Hello all, the new active car-dock made for the Note II (but also compatible with virtually all other Samsung phones) is now in production. Below are a list of the features and also pictures with details. This Dock will be available to ship in 2-3 weeks here on Android Central.
Have a car-dock for a device like a Note II is probably a must to take advantage of the great GPS Navigation features. Also, few people realize that cell phone reception and GPS signal is optimized when having the phone above the dashboard! The Dock we have designed look very nice, it has a bunch of components, metal latch and it includes electronics for pass through charging and a 9ft cable with USB and aux-out. With gray/black details and a small design it will look great inside any modern vehicle... If you buy this Dock we'll send a nice discount coupon for the wireless version (although wireless charging is slow when using a case) when it's coming in a few months
The flexible design makes it compatible with Galaxy S II, S III and Note I and II, even when using extended batteries etc. Here's the details on features...
1. Spring loaded latch. Users told us they don't want to insert the phone and have to "fold down" the latch. This design makes it a smooth 1-step motion to insert the phone. The opening supports phones up to 92 mm, which is based on a Note II with the Defender case.
2. Expandable feet to fit phones up to 18 mm thick. Adding an Otterbox Defender to a Note II makes it twice as thick!
3. 17 mm ball joint mount on the back of the Dock. Turn in any direction with one hand or even use a vertical dock. The Dock also works with any mounting solution compatible with Garmin, type dashboard. vent, bike mount etc. For anyone preferring a ProClip vent mount or KUDA leather mount for mounting, just add an
AMPS mounting adapter and they will play nicely together.
4. Automatically triggering car-mode/smart dock mode. On Google Play there's several good apps, including CarHome Ultra, that can be used as a replacement for Samsung's "default" docking screen (no real app included anymore from them).
5. Pass through charging with a 9ft (2.7meter) USB charging cord is also included. This makes it possible to place the Dock on the left side of the steering wheel, where it is out of the way and within easy reach. This position is also "legal" in California. If you don't have a USB port in your car, plug into a 12 Volt car charger featuring a USB port (which most people probably already have?).
6. The aux-out sound (music, gps & all apps) comes through the 9 ft microUSB cable and it ends with a split USB and a 3.5 mm male connector. If you have a car with a 3.5 mm input, you can hear music and GPS turn-by-turn directions through this connection. Please note that Samsung's firmware does NOT route the sound from the phone calls trough the aux-out (as Motorola does) so for hands-free calling you MUST have a Bluetooth headset/speaker phone or car-stereo Bluetooth connection.
7. Minimal design with completely open back so the Dock can function as a "dash cam" without any blockage. We're amazed how many people seems to use this feature! Power button and volume button on the Note II are also completely accessible with this design.
8. Compact size, yet sturdy and pretty stylish size. Much smaller footprint then even a medium size Samsung phone. Users like you guys have told us that when the phone is not in the Dock you don't want a big "blob" of plastic obstruction the view.
Well, that's it folks! Price is a most reasonable $44.95 considering the many components included but a $5 off pre-order rebate until end of December brings it down to $39.95. Order here on Android Central,
iBOLT xProDock for Samsung - Android Car Kits & Mounts. For the European Amazon,
click here. Better photos and videos coming in the next week. Feel free to comment, ask questions and we'll do our best to answer...
YouTube video showing the product.
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