I was wondering if any of you know of any options for a rotating iphone mount. Here is why I am asking...

The Iphone 3G has GPS and it looks like Tom Tom are making software for it to work as a true GPS device. It would be great to have a mount that can be vertical for music and phone calls, but you can turn it sideways when you want to crank out the GPS.

 

pro clip usa.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll check it out.

 

combined with



I'm just not sure that pro-clip has anything for the 3g iphone yet.

 

http://www.kudausa.com/iphone_chargi..._3g!-1304.html#


Check out Kuda's product. It's a lot cleaner than that item.. but probably alot more, but looks nicer once installed. That item looks tacky IMO.

 

Except that it's a charging cradle that doesn't support the iPhone 3g, at least not yet.

The 3g charges using usb while previous generations charged thorough firewire.

 

The adjustable pro-clip mount for the original iPhone fits my 3g in belkin sleeve just fine. It would fit without a sleeve, also.

 

.

 

Not true. The 1st-gen iPhone charges using USB. Never touches firewire.
http://support.apple.com/specs/iphone/iPhone.html

 

That Kuda looks much beefier than the Pro Clip. The mounting plate might integrate with the dash better with no cradle attached, but the Kuda cradle looks like a mighty large tumor.

I think the Pro Clip would make for a cleaner solution overall.

 

Golden Child is correct, strictly-speaking. even though the original iPhone never used Firewire for syncing, its 30-pin dock connector still had the "Firewire charging pins" in addition to the "USB charging pins", and you could charge the iPhone via either the Firewire pins or the USB pins. Many 3rd-party chargers and docking stations used the Firewire pins for charging, since they allowed the use of higher voltage and lower current than the USB pins.

The 3G iPhone kept the same physical 30-pin dock connector as the original iPhone, but the Firewire charging pins are no longer functional - those pins may serve a different purpose (or none at all) in the 3G iPhone's connector.

So, chargers, docking stations, car iPod adapters, etcetera that relied on the Firewire pins in the dock connector to charge the device will no longer work with the 3G iPhone. This is why the factory iPod adapter in the first-gen MINI will charge my 60 GB video iPod and my iPod Touch, but not my 3G iPhone.

 

You know, I have yet to hear anything good about the iPhone 3G...

First they reduce the build quality (I really like the metal back).
Then they reduce their target market in the U.S. (why pay $15/mo more if I don't get 3G service anywhere? and why not offer a non-3G option anymore?)
They don't offer a replacement dock for those of us with the bluetooth headset.
Now this likely unnecessary change in the charging pinout options.

The only reason to buy an iPhone 3G is that they don't sell the 1st-gen anymore. I should really go grab another on eBay to use as a backup before it's too late.

 

I don't know why Apple changed the pinout configuration. On the "old" dock connector, pins 19 and 20 were the Firewire +12V pins. I don't know what those pins are used for on the iPhone 3G. They might be unused, or they could have something to do with the GPS capability in the 3G iPhone (possibly for connecting an external GPS antenna, or for sending GPS location information to an external device such as a camera). Or, they may be used for something else entirely that I haven't even thought of.

There's a fairly easy modification you can make to old chargers that will allow them to feed the USB charging pins instead of the Firewire charging pins, so I suspect we'll start seeing inline adapters in the near future to let older chargers/docks/car interface kits work with the new iPhone.

As for the iPhone 3G itself, I love mine, but I actually get good 3G coverage here, I'm enjoying the GPS capability, and I prefer the look of the tapered glossy black back to the metal back on the original iPhone. I also don't use a Bluetooth headset, so for the particular demographic I fall into, the iPhone 3G is much more attractive to me than buying a used original iPhone.

 

the biggest change would be dropping the 12V used for the firewire charging
down to 5V for the USB charging. i wish they had kept both (like in the iphone 1G), since i would be able to use the same harness to power my old 3G ipod
when my iphone 3G isn't in the vehicle.

 

We're already seeing inline adapters that do the 12V -> 5V conversion, so I think it will be pretty easy to use both old and new Apple devices with the factory wiring harness.

But in the meantime, I have the same problem - I have a video iPod that lives in the car permanently, but sometimes I'll sync a new playlist to my 3G iPhone before leaving for work, so I have to run it on its own internal battery during the commute.

 

Just fyi, Garmin also makes software for phones as well.

http://www8.garmin.com/mobile/mobilext/

 

I just got the pro clip for my car and you simply can't beat the ease of installation. no mess, no need to use the supplied adhesive tape - simply clicks on and it fits firmly in place. the padded back ensures that you will never have any damage on you phone. if you happen to have the convenience package, the cable is perfect length!!!

 

Hi All:

Just took delivery of my Clubman S two weeks ago and knew I would want an iphone cradle option. I am using the comfort bluetooth along with USB connection to route calls and address book to the Mini and also listen to tunes from my iphone.

I looked at the proclip and other options and then ended up purchasing the kit from Griffin found here.

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/windowseat

The benefits of the kit are: it looks fairly stock; not-too-tacky and comes with several clips which are molded to perfectly fit any of the iphone, iphone 3g or itouch. Lastly, the clip/device plate rotates so it can be viewed vertically or horizontally.

Installation:

I tried using the included suction mount by modifying the included smooth plastic disk and adhering it to the bottom of one of my cup holders. That worked for a week until the temps started to fluctuate and then suction would give way intermittently.

Finally, I took the astray we all get with our Mini's (which would have gone into a drawer somewhere since I don't smoke) which fits the cup-holder snugly. Using a Dremel tool, I bored a hole into the lid of the ashtray which was just large enough to thread the neck of the Griffin holder into. The fit was very tight and allowed me to just pop the ashtray into either of the two cup-holders, connect the USB/Ipod cable and adjust the angle of my phone so I get to see the face of it as I drive. Perfect for NAV too. Pics attached.

Hope that helps any of you looking for a good place to put your iphone!

 

You can make a platform for the cup holder with a 2" black plastic pie coupling, and a disk cut from plexiglass, or some other material. I turned black plex, and various hardwood disks on my lathe.

 

Rumor is that Apple will be dropping FireWire in favor of USB 2.

 

This is exactly what I was thinking of doing in leu of the armrest thing...

This proclip setup with the convenience package does let you control music from the steering wheel, right? Do you have any pictures of your setup?

 

Not really a rumor, as it has already happened starting a year or two ago.

 

I would seriously look into the Kuda Mounts. I bought one for my Touch, and it's unbelievably SOLID!!! I purchased the universal mount which can be oriented vertically (portrait) or horizontally (landscape). The only issue is you need to unscrew the mount, rotate it, then screw it back on. I do believe they make a swivel mount though...I just need to look into that. The Kuda Mount also took 1 minute (not exaggerating) to install. Just slide the tab under the dash vent, and it clicks into place. They included a screw to provide further security, but it's not needed