There are many in-car holders out there in today’s market for all business types. Whether its for your fleet of vans, sales agents or the company MD, Brodit will come top on most peoples list. The custom built brackets and holders for every phone on the market provide a suitable, strong, correct sized holder for use in any car. They also offer multiple mounting and even charging options for their users.
Mounting Options
There are several ways to mount a Brodit into your vehicle. The official and probably the best solution is the Brodit ProClip. The ProClip simply clips in to any cars dashboard without and need for screws or sticky pads. There is no dismantling involved and the whole setup takes a matter of seconds. Each Proclip is car specific and mounting area specific (air vents, left console, right console centre console) so there are several positions to place your handset in any vehicle.
Brodit ProClip Mount
Another option is our Universal Suction Mount. All Brodit holders can easily be attached to this excellent device to save room on your dash, this can then be easily attached to your windscreen for freedom of use.
Universal Suction Mount
Should you wish to, Brodit holders can also be screwed in using no mounting plate at all anywhere on your dash, just beware of the nasty holes this will leave behind!!
Holder Options
There are 2 types of holder from Brodit which are phone specific meaning the phone will never fall out! One of which is the Brodit Active Holder (charges your phone) the other the Brodit Passive Holder (which is just a straight forward holder).
The Active charger has a dock and charger wire attached to be plugged in to your cigarette lighter socket.
Brodit Active Holder
The Passive holder will hold your handset tight and within easy reach with out any worries of it slipping out.
Brodit Passive Holder
Both of the above holders also have the Tilt Swivel function meaning your handset can be twisted and tilted to your desired angle.
So there you have it. Brodit holders have the ability to hold your handset without leaving any mess behind, I will leave you with this little video clip to show you just how easy they are to fit.
Dont forget if you cannot find a specific Brodit ProClip or Holder on our site please do not hesitate to get in touch with your Corporate Advantage Account Manager as we will still be able to source one for you.
There was a time when a mobile phone was considered a luxury, but for most of us they’re now a necessity that we can’t live without. So much so, that many of us now have two or more phones. Often though, the decision to carry a second phone isn’t ours – although from past experience I know how tempting it can be to take out a second contract just to get the latest handsets!
Carry two phones around with you?
The majority of people that carry two phones do so because their employer has provided them with a phone or BlackBerry to help make their work life easier and to ensure that they’re contactable 24/7, although I’ve got several friends that have one phone for calls and a different one for texts as it works out cheaper. Using more than one phone can have it’s benefits, but at the same time it can be a bit of a nightmare when it comes to charging – I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been away with work in the past and only taken one charger with me, only to find that it’s not the right one for my work phone.
Using your phone safely in the car can be a challenge too. Using two wired handsfree kits can be dangerous and if you use a Bluetooth Headset or Bluetooth car kit, how do you know which phone to connect them to as there is no way of knowing in advance which phone is going to ring.
Earlier this year all the major phone manufacturers agreed to start using the same Micro USB charging port on all of their new handsets. This is great news as it means that going forward you’ll only ever need one charger. The downside is that it’s probably going to take a couple of years for this to filter through to all handsets on the market. In the mean time though, there are a number of solutions available that will allow you to charge several devices using just one charger.
Idapt Desk Chargers
The Idapt Desktop Charger is made up of a charging base and interchangeable charging adapters. You get 6 in the box to start you off and can buy additional ones as and when you need them. The charger is designed to be simple to use, you just stand your phone up on the relevant charging adapter. Most handsets will charge in an upright position but if the charging port is on the side of your phone then your phone will need to lie on it’s side to charge. You can use Idapt to charge several types of devices too – not just mobile phones. Charging adapters are included for iPods and portable games consoles, and the Mini USB connection means that you can charge most Sat Nav units too. The Idapt chargers take up a relatively small amount of desk space, and needs just one power socket to charge up to 3 devices.
Bluelounge Refresh
The Bluelounge Refresh is a similar concept to the Idapt, but rather than having fixed charging adapters that you have to stand your phone onto, it has 6 charging cables hidden under its base – two iPod & iPhone, one Micro USB, one Mini USB and two standard USB ports that you’d find on a PC or laptop. The point of these is that you can use your existing USB data cable to charge any phone without having to buy any additional adapters. It also means that you can charge any device that supports USB charging – Bluetooth Headsets, portable games consoles, sat nav units. The base of the Refresh lifts up and there is space underneath for you to store any excess cables.
Bluelounge Refresh Charging Hub in White
The Bluelounge Refresh is available in White, Black & Pink and is covered in more depth on our blog post from last week.
Mains Chargers
If you’re a frequent traveller, carrying around a bag full of chargers can be a bit of a pain. They take up extra space & weight in your luggage and you can almost guarantee you’ll leave at least one behind in the hotel. There is a way round this though. The 5 Port USB World Charger is a great alternative to carrying around a bag full of chargers. It’s a mains charger that has swappable US, EU, UK and Australian plugs and has 5 USB ports to charge all your devices in one go – 4 on the front and a hidden one on a short lead. You will of course need to make sure that you pack the USB cable for your phone, but they take up a lot less space than a normal charger. the charger has overheat, short circuit and over charge protection built in and will automatically adjust for all voltages. Its small design means that it can be left in your laptop bag so that it’s with you when you need it.
5 Port USB World Charger
Car Chargers
The Travelwise Universal Car Charger won’t let you charge two phones at the same time, but it will save you from having two separate car chargers. It has a changeable tip that you can change to suit your phone. To keep all the charger tips together, the Travelwise charger has a built in compartment to store them when they’re not in use. The Travelwise charger includes charging tips for Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, BlackBerry phones.
Travelwise Universal Car Charger
Unlike the Travelwise, this Twin USB Car Charger can be used to charge two phones at the same time while still leaving your cigarette lighter free for anything else that needs to charge in the car. The charger has 2 USB ports that you can use to charge any device that supports USB charging. The USB cables aren’t included with the charger but most phones come with one included.
Twin USB and Cigarette Car Charger Adaptor
Portable Chargers
If you don’t have access to plug sockets or car chargers through out the day but are finding that your phones just aren’t lasting long enough, then the Nokia DC-11 Extra Power could be just what you need. The DC11 is a portable, high powered battery with built in charging cables and can power 2 devices at the same time – one with a Nokia 2mm adapter and one with a Micro USB connector (Nokia, some Samsung & newer BlackBerry phones). A full charge should take around 3 hours, but you’ll be able to use your phone while it’s charging.
Nokia DC-11 Extra Power
Bluetooth Handsfree
Bluetooth is the easiest way of using your phone ‘handsfree’, but if you’ve got two phones it either means buying two headsets or having to manually connect to each phone in turn when you want to make a call – or at least it used to. Multipoint technology in mobile phones is becoming much more common now and allows you to use the same bluetooth headset or car kit with two phones at the same time. Using a multipoint Bluetooth headset is no different to using a normal bluetooth headset, and when a call comes in the headset will connect to the appropriate phone without you having to do anything.
When it comes to using your phones in the car, you’ve got three options, a Bluetooth Headset, a Bluetooth Speakerphone or a fully fitted Bluetooth Car Kit. Personally I’ve always preferred a fully fitted kit, but as they don’t currently support multipoint you’ll have to constantly swap between phones, something that’s not particularly easy to do when you’re driving and could be quite distracting. For this reason, if you carry two phones around with you and want to be able to use them safely and legally in the car then you should invest in a multipoint Bluetooth Speakerphone or Bluetooth Headset. The best ones are listed below.
Bluetooth Speakerphones
The Supertooth Visor One Bluetooth Car Kit allows you to use both phones at the same time and will automatically connect to which ever phone receives or makes a call. It has a voice recognition system that lets you answer your calls just by saying “OK”. The Visor One also supports voice dialling and can play music from your mobile phone too – although not in stereo.
Supertooth Visor One
The DualPhone Bluetooth Car Kit is a simple to use Bluetooth car kit – similar in many ways to the popular Clip and Talk Bluetooth Car Kit, but with the added bonus of being able to connect to two phones at the same time. The Dualphone Car kit supports last number redial, voice dial (if your phone supports it).
Dualphone Bluetooth Car Kit
The Movon Bluetooth Car Kit MK30 is a compact car kit that has a number of features that you’d normally expect to find on a much more expensive kit. It has an OLED display that will show you who is calling and Text to Speech software will call out the callers name or number too.
Movon MK30 Bluetooth Car Kit
Car Holders
Before I move on to Bluetooth Accessories, there is one more accessory for use in the car that I think deserves a mention and that’s the Brodit Double Tilt Swivel Holder.
I’ve been a big fan of Brodit ProClips and Car Holders for a long time – for those that have not come across them before, ProClips are brackets that clip onto various parts of your dashboard with out damaging it and provide a firm, flat base for you to screw a car holder into. They’re a much better option than drilling holes into your dashboard and can be removed easily when you change car.
Mount 2 phones using a Brodit ProClip, a Dual Mount & 2 Passive holders
The Double Holder fixes onto a ProClip in your car and allows you to attach 2 seperate phone holders on to it. As both mounting plates have a tilt swivel fixing, it means that you can angle them to suit your driving position.
This is the most secure option there is for mounting your phone in the car, the only slight downside is that because you need 4 seperate parts it’s not the cheapest but if you spend a lot of time on the road and need to be able to see both your phones quickly and easily then this is well worth the investment.
Bluetooth Headsets
There are two types of Bluetooth Headset available, Mono and Stereo. Mono Bluetooth headsets are worn on one ear and are great if you only want to use them for calls, where as Stereo Bluetooth Headsets are worn on two ears, look more like headphones and have a built in microphone. Stereo Headsets are perfect if you want to be able to listen to music from your phone, MP3 player or PC and still be able to take calls.
Top Multipoint Bluetooth Headsets
The Jabra BT530 Bluetooth Headset is a fantastic Bluetooth Headset that packs a lot of features into a really small device. As well as having 2 noise cancelling microphones, the Jabra BT530 has intelligent volume controls that will automatically increase the volume when you enter a noisy environment. Simple and easy to use controls make using this headset a pleasure, and as it’s multipoint, you can answer calls quickly and easily regardless of which phone starts to ring.
Jabra BT530 Bluetooth Headset
The Plantronics Voyager Pro Bluetooth Headset is quite a heavy duty headset, so if you’re on the road all day and need something that’s going to be comfortable, exceptionally clear and work with both your work and personal phone, I don’t think you’ll do any better than the Voyager Pro. It has dual microphones to eliminate background noise, protection against wind noise, and Audio IQ technology to make every call crystal clear.
Plantronics Voyager Pro
The Jawbone Prime Bluetooth Headset is a very powerful headset. It’s the third headset in the ‘Noise Assassin’ range and is the first Jawbone headset to support Mulitpoint. At first glance it looks similar the the previous Jawbone, on the inside it’s quite different. It has a vibration sensor that sits against your cheek while you’re wearing it, but the noise reduction technology has been improved so that even when the sensor isn’t touching your face you can still be heard clearly – even in the noisiest of environments.
Stereo Bluetooth Headsets are becoming increasingly popular now that most of us are using our mobile phones as our MP3 Players. Multipoint Stereo Headsets not only let you connect to two phones at the same time, but you can listen to music from one phone and if a call comes in on the other phone, your music is paused so that you can take the call. It’s not complicated either – the headsets handle the calls for you, so all you have to do is decide whether to answer it or not!
The Jabra Halo Stereo Bluetooth Headset is the latest stereo headset to be released, and to be honest its probably the best one yet. It has incredibly simple controls – a touch sensitive slider on the right ear lets you adjust the volume by sliding your finger up or down, where as a double tap will skip the track. One multi use button lets you play/pause your music as well as answer/end calls and activate voice dialling. When they’re not in use, the headphones fold away so as not to take up too much space and to reduce the chance of them getting damaged. If you want to know more take a look at my Jabra Halo hands on review.
Jabra Halo Stereo Bluetooth Headset
The Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset can be worn either ‘Dogtag’ style around your neck, clip on your clothes or simply go in your pocket. Featurewise it does everything that the Halo does, but with a 6 button pad to control your music and calls. The bit that makes these stand out is that you can use any 3.5mm headphones that you want with the BT3030, so if you don’t get on with (or damage) the headphones that come with it you don’t need to replace the whole kit.
Jabra BT3030 Bluetooth Headset
The Sony Ericsson HBH DS-980 Stereo Bluetooth Headset is another headset that is designed to be worn around your neck. The earphones are fixed and the control unit has dedicated music control keys. These will work best with Sony Ericsson phones, but will work with all makes of phone and music player.
Sony Ericsson DS980
Well, that’s just about everything covered. If you know of any other products that work well with two phones or have any suggestions feel free to let us know using the comments form below.
Finding a safe and secure way to mount your phone in the car can be a bit of a mission as there are so many different types of car holder available. Some of the universal car holders can be a bit weak, not strong enough to hold some of the bigger handsets or cope with heavy use. Nokia are well known for making high quality mobile phone accessories, so I thought I’d take a look at their Universal Car Cradles to see what these have that some of the cheaper alternatives don’t.
The Nokia CR-39 Car Holder is the simplest and smallest one of the three. It has an adjustable clamp to hold your handset and has a quick release button that releases your phone quickly and easily. The bottom resting plate can also be extended for wider handsets. The side clamps are solid with a soft padded cushion to grip your phone, it does mean that for some handsets they might cover or press some of the buttons mounted on the side of your phone, so to try and over come this problem, the CR-39 can be used ‘upside down’. The bottom resting plate and the top edge can both be removed and put on the opposite ends of the holder. This will mean that the clamps then sit about 1cm lower which, depending on your phone, may prevent it from covering the volume keys.
The CR-39 will hold handsets that are 95 – 120mm tall, 42-55mm wide, 13-26mm thick and weigh no more than 200g.
Nokia CR-39 can be adjusted to work with most handsets
One of the biggest accessory purchases you can make for your mobile phone is to buy and install a fitted Car Kit. While each kit has its own features and benefits, there are a number of extras that you can purchase to help you get the most out of your Car Kit.
Elan Intelli-Mutes
Elan Intelli-Mutes: What are they and why do I need one?
The Intelli-Mute from Elan is designed to install your Car Kit quickly and hassle free. Instead of hardwiring your Car Kit into the vehicle’s power supply, the Intelli-Mute allows your Car Kit to be powered using your car stereo. All call audio is routed through the car stereo speakers, taking away the need to install a separate speaker in the passenger foot well, which can often lead to muffled or distorted sounds – especially at higher speeds. The volume of the call can be adjusted through your stereo controls or steering wheel audio controls (if fitted to your vehicle).
Intelli-Mute wiring Diagram
The Intelli-Mute is a three way lead, one end connects to your existing vehicle wiring, one to the Intelli-Mute control box and the third connects to the back of your car stereo. You will need to make sure that the Intelli-Mute that you order is the correct one for your stereo. If you are not sure what connection type your stereo has, please contact your local car dealership or stereo manufacturer. To complete the installation, you will also need an Accessory Harness specific to your Car Kit.
Elan Accessory Harness
Elan Accessory Harness: What are they and why do I need one?
The Accessory Harness is the lead that connects your Intelli-Mute control box to your Car Kit. As each type of Car Kit is different, they have harnesses specific to each type and have to be ordered separately. They are really simple to fit, one end connects to the Intelli-Mute control box, and the other end to the power and speaker connections of your Car Kit. Depending on your vehicle and the amount of space in your dashboard, the Intelli-Mute and harness are designed to sit behind your car stereo. If there isn’t room, the cables are long enough for you to be able to feed from behind the dashboard where there is more space. All you will need to do then is position the microphone (and display screen if present) and feed the cables through to the Car Kit control box.
What else might I need?
Brodit produce a range of in car accessories to help make using your phone in the car easy and safe.
Brodit ProClips
ProClips are brackets that clip securely to your dashboard, giving you a firm, flat surface that you can screw your chosen phone holder on to. When it comes time to change your car or remove the kit, the bracket can be removed easily, leaving no damage to your dashboard.
Brodit Car Holders
Brodit also make two types of in car holder, Active and Passive. Active holders have a charger built in to them which plugs in to your cigarette lighter. Passive holders will hold your phone securely and allow you to use your own charger. Both holders are normally available with a fixed or tilt/swivel base.
Car Chargers
Using Bluetooth car kits and headsets can sometimes increase the drain on the battery, and as most modern Car Kits don’t have a physical connection to your phone, its always a good idea to have a car charger.
If you don’t want the hassle of installing the Car Kit and all extra accessories, Mobile Fun now offer a fitting service for your car kit. Standard Installation includes a fully trained engineer installing the kit at your home or work address. Premium Installation includes the home visit, but also includes an Intelli-mute and Brodit ProClip for your vehicle (Car kit dependant).
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