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Review by
Dave Burrows
When you first take the Seidio Multi-function Charger Mount out of
the box,
if you haven't seen one up close, you'll instantly like the look of it.
Aesthetically it looks nice, very stylish and looks like it's built to withstand a
lot of knocking. Don't get me wrong, it's not heavy, on the contrary it's about
the weight of a Pocket PC, but the edges are finished off nicely, where there's
a hole that isn't required a bung is put in place, it just looks a well finished
product.
The multimedia mount comes in two colour flavours, one a dark gray, and one a
silver. Although the silver version looks really snazzy and wins my vote, when
you have one of each colour and you can place them in car you'll soon get to
love the dark gray version as it tends to blend in with the dashboard nicely
which usually consists of dark colours.
There are two available mounts, a windscreen suction cup mount and a dashboard
mount, the ones we are reviewing here include the windscreen mount. The
windscreen arm is a long arm, and has a huge suction cup, the strength of the
suction cup is among the better suction cups I have had the pleasure of testing
and although the weight of the mount and Pocket PC will be heavy, there
shouldn't be any reason why the suction mount can't hold the weight hanging from
it. Now due to weight problems I have had in the past with other companies
mounts, I must say I always like
resting these style of mounts on the dashboard, as this absorbs shake and
vibration when going
over bumps in the road and also takes less stress off of the suction cup and the
windscreen. However the Seidio Multi-function Charger Mount cannot be placed directly on a
dashboard (in it's vertical position) because there is an integrated cable
coming out of the bottom of the mount, and depending on which options you use one
or two USB style cables will also come plug into the bottom of the mount, which
makes this a little difficult. You could angle this mount to a 45 degree angle
(backwards),
but this takes up length on the suction arm which means that you need to place
it further away from you and closer to the windscreen which also attracts more
light and reflection to the Pocket PC.
 I like the plugs and sockets used on the Seidio mount, they are superb quality, but I think these sockets should have had
an inlet into the base/back part of the mount and allowed them to hide all of
the plug and just leave part of the cable hanging out, this would allow it to
easily be positioned into a vertical position and rested on a dashboard.
The arms have a
ratchet system and have lots of teeth, I would say hundreds but that probably isn't
true, but the teeth are so fine, you can pull the arms in just a millimetre or
two to gain that extra bit of grip, so you shouldn't have an issue gripping any
type of item whether it's a Pocket PC, an MP3 player or a large phone. The walls
of the arms have foam pads attached, this is where many manufacturers slip up as
the foam inserts they include are usually small and really do not help in
gripping the device that sits in the mount, Seidio have excelled here, the foam
pads are about 1cm wide and they're not that flimsy foam that reduces to nothing
when pushed against a device, they consist of hard foam which helps keep your
device steady at all times.
The best part of all is this mount is a multimedia mount. It has an internal
speaker that can be seen on the rear, and this is not one of those weak speakers
that we're all accustomed to. This speaker is loud! It's so loud, even with the
engine running and driving on small roads you can't have the volume at it's
loudest because it's too loud. This speaker allows you to plug your Pocket PC or MP3
player in and rather than have to contend with broadcasting your navigation
directions or music over the FM radio band to your car stereo and pickup all the
interference that may occur, the Seidio Multimedia Mount allows you to just play
it through the integrated speaker. This is superb! All you have to do is run the
supplied 3.5mm jack lead from the headphone socket on your Pocket PC or MP3
player to the top SPK socket on the mount and adjust the volume and you're in
business.
On the bottom of the mount in the middle you have the integrated car charger
cable, it would have been nice is this was removable, as I always hate leads
that cannot be easily replaced if they break as I tend to always be heavy handed
with things in-car. To the left there's a Handsfree USB socket, combined with
the USB to Phone lead, you can turn your phone into a hands free phone (cables
supplied separately from Seidio).
To the right of this you have the Charger USB socket. Combined with the supplied
USB to Pocket PC lead, this will supply power to your Pocket PC and charge it at
the same time. On the top left of the mount there is also a DC jack socket that
can be used to charge another device like a Bluetooth GPS Receiver, or just
another Pocket PC if you're lucky to have more than one.
The Seidio mount really does feel that it's been built well. Seidio
currently offer two lengths of windscreen suction mount, an 8" which is the
standard one offered, or you can purchase a 14" long windscreen suction mount.
There are also two further options available, a vent mount and a 3M multi-angle
dashboard mount.
New Swivel Adaptor
  Seidio
have just released a new Swivel Adaptor which allows you to mount the Swivel
Adaptor between the mount and cradle and allows you to swivel the PDA in a 360
degree motion. This is something that is lacking on most mount solutions,
and it's good to see Seidio hard at work here to offer such a huge selection of
options for their Multimedia Mount. The swivel mount works well, and once
locked in place, and you have adjusted the tension screw, you'll find you can
lock the swivel mount in place or have it slightly loose to rotate the PDA when
you need to
Mount Options Available
The great thing with the Seidio mount is it should enable you to
fit it inside any car. How many times have you purchased a mount to find
it doesn't fit snugly against your vent or on your dashboard and you've sent it
back ? With Seidio mount options, this should be a thing of the past!
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8" Super
Strong Suction Windshield Pedestal
With eight
inches of gooseneck, the pedestal is perfect for most cars. This is the
best windshield pedestal available - innovative design and engineering.
The Super Strong Suction cup can easily hold up to 22 lbs from the
windshield. When applied correctly, this windshield pedestal can securely
hold your PDA and mount solidly and attractively.
This pedestal can be easily attached to the windshield and can be removed
from vehicle to vehicle. The cradle can also be easily detached from the
pedestal and stored in the global box or on the car floor when you park.
This windshield pedestal can also work with SEIDIO’s exclusive swivel
adaptor. |
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14" Super
Strong Suction Windshield Pedestal
The 14” long
windshield pedestal solution is ideal for trucks, vans, and passenger cars
with windshield, far back from the lip of the dash. This is the best
windshield mount available – innovative design and engineering. The Super
Strong Suction cup (14”) can easily hold up to 22 lbs from the windshield.
When applied correctly, this windshield pedestal can securely hold your
PDA and mount solidly and attractively.
This pedestal can be easily attached to the windshield and can be removed
from vehicle to vehicle. The cradle can also be easily detached from the
pedestal and stored in the global box or on the car floor when you park.
This windshield pedestal can also work with SEIDIO’s exclusive swivel
adaptor. |
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Multi-Angel Pedestal
This Multi-Angle 1” Adhesive Dash/Console Pedestal can be adjusted in
nearly every direction and the flexible pedestal base conforms to the
shape of your dash and console. It uses 3M double side adhesive stick
(3.75 inch x 2.25 inch) to install. This is a popular method of
installation, although screws are included if a more permanent
installation is desired. The cradle can also be easily detached from the
pedestal for storage purposes. |
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Locking Vent Clip Pedestal
This locking vent clip pedestal comes with two locking clips and one
hinged support arm on the back that can angle the unit up. The combination
of locking clips and a hinged support arm ensures the pedestal’s firm
attachment to the air conditioning vent of your vehicle. The installation
is simple and convenient.
This pedestal can be easily attached to the vent and can be removed from
vehicle to vehicle. The mount can also be easily detached from the
pedestal and stored in the global box or on the car floor when you park.
This locking vent clip pedestal can works with SEIDIO’ exclusive swivel
adaptor. |
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Swivel Adaptor
The swivel mount is a unique design. It sits between the PDA holder
and the windscreen or vent mount allowing you to not only allow the
pedestal to hang from the vent or from the windscreen, but with the
addition of the swivel mount, you can now turn the PDA in a 360 degree
motion which makes it great if you have an application that switches your
PDA into landscape format!
- Offers side to side movement or 360 degree swivel
rotation
- Allows your PDA to be positioned at every possible
angle for the best viewing and GPS reception
- Allows both the driver and the passenger to see the
maps of the GPS system
- Reduce the windscreen (sun) glare for clear viewing
of GPS maps
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Problems Encountered ?
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One negative aspect I can really see from this mount is not being
able to rest this on the dashboard. In a sense if the cables that fit the bottom
had come with a right angle fitted plug, then this would have helped a little.
Perhaps something for a later design ?
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The standard cable supplied with the 3800/3900 models aren't
quite long enough to fit a Compaq 5450 for
audio use, but Seidio do offer a longer cable for 5450 users, so if you own a
5450 make sure you do order this type from Seidio's
online store.
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