Best car mount for Samsung Indulge?

[TRS-80]

Anyone found a good car mount for this Samsung Indulge? Or a good quality universal type mount? This is what I am looking for (in order of importance):

window / suction mount - I'm pretty sure this is what I want, I'm thinking so the phone can get good GPS signal? Right? Unless you guys educate me otherwise...

sturdy / well built - Nuff said. Don't want something that will get floppy after a while.

able to rotate horizontal or vertical - For nav/map mode (horizontal) or other usage (vertical).

easy to get phone in and out of mount - I don't want to be wrestling with the dang thing, I am in and out of my truck a lot.

adjustable - By adjustable, I mean the phone "grippers." So I can use it with current case (or any future, possibly larger case). I suppose I also mean adjustable up, down, left, right, etc. but I suppose they all do that.

can plug in charger while phone is in mount - We all know how this phone can suck the battery. This is not a deal breaker for me however, as I have a Dremel and know how to use it, so I could always make my own opening.

I think that would be it for now. If I think of anything else I will add it here. After I order whatever I end up deciding to order, I will report back here with my findings.

 

[TRS-80]

After doing some Googling, a lot of people seem to be using those Arkon mounts. They sound (from Amazon commenters) like they are pretty well made. They come in quite a number of different configurations (including ones for your bicycle handlebars! lol!):

Arkon phone mounts

That SM310 kit retails for $29.95 on their site, but there are some people on Amazon selling it for around $14-15. One guy is even selling it for $12 and change, but you have to put it in your cart before you can see the price.

I think I am inclined to go with this one, unless others have any more input. One commenter I read somewhere made a good point. He had some kind of smart phone also that generated a lot of heat and he said that the vent clips worked well, as the phone was directly in front of a cooling flow of air, which helped with the heat issue. Well, with that SM310 kit, you have a few different mounting options.

I remember being at my local Metro PCS retailer and they had some pretty nice, sturdy feeling mount but I don't remember the brand now. I will have to stop back by there and have a look and report back.

 

[tblock1984]

I just use my phone case for mounting it in my car. I have one like this, but black and with a kickstand.
Edit: Found it

I pop out the kickstand, and slide it in the driver side vent. I have a 2001 Jetta, and the phone fits flush against the vent. It feels very secure, and does not slide around while driving. The Achilles Heel is definitely the hinge for the kickstand, but that seems pretty solid as well.

 

[TRS-80]

So I stopped into my local Metro store here today to check out that mount I remembered seeing there previously, and sure enough it's one of those Arkon mounts. So I will definitely be ordering one of those very soon, probably tonight in fact...

Now, on to case & protection...

 

[TRS-80]

Just wanted to report that it seems all the Arkon mounts I found available for cheap prices ($10-12 range) take a week or two to ship. Apparently they don't have them in stock, they backorder them when you order, and when they come in, then they ship them to you.

Not a deal breaker for me, because I'm patient and don't need the thing immediately, I'm willing to wait to save a few bucks. But just wanted to point that out to any others who may be considering ordering, to order early.

Feel like I am having a conversation with myself here, hope this info is helping somebody. lol

 

[ickster]

Feel like I am having a conversation with myself here, hope this info is helping somebody. lol

You're not. I for one am hanging on every word breathlessly waiting for the next reply....sorry, I just can't resist.

 

[TRS-80]

Alright, well 167 views (as of this writing) tells me that someone must be reading this, so here's an update.

A few days after I ordered (March 22nd/23rd), I received an email from someone at the company I ordered from, telling me the mount was back ordered. Well, I was expecting that. But she said they would not be receiving it there until around April 18th, and that they would be shipping it to me after that. Or maybe it was that I would receive it by April 18th. Well, either way, that is a damn long time (almost a month!). Luckily, I don't really need it that bad, so it's not killing me to wait.

I will update again when it arrives. If that happens before the end of days, that is. lol

 

[MikesTooLz]

watch out when mounting in window for an extended period of time.

The phone gets hot as it is when using GPS, the sun shining down on it could make it overheat. I know iPhones mounted in the window for a long trip will overheat, this has happened to me and the iphone powered down and wouldnt turn back on until it was cooled off.

Anyone know if the android OS has this same type of overheating shutdown process?

 

[isujoy]

watch out when mounting in window for an extended period of time.

The phone gets hot as it is when using GPS, the sun shining down on it could make it overheat. I know iPhones mounted in the window for a long trip will overheat, this has happened to me and the iphone powered down and wouldnt turn back on until it was cooled off.

Anyone know if the android OS has this same type of overheating shutdown process?

Mine didn't shutdown, but it stopped charging saying that was overheated.

 

[tiede]

Mine didn't shutdown, but it stopped charging saying that was overheated.

Same thing happened to me before.
However, turns out the third party charger I was using was broken (I bought it a couple of years ago from a gas station when the caliber first came out...)
It even thought the phone was connected to a PC sometimes when I connected it.
Needless to say, I've retired that POS and the new one has not overheated so far.
All this to warn of potentially failing P/S causing overheating issues. I hope that's not what's happening to you?

 

[TRS-80]

Well, I am a contractor, working outside a lot here in the hot Florida sun. And the truck is off a lot of the time, without A/C running. We try to park in the shade whenever possible, but most of the time there is no shade to be had.

I guess what I am saying is that my usage would probably be just about a worst case scenario. So I will put the thing through it's paces, and report back on how it goes...