Checking interest on custom car dock (maybe home dock)

[rjohnson2]

Hey X users, I wanted to share with you my prototype car dock I have made. It uses a window suction mount to stick it to your windshield, or you can use the Garmin Dashboard Discs (or some quality double sided tape) to stick it to your dash.

It has a one piece Droid X case attached to the mount that the phone snaps into holding it very securely. So securely that my biggest complaint so far is sometimes it can be a little difficult to pop the phone out of the case with one hand, but I think its worth the piece of mind knowing that my precious X wont be falling out With a solid mount to the windshield or dashboard the phone will not move at all while driving, even on the bumpiest of roads

The case has all buttons/ports/camera/mic's/speaker exposed so it's no problem charging the phone while its docked, recording as a dash cam, etc... So far it does not have a magnet to activate the car dock app so you will have to manually open it if you like to use it while driving, but I am working on getting a magnet into the case (just not sure if everyone would want one, opinions?).

I think I am actually going to use one on my desk and my dresser as well because I just love the flexibility of it.

Would anyone be interested in this dock? It would probably cost right around $20 shipped to US48. If there is enough interest I can make a larger batch of them, but if not then I will just making a few more for myself.


And finally, some pictures If there is more interest, I can take some better pics & video of it mounted in the car etc..

 

[WorldOfJohnboy]

I'm very happy with my official car dock. What I really like about it is that you can plug the charger into the back of it not to mention there is a clip for the audio cable that goes to my AUX port on my stereo, so cable management is a big plus.

Kudos to you for designing your own though. I am sure there are people that may be interested. I've heard some mention that the car dock is too expensive, and that they don't like the phone opening the Car Dock app when they put it in the official one. You may want to make some with and some without magnets.

 

[Akita]

No mention if this will work with most/all cases. My guess is no since you say its hard to remove with one hand. That could be a big sticking point for some who are gimped on those overpriced mounts that Verizon is selling and if i recall, cannot accommodate the X with a case unless you modify the mount in some way(did I read people were using the dremel to fix that?). Price point sounds fair though. Can you show a closer pic of where the usb/hdmi port is?

 

[psychotic_penguin]

I'd be interested in one, I need something simple and this looks to fill the bill.

 

[TheJester34]

Heck, I'd order one. Great work

 

[rjohnson2]

Thanks for the feedback. I will try to get some better pics/vids posted in the next few days once I finish getting moved.

I will just paste this here as it was my reply to a few similar thoughts from droidxforums.com (These are the only 2 forums I've posted at) If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

Thanks for the feedback. I originally made this because I couldn't find a simple dock/mount that was specifically for the Droid X, and since I never use a case on my phone this is what the result was I thought about making it accommodate the phone with a case but since all cases are different it's kind of hard to make a dock specifically for the X that will work with multiple cases. I think universal mounts are the best bet for people with cases since the cases are all different. I will still look into it however.

I think the vinyl decal would be no problem in the dock as well as extended battery, but I have NOT tested/tried either of them. I'm just guessing that by how little they change the dimensions of the phone it wouldn't be a problem. I'm not sure how thick the vinyl is, or where the edges are on the sides of the phone, but if it is as thick as like the Zagg Invisibleshield, & has edges of the sticker on the 2 long narrow sides of the phone, I might be worried about the case wearing out/peeling back the edges over time.

The case is permanently attached to the mounting bracket because I was afraid any removable options would be vulnerable to pop off unexpectedly. I am still working on something low profile that I can be positive will be secure, and is also removable, because I actually kind of like this case so it would be nice to keep the case on and just pop it onto the mount that way. The ball does still rotate with full range of motion, & you can take the case off of the ball, but the case will have the female end of the ball joint still attached to the back side. I will try to get some new pics or a video up soon to show the dock in action, but I am currently in the process of moving so bear with me as I have been super busy lately. I also have some vids from dash cam to share.

Thanks again for the input, I appreciate it.

 

[mkstn]

Pretty cool... actual user's usually come up with a better product !