PDA Mounts & Brackets
Everyone knows that when you are driving it is
a good idea, no, a great idea to actually keep your eye on the road.
Call me a stickler for detail, but I would like to think that the
guy behind me is actually watching where he is going. Silly me.
I have seen some terrifying stuff out on the
highways and byways of our great country. Shall I elaborate?
Well, the other day I passed someone who was
punching up a number on his cell phone while he was eating a
sandwich….and driving with his knee. I shook my head and drove the
hell out of his area.
Another wayward glance to my right on the
turnpike on another occasion found me peering into the cockpit of a
racy little number with a rather attractive female lunging onto the
passenger seat trying to catch her phone before it eluded her reach.
Her car began to swerve to the right. She jerked her head upright
just in time to evade the truck. Yikes!
Yes my friends, we have all seen some
daredevil-like stunts on the blacktop and we can only shake our
collective heads and say……”yeah, that happened to me once”.
But as is usually the case, we at
pdastylus.com are here to provide you with the products that
can not only enrich your life…they might actually save it. Bold words to be sure, but that is what you
have come to expect from this web site rich in information and cool
product shots. So let us now enter the interesting world of (drum
roll) PDA Mounts and Bracketssssssss……
Ok, now when you go and buy a smart phone or a
PDA, you can’t wait to go outside and try it, right? But nine times
out of ten, you get into your car and either you do not have a mount
for your device, or it doesn’t fit the new phone the same way as the
old phone. So you go home to hunt around the inter-web for a new
mount. Well, not to worry. I have compiled an informative list of
sites for you to go to in order to find that perfect mount.
First off, there are a variety of mounts
available. There are suction mounts, beverage holder mounts, air
vent mounts, adhesive mounts, etc. So the first thing is to decide
the kind of mount you want. Every vehicle is different. For example,
some cars and trucks don’t have enough cup holders. What’s more, if
your phone is in a cup holder, how can you look at it and keep your
eyes on the road? So, that might not be the best choice.
Another issue is the dashboard. Some
dashboards are very shallow or they slant severely. These types of
dashboards might not be ideal for a dash mount bracket. These
brackets and mounts usually come with both hardware to permanently
install the mount, or they have an adhesive disc that just sticks on
to the dash. This way it is removable down the road without leaving
a hole.
Finally, the air vents in your vehicle might
not fit the clips that come with the mount you purchase. These clips
are usually a set length. If your vent vanes go deeper than that,
then you are out of luck. So there actually is something to think
about before purchasing your mount.
The best thing to do is to simply go and sit
in your car and place your phone where you feel you can access it
and also watch where you are going. The three obvious choices are
the windshield, dash, and one of the air vents. One thing to
consider here is that if you buy an air vent mount, then check to
make sure it will not impede you from getting at vital controls on
your dash like the radio and CD player. I bought one of these mounts
several years ago only to find out that when the mount was in place
I was going to have to listen to the same CD for the next twelve
months because the mount blocked the changer button. I had to drive
all the way back to the store and exchange it. Yeah, it was dumb. So
just sit in your car and think about placement first.
Once you decide on placement, then decide
if you want a permanent mount or a temporary one. The knee jerk
reaction would be a temporary one of course, and most times that is
fine. There are drawbacks however. Temporary mounts, especially
windshield mounts, do not always stay in place. In the Northeast US
where temperatures can change drastically over time, windshield
mounts tend to fall off. No big deal right? You just wet the suction
cup and stick it back on. Well, what happens if the mount comes off
the windshield while you are on highway 10 going 80 miles an hour
and you are waiting for an important call from your best customer?
That has happened before, so you have to consider it when deciding
on a type of mount.
When your decision has been made, then its
time to go inside and log on to one of these sites and choose your
mount:
PDA Mount/Phone Mount Web Sites
www.extremepda.com – This is a great site. It has a wide
variety of accessories for just about any PDA or smart phone,
including a large selection of mounts and brackets. For example,
just doing a search for the LG EnV Touch brought up a batch of
brackets to hold it such as
this:  .There
were at least five other types of mounts just for this phone alone.
So hit this site for some good ideas.
www.ram-mount.com
– This site has an amazing array of mount and bracket options for
just about any hand held device. They even have mounts for your
laptop or net book. Really impressive selection. Looking at their
site brought something to my attention that I forgot to mention.
There are mounts for other vehicles besides just cars and trucks.
Many sites offer mounts for motorcycles, ATVs, and even boats. So
don’t think that just because you are cruising through the forest
with your buddies that you don’t have to watch where you’re going.
You know a tree will hurt just as much as a car when you hit one.
That brings to mind another story about camping in the woods of
Maine. I was traveling with a few friends and….well, never mind that
for now. Suffice it to say that I’m glad I had a GPS mounted in my
ATV because I could swear they were all with me until I turned
around. Hmmm. Anyway, this ram-mount site is great. Check it out.
www.usbfever.com
– I included this site because a. I liked the name and b. because
they had a video of a mount for your bicycle which I thought was
kind of cool. It is mainly for your I-pod, but it could also be used
for a smart phone.
www.arkon.com
– This is an extremely informative site. They actually have test
videos of mounts as well as a laundry list of information about each
type of mount they sell. The main page has mounts broken down by
category, such as windshield mounts, dashboard mounts, air vent
mounts, and even visor mounts. Then, when you click on a category,
you are then transferred over to a selection list that has a picture
of the item installed and a huge list of features for that product.
I learned a lot just looking through the different mounts they
offer. Top notch site.
www.gpscity.com
– This site was plain huge. They offer everything from PDA mounts to
cell phone mounts to drink holder mounts to laptop mounts to, well
let’s just say that if you wanted a mount for, well, not to get too
dicey but I will say they probably have one of those for that too.
Seriously though, I was blown away by the
selection of mounts for every vehicle imaginable. They also have a
gallery of pictures with mounts already installed. My favorite was
the
jogging stroller drink mount. It was actually a good idea,
but it struck me as funny anyway.  .
www.gomadic.com – This was another interesting site that had
a wide variety of PDA and phone mounts to fit any car or truck. The
site was easy to navigate and the selection of devices was huge.
www.mountguys.com – I suppose the name gives this site away.
These “guys” offer quite the selection of options for mounts for all
types of electronic gear. Cell phones, PDAs, GPS, laptops, are all
represented here. Even elaborate drink holder mounts are sold by the
“mountguys”. Cars, motorcycles, planes, bicycles, you name the mode
of transport, and they probably have a mount for you.
Well, there you have it. Try these sites out
and I will bet that you find a mount that will fit your lifestyle
and vehicle. I will add to this list as I find more interesting
sites that offer unique mounts for your electronic device. So check
back from time to time.
Remember, the next time you are cruising to
that all important appointment or get together with your friends,
make sure you aren’t
this guy….
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