cell phone mount

I'm using my smartphone a lot when driving. Navigation, music, waze (amazing traffic/cop spotting program). So I need phone located conveniently, easily accessible and viewable, and preferably without much drilling. In my Legacy I attached a modified phone cover to the steering column, so when you insert the phone in it, it's right below the speedometer. In 981 Boxster the best location would be where the screen is. And since the screen is almost useless in base configuration, especially if you play music and radio from the phone - I'm seriously considering making some kind of bracket that would attach left and right of the screen, so the phone would be right in front of it. But then it occured to me, that if you attach the phone craddle to a cup holder smartly - the phone would be just right of the screen, facing driver (at angle to the dash). There is AUX and outlet in the glovebox, so you can run power/audio wires very easily and descretly behind the phone into the glovebox. It all can be very nice and clean solution, IF I FIND some kind of bracket that would attach to a cupholder. I can just drill the cupholder side and attach cradle to it, but then it would be permanent. And I want to be able to hid cupholders still. Anybody knows any kind of such things to attach phone to the cupholder? I can't find anything, but pretty sure there should be...

http://www.planet-9.com/cayman-boxster-electronics/50923-vent-mounts.html

Read through that... that's exactly where I want the phone: Vents are different in 981. I'd like to find something to attach it to the cupholder, instead of vents etc. Looks like it'll have to be custom made

I use a Mountek, it mounts where the cd player is. (I never use cds anyways)

Thanks for showing the Mountek CD slot mount - this looks like, at last, the answer to my search for a perfect solution. Having tried a few different non windscreen mounting options (but not wanting to use anything that might leave marks etc on the dash/vents etc), I had thought that it would be great if there was a way to use the CD slot but never found anything (probably not helped by the fact that the Mountek doesn't seem to be available via a UK retailer - although now see that can be shipped for £5 from a US Ebay seller ). Just one question before I hit 'buy it now' - have you noticed any damage/distortion etc to the CD Drive's dust guard when removing the mount? :thanks:

Nothing custom required. It took me about 2 seconds to search for and find this. It's listed for $15.95, free shipping. This just the first one I found. There are many, many others, including holders for specific phone or GPS models.

There's also a Proclipusa mount. It is low on the console, so not sure how well it will work with the new Boxster . I have had these in other cars and they were great.

FWIW, for the past couple of years I've used an alternative magnetic mount solution from krusell Despite some 'spirited' driving, its always remained perfectly secure. I was worried about the magnetic field, but have had no such problems. Its by far the best car mount solution I've ever used. The magnetic disc is stuck wherever you want, and the thin metal plate is stuck to the back of your phone (or as I have done the back of the case) Krusell QuickMounter Magnet Magnetic Car Holder for Mobile Phone, MP3 Player, PDA, GPS, iPhone, iPod: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics Ignore the poor 1* review from some plum who blames the product because he tried to use it with an ipod with a platter drive in it!

I've got this one that I'm no longer using. It even has a USB port on the side of the cradle. Contact me and it's yours for $15 shipped. Thanks

Have been obsessed with getting the mount right for my iPhone for quite some time. Like the OP I use it for lots of applications – satnav, radio, music, speed camera warnings etc - so wanted it somewhere very easy to see and control. Ideally I don’t want to take my eyes off the road to use it. Anyway, below is what I ended-up with (here’s a link to the bracket itself). Am very pleased with it – it seems very secure and it looks more “stock” than any of my other attempts. Big question is whether the sticky pad which secured it to the dash will leave a mark. I’m betting not: it’s a glueless pad and I used a similar one to secure a radar detector on my previous 987. When I came to sell the car the pad came off easily after warming with a hairdryer and there was absolutely no trace. Anyway, time will tell.

Yes, it's nice and clean! But on new boxster AUX and power is in a glove box. So it can look even cleaner when installed with something like this attached to cupholder. The cable will go behind the phone into the glove box. And when not in use - nothing will be visible at all.

Here what I use. Mounts out of the way but is still visible. By ProClip.

I really like that mount... but it looks like it interferes with the passengers leg room. Can a good size person sit in the passenger seat without hitting his knees on your mount and device? Thanks

I used one of these for a while and it definitely didn't leave any gaps or marks. I gave up on mine mainly because as tach said, it was obscured by the steering wheel which annoyed me. Also I had a slight problem with mine wobbling when I hit bumps because the top of the bracket didn't seem to mate properly with the top of my radio. I suspect it's a better, more secure fit with some of the other radios/satnavs than with my CDR30 but YMMV.

Here's what I'm looking to do - attach it with some kind of clip to cupholder . It's very close to UK Proclip in upper right corner. But I want' it to be out of sight completely when not in use.

hey trusevich, i hear what you are trying to do and i, too, have racked my brain on this issue for many months. like you, i wanted convenient, solid access in a good location without having to drill or otherwise mangle interior bits. i came up with a solution that i really like. it's a bit more work than most alternatives including what you are currently thinking of doing but i think (for me) it's a superior solution. see attached pics. (sorry, don't have better ones at the moment, but hopefully you'll get the idea). location -------- basically i decided that the very best location would be between the two central dash vents. great location for visibility of maps etc - because this location is up high one does not need to take their eyes off the road too much; yet it does not block outward visibility unlike many of the windshield suction type mounts. also, easy access to UI controls - as this location is quite close to steering wheel. what's more, this location is also convenient for passengers - say your mate wants to enter an address on waze (or whatever nav/ GPS you might be running), or play with music, web, etc. so to make this happen i *re-located* the hazard button into the ash tray. to do so, i found a suitable switch at radio shack - nice and small, perfect for the new location. even lights up when the hazard flashers are on. this left a nice hole in the center of the dash between the vents. i used a piece of pipe (about 1" long) as a standoff, and mounted my cradle against that using a 4 1/2" long screw. the cradle i used is a vox (formerly dice) g2 cradle. what i like a lot about this cradle is that the ( iphone ) pass-thru connector is on the back, allowing an install with virtually no wires visible. Audiovox - Driven by DICE Electronics - G2 Cradle strength --------- using a molly bolt (expanding butterfly type nut) with the 4 1/2 long bolt allowed me to cinch the spherical rear of the cradle via the 1" pipe/standoff into the dash without wrecking or mutilating anything at/on/in the dash. the result is a super sturdy mount where the phone will not wiggle at all while driving. also, it's really easy to operate the touch screen - because when you are driving you need something to rest your thumb or pinky (or both) against so that you can peck at the screen. this install method provides for that perfectly - you can use your thumb against the dash, and use your index finger to securely and predictably operate the phone UI. wiring/look ------------ as mentioned, no wires are visible, for an ultra-clean look. to route the wire, i cut a groove into the underside of the standoff, and sized the length of the stand-off just long enough to let a standard iphone cable's connector to pass out the back of the g2 cradle - and then the wire disappears into the dash right on the underside of the stand-off. from there the audio cable (or maybe USB in your case, what kind of phone are you mounting) just snakes into the trunk (or whereever area). i use mine with a dension so everything looks stock and i have great audio quality. operation ---------- one more benefit: you can insert your phone with a one-handed operation. what i really disliked about previous setups of mine is having to get into the car, then get into a two-step mode of putting the phone in the cradle, then get two hands free in order to push a cable into the phone. with this cradle in combination with a solid (non-wiggly) mount, i can unlock the car, get in, use my left hand to turn the ignition key while at the same time using my right hand to slam the phone into the cradle with one quick move. anyway, that's the gist of it. no damage to the dash, everything is reversible, the location is sweet (no problem with reflections or anything), the mount strong, and best of all: looks clean and has no cable dangling! any questions just holler. if folks like this method i can do a little write up/article, but the above is pretty much it! best, -aw1.

few more pics including new loc of the hazard switch.

That's a great idea... and I'd love to see a write up/article of how you actually made and installed this (for those of us who aren't the engineer type). It sounds simple enough, but any further details or photos would greatly be appreciated! My problem is the wife and I both use the car... she loves the cup holders and being able to slip a new CD in at the traffic light. I love my AC vent (its hot in Florida) and my knee room when I'm in the passenger seat. So far every mount install possibility has blocked off something one of us wants to use.

markstudy, i think i can do that but i'll need better pics and also would need to gather a list of the parts along with photos of same. currently travelling and away from car & home so i won't be able to get to this for a bit. meanwhile feel free to ping me if you want a specific question answered, i'm happy to help. best, aw1

Thanks aw1, I just got my BlendMount 2000 BBE-2003 to hook my Escort detector to my rear-view mirror and get rid of the suction cups... so that's this weekends project. Next week I'm going to hard-wire my 9500ix with the new SmartCord Live to my Android phone . Then my 3rd project will be to mount my phone... so I'm a few weeks away. But I'd love to see your write-up and a few more details, as I think you are really on-to a great idea for mounting without getting in the way of anything else.

ahh, i see, you've got even more gadgets to hang in that cabin! the escort live integration service with a smartphone sounds very promising, i'd be interested to hear how it works once in action. i've got the 9500ci, which (according to escort) is the "mack daddy" of their line-up, yet it does NOT support the live service. :-( if you ever go for a fully integrated one, there was a former member here that did an outstanding job on the integrated install. i'm still appreciative for his great article and to this board for making it available: Passport 9500ci - Articles good luck with your weekend jobs!

Escort Live service is paid service with very limited customer number. I like the promised capability to switch off false alarms to GPS location and frequencies. But if you hoping to see cops alerts - I've read reports of people traveling through 5 states with 0 alerts. As I understand - the # of users on that network is very small. Waze is free, and really works. I see people using it all the time even in my area (MI). Check it out. I think it's way better deal than E-Live. I won't be surprised if in near future escort will somehow integrate with Waze instead of trying to run it's own paid network.

aw1... that is a slick solution. Very well done. Like other here, I'm very curious to see any additional detail that you can provide in regards to how the pipe is fixed to the dash innards.

Awesome project and awesome write up. Thanking you

Awesome project and awesome write up... I agree!

Agree - this is a great piece of work. Thanks for sharing it with us!

glad you guys like it! i was getting second thoughts after the 1st four hours of writing/photography.... hehe. anyway, with another push it got done and now i hope it's useful to others. i've benefited from others taking this kind of time on some projects that i wound up doing (escort 9500ci + tpc turbo install) and figured it's important to share back. get this: i even switched from my droid back to an iphone just for the pass-through connector. i hope the droid camp will 'get it' and develop a stable cradle connection mechanism - ideally shared between phone models. anyway, give the article a bump or some love with a like so that hopefully others with the need may see it: (iPhone, Android) - Articles finally - let me know if one of you proceeds. happy to help. it would be great to update the doc with the factory pin to radio shack pin mapping - if one of you proceeds please write it down and we can add your edit to the process. good luck! best, -aw1

I just got that CD slot mounted cradle and it's pretty good. It's not optimal. I don't care if it's blocking the screen - the screen is pretty useless on a no-options car I have, but I slightly touch it with my knuckles when shifting. Just because the shifter has some free play, if I shift fast I move hand a little further than really necessary. If I put a mental effort and shift carefully - then I'll not touch it. Phone (middle 3) buttons are very obscured and difficult to reach. (don't care) Anyway it should be good for the road trip I making soon, but I'll still be looking to make some custom thing to mount on cup holder. It'll be higher and not interfering with shifting.

Been using this one for about 2 weeks now - pretty happy with the placement of the mount, phone position and stability during the drive. It mounts into the CDR30 CD slot and the phone is positioned in a position above PDK selector making it easy to reach. Brand: PPYPLE (Korean design) Model: CD-N5 Link: ppyple - Happy Product by Happy People Costs about 30 dollars in my neck of the woods....