03-07-2006, 05:00 PM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Arkon's Docking PDA Mount Reviewed
Product Category: Powered PDA Mount
Manufacturer: Arkon
Where to Buy: Arkon
Price: DM320 - $49.95 USD; DM520 - $119.95 USD. Regional DM32x and DM52x bundles for Europe and North America are also available.
System Requirements: Dell Axim X50/X50v or X51/X51v.
Pros:- Strong suction cup;
- Relatively stable;
- Powered;
- Loud speaker.
Cons:- Cannot be used with PDA cases;
- Grip arms cover side buttons;
- Mount and PDA volume settings need a lot of fiddling to get the speaker sounding perfectly right.
Summary:
PDA mounts are becoming increasingly popular by the day. While it won't turn your PDA and vehicle into a Batmobile, you can still get the next best thing. A lot of people combine a mount and PDA and turn it into an in-car navigation and hands-free (phone) solution. Others, like myself, use it for media and as a PIM read-back system (courtesy of Microsoft Voice Command). So, if all mounts provide this sort of functionality, what makes Arkon's Docking PDA Mount so special? Read on to find out.
Just Another Mount?
Arkon's Docking PDA Mount (DM300 and DM500) isn't just an ordinary mount. For years, manufacturers, like Arkon, have sold or still sell a batch of universal mounts whose charging functionality is deeply reliant on a tangle of cables running from a vehicle's cigarette lighter socket to the cradle, and around the cradle itself. Both the DM300 and DM500 series have been designed with model specificity in mind, and as a result, help minimise cable tangles. This has its upsides and downsides.
The upside? No messing around with extra charging cables. The Pocket PC simply slips right into the cradle, fitting perfectly into the charging connector. The downside? The lasting factor. Unfortunately, you can't swap the charging connector on the mount as its sealed tightly within the mount itself. So, if you're one of the few who purchases a new Pocket PC every year or so, that gives the Docking PDA Mount a similar lifespan, before being passed on to Buyer XYZ on eBay.
So, What's in the Box?
The mount is available in two flavours - one without a GPS receiver (the DM300 series) and one with a GPS receiver (the DM500 series). This review focuses on the DM300, but I will look at aspects of the DM500 later in the review.
In the box, you'll find:- The docking cradle;
- A swivel windshield suction pedestal;
- An audio speaker cable;
- A cigarette lighter power cord;
- An instruction sheet.
Figure 1: That's an iPAQ on the box. I'm testing the Axim version. Hmmm...
On the left side of the cradle, you'll find a 2.5mm speaker socket, a battery on/off switch, and a speaker volume control. On the right side of the cradle, you'll find a power cord socket, a push button for the side grip jaws, and a privacy earphone socket (for a hands-free kit).
From the Box to the Car
Installation is extremely simple. The windshield pedestal's mounting head slots into a set of mounting grooves situated on the rear of the docking cradle. On the other end of the pedestal, there is the suction cup. This firmly attaches to the windshield, with the locking lever ensuring the attachment is secure (see Figure 2). The cup also includes a release lip for painless removal.
Figure 2: The windshield suction cup and the locking lever to help keep it in place.
Figure 3: The flexible arm of the pedestal.
The pedestal, while flexible, is a tad short (see Figure 3). I just managed to get my cradle to rest on the dashboard (in a bid to reduce vibrations while driving). I imagine it being not so easy in other cars.
Figure 4: The pedestal's mounting head fits securely within the cradle's mounting grooves. A swivel tightening ring allows you to adjust the orientation of the holder.
Once everything is attached, the cradle can be rotated around the pedestal head, so if you wish to use the cradle in landscape mode (as opposed to the standard portrait mode), you can! When you've decided on a comfortable orientation, you can use the swivel tightening ring to secure it in place. (see Figure 4).
Figure 5: The mount uses a standard cigarette lighter power cord.
All that's left now are the cables, of which there are only two. The first is the standard cigarette lighter power cord that keeps the cradle's speaker and the PDA powered. The bulky end (see Figure 5) inserts into the car's cigarette lighter socket, while the other end inserts into the upper-right socket of the cradle. The second cable is an audio speaker cable which routes sound from the PDA to the cradle's speaker. It's a 2.5mm to 3.5mm stereo cable; the 2.5mm end plugging into a socket situated in the top-left corner of the cradle and the 3.5mm end plugging into the PDA's headphone socket (see Figure 7). The cradle does accommodate another cable, but I'll cover that a little later.
Performance
With apologies to Arkon, I intentionally took a while to review this unit as I wanted to test the ability of the mount to withstand temperature extremes. I received the unit in Spring, though I wanted to put it through the Australian Summer to see how the suction cup would perform in 40�C+ (104�F+) heat. So far, the mount and I have experienced a little over a month's worth of humid and dry weather conditions. With standard summer temperatures bordering on levels of insanity, I don't think I have survived, but the mount has!  Not once has the suction cup lost its grip. Of course, I've yet to see how it performs in Winter, but where I live, the temperature rarely drops below 0�C (32�F), so I doubt I'll have a problem.
The thing about a tight-fitting, model-specific cradle such as the Docking PDA Mount is that the Pocket PC must be inserted into the cradle as-is. Don't test your luck with cases - it simply won't work. Those of you with aluminium or leather cases may not mind taking the Pocket PC out of the case, but those of you with silicon skins will probably give it second thought.
Figure 6: The Axim X50v in the docking cradle (side arms open). Counter-clockwise, from 1 to 4 - power LED, amplified speaker, noise-cancelling microphone, speaker volume control, and battery switch. The power LED turns orange when the cradle is powered.
The cradle's retractable padded side grip jaws help keep the Pocket PC in place. It has a drawback though, and you'll see it in Figure 7. The jaws can cover up a portion of the Pocket PC's side buttons. While it might not affect all Pocket PCs, it does affect the Axim X50v. Nothing can be more annoying than trying to press a button only to have a piece of soft foam concealing it. If you do purchase this mount and find that you're in the same boat, you may want to leave relatively unimportant functions assigned to the side buttons, and keep the important functions assigned to the front-facing buttons of the PDA.
Figure 7: All set and ready to go.
The speaker quality is very good, though it does take a bit of fiddling on both the cradle and Pocket PC to get perfectly right. If the volume setting on the Pocket PC is too low, audio emanating from the cradle's speaker is barely audible. Conversely, if the volume setting on the Pocket PC is too high, audio emanating from the cradle's speaker is muffled. Once you've determined the right volume setting on the Pocket PC, you can use the volume control on the cradle to make fine adjustments.
Continuing on the topic of audio, the cradle also accepts a hands-free kit for those "private" moments. Plugging it in disables the amplified speaker. Like the cradle's speaker socket, the privacy earphone socket is also 2.5mm.
On the rear of the cradle, there is a compartment for a 900mAh rechargeable battery. Because the cradle can be detached from the pedestal, you can use the battery/cradle combination outdoors and still keep the Pocket PC powered. But with the DM500 series, it goes one step further by powering the integrated GPS as well. This might be handy on those "lost moments in outback expeditions". The mount doesn't include the battery by default, so you will have to purchase it as an accessory if you need it.
Conclusions
Despite a few minor drawbacks, Arkon's Docking PDA Mount is a solid performer. It offers many advantages over a universal mount and looks great too! You can purchase the mount as a stand-alone product, or alternatively, purchase it with the North American or European MobiNavigator GPS map software for use with the mount's integrated GPS module (in the DM500 series) or a separate Bluetooth or card-based GPS module (in the DM300 series). Although the mount in this review targets the Dell Axim X50/X50v and X51/X51v series, Arkon does make a set of Docking PDA Mounts for other well-known devices. You can find the full list here.
Darius Wey loves technology! When he's not working at this web site, he's busy working for his medical degree (MBBS) and dabbling in audio and video editing, web and graphic design, photography and the odd bit of mobile development. He lives in Perth, Western Australia.
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03-07-2006, 05:20 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 634
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I've been looking at this cradle for a while now but am hesitant to buy it because I am not thrilled about the speaker set up. I think I would rather have an FM transmitter so at least I could listen to streamed music in stereo. I have an old generic car mount that has an FM transmitter but it's getting pretty beat up after over three years of use.
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03-07-2006, 11:19 PM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by piperpilot
I've been looking at this cradle for a while now but am hesitant to buy it because I am not thrilled about the speaker set up. I think I would rather have an FM transmitter so at least I could listen to streamed music in stereo. I have an old generic car mount that has an FM transmitter but it's getting pretty beat up after over three years of use.
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The great thing about the mount is that you're not forced to use the integrated speaker. You can still use the "docking" capabilities of the mount, but re-route sound through the FM transmitter. Actually, that's what I do now. There's no way in the world you could use the mount's integrated speaker for music. 8)
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03-08-2006, 01:30 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 634
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I'm confused. Does it also have an FM transmitter built into it?
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03-08-2006, 01:45 PM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by piperpilot
I'm confused. Does it also have an FM transmitter built into it?
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No, you'll have to purchase one separately.
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03-11-2006, 02:46 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 298
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What's the McDonald's sticker on the windshield all about?
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03-11-2006, 05:02 AM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Newsboy
What's the McDonald's sticker on the windshield all about?
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Uh, it's a free Drive-Thru sticker I get every year. Free drink upgrades and other munchies everytime I order something through the McDonald's fast lane. 
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03-11-2006, 05:12 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 298
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Cool. Great review by the way! Have you looked at the Seidio mounts at all? I'm considering one of those for my Dell Axim x30i.
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03-11-2006, 08:23 AM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Newsboy
Have you looked at the Seidio mounts at all?
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No, not yet, though I may see what they have to offer. Truth is, I think I'm starting to need a universal mount more than a device-specific mount. I now carry my E-TEN M600 more than my Dell Axim X50v, and who knows what it'll be in six months time.
Rather than having to bother with two-three different mounts every year, a one-size-fits-all mount seems like the best option.
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03-18-2006, 03:07 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 170
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Longtime User
Before I begin I would like to say that I have no affiliation in any way with Arkon. I am strictly a satisfied customer.
I have been a longtime user and fan of Arkon mounts...and of their customer service practices. I have been using a Powered Multimedia PDA Mount for about 5 or 6 years now. Ben and his staff are wonderful to deal with and will go out of their way to make sure you get what you need and that you are happy. Even as far as procurring specially-manufactured cables for trial purposes.
I purchased my original mount for use with my Dell Axim X5 and Globalsat 308 CF GPS. Since then, my mount has also been called home to a Palm Tungsten W, an iMate PDA2k, a Qtek 9100 and a Treo 650. It has also been used for many miles in 5 of my vehicles, as well as numerous rental vehicles.
As you can see the main advantage for me has been the versatility of working with many different units and many differents vehicles (I purchased the extra long "goose neck", 15" I think).
The original model has two "jaws" that are about 1" high each side and are located about halfway up the sides. So far the positioning of the jaws has not been a problem for the units I have used with it, however, I could see this being a problem on some PDA's. And on the bottom, instead of having a solid part with a device-specific connector, there are two pins which are screwed in. These pins support the bottom of the PDA and keep it from sliding out and, are moveable to a second location. Ultimately, it would be nice to see a unit where you could move both the side jaws and bottom pins up/down, in/out as necessary.
A separate cable is supplied for power with USB on one side (plugs into the bottom of the mount) and a device-specific connector on the other end of the cable. All of the other connectors and cables appear to be the same as in the new units. Oh, and by the way, the USB connector on the bottom of the mount also works with products like BoxWave's mini-Sync cables. So, if you are like me a buy one of these for each unit you buy, then the only other cable you will have to buy when you switch units is the speaker cable (3.5 mm male stereo on mount side to 2.5 or 3.5 mm male stereo - depending on phone/PDA).
Anyway, the speaker is good and loud and I primarily use this mount for satellite navigation, Although sometimes I use it for hands-free too if I have forgotton my Bluespoon AX2.
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Linear Mode
