on its side like if you were watching Sprint TV...
killabee44 said:
Ok guys...
Im also looking at desktop cradles and found this other one:
From an Amazon vendor:
$22 (includes shipping):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OTXKK4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3CZ5XR3PIAJMS
It's basically almost the same design as the one the OP linked to. What do you guys think?
I kind of wanted one that you could rest the phone in and charge it with a cover on, but I don't think that's gonna happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This one looks nice, but some of the reviews for this brand (for other phones) mentions it covers up the speaker so when the phone is docked the sounds are silenced since the speaker is at the bottom. Although this may be true for all these 3rd party docks.
It's cool, Paypal resolution against the scammer just resolved today and they sided with me and already credited my PayPal account.
---
For that other cradle from Amazon, though you probably can put it on its side I'd be concerned with the side buttons/hitting the desk and possibly being pressed in, and possibly the device itself slipping out. The other concern I have with that model is that I can't clearly see the extra battery charger compartment. The one I got should accommodate extended batteries, but I can't tell on that model.
Found this one... similar
http://www.ebay.com/itm/KiDiGi-BATT...Accessories&hash=item45ff08a39d#ht_4184wt_940
Gorguts said:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/KiDiGi-BATT...Accessories&hash=item45ff08a39d#ht_4184wt_940
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it looks like the one from Amazon just a different brand.. it also covers the speaker so I wonder if you can hear the alarms or music... there may be enough room behind the actual phone to allow the sound to be heard, but it doesnt look like it.
Quick first impressions:
* Feels solid and fits snugly, so pay attention when docking the phone in as it aligns only one way.
* When no battery is in the battery charging slot there's a LED that flashes crazy fast green/red which may bother some people. You can always cover it up with electrical tape. I don't notice it most of the time since my phone blocks the LED anyways when docked.
* A significant negative and quite surprising difference in the dock compared to the docks I had for my EVO 4G / Touch Pro and Mogul are that this dock only has one USB slot. So it either charges the battery and phone from a wall plug or it charges the battery and connects/charges the phone via your computer's USB port. My previous phone docks had 2 USB connectors, one for the battery and one for the phone. I haven't tried connecting this to my computer or charging an extra battery yet but I'm figuring trying to charge two things at the same time via one USB cable, especially when connected to a computer USB port would not be very efficient.
Update 12/09/2011: Argh, deal breaker, just got my Trexcell 3800mah Extended Battery, but because of the location of the battery contact on the battery and dock it won't fit, .
Killabee and talynone
that second black dock is the one I am interested in. my PRIMARY concern with docks that use the charging jack on the phone (whatever happened to dedicated dock "contacts" on phones Cheap SOB's)
is that I want the phone IMMOBILIZED while in the dock. ie I don't want to be able to TILT the phone forward while in the dock "stressing and breaking" the usb jack on the phone.
IE I want the dock to RESTRICT the movement of the phone to vertical only (insert remove dock connector type motion)
the first dock in this thread would NOT prevent the phone from tilting forward.
the second one I am not sure about. do those sides "wrap" around the edge of the phone enough to restrict its movement to a solid slide and NO forward slop?
Here is a video of what I mean. (its processing give it a few minutes to process)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhWtz5EU_Rg
nerys71,
I saw your video and can tell you that the phone in this dock is not restricted from tilting. So yes it will tilt while charging. I am talking about this dock:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OTXKK4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3CZ5XR3PIAJMS
ahh pity. I assume you have it? does the phone protrude past the front "AT ALL" in that dock? IE it looks like it would be friendly to modding it with 2 "lips" on the front to prevent the phone tilting.
Yeah I have it. It doesn't pertrude at all. The phone sits flush.
I just received and installed the official Samsung car mount. Physically, it has incredible build quality. Both the suction piece and the actual arm look and feel as if they were designed to withstand people trying to break it. The aesthetics are also top notch. Performance is what I was looking for. I no longer have to plug in my headphone jack into my phone every time I get in the car. I can now pop my phone in and leave Pandora running with the screen on without worrying about being distracted when changing songs or draining battery life. The adjustments available are perfect for me since I mounted mines on the windshield. If you want to mount it somewhere else using the plastic dash piece they give you, the fixed arm and adjustable joint may not provide you with as much mobility as you'd need--depending on where you mount it.
This dock is easily worth the $36 I paid for it, that much I know for certain. I have a similar dock from when I had my iPhone 3GS and it looks flimsy and cheap compared to the Samsung mount even though both cost approximately the same. For the price, the dock and charger combo are hard to beat. It's also a lot more convenient to use than a dock that doesn't have the phone connections built in.
All in all, I'm incredibly satisfied with the purchase.
In case you're wondering how it hooks up, here's a youtube link for the T-mobile Galaxy S2 that another user posted. The Sprint version is exactly the same, except for adjustments made to the flexible plastic to fit our phone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8XNr7A91j0
thanks for this, megatron! I dont want to okie dokie my phone if I dont need to and this looks really nice and durable...appreciate the post.
rayandreas said:
thanks for this, megatron! I dont want to okie dokie my phone if I dont need to and this looks really nice and durable...appreciate the post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. Be sure to note that it may not fit your phone if you use a case. I haven't pushed the charger yet to see how much of a load it can handle before the energy use by the phone outpaces the power supplied by the charger. Thus far, I've only run Pandora with the screen on a 100% of the time and it still charged the phone a good amount. I'm hoping I eventually get the chance to test out google maps or navigation with pandora running to see how the charger holds up against that type of drain.
i have this, very happy with it so far.
Question: How does the phone know it's docked to activate Car Mode? Is there a magnet in the dock that the phone picks up on like the old DROIDs?
Based on this review, I've ordered one of the mounts for myself. I'll report back when it comes in!
xak944 said:
Question: How does the phone know it's docked to activate Car Mode? Is there a magnet in the dock that the phone picks up on like the old DROIDs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe it detects a certain resistance or short across a couple of the USB pins.
I was looking for a Qi compatible cardockingstation and i found the Owl Carpad, it looked good and was according the site compatible with the nexus 4, now the question: will it work with a Nexus 5? i found different stories all over the internet, has enyone tried it?
Because i'm a new forummember i can't place a link here..
Or do you recommend a different carmount?
Also i was thinking of placing a NFC-sticker on the inside of the charger so that if i place my phone it will automaticly start my navigation, bluetooth an spotify but will it work? because of the field generated by the charging.
Tomorrow i will be replacing my N4 with a N5!!!(Sorry i'm just happyXD)
Sorry i my grammar isn't wat it's supposed to be
i believe as long as it states Qi, that it will be compatible. Qi is a universal standard so it should work with all Qi compatible devices.
envizion58 said:
i believe as long as it states Qi, that it will be compatible. Qi is a universal standard so it should work with all Qi compatible devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok true, but the location of the coil for charging is lacated different to the nexus 4 i think, of it's a couple of mm to hight i won't charge i'm affraid
Check their site, they have an upgrade pcb you can install.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
There was alot of talk about this in the Nexus 4 forums, and one of the devs was acting as a US distrobutor of sorts as well to help save on shipping costs. Someone over there probably has a Nexus 5 by now and could probably answer your questions with first hand knowledge.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2029734
KevinWolfs said:
I was looking for a Qi compatible cardockingstation and i found the Owl Carpad, it looked good and was according the site compatible with the nexus 4, now the question: will it work with a Nexus 5? i found different stories all over the internet, has enyone tried it?
Because i'm a new forummember i can't place a link here..
Or do you recommend a different carmount?
Also i was thinking of placing a NFC-sticker on the inside of the charger so that if i place my phone it will automaticly start my navigation, bluetooth an spotify but will it work? because of the field generated by the charging.
Tomorrow i will be replacing my N4 with a N5!!!(Sorry i'm just happyXD)
Sorry i my grammar isn't wat it's supposed to be
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, I live in Korea so I got mine real quick. I ordered the Nexus 5 bundle kit where they sent a desktop QI charger, the car QI charger with both suction and vent mounts. They've both been great, but also keep in mind I've only had them for a few hours. My daily commute is about 30 minutes so I'll get a better feel of the car dock in the coming weeks. The Nexus 5 slides/clips in real smooth and easy and is easy to get out. We'll see how it holds up to bumps and whatnot.
I've read some people saying it cuts off charging at around 90%, so I'll be testing that plus how it holds up with navigation software running. For my purposes, I don't really expect it to charge the battery while running navi, but at the very least, to prevent drain. So far, I like.
dipson626 said:
Hey, I live in Korea so I got mine real quick. I ordered the Nexus 5 bundle kit where they sent a desktop QI charger, the car QI charger with both suction and vent mounts. They've both been great, but also keep in mind I've only had them for a few hours. My daily commute is about 30 minutes so I'll get a better feel of the car dock in the coming weeks. The Nexus 5 slides/clips in real smooth and easy and is easy to get out. We'll see how it holds up to bumps and whatnot.
I've read some people saying it cuts off charging at around 90%, so I'll be testing that plus how it holds up with navigation software running. For my purposes, I don't really expect it to charge the battery while running navi, but at the very least, to prevent drain. So far, I like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. Will be keeping n eye on your reports. :thumbup:
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
dipson626 said:
Hey, I live in Korea so I got mine real quick. I ordered the Nexus 5 bundle kit where they sent a desktop QI charger, the car QI charger with both suction and vent mounts. They've both been great, but also keep in mind I've only had them for a few hours. My daily commute is about 30 minutes so I'll get a better feel of the car dock in the coming weeks. The Nexus 5 slides/clips in real smooth and easy and is easy to get out. We'll see how it holds up to bumps and whatnot.
I've read some people saying it cuts off charging at around 90%, so I'll be testing that plus how it holds up with navigation software running. For my purposes, I don't really expect it to charge the battery while running navi, but at the very least, to prevent drain. So far, I like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, do you have a link where i can order one? i don't see it on the official website?
I'm seriously considering designing and 3D printing car dock with USB in it so you can just drop your phone in. Not enough of such products... None in fact.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
undercover said:
I'm seriously considering designing and 3D printing car dock with USB in it so you can just drop your phone in. Not enough of such products... None in fact.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but wireless is a bit nicer, in the car and you will not make the dock work the first time, you wil spend hours drawing, printing and fitting, and i will probably look not as nice.
I just ordered the nexus 5 charging pack from Owl, it was €80, with taxes from Holland it's €100 for 2 wireless chargers what is a lot of money, i sure hope the Qi standard will work with my next devicesXD
KevinWolfs said:
Yeah but wireless is a bit nicer, in the car and you will not make the dock work the first time, you wil spend hours drawing, printing and fitting, and i will probably look not as nice.
I just ordered the nexus 5 charging pack from Owl, it was €80, with taxes from Holland it's €100 for 2 wireless chargers what is a lot of money, i sure hope the Qi standard will work with my next devicesXD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I can make things look nice, worry not. It is a lot of work to design it though.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
KevinWolfs said:
Thank you, do you have a link where i can order one? i don't see it on the official website?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the main site (all in Korean): http://owllus.net/index.php
I did everything in Korean, but now that you asked, I dug a little deeper, and I found this: http://owllus.com/
If you go to the top, you'll see the different options, the ~/all is what you want. I like it so far, but still too early to make a final call. Let me know if you have any questions! Happy to help.
[Edit: Oops, I just saw that it said you already ordered one. If case anyone else was wondering, here you are.]
dipson626 said:
Here's the main site (all in Korean): http://owllus.net/index.php
I did everything in Korean, but now that you asked, I dug a little deeper, and I found this: http://owllus.com/
If you go to the top, you'll see the different options, the ~/all is what you want. I like it so far, but still too early to make a final call. Let me know if you have any questions! Happy to help.
[Edit: Oops, I just saw that it said you already ordered one. If case anyone else was wondering, here you are.]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll be very interested in your report - if it works OK I'll get one, but I can wait a week or 2 to see how those of you who have one go with it.
I've had one for the Nexus 4 for almost a year now. I'll be getting my Nexus 5 tomorrow so I can update you guys.
I've used the Owl Carpad with my N4 for the past 6 months or so and while it works okay as a wireless charger, it doesn't quite cut it as a car dock. With constant screen-on with nav running it could not increase charge and even lost charge most times unless the phone was completely idle. On longer trips with music streaming and nav running (Waze or Google Nav) I would have to kill the screen constantly to cut battery drain.
Regardless of that, my N4 Owl Carpad does not work with the N5 due to the coils being aligned differently between the phones, something to keep in mind with any wireless charger which doesn't allow for adjusting placement of the phone -Tylt, Nokia Dt-910, etc.
I love wireless charging at the home and office but I haven't seen a mobile solution yet which can stand up to the intensive battery drain phones experience while used as a HUD while driving. My 2cents.
dwaltuberalles said:
I've used the Owl Carpad with my N4 for the past 6 months or so and while it works okay as a wireless charger, it doesn't quite cut it as a car dock. With constant screen-on with nav running it could not increase charge and even lost charge most times unless the phone was completely idle. On longer trips with music streaming and nav running (Waze or Google Nav) I would have to kill the screen constantly to cut battery drain.
Regardless of that, my N4 Owl Carpad does not work with the N5 due to the coils being aligned differently between the phones, something to keep in mind with any wireless charger which doesn't allow for adjusting placement of the phone -Tylt, Nokia Dt-910, etc.
I love wireless charging at the home and office but I haven't seen a mobile solution yet which can stand up to the intensive battery drain phones experience while used as a HUD while driving. My 2cents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm actually toying with the idea (working with several ideas actually, this is just one) of picking up the Owlpad and swapping out the half bridge coil most of these qi chargers use for a full bridge and balance out the power to increase output slightly so that I can actually charge the phone effectively under heavy load. If I end up doing it then I'll obviously post a tutorial and required items, but it feels like there's a really weak spot in the market for effective qi car chargers. Either that or I'll crack it open and adjust the coil positioning for the N5 and use the new board they offer to make it work with the N5 and offer a tutorial for that. We'll see, still exploring ideas and seeing which ones come out on top for time vs. cost of materials.
I like the mount for the owl pad but the charger is worthless. It overheats the phone unless mounted over a vent and only slows the drain if navigation is on along with the screen.
I was trying to find a small charger I can tear down and insert into the owl pad mount. I know that they offer a new PCB but there's no way I'm going to give them more money for their crap.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I've had the Owl CarPad for over a week now and after seeing some other complains and comments and running my own tests, I've come to the conclusion that it's perfect for me. For my uses, it's exactly what I want.
Mount: Excellent
The phone is super easy to slip in and out of the holder. Being able to get my phone in and out with one had was really important for me. With my old car mount, I always had to lean over and use two hands.
Performance: Acceptable
As others have said, and as they say on their blog, with navigation running and screen at 100%, the phone does lose charge, but a lot slower than it would without any sort of charge of course. I find this acceptable because:
1) A byproduct of wireless charging is wasted energy in the form of heat. I've used four different QI chargers now, and only two have been able to increase the battery's charge while still running navigation software. The problem? While using both of those chargers, the phone heated up to about 47 Celsius. Not good. Using the CarPad, the highest I've seen it go is 42. Still high, but when running navigation + USB charging, it got up to 39, so I'm okay with that. I'm sure the CarPad could probably charger faster to prevent drain, but that would get way too hot.
2) I use navigation about once a month at most. The main reason I wanted this car dock was for convenience. My daily commute is about one hour each way, so it's nice to keep the phone topped off. I opened it up and added an NFC sticker to the inside so that it turns on Play Music and Bluetooth when I slide it in the dock. So, 99% of the time, I'm just using my phone to stream music to my car stereo, and the CarPad is able to charge my phone while that's going on. I still have the old USB charger from my GNexus, so I can use that in a pinch. Again, I'm okay with this.
Conclusion: I like it; I'm happy.
I've used a few other QI car mounts (borrowed from friends, didn't spend/waste money), and this is the best one I've come across. I think the customer service I've received has also been excellent. Due to time zone differences, it may be about 24~48 hours before hearing back, but they're happy to answer any questions and concerns you have. I can see why some people have complained about the charging performance of the Owl products, but for what I use it for, it's perfect.
Quick Edit: Forgot to add, they do have an upgraded version they send you for the Nexus 5. It's not the same internals as the one for the Nexus 4.
dipson626 said:
I've had the Owl CarPad for over a week now and after seeing some other complains and comments and running my own tests, I've come to the conclusion that it's perfect for me. For my uses, it's exactly what I want.
Mount: Excellent
The phone is super easy to slip in and out of the holder. Being able to get my phone in and out with one had was really important for me. With my old car mount, I always had to lean over and use two hands.
Performance: Acceptable
As others have said, and as they say on their blog, with navigation running and screen at 100%, the phone does lose charge, but a lot slower than it would without any sort of charge of course. I find this acceptable because:
1) A byproduct of wireless charging is wasted energy in the form of heat. I've used four different QI chargers now, and only two have been able to increase the battery's charge while still running navigation software. The problem? While using both of those chargers, the phone heated up to about 47 Celsius. Not good. Using the CarPad, the highest I've seen it go is 42. Still high, but when running navigation + USB charging, it got up to 39, so I'm okay with that. I'm sure the CarPad could probably charger faster to prevent drain, but that would get way too hot.
2) I use navigation about once a month at most. The main reason I wanted this car dock was for convenience. My daily commute is about one hour each way, so it's nice to keep the phone topped off. I opened it up and added an NFC sticker to the inside so that it turns on Play Music and Bluetooth when I slide it in the dock. So, 99% of the time, I'm just using my phone to stream music to my car stereo, and the CarPad is able to charge my phone while that's going on. I still have the old USB charger from my GNexus, so I can use that in a pinch. Again, I'm okay with this.
Conclusion: I like it; I'm happy.
I've used a few other QI car mounts (borrowed from friends, didn't spend/waste money), and this is the best one I've come across. I think the customer service I've received has also been excellent. Due to time zone differences, it may be about 24~48 hours before hearing back, but they're happy to answer any questions and concerns you have. I can see why some people have complained about the charging performance of the Owl products, but for what I use it for, it's perfect.
Quick Edit: Forgot to add, they do have an upgraded version they send you for the Nexus 5. It's not the same internals as the one for the Nexus 4.
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How long did it take to ship? I received my shipping conformation last week, but haven't been able to pull up any tracking information.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
undercover said:
I'm seriously considering designing and 3D printing car dock with USB in it so you can just drop your phone in. Not enough of such products... None in fact.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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KevinWolfs said:
Yeah but wireless is a bit nicer, in the car and you will not make the dock work the first time, you wil spend hours drawing, printing and fitting, and i will probably look not as nice.
I just ordered the nexus 5 charging pack from Owl, it was €80, with taxes from Holland it's €100 for 2 wireless chargers what is a lot of money, i sure hope the Qi standard will work with my next devicesXD
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Why not design a holder that the LG pucks can sit in then you will have wireless and a holder.
Hi,
so soon my nexus will be here and after over 6 years with iPhone I'm moving to try android.
one think i always loved about my iphone is the docking station, makes life better and easier.
now with the iphone its very easy to find docking station that fit 100% right, and then i dont have to worry about damage to the charging port, the phone is held up very tight and i never had any problem.
on the android camp its harder to find phone specific accessories so heres what i manage to find:
im looking for a cheap solution but can pay a little more if its really worth it
cheap:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Micro-USB-D...AU_MobilePhoneAccessories&hash=item2ecab22c6d
expensive:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-M...Phone_PDA_Cables_Adapters&hash=item43c158ab0c
the expensive one at least comes with a cable, and heres a video i found that shows that this product might be a better choice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTyGmNTh6iA
i just dont want the device to wobble freely hanging only by the usb connector.
i also hear that micro usb is much weaker then apple connectors so im a bit worried.
any1 have any experince with such products? what do u think? am i risking damage to my usb port? thanks.
yossi_s1 said:
am i risking damage to my usb port? thanks.
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IMHO ... yes, you are risking damaging the port. I personally wouldn't even consider using one as I've gone through a bunch of phones that the Micro-USB eventually stopped working properly. The Nexus one was notorious for that problem as have been quite a few other devices. Micro-USB just doesn't hold up over time.
Now, back to your problem. One thing the Nexus 5 has over the iPhone is Qi Wireless charging. So, might I suggest stop thinking in terms of how you would plugin in your iPhone to charge it, and to sync it with iTunes. All of this can be done using apps that sync wirelessly (iSyncr etc) and a good Qi charger.
Here's a good starting point for a "dock" like standing position while your N5 charges:
http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-DT910-Wireless-Charging-Stand/dp/B00A3NCC8M
It's important for you to note the orientation of the Micro USB port on the phone. On nexus devices reversed compared to the samsung phones those docks are for. I own the dock on the first link. It will not work with the Nexus.
You need one that's pin-side facing you. Unless you want the phone facing away from you
It's an annoying aspect of the Micro USB standard -- when it comes to direction, there is no standard.
DIY: Not ideal because it doesn't LOOK great but does WORK great. I bought the dock from that first link for my S3 and because of its 'universal'ness it was extremely wobbly, putting much undue strain on the port. I stuck a couple wads of Sugru down on the dock and behind the connector (where the phones back would rest) and stuck my phone in. When it dried after 30 minutes I had a perfect custom fit. Looked like **** though. Function over form in this case.
scirio said:
It's important for you to note the orientation of the Micro USB port on the phone. On nexus devices reversed compared to the samsung phones those docks are for. I own the dock on the first link. It will not work with the Nexus.
You need one that's pin-side facing you. Unless you want the phone facing away from you
It's an annoying aspect of the Micro USB standard -- when it comes to direction, there is no standard.
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this...
but this is also a relatively new thing as the Nexus 4 was the "standard" way that everyone is used to (small side up where the Nexus 5 flipped it to small side down)
For charging, I would recomend the Google's wireless charger: https://play.google.com/store/devices/details/Nexus_Wireless_Charger?id=nexus_wireless_charger. As for syncing, what kind of things are you going to sync from your computer to your phone? On the android side the majority of things can/are synced over wifi or cloud services.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Thanks for all the answers...
I didn't think about orientation lol, i forgot about this issue.. so docking stations seems meh ATM
about wireless chargers... quite expensive IMO and i always fear that since the phone is not being held tightly it might fall and break.
i put my phone on a nightstand near my bed so accidents in the dark could happen, and i also like it when the phone is standing so i can see the screen without picking it up.
so that limits the range of wireless chargers i can use.
syncing is not a problem btw.
good thing i asked here.. i almost bought one of those. i guess ill try to find wireless one that suites me.
thanks again!
yossi_s1 said:
Thanks for all the answers...
I didn't think about orientation lol, i forgot about this issue.. so docking stations seems meh ATM
about wireless chargers... quite expensive IMO and i always fear that since the phone is not being held tightly it might fall and break.
i put my phone on a nightstand near my bed so accidents in the dark could happen, and i also like it when the phone is standing so i can see the screen without picking it up.
so that limits the range of wireless chargers i can use.
syncing is not a problem btw.
good thing i asked here.. i almost bought one of those. i guess ill try to find wireless one that suites me.
thanks again!
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Google is your friend as usual, Kidigi are about to launch a Nexus 5 specific dock which is more substantial than the one you were looking at.