Seidio Innotraveler car dock

[cuskit]

Thought I'd check in again since I've had this dock for a few weeks now...boy is this thing worth it. I use it every single day...just slide my phone in, plug in the tape adapter to the headphone jack and listen to some pandora or droidlive, and with the 2.1 news/weather widget on my home screen I periodically glance to see the latest news updates...downloaded an app called "car home speakerphone" which automatically turns on the speakerphone when in a call while in the car dock...and of course I never have to worry about the battery wearing out.

lovvvvvve it

Are you using the paid version or the lite version? The ads suck - but I also like it better than Pandora. I love the tag me feature. I've thought about paying for the upgrade - what more do you get with it (if in fact you have the paid version).

Right now I'm listening to Driver's Seat (Sniff n the tears) on 181.fm - the eagle. Yea - I'm into classic rock... My altec lansings are dancing across my desktop right now! mike

 

[r314bd]

Ads? Like visual or audio? I've got the free version but I haven't seen/heard any unless they're station-specific, but I don't think upgrading would change that

 

[Trooper]

Thought I'd check in again since I've had this dock for a few weeks now...boy is this thing worth it. I use it every single day...just slide my phone in, plug in the tape adapter to the headphone jack and listen to some pandora or droidlive, and with the 2.1 news/weather widget on my home screen I periodically glance to see the latest news updates...downloaded an app called "car home speakerphone" which automatically turns on the speakerphone when in a call while in the car dock...and of course I never have to worry about the battery wearing out.

lovvvvvve it

Are you using the paid version or the lite version? The ads suck - but I also like it better than Pandora. I love the tag me feature. I've thought about paying for the upgrade - what more do you get with it (if in fact you have the paid version).

Right now I'm listening to Driver's Seat (Sniff n the tears) on 181.fm - the eagle. Yea - I'm into classic rock... My altec lansings are dancing across my desktop right now! mike

The eagle (181.fm), was the second station I checked out, and I doubt that I'll be changing it anytime soon. It indeed ROCKS!!!!:icon_ banana:

 

[rbrown1]

won't keep phone charged

I got the car dock two weeks ago, and I've had a bit of trouble with it.

First, the cigarette lighter adapter is a mini-usb. Stupid! On top of that, it's cheap. Think $.01 (+3.99 shipping) on Amazon cheap. Often times when it's plugged in and then it intermittently goes out and I have to jiggle it to get it working again.

Secondly, the male micro usb plug on the dock itself has become inconsistent. I'll have the droid plugged in and the green indicator (power) light will be on, but the connection to the droid will not be secure and thus the phone doesn't charge. there is really no rhyme or reason to it's success either. Some times it works, some times it doesnt.

I submitted a claim yesterday to Seidio and they are sending me replacements. Great customer service! I guess we'll see what happens with the new ones.

Has anyone else experience similar things with their Seidio Car Docks?

I got mine last week and am having the same problem. Not much point in a car dock that won't keep the phone charged and running while navigating. It is solid and looks good. I just wish it worked better. I've emailed Seidio customer support but have not heard back yet. Will post again when this is resolved one way or the other...

 

[rbrown1]

I got the car dock two weeks ago, and I've had a bit of trouble with it.

First, the cigarette lighter adapter is a mini-usb. Stupid! On top of that, it's cheap. Think $.01 (+3.99 shipping) on Amazon cheap. Often times when it's plugged in and then it intermittently goes out and I have to jiggle it to get it working again.

Secondly, the male micro usb plug on the dock itself has become inconsistent. I'll have the droid plugged in and the green indicator (power) light will be on, but the connection to the droid will not be secure and thus the phone doesn't charge. there is really no rhyme or reason to it's success either. Some times it works, some times it doesnt.

I submitted a claim yesterday to Seidio and they are sending me replacements. Great customer service! I guess we'll see what happens with the new ones.

Has anyone else experience similar things with their Seidio Car Docks?

I got mine last week and am having the same problem. Not much point in a car dock that won't keep the phone charged and running while navigating. It is solid and looks good. I just wish it worked better. I've emailed Seidio customer support but have not heard back yet. Will post again when this is resolved one way or the other...

I just got off the phone with Seidio customer service. They are sending a replacement unit. I'll post again when it comes and I see if the new one works better than the old one.

 

[ceweale]

I got the car dock two weeks ago, and I've had a bit of trouble with it.

First, the cigarette lighter adapter is a mini-usb. Stupid! On top of that, it's cheap. Think $.01 (+3.99 shipping) on Amazon cheap. Often times when it's plugged in and then it intermittently goes out and I have to jiggle it to get it working again.

Secondly, the male micro usb plug on the dock itself has become inconsistent. I'll have the droid plugged in and the green indicator (power) light will be on, but the connection to the droid will not be secure and thus the phone doesn't charge. there is really no rhyme or reason to it's success either. Some times it works, some times it doesnt.

I submitted a claim yesterday to Seidio and they are sending me replacements. Great customer service! I guess we'll see what happens with the new ones.

Has anyone else experience similar things with their Seidio Car Docks?

I got mine last week and am having the same problem. Not much point in a car dock that won't keep the phone charged and running while navigating. It is solid and looks good. I just wish it worked better. I've emailed Seidio customer support but have not heard back yet. Will post again when this is resolved one way or the other...

I just got off the phone with Seidio customer service. They are sending a replacement unit. I'll post again when it comes and I see if the new one works better than the old one.

If it is like mine, the USB plug in the dock that connects to the phone recessed further into the dock and no longer makes contact with the phone.

 

[solar]

If it is like mine, the USB plug in the dock that connects to the phone recessed further into the dock and no longer makes contact with the phone.

I can see how that would be an issue. It takes a bit of pressure to get the droid seated well enough to make contact.

My Seidio dock gets pretty warm, consequently making my droid a bit pertty warm. More so then with the stock dock and micro USB car charger. Anyone else notice this?

 

[Murz]

My Seidio dock gets pretty warm, consequently making my droid a bit pertty warm. More so then with the stock dock and micro USB car charger. Anyone else notice this?

Yes, that’s the only negative thing I've seen so far with my Innotraveler. I've noticed the Droid reaching temps around 45c after about 30mins of driving. These temps are only reached when I’m pushing the Droid, i.e. - docked, navigation and pandora running at the same time via bluetooth for more than 30mins. My Droid is also overclocked to 1000. Not a deal breaker, but it is a little concerning.

 

[solar]

Yes, that’s the only negative thing I've seen so far with my Innotraveler. I've noticed the Droid reaching temps around 45c after about 30mins of driving. These temps are only reached when I’m pushing the Droid, i.e. - docked, navigation and pandora running at the same time via bluetooth for more than 30mins. My Droid is also overclocked to 1000. Not a deal breaker, but it is a little concerning.

Yeah, it gets really quite warm. It feels like its been in direct sunlight even though it hasn't. I too am running an app like the built in music player sometimes w/ bluetooth, sometimes plugged in directly to the aux jack. I do the same things with the standard motorola dock and it doesn't get nearly as warm. The droid gets bit warm whenever it does data, but not like this. Its a bit concerning.

 

[pudah]

I got my innotraveler today, have been playing with it for the last few hours and all I can say is wow...





... what a let down. I'll hold short of saying it's a piece of crap, because it is an awesome idea. It has so much potential, but is SO poorly executed that I hardly see how I can keep this thing and pair it with such a brilliant and expensive phone. At this price point, and from this company, I expected way better, and am very disappointed.

First of all it s too bulky. It could easily take up way less real estate. It is too deep and too much bulk. It could surely be trimmed down. On top of that, the charger comes out of the unit with a straight plug and takes up more space my invading into my passenger's leg space.

The next issue is functionality. If I use this dock it will damage my phone. Period. I tried sliding the phone into the unit and having it EASILY connect to the micro USB connector. I counted 50 attempts for every 1 easy mating. Other times I had to push, wiggle, move or otherwise finagle this thing into place, which can NOT be good for the USB port on the phone, and I'm not going to risk that. I tried inserting it level, with one side down more, the other side down more, cocked forwards, cocked back, and nothing helped. Furthermore, the amount of time taken to get it connect was more than pulling out my charger from my center console and connecting it to the phone in the OEM Motorola car dock. What incentive to I have to use the Seidio dock if it takes longer to connect, and risks damaging my phone? Seidio should buy an OEM Motorola home/desk dock and measure the hell out of it, examine it closely and replicate that pairing as closely as possible. Motorola got it right. I had my fears about that dock too, until I tried it. You put it in, and it connects. Done. Maybe their USB male end is slightly undersized or something, I don't know, but it works, easily. I bought this to remove frustration and headaches from my daily life, not to add them.

Next is the power situation. The fact that this uses a Mini USB connection and not a Micro USB is flat out retarded. If it used the micro we could all use our OEM car chargers or car chargers we've deemed as acceptable replacements. There are a lot of issues with using under-powered or poorly made chargers with this phone, so using your already functional charger would be a HUGE plus. On top of that the power outlet end is huge, bulky, and cheap. It does not stay connected in my 2009 car. I would expect it to work well with any newer, common car. It doesn't, so another headache. Every day I'll have to jiggle it to keep it connected. Its size probably creates this issue as it is hard to seat it properly with such a bulbous end bumping into things. The dock end of the power cable needs to be a 90 degree fitting so that it can mate flush to the dock and not stick out adding another 3 inches of space hogging to this dock. The LED power lights on the power cable and the dock itself also need to go. If I kept this dock I'd have to put electrical tape on them. My car doesn't turn off the power outlets when the car turns off. A lot of cars are like this now. This leaves those LEDs on 24/7. I'm not worried so much about the power drain as I am the bright green light acting as a beacon to thieves to look down at an area they might otherwise ignore when walking by, noticing a gadget and enticing them to break in to see what else might be in the car. I guess this last issue is more of my own personal complaint, as it doesn't apply to everyone, but still, it's something I noticed in 30 seconds of testing, and I'd have expected the longer testing time Seidio surely put this through would've turned up some issues with this. Maybe have the LED for the dock come on when it's connected to, and powering something, and turn off when the phone is out?

Finally, we have ergonomics. I love how this dock can take a phone with the Seidio Innocase on it. Personally, Im not using one, but was thinking about it before this purchase put me off. It's also cool that it works with an extended battery. It's weight and bulk might hurt or help with having a steady, vibration free screen to look at. It all depends on the mount you use and the car you have. The size, bulk and general area required for this unit, however, is just too much. I'd be embarrassed to have someone in my passenger seat with this. They'd have to consciously think of where they can and cant put their knees if it's mounted on the dash. I think a better power cord is in order, and possibly a straight one in lieu of the coiled variety. The whole point of this is to stick your phone in it, easy peasy, and have it charger while in car dock mode and all is good. That means 99% of the users will leave the power cord connected. If thats the case we're probably going to try to tuck it behind, around and into other places to keep it out of the way and make it look nicer. This is impossible with a coiled cord. Maybe this is a personal preference again, but another observation nonetheless. The window mount provided is also really bulky and I dont like the design of the swivel/ball hinge. Again, the OEM and other aftermarket units I've seen get this right. You can pop off the window mount at the arm and have a knuckle you can connect to a garmin/nuvi type ball that you also see with a ton of aftermarket mounts. To get it to work for me I had to buy a special socket end on a plate that I could screw to the backing plate provided with the Seidio unit. Too complicated and unnecessary.

Overall I give it an A+ for the concept but a D- for design. A few small adjustments could turn that into Solid C or maybe even a B and the potential for an A exists, but it's not there, and I just cant justify using or keeping this dock.

 

[jbjtkbw00]

You, my friend, have so succinctly put every thought that I've had about this dock since day 1. Thanks for the post!

 

[BarryD]

It sounds like I made the right decision to buy the ProClip powered dock. I freakin' love that thing.

 

[pudah]

It sounds like I made the right decision to buy the ProClip powered dock. I freakin' love that thing.

How easily does it mate with the droid via the micro USB connection if the mount is turned to landscape mode?

 

[BarryD]

It sounds like I made the right decision to buy the ProClip powered dock. I freakin' love that thing.

How easily does it mate with the droid via the micro USB connection if the mount is turned to landscape mode?

I wouldn't really differentiate the way it mounts in landscape versus portrait. Both orientations mount into the dock and into the micro USB connection very easily. I guess I would say that it does feel slightly more natural to mount it into the landscape mode verses portrait, since you're pushing down instead of sideways, but the difference is negligible.

But it's funny, when I fist took the thing out of the box and tried to mount it, I thought it was all messed up. I just couldn't get it to mount. It would slide into the holder, but it appeared to not line up with the connection. I even called customer service to talk to them about it. They suggested that I was pushing down on the right side of the Droid instead of the middle or the left side. As I was talking to them, I slid it in, and it mounted with no problem. And then, oddly enough, I couldn't repeat my error easily. I now have to try to NOT get it to mount, since it mounts so easily. I'm not sure what my problem was, but I reckon it was me and not the mount.

The only cautionary tale I would offer is to be careful while manipulating the orientation while the device is mounted. And I've had to quickly correct passengers messing with it as well. You definitely want to adjust your orientation or viewing angle by grasping the sides of the mount (the sides perpendicular to the USB connection), and absolutely not by grasping the device. It would definitely put too much stress on the connection if you tried to grasp the device to move the two around.

The other thing is the lack of a magnet. But the mount not having a magnet just saves me from having to remove the magnet, since I don't find the car nav mode to be particularly useful.

But anyway, like I said, I'm very happy with it.

 

[pudah]

It sounds like I made the right decision to buy the ProClip powered dock. I freakin' love that thing.

How easily does it mate with the droid via the micro USB connection if the mount is turned to landscape mode?

I wouldn't really differentiate the way it mounts in landscape versus portrait. Both orientations mount into the dock and into the micro USB connection very easily. I guess I would say that it does feel slightly more natural to mount it into the landscape mode verses portrait, since you're pushing down instead of sideways, but the difference is negligible.

But it's funny, when I fist took the thing out of the box and tried to mount it, I thought it was all messed up. I just couldn't get it to mount. It would slide into the holder, but it appeared to not line up with the connection. I even called customer service to talk to them about it. They suggested that I was pushing down on the right side of the Droid instead of the middle or the left side. As I was talking to them, I slid it in, and it mounted with no problem. And then, oddly enough, I couldn't repeat my error easily. I now have to try to NOT get it to mount, since it mounts so easily. I'm not sure what my problem was, but I reckon it was me and not the mount.

The only cautionary tale I would offer is to be careful while manipulating the orientation while the device is mounted. And I've had to quickly correct passengers messing with it as well. You definitely want to adjust your orientation or viewing angle by grasping the sides of the mount (the sides perpendicular to the USB connection), and absolutely not by grasping the device. It would definitely put too much stress on the connection if you tried to grasp the device to move the two around.

The other thing is the lack of a magnet. But the mount not having a magnet just saves me from having to remove the magnet, since I don't find the car nav mode to be particularly useful.

But anyway, like I said, I'm very happy with it.

Im tempted to give the hard wired version without a magnet a try, but I wish I could try one first to see how that mounting feels. I've never attempted to hard wire power anything before either, so I'd need to figure out how to do that... where to tap in, etc., or if I can go straight to a fuse box. This unit seems more in line with what I'd want. How is the back? I have a garmin/nuvi ball mounted to my car already, so I need to be able to connect a socket to the back. With the OEM car mount I was able to take the socket right off of the window suction cup mount and of course it fits the back of their cradle. If only this unit had some method to also automatically connect a stereo headphone plug into the Droid so I didn't need to connect that every time for mp3 playback.