MENB+ME-04: Heavy Duty Windshield Mount - Acer Iconia A500

$19.95 Bought from Amazon: MENB+ME-04: Heavy Duty Windshield Mount
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
I bought it on Wednesday last minute because I am going on a 2 week road trip. I will develop this into a real review as I use it, I will also get some real pics as soon as possible.
First Impressions:
Plastic, not a big fan of plastic but overall it looks OK and feels OK. Uses knobs to loosen / tighten the arms as well as ball joint at base. It came in 2 pieces, the suction + arm, and the actual tablet holder piece. They join together by just slide and snapping in place.
Out of the box it did not fit the Iconia, but a quick unscrewing, pulling out, and re-screwing of the adjuster knobs fixed that. It is a slight struggle to just slip in the tab as the spring loaded wedge wants to push it out past the bottom arms so you have to push a little at the bottom is you slip it in, though it does hold very snugly once seated.
On quick inspection it seems none of the devices features where blocked, as I personally plan on doing time lapse video of driving sessions and stuff, I was really relieved to find the rear (and forward facing) camera both go UN-obstructed, as well as power, volume, Power Input, and SD. I did not check the USB ports but I am fairly sure they are also UN-obstructed.
The feet of the arm that show on the front of the device do seem to come in kind of far, but they do not go past the bevel at all, so there should be no screen blockage either.
The suction cup seems to be excellent, it came with a nice protective film over the suction cup, showing they at least think about making sure it's clean when you get it, and it's performance on initial testing seems very promising. The second I touched it to the glass it stuck on, and the locking tensioner for the suction cup really seems designed well for locking the suction to the glass, though I suspect it will eventually break considering its made of plastic, which could be a big flaw for the way it's designed.
Sofar I have only driven around the block with it mounted, and my overall feel was that it seemed kind of loose, though bear in mind I had not yet properly tightened everything down, which I feel will make a large difference.
I am optimistic about this mount, as it overall seems to be well built, though if anything it's flaw will be being made of plastic. I am happy to find it does indeed leave all features and functions of the tablet open and accessible, which makes it a very versatile mount for anything from GPS to video recording, to whatever.
I am about to embark on a 2 week road trip driving an Isuzu box truck from Northern Cali to San Diago, so I will get some really good real world usage out of this thing. I will make sure to update this review as I go along.

Related

My funny 8525 adventure. Please read.

I have had my Cingular 8525 since November and I love it. I live in Baltimore, MD and it has been cold and extremely windy here lately. Well I got out of my car and went to get something out of the passenger side door. When closing the door I had the phone in my hand. Suddenly a huge gust of wind comes and the phone goes flying out of my hand, slides 8 feet down the curb and into the sewer!!!! I can't believe it!! I was shocked. It was almost like somebody had it hooked on a fishing line and reeled it in.
Luckily it hadn't rained in a few days and the gutter was like 5 feet deep. I tried so many ways of getting it out, including using two mop handles like chopsticks, trying to catch it with tape, and trying to get it into a plastic bag. Eventually I taped a small gift bag to the end of one of the mopsticks and knocked it into the giftbag then pulled it up. After an hour and a half of blistering cold work i have my scratched up 8525 back. Only problem is that my micro SD card came out!!!!!
A lot of people have had success avoiding these issues by removing the sail that comes standard on some of the hermes.
Seriously though, the wind blew it out of your hand, 8 feet away?!
Yes. I hate parking near it so I thought I was okay since it was so far away. It was almost like a practical joke.
Themajesticking....Friends of yours?
No...seriously
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Mike
mikechannon said:
Themajesticking....Friends of yours?
No...seriously
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROFLMAO!
Funniest thing ever. Very unfortunate for you tho. You should get a strap that hooks into the port opposite of the stylus and strap it to your belt or on your wrist whenever you have it. I always do and its prevented many accidents! They are cheap to.
I find it's best to keep my 8525 securely chained to the side of my head. In my car, I use a big magnet to affix it to the side of the car. Hasn't gone anywhere yet.
lol I know this might sound so stupid but I wont walk over sewers without holding my pockets inconspicuously...never mind me walking over them when Im on my phone.
I also wont talk on the phone next to the window of a car...Im afriad it will slip out or Ill have the inclination to throw it
haha

Make a device cradle for a penny...

I'm still laughing at myself...check it out...a large binder clip makes a great display stand with charging functionality. Just pull off the squeezing clips after you clamp down on the USB plug. It's actually pretty stable too. I'm sure you could even velcro it to your desk for more stability
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
ha! thats brilliant!
wow...genius! xD
+1
Genius !
Ciao
Fred
F**k me! That's great!
Can't beat that.... +1
nice, now if only my girlfriend would let me make a hole in the desk to make it look built-in!!
excellent...works perfect!
ha just did it, thanks!
As clever as it is,... be prepared to find a replacement socket for your phone after a while. The connector can not handle the stress of supporting it's own weight for very long.
You should try to find a way to support the phone along with the plug-in.
This is, however, a good start to a generic cradle.
Fun find!
ktwildchild said:
As clever as it is,... be prepared to find a replacement socket for your phone after a while. The connector can not handle the stress of supporting it's own weight for very long.
You should try to find a way to support the phone along with the plug-in.
This is, however, a good start to a generic cradle.
Fun find!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the phone rests on the clip... what you talking about?
What about front to back movement?
Subtle movment wears on the connector circuit board.
thats what i mean... the front and back of mine rests on the clip. i have the rubberized snap case on so maybe my fitment is different.
I have just bought the clip and the "poor´s guy cradle"is just great! no problems here. Great idea!
Amazing found !!!
By site internet martinique​
I will pay you $5 for this brilliant item!!!
Thinking outside the box. Great idea. As far as wear and tear, I think as long as you make sure you are putting the weight on the paper clip and not the device I wouldn't think there would be any problems even long term? I would go the extra length to cover the metal around the clip with something, wouldn't be hard, I don't like anything metal touching my phone. Heck, I haven't even set my phone down on a hard surface yet in fear the back diamond points will wear.
My only question right now is: I wonder how good it would work if I clipped in the dongle so I can have earphones connected for radio, and still charge it through ac, hmm and what would happen if you plug in the usb cable to the side of the dongle? Would you still be able to access it from a computer while its charging through ac or no?
Just did this mod.. Works great... Using the "handles" squeezed into the base works to stabilize the phone better when pulling it off the charging station . I will need to find some simple padding to rest the weight of the phone since it floats a bit over the clip..
... and I always thought I'm CHEAP ...

Controller, sharp edge cutting into joystick

All, just FYI.. I was talking with datagutt and he mentioned that he needed to send back his controller due to a sharp edge on the metal face plate cutting into the left joystick. I took a look at mine and its doing the same thing his was and I hardly use the controller (i'm in adb most of the time!). I would advise to sand down or otherwise blunt the sharp edge before the cut gets too deep if this is happening to you.
This is mine after hardly any use.
http://imgur.com/aw1GAlz
edit: thank datagutt I would never had looked at mine until he said something...
Thanks for the heads up!!
I will report back once i get my new controller.
I took a look at my joysticks and the same exact thing is happening! It's on both joysticks but much more pronounced on the left which makes sense because it gets used more. What would be the ideal way to smoothen the joysticks cradle?
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
I've taken a look at both of my controllers as well and exactly the same only 1 day usage... I've actually taken the magnetic covers off and used them to cut down on wear and tear however.... After about 30 minutes playing Shadow gun, its starts wearing down the underside of the stick :S either way its going to destroy them. But you can order new ones which at least is a work around as they can be replaced. Saw a video on YouTube about a controller stick mod.
Ideally what they would have been better with was a small aluminium ring just under the rim so its metal on metal and not so much wear and tear.
Not a big deal, but the quality is an issue for sure. Take note Ouya for controller MkII
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Hopefully this isn't the case with all controllers. Would suck. Although I doubt it would get too deep.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
I don't see this as a big deal its not like you can saw the stick in two.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
I've checked mine and also is visible the mark. I hope that the movement stick is limited before by the own mechanmism than the metallic ring, and do not saw the stick...
It is the same on My Controller and it seems to be a production failure that occurs on every controller.
It's just sloppy crafted.
I took some 400K Sandpaper and deburred it myself. I also took the pad apart and applied some Grease on the triggers. So that they feel a lot smoother and the "grinding-noise" stopped.
At first touch the gamepad feels realy good, but if you take a closer look it's just poor craftsmanship.
Is the plastic part massive or hollow where this happens?

Moto X Wood backs

Soooooo, do we think these are still coming? i'm kinda holding out for this.
Rosewood for days and days.....
http://dbrand.com/purchase/moto-x/
it's vinyl
Dunno... there are a LOT of technical issues they will have to work out with wood. you have varying temps coming from the phone hardware causing expansion and contraction as it cools or heals up the wood. you also have moisture from the hands and its not a soft water either, sweaty secretions tend to be salty which wood reacts to in fairly unpleasant ways. Even wood boat finishes have to be renewed and maintained fairly regularly which is not something most people are willing to do on their phones. And thats not even bringing in the natural expansion/contraction wood goes through as you progress from moist summers to dry winters (remember that old hutch or drawer that closed perfectly in the winter but always stuck in the summer?).
So yea while I love making furniture and various decorations out of wood I don't really see it being a practical back material. But hey people use glass on phone backs and thats not all too practical so maybe they will try wood.
if they get it together, im sure it would be a treated wood. but i could see the seals having issues if the wood expands.....
Hmmmmm
mcstagger said:
if they get it together, im sure it would be a treated wood. but i could see the seals having issues if the wood expands.....
Hmmmmm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What they will probably do (or at least I would) is completely seal the wood in some kind of plastic/epoxy finish. It would end up "feeling" like plastic but it would be real wood and effectively sealed off from moisture, although heat would still be an issue. The other issue is the back material is SOOOO thin its going to need some kind of very strong backing to give it a bit of structural integrity or else it will crack on the first bump.
i'm guessing the wood backs are going to be a very thin veneer that covers a standard plastic back. in fact, looking at the pictures again, they look like some sort of insert and they could possibly have a different feel than the standard plastic back, like maybe they've lost the curve.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
droid-life reported their impression and said that (although it was prototype) it wasnt covered by a veneer and really felt like wood. who knows if that will be the final product though.
mcstagger said:
droid-life reported their impression and said that (although it was prototype) it wasnt covered by a veneer and really felt like wood. who knows if that will be the final product though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A veneer is still real wood, it's just a very thin piece they can adhere to the cover. Almost everything hardwood you see is veneered. Otherwise it would be ridiculously expensive.
I'm down.
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

Phantomskinz Review

First off, I did receive a review sample for their new S9+ full body skin at no cost.
The packaging was nice, it actually impressed me. Typically, when I purchase screen protectors it comes in very minimalist tube/boxes.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
I won't bore you with the screen protector application, it's pretty straight forward for a film screen. It went well, got a few random bubbles, but they should smooth out over time. The film surface is super smooth, almost glass-like, so I appreciate that, no skidding across the surface.
Now to the nitty gritty. I've never used a skin before, so I was apprehensive about my abilities to get it right. Phantomskinz has a good instructional video, so that helped.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvKWR8sptco
I laid things out and took the plunge.
It was a struggle (as a newb) to get the camera hole and charging hole/speaker/headphone jack all lined up. I would say though that this is due to my inexperience and not the product, I'm happy with the end result.
End result
I did have to really work the wrap around corner pieces to line up and adhere without wrinkles, again my lack of experience could be the culprit. Just keep working the sides with a hair dryer and they will bend to your will as needed.
Plus
2 screen protectors included, with a quality feel.
Good instructions.
There is an actual texture to the skin as opposed to others that just look like carbon fiber.
Minus
The skins really want to stick to the surface when lining things up
Skins do not protect the actual camera lens, this is true of all skins however.
At the end of the day, this is a quality product, I would highly recommend. I had purchased a different screen protector, but now it's going to sit in the closet.
It's all good, thanks. Just took a few days (which is normal).
PhantomSkinz Guru said:
Nice job with the installation :good:
If the screen protector bubble hasn't worked itself out, send us a DM and we will help you figure out what went wrong before you use the second screen protector that was included
Thanks for the review!
Guru
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Categories

Resources