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Figure 1:
The box in all its glory showing the mount. Oddly enough
even though I have the Axim version and the box still shows
the iPAQ.

UNPACKING THE BOX

The main focus of the new Arkon mount series is for
GPS use, so they’ve included some nifty features.
The most noticeable is that this mount has an in-cradle
speaker to amplify the volume. The volume is
adjustable and can get fairly loud, potentially
deafening, but the audio quality is a little fuzzy
and fades a tad. The base also includes a built in
microphone and a headphone jack, while a noteworthy addition, they’re
not very practical.

The inclusion of audio abilities brings about another
added bonus: power options. The Arkon mount comes along
with a car adaptor to power the base and the device as
well, hence the mount being device specific. In addition
to the car charger you can purchase a battery to go
inside the cradle in case you want to use the cradle away
from the car.

Figure
2: What’s in the box: Cradle and Mounting Arm, Power
Adaptor, Audio Plug, and Instruction Sheet.

Figure
3: The cradle in my hand for size comparison. The cradle
itself can be removed from the actual arm mount to be
used in your hand. On the front you can see the power
LED that looks like a water drop and the mic to its
left.

Figure
4: The grips extended all the way. Note the pleasant aesthetics of the silver metallic body.

Figure
5: On the left side are the speaker jack, the battery
switch, and the volume wheel.

Figure
6: On the right side are the earphone jack, the grip
release button, and the power jack.

Figure
7: The back of the cradle. Here you can see the battery
slot and where the mounting arm is attached to the
cradle, just slide the cradle off the mounting arm to
remove. The cradle can also be moved on the mounting arm
by rotating or tilting.

MOUNTING IT UP

If you’ve ever installed a PDA mount you’ll know what to
do, if not you can use the installation sheet. The
attachment arm is very sturdy, it’s best to position the
arm before hand. The suction cup is fairly strong and
will support the weight of the device and the mount,
which has a decent weight of its own.

Figure
8: The mount attached to the windshield with the grips
open some. Next to it is my grip pad that I use for my
phone or for extra grip for the GPS unit.

Figure
9: Here you can see the suction cup mounting. Pull back
on the tab at the base of the arm and press the suction
cup to the glass before you push the tab back to secure
it.

The next part is putting your device in and hooking up
the power and audio cable. Before you slide your Pocket
PC in, you’ll need to release the grips by pressing the
button on the right side. Insert your device and then
push the grips in against the side of the device, the
grips are padded so it should squeeze the device. After that,
all that’s left to do is to plug the audio cable from the
headphone jack on the Pocket PC to the mount and the in
car power cable into the mount.

Figure
10: Everything all set up. You can see the power LED
illuminated to show you the mount is getting power, as it charges the Axim.

TAKING ON THE ROAD

When using this while driving a few minor issues
show up.  Due to the shortness of the arm, it’s
not possible to rest it on the dashboard at all and
this causes the cradle to shake a bit as you drive.
It is true that all mounting systems do shake, but I found this mount to shake a bit more than other cradles I’ve tested. Another issue due to the shortness of the arm is that you can’t
retrieve the stylus with ease since you’ll often
bump against the windshield.

Figure 11: Running the MobiNavigator GPS software from Arkon, look
for a review soon!

The Docking Cradle/Mount can be purchased
direct from
Arkon for $59.95. Arkon also sells the same mount with an integrated GPS receiver at $149.95, and add to the entire system MobiNavigator software for a complete nagivation system, and the total is $249.95. Also available is a battery that slides into a slot in the rear of the cradle, and that runs for $19.95.

To save $10 off any order, simply mention "pocketnow" in the special instructions area when placing an order. Offer valid until 12/31/05.

PROS

• 
  
  Speaker included in base
• 
  
  Powered cradle that can charge the device
• 
  

  Optional battery/integrated GPS available

• A big aesthetic improvement over previous generations
• Stays where you put it

CONS

• 
  
  Cradle shakes more than average
• Speaker quality is a bit fuzzy and fades
• 
  
  Pricey

OVERALL
IMPRESSION

This is a unique mount system. The inclusion of a
speaker is a very nice touch and makes it great for
driving with; you can still listen to music on the
stereo and have navigation information and whatnot pipe-in strong. The cradle
itself is sturdy and makes you feel safe with
your Pocket PC in it. On the flip side – the device
isn’t perfect. It loses a few points because of the short mounting arm and the
quality on the speaker, but overall
not too bad as it’s not a lot better with other
mounts I’ve used. The main issue for most consumers
will be the price.

In short, Arkon has managed to deliver a very nice mount
system with a few excellent expansion possibilies. The inclusion of a speaker is nothing short of
wonderful, even if the quality is a bit fuzzy. If you
can fork over the cash you should be pleased. Arkon has come a long way since their previous cradle design, and even further since the first design we looked at. For a job
well done, I give this product the following score: