Turning my Thunderbolt into a Car Media Center

[nikolasmason]

I now have a Droid RAZR as my main phone, but I couldn't bring myself to part from my Thunderbolt, so I have been trying to come up with ideas of what to do with it. Then it hit me! We listen to my girlfriend's iPod in my 08 Jeep Liberty all the time, and I love to take my Jeep places off-road and far from any cell service, so why not use my Thunderbolt as a sort of in-car Media/Utility center?

A few things I have downloaded to the phone already are:

• My entire music library
• An app that works as a compass (even though my Jeep has a compass, this way everyone inside can see)
• An app that monitors tilt, g-force, and angles of the Jeep for offroad areas
• A 'mirror' to see people in the backseat I guess
• Flashlight

Next, I'm going to make it so I can mount it so I can charge it and listen to music from it. My Jeep has an AC power outlet, so I don't need a car charger, however I do need to buy a car mount.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what type of car mount I should get? (preferably cheap)
Any apps I should get you think would be helpful for a 'car media center' thing?

Keep in mind, the Thunderbolt will not have 4G or any cell data at all. So I need apps that the phone can use without signal.

 

[dragonsamus]

I got a mount that attaches on the vent from best buy for $22 after tax. I don't recall the name but its the one that sticks to the back of the phone. I've been using it for a couple months and I like it. Only issue is I have to press a bit harder now that the sticky part is covered in dust but I think once I clean it with some water it'll work good as new. Also since it mounts on the vent you can turn on the air conditioner to cool the puke down. And it'll also fit your Razr if you're not using the Thunderbolt.

 

[blackjaguar25]

This is an awesome idea! I'd love to do this with my car in Colorado!

As far as mounts, search Arkon car mount on Amazon. It's super sturdy, comes with a dash and windshield mount, and it's around $14. I keep my Thunderbolt in one and it works perfectly.

For the apps, I'd love to help you look once you get off of work. This is a sweet idea.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[nikolasmason]

Thanks for the tip on Arkon, I just bought one of those on Amazon for $10.

 

[blackberrytrucker]

HTC Thunderbolt - CraigsDocks

 

[recDNA]

Can you use google maps and nav. When you don't have phone service?

 

[nikolasmason]

No, I can't. It'd be awesome if there was some sort of offline map application, but I'm not even sure how well GPS would work without cell service.

 

[blackberrytrucker]

actually if you find a app by alk.com called copilot you can. it has offline maps you can load via pc. gps is not related to cell service.i use copilot and it works well. not as good as google maps but it doesn't need data.

 

[nikolasmason]

Is the GPS accurate without cell service? I have never been sure about how much the GPS depends on the cell data. Thanks for the heads up! Definitely going to pick that up

 

[blackjaguar25]

You could always just tether the Tbolt to your Razr while in your Jeep. IMO, nothing is as pretty as Google Maps. That would take care of the maps and there are ways to tether without rooting.

Edit: forgot you won't have cell service most of the time.
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[nikolasmason]

I'm pretty excited to get it fully installed and in place so I can test it out. I think this will make the mountains much more fun to explore.

 

[blackberrytrucker]

copilot works well enough with no service. stores maps on phone. i drive cross country in truck and use it as a back up in case laptop goes down.

 

[dwittmier]

Take a look at the "Car Home Ultra" docking software. Super customizable and easy to use. I combine that with the iGrip car dock for tbolt from shopandroid in my truck and it works very well. Easy to see while driving without really taking your eyes away from the road. I have copilot also but generally just use google maps. It seems to work just as well.

 

[blackjaguar25]

Car home ultra is fun because it shows you how fast you're going. It also has day and night modes.

Sent from my A100 using Tapatalk

 

[pwoznic]

Can you download an app for dock mode if you have a rooted tbolt? I'm thinking about getting this:

HTC Official Desktop Charging Dock & Sync w. Spare Battery Slot for HTC Thunderbolt

 

[defcon999]

There is a program that I use. It is called "Car Home" (free). It has navigation, voice search, voice dial, maps and you can add your own apps also...it is like a launcher.

As far as a flashlight, there are many out there.

 

[r007]

No, I can't. It'd be awesome if there was some sort of offline map application, but I'm not even sure how well GPS would work without cell service.

You can use Google Maps if you use your WiFi at home to cache maps, however it cannot do navigation.

 

[DarkBeer]

Tetrax - XWAY, EGO, GEO, FIX, FIXWAY, XCASE - XWAY line
Got mine at Sears, though I think it was closer to $30. Love it.

I got a mount that attaches on the vent from best buy for $22 after tax. I don't recall the name but its the one that sticks to the back of the phone. I've been using it for a couple months and I like it. Only issue is I have to press a bit harder now that the sticky part is covered in dust but I think once I clean it with some water it'll work good as new. Also since it mounts on the vent you can turn on the air conditioner to cool the puke down. And it'll also fit your Razr if you're not using the Thunderbolt.

 

[cdf3]

I purchased the official car dock from Verizon online for 7 bucks. Shipping included.
Here's the link to the thread I posted a while back. I'm hoping they have some left, and still at that price. Thinking of picking up another one for other vehicle.

http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=141898

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[dms76]

I love my HTC car dock w/ extended battery support.. I use cat home ultra and CoPilot. CoPilot isn't super but it works offline and for 10$ its great. Also speed tracker free from Amazon app store.. Is a Good way to track you trip mileage, and stop times, and export etc, etc I use it for work..

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