- DOCK, CHARGE, and PLAY your favorite Apple iPhone or iPod - Works with NEWEST and PREVIOUS Models: iPhone 4, iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 3G, iPhone, iPod touch (4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st Generation), iPod nano (6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd Generation), iPod classic (7th, 6th, 5th, 4th Generation) - This product has been designed and certified to meet or exceed Apple performance standards.
- Latest Enhanced FM Chipset maximizes signal strength and clarity! It's also equipped with 4 FM station presets and an AUTO-SEEK station finder that let's you quickly ftune to the clearest station in your current location. AN AUX-in port let's you connect iPad and NON-Apple products such as MP3 players or cell phones(using the included 3.5mm caudio cable)
- The Flexible-Neck is made to confrim to many different vehicle interiors and to give good support to your device while driving. It's easiyl adjustable and BUILT TO LAST! The DC barrel had been enhanced with rubber grips so that a secure connection can be maintained in any driving condition.
- iPod and iPhone charging feature let's you enjoy your music without draining your battery life! Charging is indicated by the blue Power LED. The convenient Power Button let's you toggle power on and off without removing the FlexSMART 4i from your DC power outlet!
- QUALITY GUARANTEED - All GOgroove Audio Products are backed by Accessory Power's Industry-Leading 3 YEAR Warranty
I wanted the product to do three things: (a) First, I wanted a car charger for my iPhone 4. The FlexSmart does that just fine, and the price of the item is about the same as an Apple car charger. (b)I wanted a iPhone holder for the car; it's OK for that. A little bit wobbly, but I feel safe mounting my device to it. Its gooseneck neck isn't too long, which probably adds to the stability, but it also makes it somewhat crowded around my car's dashboard controls (e.g., heater knobs). I can live with that. (c) I wanted an FM tuner base. I tried the only FM tuner presently suggested by Apple for iPhone 4, the Belkin, which contrary to what Apple states, did not work with my iPhone 4. The GoGroove tunes my iPhone 4 just fine.
A couple of minuses: (1) the materials the GoGroove are made from aren't top notch. It's worth the $40 I paid, but not much more than that. (2) I have to take my iPhone out of its bumper to properly seat with the GoGroove. The same was true with the Belkin tuner, so that's probably a problem with Apple's bumper.My previous FM transmitter/charger for the iPhone 4 was the NEEWER FM Transmitter, which I do NOT recommend. I purchased two of these over a one year period because the 12V adapter stopped working in the first one. The second one worked for a time, but after a few months, the charger began blowing the fuse for my radio/cigarette lighter. I went through ten fuses before I finally decided to buy the Flexsmart 4i.
--Hardware--
When I received the product, I was very impressed with the packaging and detailed instructions a good hint as to the quality of the product. Installation was a snap. I have a '96 Honda Accord, where the cigarette lighter is located near the bottom of the dash panel and to the right of the shifter. I had no problems inserting the adapter into the cigarette lighter, a common issue I've seen in other reviews. The gooseneck mount made it easy to keep it out of the way, plus you can orient it in landscape for GPS navigation. The ability to adjust the side-grips allowed me to keep my inCase plastic case on as well as keep it securely in place. I live on a mountain, so I drive on lots of windy, bumpy roads and never once had it slip. It's also very convenient (and safe!) to have my iPhone at arm's reach. Releasing the side-grips to remove the device was also very simple and quick.
--Features--
The four preset buttons are very useful for quickly changing stations. Selecting one instantly jumped to it with no skip. I haven't tested the autoscan feature though. Music came through very clearly on my selected channel with very little static, which is excellent considering there are several radio towers and lots of interference on the mountain. Bass reproduction was no problem for me either. The feature I was most impressed with was how quickly it charged. The Neewer FM transmitter was barely capable of charging the device faster than the battery was being drained. With the Flexsmart, my battery charged from 89% to 100% after only 20 minutes, even with music, GPS, and 3G/Edge/WiFi enabled.
My only complaint with this product is that the LCD readout for frequency is very difficult to see even in moderate sunlight (I don't have any tint on my windows). However, the preset feature partially solves this as I already know the four stations that have the clearest sound in the areas I commonly travel. Overall, this is an excellent product and I highly recommend it to anybody with an iDevice.I bought this mount in preparation for a vacation that was going to involve a lot of driving. I use my phone in conjunction with the free MapQuest app as a GPS unit, and I learned the hard way that I really need some kind of mount for it. My old mount cost about $20, and uses a suction cup system to adhere to the dash, with sticky gel to "hold" the cell phone in place. After about six months of rattling around in my pickup, the suction cup doesn't hold any more, and the sticky is long gone from the gel pads. I had no confidence that it would hold my expensive iPhone 4 safely.
One of the other problems I had with my original mount was with the cords. I had a power adapter plugged in to keep the device charged, and was using an audio cable to connect the phone's headphone jack to the Aux in on the car stereo in order to listen to MP3s, and to hear my GPS program's friendly computer voice through the car stereo. I found that the cords were always getting in the way, and one or both of them would frequently get bumped and unplugged, causing distraction while driving. So I decided that since I was going to buy a new mount anyway, I might as well see if I could combine at least one of these features with the mount system.
The GOgroove FlexSMART mount works very well for my needs. The arm is strong, and holds the phone securely in place, and the padded clamping system makes me much more comfortable about the safety of my phone in all but the most dire of scenarios. I was dubious of the FM Transmitter at first, having tried a cheap one in the past, with which I was completely dissatisfied. I am happy to report that this one works very well. On long trips, I do have to occasionally switch frequencies, but overall that has not been a big deal. Shopping around for a new frequency once every 200+ miles really was not much of an inconvenience. The price-point on this unit was a little higher than I expected, but I have been very satisfied with the product, so I can't complain.
I did experience the issue reported by some of the other reviewers of this product, wherein the iPhone 4 displays an error message stating that the add-on is not compatible with the phone. However, I discovered that the error seems to only appear when the "bumper" case is on my phone. Apparently, it puts a bind on the docking port (probably not a good thing) causing a mis-alignment which makes the phone "think" that you are attempting to connect an incompatible third-party product. Luckily for me, my bumper case is a two-piece design, with the bottom third easily removable for docking the phone with something like an iHome station, and as long as I remember to remove the bottom piece before sliding the phone into the GOgroove, everything works perfectly. So if you happen to experience this issue with an iPhone 4, try removing the bumper from your phone before you return the item.
Another nice unsung feature of this mount is the ability to switch off the charger, so that you can safely leave it plugged into your dashboard power accessory outlet when not in use.
Overall, I am very happy with this device. I highly recommend this mount.Although this item worked great with my Android phone using the optional headphone jack cord, it was a nightmare for my Iphone 4. First, I got a warning that the Gogroove was not compatible with the Iphone as soon as it was directly mounted. For some reason, despite the warning it still lets you open up and play your music files. After a while though the iphone began to get really hot and another warning that I've never seen before appeared stating that the iphone was overheating. After just 2 weeks of use with iphone 4, the Gogroove completely overheated the iphone and blew a circuit in my car, shorting out the radio and my cigarette lighter. Fortunately, the iphone was fine, it just shut itself off to cool down.
I had to replace the fuse which I was not happy about. And I called Gogroove's customer service and they told me the 3-yr warranty they keep praising on their product description wouldn't cover a refund, only a replacement device which I'd lost all faith in. They just referred me to Amazon to see about a refund. Amazon of course has wonderful customer service and gave me a refund no problem. Bottom line-this device very well may short out a circuit if you attempt to connect it to an iphone 4.
0 comments:
Post a Comment