Mobile Fun Blog

TomTom iPhone Car Kit Release Date

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Although the TomTom Sat Nav application was released a few weeks ago for the iPhone, the car kit to accompany it is still nowhere to be seen. Rumours of pricing and availability have been floating around for a while now, but this week TomTom have finally confirmed that the TomTom iPhone Car Kit will be available to buy in October.

More information is slowly starting to emerge on it’s features too.  The most surprising news is that the Car Kit can be used with any Sat Nav Apps. The Car Kit can be used for handsfree calling, music playback, turn-by-turn instructions and charging, although the GPS signal enhancements will only be available when you’re using the TomTom App.

If you don’t want to shell out the rumoured £115 for the car kit, there are a number of other options to consider. The best value is the iPhone Sat Nav starter pack which gives you a holder and charger for the iPhone, and the Jabra SP700 is a great bluetooth car kit that clips to your sun visor and can handle your calls and music playback and route them through your car stereo speakers in the same way as the TomTom Car Kit.  The price?  Less than £55 for both – that’s less than half of the rumoured cost of the TomTom kit for all the same features  - and best of all you won’t have to wait upto 8 weeks for them as they’re available to order now!

For more information on the different ways to use Sat Nav on your iPhone in the car take a look at my post on Using Sat Nav on the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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How not to use TomTom on your iPhone

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

OK, I’ve seen some pretty odd ways of using mobile phone’s over the years, but this one really made me chuckle. As you’ve probably heard, you can now get TomTom Sat Nav on your iPhone, and the whole world seem to be going crazy about it.

Quite a few bloggers are reviewing the new software and posting video’s of it being used – which is great, after all £60 is a lot to spend on a software download if it’s no good, but I really think some people need to plan ahead when it comes to creating a video review.

This morning I stumbled on this iPhone TomTom video review on YouTube which shows off how easy the software is to use.  They then take it for a spin in the car and demonstrate brilliantly how not to mount your iPhone in the car.

There are some things that sellotape shouldn't be used for!

Sellotaping your iPhone to the dash might be a quick fix, but just think of the mess that’s going to be left on his phone and dashboard when he’s done. Silly really, when for less than £15 he could have got himself an iPhone Sat Nav Pack that includes a rotating windscreen holder and car charger.

On the subject of iPhone holders, I’ve noticed that people seem to think that you have to use sat nav on the iPhone in landscape mode. As most phone holders for the iPhone 3G and 3GS are portrait, I’m guessing this is why people are resorting to sellotaping their phones to the dashboard, but what you may not realise is that Sat Nav works perfectly well in portrait mode too – in fact I prefer it. It means you don’t have to keep rotating the phone if a call or text message comes through and I find that you get a clearer view of what’s coming up on the road ahead. Admittedly, there’s not much in it, but do you really need to see all the side roads that you’re not going to be driving down?

CoPilot 8 on the iPhone: Landscape Vs Portrait

Easiest option of course is to just get yourself a rotating holder so that you can use your phone which ever way you want. The following iPhone car holders can all rotate for use in landscape or portrait mode:

• Griffin Window Seat for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS
• Brodit Passive holder with Tilt / Swivel
• Brodit Passive Holder With Dock Connector & Tilt / Swivel
• iPhone 3G & iPhone 3GS Sat Nav Starter Pack
• iPhone 3G & 3GS Deluxe Carry Holster

Have you seen any other crazy ways of holding an iPhone in the car?  Share them with us using the comments form below!

(2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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TomTom for iPhone – pricing revealed?

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

It was announced back in March at the Apple Developers Conference, but until now further details have been very few and far between.. Until now.

We already know that the software and the car cradle will be available separately, and we’re now hearing that the car cradle will retail for around £115, but there is no news yet as to whether this includes the software or not.

UPDATE: TomTom for UK is available now in the iTunes App store for £59.99. No confirmed pricing yet on the car kit. iTunes Link.

iPhone TomTom Car Kit

Another image has surfaced of the iPhone TomTom Car Cradle, this time showing off a few more of it’s features:

1. EasyPort Mount from the TomTom ONE and TomTomXL
2. Built In Speaker
3. Volume Control
4. Microphone for handsfree calling
5. Mini USB Charging Connector
6. Audio Line out (for connecting to Car Stereo)

Sources are also confirming that a separate model will be available for the iPod touch.

We’ve not yet been able to confirm any of this yet with our suppliers, and we’ll post again as soon as we know more.

On a similar note, the rumour mill is also suggesting that CoPilot Live 8 is on its way to the App Store and will be available some time next week for around £26. UPDATE: CoPilot Live 8 is available now from the AppStore – iTunes Link

Decisions decisions…£60+the cost of the car kit for TomTom, £26 for CoPilot…

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(5 votes, average: 3.40 out of 5)

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The Best iPhone Car Holders

Monday, July 27th, 2009

Keeping your phone safe and accessible in the car often means getting a car holder for it.  Windscreen mounts for mobile  phones are probably the most popular way of securing your phone in the car.  They are affordable, easy to install and can be removed quickly so as not to draw any attention to your car. With Sat Nav for the iPhone now available too, mounting your iPhone on your windscreen lets you keep your eyes on the road while following the on screen directions.

Windscreen holders aren’t the only option though.  You can also get a range of fixed mobile phone holders that can be securely attached to your car, without causing any damage to your dashboard.  To give you an idea on what car holders work the best with the iPhone and iPhone 3G, I’ve been through our most popular car holders to see how they measure up.

iPhone Car Holder by Brodit

If you need something a little more heavy duty, or a semi permanent solution, then a Brodit Holder will be your best option. Brodit produce a range of holders, each made from a tough ABS plastic and then coated with a soft touch fabric to prevent your iPhone from getting scratched. There are 3 different types of Brodit Holder available:

• Brodit Passive iPhone 3G Holder
• Brodit Active iPhone 3G Holder
• Brodit Passive iPhone 3G Holder with Dock Connector

All 3 do a great job of holding your iPhone securely in the car, the only difference between them is how they can charge your phone. Brodit Passive Holders only hold your phone, if you wanted to charge your phone, you’d need to buy a separate car charger. Brodit Active Holders have a car charger wired into them, so as soon as you slide your phone in, it starts charging. The Brodit Holder with Pass through is slightly different, it doesn’t have a car charger attached, but it does have a Dock Connection on the bottom. This allows you to connect a car charger, FM Transmitter, Parrot MKi Car Kit or any other accessory that uses the Dock Connector to the phone while it’s in the holder and means you won’t have to fiddle around plugging them in each time you get in the car.

Brodit iPhone Holders - Passive, Active & Pass Through

All three are on a ‘Tilt Swivel’ base that allows you to rotate the phone through 360 degrees, as well as angle it away from sunlight or reflections and should ideally be screwed to a flat surface in your car. If you don’t want to screw into your dashboard (and I know I certainly wouldn’t) then a ProClip from Brodit is your answer. Brodit ProClips are strong plastic mounts that clip onto your dashboard without causing any damage and provide a great base for attaching car holders onto. Proclips are vehicle specific and are normally available for different parts of your dashboard.

Brodit Passive Holder for iPhone 3GS Mounted on ProClip

Griffin WindowSeat

Griffin are well known for making iPod and iPhone accessories. The Griffin WindowSeat for iPhone 3G has a high-grip silicone suction pad that easily and quickly attaches to your windscreen or other smooth surface and stays put. It leaves your charging port and headphone socket accessible, and comes with an audio cable so you can connect your phone to your car stereo (As long as your stereo has a 3.5mm aux-in port). If you use Sat Nav on your iPhone, you can rotate the holder through 360 degrees without having to remove your phone.

Griffin WindowSeat for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS

Drive Safe

The DriveSafe Pack for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS include a car charger as well as a holder for your iPhone.  The holder has an adjustable arm that can be bent into shape and rotated to suit your needs.  The car charger will ensure that you don’t run out of power on your journey.  If you already have a car charger, the iPhone 3G Car Holder can be purchased separately.

DriveSafe Car Pack for iPhone 3G

iPhone 3G Cradle with Changeable Mounts

This is the most customisable type of iPhone Car Holder.  First you pick a cradle, then you choose a mount.  As all of the mounting ports use the same clip system, you can choose a mount that will best suit your vehicle. The iPhone cradles all do the same thing, the main difference between them is that the PDA Cradle for iPhone 3G has a longer support on one side to keep your phone more stable when being used in landscape mode.  Some of the available mounts available are listed below, or you can take a look at all of the different Mounting Ports.

• Air Vent
• Windscreen Mount (Fixed)
• Suction Mount (Rotating)
• Cigarette Socket
• Bicycle Mount

From experience though, I’ve always found Air Vent holders a little loose, especially on heavier handsets like the iPhone, so I’d opt for a Rotating Windscreen Holder as it’s a lot more secure. The Rotating Holder has a solid arm that can be rotated in three directions to help you get the best viewing angle and allows you to turn your phone into landscape mode without having to remove it from the holder.

Mounting Port Cradles

Deluxe Holster

The Deluxe Holster for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS is really a two in one holder.  It’s made up of  two parts, the first is a polycarbonate case that protects the back of your phone and can be attached to a belt, the other is a suction mount that attaches to your windscreen and can hold your phone without you having to remove it from the case.  The Deluxe Holster also comes with a car charger.

Deluxe iPhone 3G Holder

If you’ve seen a different holder that works well with your iPhone then let us know using the comments form below.

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Using Sat Nav on the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

Since the iPhone 3G launched last year with built in GPS and the new iPhone 3GS launch this year, people have been calling out for a proper Satellite Navigation Application for it.  Well, after a long wait, iPhone OS 3.0 finally provides support for turn-by-turn navigation.

Navigon MobileNavigator for iPhone 3G & iPhone 3GS

TomTom were the first company to announce a ‘proper’ Sat Nav solution for the iPhone at last months Apple Developers Conference.  TomTom demonstrated the software and introduced the TomTom Cradle – an optional extra to help you get the most out of their mapping software, but they didn’t announce any pricing or release dates.  This week though saw the release of the first two Sat Nav apps, and surprisingly TomTom weren’t one of them!

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(19 votes, average: 4.16 out of 5)

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