Related
Product Page - http://www.exogear.com/products-exomount-tablet-car-dash-mount.html
I bought one of their mounts for my SGS III that I have coming, little did I know I was going to buy a tablet that would even more awesome to mount in the car..
You can find it on Amazon for $50 .. free shipping with Amazon Prime (ships from Las Vegas) .. I just ordered it because it's sooo cool and I didn't want it to sell out on me! LOL..
Pictures of my setup are below (using a borrowed iPad2 to demonstrate, The Nexus 7 Pics are attached below):
Picture 1 | Picture 2 | Picture 3 | Picture 4 | Picture 5 | Picture 6
Video Demonstration:
Part 1 - Ipad 2
Part 2 - Ipad 2
What ya'll think?
In terms of Quality... it comes assembled and functions exactly how it is in the video. It's very solid and secure. So your getting exactly what you see.
To make adjustments, it takes two hands. I doubt you'll be switching back and forth between landscape and portrait though. There is a knob in the back that makes adjusting easier and you can just tighten it when your done, but I didn't mess with that too much.
For those who don't have aux ports on their radio, I use a GOgroove FlexSMART X2.
Update: Since Youtube flagged the video with the Nexus 7, then deemed it okay, I'll have to re-record it when I have a spare moment. So maybe Saturday or Sunday I'll have a new one up!
If I helped in anyway, please hit the thanks button
It looks sweet but I was spoiled by Samsung's oem gs2 car dock that has charger input and audio output.
That's cool .. I have a bluetooth FM radio adapter as well. So you can stream pandora, google music, and phone calls as well (if you have the right setup)..
I was planning on using it for a gps also.
Is the quality and does it work well even for 50 bucks?
Streaming through bluetooth and then fm? that has to sound horrible.
fixyourtech said:
I was planning on using it for a gps also.
Is the quality and does it work well even for 50 bucks?
Streaming through bluetooth and then fm? that has to sound horrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it streams through the 3.5mm jack, then FM. The transmitter I have is pretty high quality, I don't hear any static. I don't have an aux port on my radio.
The bluetooth is so I can answer calls using the fm unit.
I should have the mount on Monday, and I'll borrow a tablet from someone in the coming week and post pictures of my setup.
As far as the mount goes, go to that site and look at the pictures, watch the videos ... go on Amazon and read the reviews ..
I might have to pick this up...my car receiver support bluetooth audio so I don't have to worry about cables (except the car charger) and a 7" tablet is perfect for a car environment. I'm kind of getting sick of messing around with phones in the car.
Okay Ya'll .. Thanks for the discussion and responses from my last video review. I finally got around to updating the review of this one. Check the OP for additional pictures and video. Please remember I'm doing this totally to give back to the XDA Community. Press the thanks button if you enjoyed the review or if I've helped you out.
Great review! Too bad I already have my Arkon coming in. LOL
Thanks for the review. Helped decide that I would prefer a model that better supported when in landscape. The Medellin below is made for 7inch tablets and has charging ports behind it.
http://www.amazon.com/Kropsson-Univ...&qid=1343154299&sr=1-1&keywords=Kropsson++800
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
aznsrdabest said:
Thanks for the review. Helped decide that I would prefer a model that better supported when in landscape. The Medellin below is made for 7inch tablets and has charging ports behind it.
http://www.amazon.com/Kropsson-Univ...&qid=1343154299&sr=1-1&keywords=Kropsson++800
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha..that's actually identical to the one I reviewed. That's a good price too. For charging I use my Gogroove Flex Smart. *Thats what I use for sound..
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
aznsrdabest said:
Thanks for the review. Helped decide that I would prefer a model that better supported when in landscape. The Medellin below is made for 7inch tablets and has charging ports behind it.
http://www.amazon.com/Kropsson-Univ...&qid=1343154299&sr=1-1&keywords=Kropsson++800
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Kropsson you linked to is the 800 which only goes up to 5 inches (I guess thats why it's 36 bux). I think you were thinking of the Kropsson 900, which is 50 bux. Looks nice! Thanks for the link!
http://www.amazon.com/Kropsson-Univ...arging/dp/B007C94FSK/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Here is the Kropsson 850 WITHOUT the charging ports.
http://www.amazon.com/Kropsson-Universal-Tablet-Mount-Holder/dp/B007C94EY0/ref=pd_cp_cps_0
Yeah..these are all the same make (with different names on them), with the exception that the Kropsson comes in different sizes and includes the charging port, which is pretty cool.
My video can serve as a visual for all of the models. It's going to operate the exact same way.
I prefer the 800 since its better suited for 7" tablets in landscape. I want it to sit as low as possible in landscape mode. Seeing how the Exxon rotated upwards for portrait mode was the deciding factor. Not to mention I feel better knowing that its being supported on the bottom when in landscape. But yea, i think its from the same manufacturer, and labeled differently. If you prefer portrait mode then the Exon or 900 is the way to go.
ps. There is a 750 model that is even cheaper, and made for 7" but you lose the charging ports on the back and the red/blue led lights. Need more blinking light! :silly:
My only issue is the disk on the dash. I have one for the arkon mount that only lasted a few weeks. Now the car mount wont stay because I think the HOT Texas sun warped the plastic. I can only stick the mount on the window.
Anyone have experience in these mounting disks?
kpjimmy said:
My only issue is the disk on the dash. I have one for the arkon mount that only lasted a few weeks. Now the car mount wont stay because I think the HOT Texas sun warped the plastic. I can only stick the mount on the window.
Anyone have experience in these mounting disks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hot sun will always melt the glue on those adhesive plates. Not sure what other options are, you can use an epoxy but that is a permanent solution.
Plastidip also sells a can of there stuff, maybe you can fashion a smooth spot where the suction cup will adhere too.
http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip
kpjimmy said:
My only issue is the disk on the dash. I have one for the arkon mount that only lasted a few weeks. Now the car mount wont stay because I think the HOT Texas sun warped the plastic. I can only stick the mount on the window.
Anyone have experience in these mounting disks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had mine mounted for the past 3 weeks in the Hot California Sun. I will tell you that I actually keep a microfiber cloth covering that portion of the unit. I've never tried removing it and you'll see from my video that everything is stable. There's no need to remove the unit (as that would be very annoying) as I've experienced so far.
Also a note on the mounting disc, I think there's a picture of it in the OP. It's an aluminum disc that has a SUPER adhesive that is installed on your dash. Then you place the car mounts suction on top of it, press down, and there is an additional lever that sucks the air out and really locks it down. It's not going anywhere
SwervFusion said:
Product Page - http://www.exogear.com/products-exomount-tablet-car-dash-mount.html
I bought one of their mounts for my SGS III that I have coming, little did I know I was going to buy a tablet that would even more awesome to mount in the car..
You can find it on Amazon for $50 .. free shipping with Amazon Prime (ships from Las Vegas) .. I just ordered it because it's sooo cool and I didn't want it to sell out on me! LOL..
Pictures of my setup are below (using a borrowed iPad2 to demonstrate, The Nexus 7 Pics are attached below):
Picture 1 | Picture 2 | Picture 3 | Picture 4 | Picture 5 | Picture 6
Video Demonstration:
Part 1 - Ipad 2
Part 2 - Ipad 2
Part 3 - Featuring the Nexus 7 Review
What ya'll think?
In terms of Quality... it comes assembled and functions exactly how it is in the video. It's very solid and secure. So your getting exactly what you see.
To make adjustments, it takes two hands. I doubt you'll be switching back and forth between landscape and portrait though. There is a knob in the back that makes adjusting easier and you can just tighten it when your done, but I didn't mess with that too much.
For those who don't have aux ports on their radio, I use a GOgroove FlexSMART X2.
If I helped in anyway, please hit the thanks button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All three videos have been pulled by YouTube.
Mosaik_droid said:
All three videos have been pulled by YouTube.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know .. I'm setting here just stuck on the reason why. I posted a review of a product, that I purchased, even the Nexus 7 .. that I purchased, with just me talking and showing off the product, with the only video playing in the background of a my review that I did on another product. And Youtube just said it's a "Community Guideline Strike" .. Like, Okay?!? .. Weird..
Update .. after youtube banning my account forever (which lasted about 12hours ), they found me to in compliance and released my account. So the first 2 videos are back up. I'm looking into what's up with the 3rd video..I'm guessing I'm clear to repost or whatever, but I'm waiting to hear back (drama drama drama..)
SwervFusion said:
Update .. after youtube banning my account forever (which lasted about 12hours ), they found me to in compliance and released my account. So the first 2 videos are back up. I'm looking into what's up with the 3rd video..I'm guessing I'm clear to repost or whatever, but I'm waiting to hear back (drama drama drama..)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow. I think it has to do with you showing a vid in a vid.
hey guys, any one thought about popping the back of there nexus 7 and making a Heatsink for the cpu, i know it wont be "sleek", but im thinking more of a stable temp with oc at 1.8gz, 600hmz GPU?,
if not what are your thoughts on this?
thanks amatis
amatris1996 said:
hey guys, any one thought about popping the back of there nexus 7 and making a Heatsink for the cpu, i know it wont be "sleek", but im thinking more of a stable temp with oc at 1.8gz, 600hmz GPU?,
if not what are your thoughts on this?
thanks amatis
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think fitting a back cover suitable and stable enough to make this worthwhile will be very difficult, specially if you plan on handling the tablet a lot, this would only drain your battery very fast if you are able to reconstruct a back cover that would fit snugly without exposing the internals, if I were you I would stick to running it safely at 1.6-1.7Ghz and rather wait for more powerful tablets to be released to suit your needs if you are unhappy with the nexus.
Get a H100i Or a Hyper 212 EVO Cooler, Im sure it will get to about 2.3GHz before it explodes.
Walk around with LN2 canisters in your backpack, spraying it constantly will get you 4.5Ghz+ if the circuitry can support the voltage!
Can we overclock ram on android platform?
On a serious note, look into the fan types the MacBookAir uses, as they are flat and deploy a spiral exhaust so with a few mm thicker cover with a few inlet holes and an exhaust slit, this could be possible!
OllieArmageddon said:
Walk around with LN2 canisters in your backpack, spraying it constantly will get you 4.5Ghz+ if the circuitry can support the voltage!
Can we overclock ram on android platform?
On a serious note, look into the fan types the MacBookAir uses, as they are flat and deploy a spiral exhaust so with a few mm thicker cover with a few inlet holes and an exhaust slit, this could be possible!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be awesome, he would just need someone to manufacture a new back cover, still would be pretty nice having a quad core 2.0Ghz tablet if the cooling was super efficient and the voltage was enough to keep it stable.
ghost02 said:
That would be awesome, he would just need someone to manufacture a new back cover, still would be pretty nice having a quad core 2.0Ghz tablet if the cooling was super efficient and the voltage was enough to keep it stable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmm im thinking about Buying a white back replacement, and i could cut a bit out of that, and use fiberglass to make it smooth ish.
but the problem is, this.
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xY4ZUq2beS0/0.jpg
i has also watched a youtube vid, and it seams that there are sticker cable things attached? so im not sure how i would get around that,
powering it should be easy, just hook it up to the battery, or even add another battery "slim" and making a switch for it, the thickness of it should not be much of a problem, as if you had it in a case it would be about the same, Depening on what the case was,
thanks amatris.
[REVIEW] LooKbad - "Airholder" and "Handy" hands free holders for Android Tablets
NOTE: I'm a Nexus 10 owner with no affiliation with LooKbad Limited
Airholder:
Pros
- Hands free tablet viewing is both relaxing and comfortable even after several hours reading or watching videos
- The Airholder is made of high quality materials and appears to be of much better construction than alternate products
- Allows for endless adjustments providing almost any viewing angle you could want when sitting up or fully reclined
- The MultiCase accommodates both microUSB and Pogo plug charging cables
- When not in use folds into a compact non-obtrusive form factor
Cons
- The included USB connections do not support OTG devices (e.g. USB hubs, SD card readers ... etc)
- Support arm needs to be anchored (wood, cement or dry wall)
Detailed review:
Using a Nexus 10 in bed while fully reclined can be uncomfortable in less than 40+ minutes (a single TV show). Even a dock sitting on your chest can be a pain as it is difficult to maintain optimum viewing angles.
After researching several alternative hands free holders, ranging from music stands to converted desk lamps, I discovered the best ones were mostly made for the iPad.
That is until I stumbled upon the "Airholder" by LooKbad Limited. Their web site says the Airholder supports "iPad/Android/Windows Tablet". Although the devices is fairly expensive ($118 USD after applying a $10 discount code), I had the need and enough spare cash to take a chance, so I bought both the Airholder and added a "Handy". It did not hurt that their web site had pictures which displayed the AirHolder and a Nexus 10.
Shipping from Hong Kong was on the high side at $38 USD but I ordered on a Friday and it was delivered on the following Tuesday (Canada). There was no additional duty charges but your mileage may vary.
After the unboxing my first impressions were that the arm, joints and swivels are very well made and will likely be durable over the long haul. Different than the iPad Airholder version, that snaps on like a hard shell cover, the "MultiCase" is a generic tablet holder adjustable for tablets from 5.5" to 11". The MultiCase locks into the AirHolder and has an additional lock-switch for extra safety. Of note is that 7 inch tablets can be held in both portrait and landscape positions while 10 inch tablets (e.g. Nexus 10) can only be held in the landscape position.
After adjusting the MultiCase to accommodate the Nexus 10, I realized that this holder would not prevent the Nexus 10 from sliding sideways if the holder tipped unexpectedly. That initially worried me but after using this product for a while the concern was unfounded. In fact the lack of tight fit proved to have a number of benefits.
First, a TPU case on the Nexus 10 could be left on and it looks like the MultiCase could even accommodate a flip cover. The other benifit is that you could make slight adjustments like tilt left/right/forward/back without changing the MultiCase's overall position. Unless you have the Airholder you cannot fathom how useful that can be.
LooKbad has recommendations on the position you should mount the Airholder and I highly recommend you heed their recommendations. As I did not want to make mistakes and drill unnecessary holes in my bed room wall, I initially mounted the Airholder on a 2x4 piece of wood then temporarily proped it up, to give it a test run for few nights. I'm glad I took that approach as I ended up finding that I preferred the mount 3 inches higher than LooKbad's recommendation just so I had additional elbow room.
The Airholder includes USB connectors with the wires hidden inside the main arm and includes a male to male USB cable. I envisioned attaching a powered USB hub to one end and get the benefits of both OTG Devices and changing from the one USB connection. Nice idea but I discovered that the Airholder USB connections do not support OTG USB devices, just power for charging. Still nice but OTG support would have been even better.
Adjusting to your preferred position whether sitting up or fully reclined is very easy. The arms and their adjustable joints are well thought out. After making your adjustments you can lock the position in and it is secure enough that touching the tablet surface does not cause distracting jiggling.
At night, when the lights are off, it is both cool and a little disconcerting having your tablet appear to float in the air. I particularly liked being able to position the tablet so that I could look straight out to the center of the screen no matter how I laid in bed. Something that was not as easy when resting a dock on your chest. Also no more juggling a tablet and a cup of tea while reading an ebook. There is a lot to be said for hands free reading.
After two weeks using the Airholder I feel I got my money's worth. Sure I could have taken a chance and saved money but I got what I wanted with a product that will likely be used with my next generation tablet.
Handy:
Pros
- Convenient for attaching to kitchen cabinets, desktops, music stands ... etc
- Utilizes the Airholder's "MultiCase" so two different tablet mounts did not need to be purchased
Cons
- The Handy is very short so in all but mounting to a kitchen cabinet you'll likely need an additional component (e.g. music stand) to position the tablet for easy viewing
Detailed review:
At $16 USD the "Handy" was a through-in item when the Airholder was purchased. Adding the "Handy" meant no additional shipping charges. Unfortunately I had not thought things through so did not fully realize that the very short arm would mean that I could not get the tablet close enough for my tired old eyes to read text. This is my issue not LooKbad's.
The Handy works great in the kitchen where cabinets have a natural position for viewing. So far I have not settled on how I will use the Handy day-to-day, but have jury rigged a short rod to a camera tripod while I contemplate a music boom mike stand purchase.
So far the camera tripod has been very successful as its stable and can be adjusted in multiple ways (swivel, height, tilt). In fact I suspect it is more stable than any cheap music stand. Manoeuvring the tripod with Handy/tablet attached, to a viewing position for my easy chair, works surprisingly well. Although it doesn't have a high WAF (wife acceptance factor).
Of note is that when attaching the Handy to any smooth round surface the downward torque caused by the weight of the MultiCase and tablet is significant so the grip tends to slip. I ended up positioning the Handy with the Handy's arm already pointed straight downward. I only mention this as it meant I had to adjust the height of the camera tripod a few inches higher.
I am not disappointed that I spent the additional $16 for the Handy and do use it daily with my easy chair and occasionally in the kitchen.
Independent review of the Airholder.
AirHolder on Youtube:
The basic functions of an AirHolder
A tip on using the AirHolder
AirHolder as your furniture
So this seemed like the place for this, but if I guessed wrong, please move this to the proper forum. Anyway...
I've been thinking a lot lately, and after the announcement of the HP Elite X3, I figured out my dream phone:
My dream phone would have a processor probably something along the lines of 4- or 8-core processor, with 2 clusters, both based on Intel Atom or Core processors. One cluster would be VERY high powered, and only active while in its docking station.
Now, the docking station: the docking station would have a metal plate, with liquid cooling attached, and then the back of the phone would be solid metal, with the CPU heatsinked directly to it, and the two would sit flush, perhaps even with some apparatus to lock the phone in to ensure full contact against the plate. This would enable use of the more powerful cores in the phone without risk of heat damage.
It would dual-boot Windows and Android (hopefully CyanogenOS, that would be preferred). In Windows, it would support Continuum with the dock, and in Android probably just mirror the phone screen, but allow the phone screen to be powered off while plugged in to the dock. The dock could also be powered by a Mobile Extender item (ala HP Mobile Extender for the Elite X3).
The phone screen would be 5.5-5.8 inches, with 4000mAh battery or bigger (I don't mind if the phone is large, I'd rather have a bigger battery than a small phone). Curved back (though admittedly, this may be wishful thinking, and unrealistic with the whole heat sink thing), IR Blaster, stereo speakers with great sound quality (think Boomsound from HTC), probably 6 or 8GB or RAM.
I think that's all my major points. What do you guys think?
Pictures of mod items down below.
Back to the topic of modding the IE Gear VR for the note 4:
I just received my IE unit days ago and had a look at the various modding attempts be it on this thread, youtube or google altogether.
Some do look clean enough still I was pondering the idea of the cleanest sleekiest modding design, while keeping costs to a minimum.
After about 3 days of hectic googling, I came up with the following:
1- 8000mah Note 4 extended battery:
Link: http://www.ebay.de/itm/391342722159?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=660582850100&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
As opposed to the many more or less higher capacities at about 9000mah up to 10000mah which cover more width area of the phone. This piece at 8000mah has the same proportions as the original battery, only two times thicker.
That should be taken into consideration as the heating parts on the phone when used with the VR are usually around the back camera upper area. Having a normal sized extended battery should leave free room for air-cooling later on. As opposed to the wider kind at say 10000mah (Wink Wink Zerolemon ) that unfortunately cover the heating-up back side of the phone, theoretically causing the air-cooling mod not to work.
Last but not least, this battery at its offered capacity roughly costs 10 bucks. It should be a steal, once I'll confirm it is indeed offering a close enough performance to its claimed 8000mah capacity. More on that soon.
2- USB Cooling Fan
Link: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/1Pcs-Cool-Cooler-Cooling-Fan-USB-Foldable-Folding-Pad-w-2-Fans-for-Laptop-Notebook-Free/32435788330.html
Now to the main course, the cooling!
Most mods I've seen use an elaborate approach based on adapters and long cables.
Now I have found this piece, two fans already USB'ed and sized at :
167*66*20mm (respectively: Length*Width*Thickness)
These proportions should easily fit my rough calculation of the VR removable Front cover which more or less are:
180*80*18mm
USB is a 5V DC easily powered by any powerbank.
Price is just about 3 bucks. well 2,36 euros for me.
More on that after I receive my order and see to it.
Plan is double sided tape. More on that later.
3- Powerbank for the USB Fan:
With portability always in mind and me not willing to give up any aspect of that portability. Mods I've seen around just velcro-strap a sizeable powerbank on the headstrap or backstrap then call it a day. That is neither cool nor comfy. It is of course a matter of opinion and that was mine. Anyhow, here is the link of the smallest powerbank I've seen.
Link: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/keychain-Mini-Powerbank-1800mah-5V-1A-Mobile-Phone-Power-Bank-Mini-usb-Universal-Portable-External-Battery/32585393797.html
proportions: 51.5*41.5*17.5mm
weight: merely 70g
These proportions perfectly fit the left side of the VR where the GEAR VR OCULUS logo is.
It is planned to be installed by surrounding the edges and corners of that logo with thin double-sided tape/Velcro. That should keep the logo visible, harm the appearance as little as possible and hold the 70gram powerbank just fine.
Also more on that when I receive the goods.
The powerbank has a decent 1800mah for something the size of a key (designed as a keychain). That should be enough to run the fans for two days at least, again theoretically.
The price is an alluring 10 bucks or less if site's discount is applied.
Edit: If all works according to calculations, this mini powerbank would be sprayed white so it would fit with the IE Gear VR colors, and not stand out with its gold finish.
Conclusion:
My note 4 with the original 3220mah holds about 3h to 3h30 inside the VR without mods.
With the 8000mah it should hold up double the time or if conservative then a decent 5 hours. Again without cooling.
Double Fan cooling should be extreme as most of the seen mods report no heating whatsoever with just one fan, still lets see if double fans might be the new standard !
The Powerbank is to be installed as plug and play (with velcro) on the side. Just press it in or pull out from the left side. Easy.
The powerbank's own proportions are fitting the left side, so neither appearance nor design are compromised.
At 23 bucks, this is the lowest cost/design mod seen yet.
Well not seen it perse, I have to make it :laugh:
Pictures down below.
Actual DIY mod
Update 07-05-2016
I recently received my orders for the DIY and started working on it.
Challenges were met, but let's keep it brief.
My piece of advice on all this would be:
No matter how good your calculations are (for this particular kind of mod that doesn't involve damaging or altering the cover case but rather duct-taping your way around it):
Always make sure to double check your calculations as you will be working on a Millimeter -mm- basis here. . It literally took me tens of trial and error and loads of patience to find that particular right spot where the two fans don't hit on anything be it the camera or any part of the phone .The concave form factor of the protective cover definitely was of no help as only the center can be used, and that center hardly houses two fans.
So the fans had to be stripped down to the very bone, taking off every single part that had the potential of being removable. (used a heated knife and/or scissors)
The result can be seen in the video, where literally less than 5 millimeters separate the fan blades from the highest point of the phone, being the camera.
I did mention "this particular kind of mod" as not only does it not involve any cutting into the cover nor holes, but also it is built with completely removable material eg: Double-sided duct-tape and double-sided Velcro.
That provides two advantages: a clean design obviously as the title suggests and the possibility to keep your case undamaged and unaltered by simply scratching off all the Velcro and duct-tape at some point in the future, if you decide to.
I haven't received the 8000mah extra battery (mentioned above) yet so I'll update on that at a later date. Although now I highly doubt it would fit with the two fans, if one keeps the protective cover unaltered.
One last piece of advice: a 4mm wide double-sided duct-tape on the back of the battery is a good trick to keep it well snugged in the phone, not suddenly falling down, and still keeps the battery easily removable later on with finger pressure.
Pictures down below, and a short video made just after I finished the project (ps: humming is from something playing on the laptop, the two spinning fans don't make any noise).
Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXPEArWpgm0&feature=youtu.be
Shoot away your questions, I'll be happy to help!
This is my first attempt at any sort of DIY, and I'm glad it turned out just fine, and also happy I can give something back to this great community!
So much for trying to be brief ! Sorry !
Cheers.