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Maximum PDA Reviews
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Posted by: Bill Landon on Feb 24, 04 | 4:00 pm Provided by: FreeTranslation.com |
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>>>>PAGE OUTDATED -- MaximumPDA has been moved to PDAToday.com -- <<<< Seidio Multi-function Powered Mount Bundle for iPAQ |
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| The PDA is a great tool to take along with you when you leave the office, home or class. You can do many things with your PDA from checking your schedule, your email, to just listening to music or playing a game.
What’s wrong with the above statement? Fundamentally nothing, expect when you are going from place to place where do you put your PDA? I toss my iPAQ in the seat next to me when driving but it tends to slide around and on occasion end up under the seat after quick turn or stop. Seidio has created a great solution to this with their line of multi-function powered PDA mounting systems. The Seidio kit I am going to look at today is their Multi-Function Powered Mount Bundle for iPAQ. This kit includes the following parts: 1 Powered PDA mount cradle with DC power cord 1 8" Super Strong Suction Windshield Pedestal 1 Slide and Lock Vent Pedestal 1 360 Degree Swivel Adaptor 1 Audio Cable (used to enable the speaker) 1 USB Charging Cable for your PDA model Here is a detailed description of each part that is including with this kit from the Seidio website:
The kit includes several different mounting options. One of the most interesting mounting options is the vent mount. Alas I could never get the vent mount to work right. This is not the fault of Seidio’s engineers however but the non-typical vents in my Mini Cooper. The vent mount system should work fine in most vehicles. Instead I decided to use the 8” window pedestal as my mounting option of choice. At first I didn’t think I would like the look of the window mount but after seeing it there it became less obtrusive looking. In the past I have used an iRock of transmit my PDA’s audio to the car’s FM stereo. The drawback to that scenario is you can’t listen to your favorite radio station or CD while getting voice directions from your GPS without changing the preset radio station. Seidio thoughtfully added a speaker to the PDA mount. The Seidio speaker quality is decent and the volume level is sufficient for in car use. I wouldn’t want to listen to a whole CD on this speaker but for in-car GPS navigation and phone calls it works like a champ. Now I just mute the car stereo and I can easily take a phone call or get my in-car GPS directions. The materials used to construct the Seidio mounting system is lightweight and durable however I did manage to crack the gooseneck mount sleeve. It still holds tight and I have placed some glue into the collar just to be safe. Just to be fair I will concede that I was turning the mount in a direction I don’t think it was meant to go. We have seen more rugged mounts in lab before from companies like RevolveDesign that we reviewed last spring , but those rugged mounts come with a high price tag. Our kit did not include the hands free phone cable but the concept sounds great. My cell phone microphone is pretty sensitive so it worked just fine in the mount but a remote button to answer the call would be nice. The only detraction from this kit is that it is a little bulky; however Seidio does have a slimline kit with out the built in speaker. Seidio has set a new bar for price vs. performance on PDA mounting gear. As the competition heats up for better in-car cell phone/PDA mounting solutions it will become increasingly difficult to get a perfect score. That being said I feel safe recommending this unit for the road warrior that doesn’t need a “custom install” look but instead needs function over fashion. --Bill Landon Senior Editor Rating: 3.5 our of 5 Purchase Multi-Function Mount iPAQ19/22 More Products From Seido |
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