iBolt In-Vehicle Charging Dock for Samsung Galaxy S3, With the iBolt Charging Dock keep your phone charged and in an easy to view position. Features rubberized and flexible material type boom microUSB. Will not fall down when removed. Automatically starts the Car Mode. Optimal Landscape viewing position. Has removable insert which allows compatibility with most protective cases. With easy access to volume control buttons, can be attached to windshield or dashboard with zero install - attach and ...
- Keeps your phone charged and in an easy to view position
- Works with most cases - including Otterbox Commuter
- 9ft "Charger & Aux-out" cable for easy car stereo integration
- Automatically starts the car mode in Galaxy S3 and S2
- Home screen turns horizontal when inserted into Dock
This All Products give to us some advantages, like this :
1. Longevity issues
At first I was quite satisfied with the product. The S3 has an absolutely horrible interface that pops up when the "car dock" mode starts, but that is no fault of the iBolt.
However, after several weeks I started noticing during long trips that my phone was draining battery and not charging as it should have been. When I started paying closer attention I noticed that the connection from the dock to the phone via the USB cable would intermittently terminate. If I bypassed the built-in cable and plugged an external cable into the phone while it's in the dock, I do not see this problem. I only see the problem when the phone is connected directly to the dock.
And then finally, the phone would no longer recognize the connection to the dock at all. This has been a rapid degrading in functionality of the iBolt dock. I still use it as a physical holder of the phone, but for the price charged for this item, I need more value.
(Edited 12/3/2012: I'm happy to say...
2. Works very well if you have the right case and software
Works with those cases:
Works well with my Seidio Active case (ASIN: B008FYFVNE)
Works well with Case-Mate POP! 2 (ASIN: B007ZL0QVA)
Reportedly works with Otterbox commuter (ASIN: B0085JRQQE)
Does NOT work with those case (Use with Ibolt ProDock instead)
Reportedly the Otterbox defender is too big
My wife's Amzer AMZ94215 Double Layer Hybrid Case with Kickstand (ASIN: B008AU20Q4)
A couple of things I learned in setting up this car dock:
- the "car mode" on the phone is just that "a mode".
- We generally associate "car mode" with a special car user interface.
This is really just a car dashboard app that gets started when you enter car mode.
The one that comes with the S3 is miserable (it just starts S-voice asking you what you want to do)
But the Android Play / Market easily comes to the rescue. Just search for "car home" and you will
be presented with a few good options. I use one...
Need more appointment... ?
Fantastic dock for the Samsung Galaxy S3
What can I say? This is a great car dock. Very sturdy, fits the phone nicely with or without case, and plugging in the phone activates 'car mode' (do yourself a favor and get the Car Dock Ultra app to replace S-Voice).
Coming from a former Droid X user who was used to having a phone-specific plug-and-play dock that 'just worked', I had high expectations for car docks. I wanted one that would do the same thing for my GS3 that the old Motorola dock did for the Droid X. This dock does it.
One cool thing to note / minor complaint: the dock leaves the camera exposed so you it can theoretically work as a dash cam. However when the USB cable is plugged in, the picture will be upside-down. This is not iBolt's fault. Apparently when the phone is in car mode it 'locks' the horizontal orientation for reasons known only to Samsung. And the iBolt is holding the phone the 'wrong way'. Of course, if the cradle held the phone the 'right way' the volume controls would be...
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