|
HOLD THE PHONE...
INTRO
If you use your phone in a car where do you
put it? Rick Maybury has a few apposite suggestions (they can’t get you for
it... ), and considers a selection of cups, cradles and holders in this month’s
accessory roundup
COPY
Mobile phones have found a natural home in
cars; the concept of staying in touch, being able to make a call, or summon
assistance, is even more relevant when you’re on the road. The trouble is, all
this has happened very quickly in the space of just a few years and neither
phone nor car manufacturers have fully come to terms with the idea yet. Cars
are not designed for phones -- some makers have only just got around to fitting
car radios as standard -- and most
hand-portable phones are not intended to be used in cars.
Which brings us to the nub of this month’s
accessory roundup, using your phone in the car. You’ve basically got three
alternatives: one, do the dumbass thing and leave it in your pocket, on the
seat next to you, or on the dashboard; two, do the smart thing and get a proper
hands-free car kit; or three, compromise, with a cradle or holder, and resolve
not to use the phone whilst you’re driving.
There’s no need for us to cover old ground
and reiterate the virtues of hands-free
car kits, you know they make sense, (in case you need reminding check out the
accessory feature in last year’s August/September issue). However, it is worth looking at why not
making any provision at all is such a bad idea. Leaving a phone in a jacket
pocket or clipped to your belt is just plain stupid. If it rings, or you get a
sudden urge to make a call you will
have to fumble about, and probably end up take your eyes off the road, all it
takes is a second... Of course, it may not ring at all because the phone will
be lying below the vehicle’s metallic ‘waistline’, with the aerial retracted,
where reception is at its worst.
Leaving the phone on a passengers seat is
just as bad, reception will be poor and there’s the added danger that if you
brake sharply it will go flying, possibly causing damage to itself, or whatever
(or whoever) it hits. Leaving the phone on the dashboard might improve
reception but it will probably slide around, banging into the sides; the phone
will be exposed to direct sunlight, which can distort plastic mouldings and do
all sorts of nasty things to electronic components, batteries and LCD displays,
and it will be a highly visible target for villains. Stealing phones from cars,
waiting at traffic lights is now a growth industry...
With luck we’ve convinced you go for a full
blown car-kit, or at the very least some type of dashboard holder. The
advantages are clear. They hold the phone in an upright position, for the best
possible reception. They stop the phone rattling around, they offer a modicum
of protection against snatch-thieves, and if the phone is mounted in your field
of view, at least you won’t have to hunt around for it when it rings. (Yes we
know you shouldn’t but come on, this is real life, just don’t say we didn’t
warn you...).
We’ve been looking at a relatively small
selection of dashboard holders. There’s plenty of them about, but several
models turn up time and time again under slightly different guises. We estimate
that the one’s we’ve featured cover more three quarters of the market. There
are two broad categories: universal holders and dedicated clips or hang-up
cups, the latter are normally for one type of phone. All of them can be used
with charger cords or talk and charge adaptors, see last month’s accessory
feature for best buys.
Universal type holders are by far the
commonest sort, they’re widely available in most mobile phone stores or by mail
order. The main feature on most of them is a pair of spring-loaded grippers,
that hold the sides of the phone; we’ve also included one other very unusual
universal holder, that holds the phone using a Velcro type material and sticks
to glass, or any other similarly smooth surface. Clearly they’re very
convenient if you use different makes of phone in your car, and on most types
the phone can stay in its carry case when its in the holder, but they tend to
be quite bulky; some of them are downright ugly little beggars, that can look
completely out of place on the dashboard of a modern saloon.
Dedicated clip-type holders, that latch onto
mouldings or recesses on the body of the phone, are the neatest and most elegant solution. However, they
suffer from the same problem as all model-specific accessories, namely that
some makes and types of phone never sell in sufficient numbers to interest
accessory manufacturers. Even if a
particular phone is an immediate success, it can take months, maybe a year or
more before there’s any accessories for it, and things like dashboard holders
are likely to get a low priority.
As far as the one-make clips and holders are
concerned we’ve concentrated on ones that fit the Motorola Micro TAC family.
The universal holders were tried with a range of phones, including Micro TACs,
popular Nokias and anything else that came to hand.
In addition to build quality, ease of use and
value for money we’ve looked carefully at
how easy they are to fit, and the standard of the accompanying
instructions. Most of them have to be screwed to the dashboard, either
directly, or using a hinged ‘clam-shell’ bracket mount -- only do this if
you’re confident of your DIY skills, and don’t mind drilling holes in your car
-- otherwise consider the ones that use
double-sided sticky tape, or suckers, though be warned that they’re not going
to be as secure.
SIDEBAR 1
THE OFFICIAL VIEW?
According to Scotland Yard, The Association
of Chief Police Officers, ROSPA and the Department of Transport -- we do our homework here -- no figures are
available regarding how many road accidents can be attributed in whole or part
to the use (or mis-use) of mobile telephones. Nevertheless spokespersons for
all of those organisations said that it was a problem, and the growing number
of mobile phones means it can only get worse. Perhaps it’s about time someone
carried out a study, ROSPA told us they are very keen for police forces around
the country to start keeping records. We wish them luck. We would guess that
few who survive to tell the tale will ever admit they lost concentration, or
control of their vehicle, whilst they were on the phone, at least not if they
want to stay out of court and hang on to their no-claims bonuses.
REVIEWS
ALLGON PASSIVE HOLDER £8
This one-piece clip makes use of a pair of
notches in the sides of battery packs for Micro TAC (family and clone) phones,
there’s sufficient room for phones with high capacity batteries. It comes with a pair of sticky pads, so it
can be transferred to another vehicle, or it can be screwed to the dash. The
holes on the back also line-up with most standard hinged brackets, so it could
be used with one of those as well. The adhesive pads are a good size, but they
don’t feel especially sticky, and you would have to make very sure the surface
is spotlessly clean, otherwise it’ll fall off in no time flat; that’s something
the non-existent instructions should have pointed out.
The phone simply presses or slides into the
holder, very little pressure is needed, but aim is critical, and it could
involve a bit of fumbling in the dark, trying to get it back into the holder.
Easy to fit, reasonably easy to use, and almost nothing to go wrong, this one
should be high on any Micro TAC owners list.
Make/model ALLGON
PASSIVE HOLDER/10.800
Type Micro
TAC ‘clip’ holder
Features double-sided
tape or screw-fitting
Instructions none
Build quality *****
Ease of use *****
WC Rating 95%
Contact ALLGON
ANTENNAS, Unit 11, The Courtyard Whitwick Business Park, Stenson Road,
Coalville, Leicester LE67 3JP. Telephone (01530) 510013
ALLGON TELEWING £18
This has to be the ultimate universal
quick-fix holder, no holes, no messy sticky pads (well, that’s not strictly
true, but we’ll get to that in a
moment...), and it only takes ten seconds to fit. Telewing has a pair of
articulated suckers at either end, that will attach themselves to any smooth
surface, including glass, metal and plastic. The pads are activated by a pair
of small levers, that give a really good suck.
One of the pads is on a telescopic arm, so it can even fit around curved
or bent surfaces. On the back of the mounting bracket there’s two long strips
of Velcro-type material, and it comes with a pair of round pads that stick to
the back of the phone. It’s not your normal Velcro though, both sides of this
stuff is covered with what looks like lots of tiny little balls on sticks, that
mesh with one another. It gives a really good grip, but the two parts have to
be pressed together quite firmly, and they’re separated with a slight twisting
motion.
It’s a great idea but we can foresee a couple
of problems. It may be difficult to find a convenient mounting position in some
cars; windows are the obvious choice as
most dashboards are made of textured plastic, that won’t give the suckers
enough grip. But which window? For obvious reasons you can’t mount it on one
that opens, and the windscreen is out because of the angle of rake, restricted
accessibility and visibility, moreover it would makes the phone highly
vulnerable. It could do with spare set (or two) of Velcro pads for the phone,
for models where they have to be stuck to the battery pack. Apart from that we
rather like it, just make sure you’ve got somewhere to put it.
Make/model ALLGON
TELEWING/11.500
Type universal
Features adjustable
mounting bracket with suckers
Instructions ****
Build quality *****
Ease of use *****
WC Rating 85%
Contact ALLGON
ANTENNAS, Unit 11, The Courtyard Whitwick Business Park, Stenson Road,
Coalville, Leicester LE67 3JP. Telephone (01530) 510013
ANDREW HOLDER CUP, £11
Similar in concept to the Allgon Passive
Holder, but this one has a extra security feature in the form of a clip that
latches onto a notch at the top of body on Micro TAC phones. It’s a very
positive fit, but a fair amount of pressure is needed to release the phone,
which rules out the use of sticky-pad type fixings. It can be screwed directly
to the dashboard, or better still, bolted to a clam-shell bracket. Andrew do a
lightweight plastic one that’s ideal for the job.
There’s a bit of a knack to releasing the
phone one-handed -- it might be too tight for those with any disability in
their hands -- moreover we suspect the catch will claim quite a few long
fingernails. Like the Allgon clip there’s plenty of room for fatter
high-capacity batteries.
Make/model ANDREW
HOLDER CUP/OH G 100N
Type Micro
TAC ‘clip’ holder
Features screw
or hinge mount (clam shell)
Instructions none
Build quality *****
Ease of use ****
WC Rating 83%
Contact ANDREW
Ltd, Ilex Building, Mulberry Business Park,
Fishponds Road, Wokingham RG11 2GY. Telephone
(01734) 776886
HAMA PASSIVE HOLDER £20.00 (universal bracket
£10.00)
It’s amazing how many different ways there
are of accomplishing the same basic task, in this case, supporting a Micro TAC
phone. This holder from Hama has a pair of arms that extend outwards to grasp
the bottom corners of the phone body. The top end has a button-operated latch,
that clips into the recess at the top of the phone. The design is such that
there’s bags of room in between the phone and the bracket for thick heavy-duty
battery packs.
The
bracket can be screwed directly to the dashboard, or bolted to a hinged
mount. Hama’s universal bracket (part no 41303, £10) is ideal, and unlike an ordinary clam shell, this one is ‘z’
shaped, giving it a much greater degree of articulation. The phone holder is
easy to use, the phone slips in without any trouble, though a little pressure
is needed to engage the latch. The release button on our sample was a bit stiff
and didn’t always return to the open position, a dab of Vaseline should cure
that. Incidentally, Hama also do their
own version of the ‘Gripmatic’ (see Vivanco), theirs costs £20.
Make/model HAMA
PASSIVE HOLDER/4301
Type Micro
TAC holder
Features push-button
release
Instructions none
Build quality *****
Ease of use ***
WC Rating 83%
Contact HAMA
Unit 4 Cherrywood, Chineham Business Park, Basingstoke, Hants RG24 OWF.
Telephone (01256) 708110
ORA IN-CAR HOLDER, £6.00
Needless to say Ora have got more phone
holders than you could shake a stick at, the one featured here is just a
representative sample of their more basic models. This particular one is
designed for the popular Nokias, and Orange equivalents. Similar styles of
holder are also available for Ericsson handsets, Micro TACs, Flare and Elite
phones; Ora tell us that other models will follow. It’s another simple
one-piece design, basically a cup that the phone sits in, with cut-outs on the
underside for charge cords or accessory cables. It comes with a big
double-sided sticky pad, and for once some good advice on how to fit it. It can
also be screwed directly to the dash, or bolted to a bracket, the holes will
line up with most universal types. The adhesive pad is good and sticky, it’s
thinner than most, so it shouldn’t tear easily. It’s simple, well-made and the
price is very reasonable.
Make/model ORA
IN-CAR HOLDER/NOK2CR
Type clip
holder for Nokia 2110/Orange 2140
Features double-sided
tape or screw fitting
Instructions *****
Build quality ****
Ease of use ****
WC Rating 95%
Contact ORA 28/29 Faraday Road, Aylesbury, Bucks HP19
3RY. Telephone (01296) 415445
VIVANCO UNIVERSAL HOLDER £15.00
It’s called the ‘Gripmatic’, and this model
turns up all over the place. It’s a truly universal design that will hold
almost any type of phone, though it only just manages to grip slim jobbies like
the Sony CM-H333. There’s a trick to it, and people with small hands might find
it a bit of a stretch. The phone has to be inserted between the pads, and then
closed, so they grip the sides of the phone, it can be difficult to use
one-handed. All this has to be done in one movement as there’s nothing to keep
the phone in place until the grippers are tightened. This needs a fair amount
of pressure, to make sure the phone
doesn’t fall out as soon as you let go. The release button is on the left side
of the holder, it was clearly designed
for left-hand drive cars, though in this case it doesn’t matter too
much. When the button is pressed the grippers fly apart and the phone falls
into the hand.
The holder is meant to be used with a
standard hinged mounting bracket, so don’t forget to add that to the cost.
There’s a slotted screw hole on the back so it could be hung from a single
screw, though this might not be enough to keep the holder steady. It works well
and it’s the only holder we’ve looked at that can accommodate a phone in its
carry case. It’s okay, but bear in mind what we have said about grippers and
people with small hands.
Make/model VIVANCO
UNIVERSAL HOLDER/TGC-3
Type universal
Features spring-loaded
grippers
Instructions none
Build quality ****
Ease of use ***
WC Rating 87%
Contact VIVANCO,
Unit C, ATA House, Boundary Way, Hemel
Hempstead HP2 7SS. Telephone (01442) 231616
---end---
Ó R. Maybury 1996 1501
|