Seems there is now a BMW iPhone Armrest Snap-In out. Part Number 84 10 9 182 792. Now just to figure out is it fits the MINI. Would also be nice if it could be wired to work with the iPod adaptor.. buts thats just asking to much .

 

anyone have more info on this?

 

All the current Mini cradles are BMW cradles. No where in the documentation that came with the Razr cradle I have does it mention the Mini. Only BMWs and it's a BMW labeled box it came in as well.

From that I would assume the Iphone cradle for a BMW would be the same. The cradle won't help with music though as it's only a charger and connection to the car's antenna. The USB and Ipod adapters are not part of the armrest wiring.

 

And don't forget the instruction booklet in German. At least mine was.

 

What can I expect to pay for this exotic German animal?

 

Mine was $112 for a Razr adaptor from Classic Mini in Ohio. They give a discount to NAM members.

 

Thanks!

 

I had trouble with my cradle not charging. While my Mini was in getting a couple others things taken care of, they checked and the cradle was bad. They overnighted another one so it was ready when my car was ready. The new one came with the full instruction booklet. All the languages; including 2 separate English sections, one for us Americans and one for British.

 

They obviously owed you a bonus, for the first one not working. If I hadn't been able to figure mine out, I would be asking you for the translation.

 

It really doesn't need a manual as it is self explanatory but it confirms there is a full version.

 

That's why I was laughing. Pretty much snap in, plug phone in, enjoy.

 

So what exactly are the benefits of the cradle? Are they any different than using a proclip mount and plugging the iPhone is using the "convenience/bluetooth" USB connector? I'm assuming they both charge and connect the iPhone to the Nav/Audio system for iPod functions. The phone functions/connections are accomplished via bluetooth... correct?

 

The only benefit to an Iphone cradle would be a connection to the car's external antenna since the USB connection already powers it.

 

I googled the part number and only turned up a forum post from early December. A German forum post. Translated with dubious quality.

As I don't have an iPod connection nor a USB connection in my car, I'd get the dual benefits of extending the iPhone's antenna (hard-wired into the MINI) *and* be able to charge my phone in my car (which would be a big deal, as the battery of the iPhone is not great -- I've gone to use my phone and found out that she's out of juice a few times already...).

~Neal

 

The only advantage is the phone will be hidden away in the armrest. The minus is that you won't be able to play music from the armrest. And "connecting to the car's external antenna" is not true for the iPhone (nor is it for a lot of these phone cradles). To do that the phone has to have an external antenna jack, AND the cradle has to have a pin to fit into that jack. So forget that. And I would not assume that the cradle made for BMW will fit in the little narrow armrest either. The iPhone is pretty wide as it is.
Summary: For about $125 you get a charger in the armrest.

 

Phone's without an external connector use a wireless connection to the cradle to capture the signal and send it to the car's roof antenna. Same principal as the "through glass" cell antennas.

 

Yea I know the cradle doesn't do anything for music.. would be nice if they could wire that in however.

 

Personally I think the best idea for an iPhone is what someone here did. They used a Kuda mount with a swivel base and mounted the phone so it could turn sideways for flipping through music files. I thought it was really clever and looked to work quite well.

 

Similar principle to the tooth fairy leaving a dollar under your pillow at night (lol).

 

Nice attitude.

 

Who told you that ?

In any case this is not implemented in EU type minis (for I believe it would bring almost nothing to improving the signal ...) ... this is why I digged out of oblivion the Nokia 6310i and bought the cradle for it. The reception with the phone in the cradle is excellent (Nokia has an antena connector at the back connecting to the cradle's antenna connector). You have to try this to believe it (very much obvious in weak signal areas).

If you make/receive phone calls a lot when driving this is a must have (especially when you have a lot of mountains and valleys as we do have them in Austria) .

Also puting an iphone in the armrest dismisses the intended use of the trendy interface ... I think ...

 

It's in the manual that comes with the Razr cradle (the part about wireless connection). Also I dis-assembled mine and there is a connection from the round antenna connection in the armrest that connects to a wire that feeds to a loop in the cradle which sits right at the base of the phone when in the cradle.

 

Im thinking about buying one. does anyone know for sure if it works with the Mini?
Price from my Mini dealer $112.00 and $12.50 shipping.

 

Well if your MINI dealer is selling it I would hope it would work with the car. Did your dealer or your MA have any more information on it?

 

The dealer's response was: “As of now I have not seen it approved for Mini”.
I’m not sure if any phone armrest snap-in is Mini approved? all seem to be for BMW’s but work in Mini’s... maybe I’m wrong. Would the iPhone be any different?