Samsung Galaxy S Navigation Vehicle Mount Compatible with Verizon DROID CHARGE SCH-I510

I bought this and started using it with my brand new charge 6/26/11, the first day I was eligible to get my new phone!

This thing is incredibly good:

PROS:

-quality materials, Samsung brand, excellent fit and finish. It feels very solid, and holds the phone rigid. The suction clamp is working great on my dash as well as windshield.

-I've had no problems finding good position with windshield or dash mount. I've got it out of the sun and in perfect position for use, without excessive distraction. The hinge and partial ball socket made finding a good position easy.

-BIG PLUS!the mount's micro USB connects BOTH power and AUDIO!!!!! slip it in, clamp it on, and you're DONE! no digging around for one cable for power, one for audio out. If you chose to, you can still access audio thru the headphone jack on the phone; I do that when I'm listening to an Audible book and the gang is watching a movie in the back, or just wants quiet.

Cons:

-Only one so far; it's a little tricky removing the phone from the clip. Not shown is that the phone is first slipped into the clip holster of the mount, then the part with usb plug slides up and into the phone. The slide is all really good plastic and has a quality feel and movement. It's just a little hard to snap the phone out of the basic clip. It is really securely held. I'll post pictures of the sliding mechanism.

-Not sure this counts, but of course the phone can't be in a protector when put into this slick, snug device

I am very pleased with this mount, and it feels like it will last for years. Highly recommended

The Samsung Car Dock was a big disappointment. A Car Dock should allow the user to easily install and removed the phone every time you get into the car. It is not easy to install or remove the phone with this mount. It automatically connects power to the phone when the mount slides shut. It just does not do it reliably.

The Samsung pictures do not show you that mount has two main pieces that disconnect. I uploaded some pictures to show how this works. You have two ways to install the phone into the mount. Neither of these methods is easy to do when you have the unit mounted to the lower part of the windshield where there is limited space to maneuver.

Install Method 1:

You could separate the pieces by pushing on the latch release. Then you push open the slider and slip the phone into the sliding piece. Then you squeeze the slide shut so that it inserts its connector into your phones micro usb port. Next you hold the release latch open and connect the slider to the windshield mount.

I mount my unit low on the windshield so that I don't block visibility. This leaves very little room to connect the pieces together. This makes it tough to install or remove the phone.

Install Method 2:

You could leave both pieces connected. You slide open the slider. Insert the phone. Squeeze the slider shut and the Car Dock connects the power port. This also is a two handed operation. The slider did not always move smoothly as I tried to close it requiring one hand to hold the mount and the other to operate the slider.

The major problem with this device is how the unit connects to the cell phone power port. The unit automatically inserts its connector into the cell phone's micro usb port when you slide it close. These small micro usb connectors are relatively fragile. The alignment has to be very precise between these small parts. The tolerances on these plastic pieces in the Car Dock are not good enough to ensure that this will work properly. The user cannot tell if the alignment is off. Any misalignment could damage your phone.

I had used my Car Dock for a few days when it malfunctioned. When I closed the slider, it did not align properly. It gouged the plastic case of my phone and then bent the connector inside the car dock as it inserted the power connector. The alignment must have been only a couple of millimeters off, since it did connect the power and the Car Dock operated. But it had damaged the connector (see uploaded closeup of connector) and gouged the cell phone case around the power connector.

I was lucky it only bent the Car Dock side of the connector. If it had bent or broken the connector on the phone side, the phone would have been ruined. I have uploaded a close up showing the bent connector.

When the Car Dock worked, it worked well. The phone was held securely. There was adequate adjustment range. While the phone is in the mounted, it worked well. However, installing and removing the phone was too much hassle. The power connector insertion mechanism is unreliable. I am looking for a different car mount option. Maybe my Car Dock was a defective unit, but I do not want to risk damaging my phone with this product.

Update: Ordered Bracketron Cup holder mount from Amazon. It works great with the Charge. It is cheaper, easy to load and unload, does not block line of sight and looks good.

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Having had the car/GPS mount for my previous Droid original, I bought this with my new Charge. The display does not tilt down enough! My dash does slope up a bit but my org Droid and my old fashion GPS had way more rotation ability. Plus the attaching of the phone requires two hand and being stopped. Maybe it would work better as a windsheild mount but I have not tried that. Great accessory to have but maybe not this version.

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Not sure why Samsung would engineer a car mount that does not work with the extended life battery and back on the phone but they did. Makes it a non-starter for me since I have yet to find a way to make the standard battery last through the day and do not want to have to change batteries everytime I want to use a car mount...great potential with horrible execution.

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Although not mentioned in the text of the instructions at all, and not very obvious on the dock, the square box-like section of the mount containing the mini-USB connector slides down and out to connect or disconnect the phone. Sliding this section down allows the phone to snap into or out of the mount easily, then sliding up the connector connects the phone easily. Realizing this is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to operate and use the mount, as it is almost impossible to insert the phone with the plug section in its "up" position (as shipped).

Once inserted with the USB engaged, the mount has several nice features. A special dashboard appears with five standard options arrayed. Google Maps, Voice Search, Navigation, Contacts, and Search. The phone stays on (if powered, OR in Google Maps) and switches to speakerphone mode by default. The Navigation button produces the Verizon Navigator App. Not a problem if you prefer the Google Map navigator, the Google Map button can be used to "Get Directions" and will switch to the Google Navigator if it is loaded (just update the Map App). Also, using the Voice button allows the command "Navigate to....." which gets you into the Google navigation. I tried the command "Call....so-and-so", and this also works, as well as usual Google searches.

One problem with Voice search It works best with the car parked and quiet. If there is substantial background noise (such as while driving on a highway, or with music playing), the phone does not recognize the end of a command and keeps listening. Also, it often displays lists of possible hits that are most useful if not driving.

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