If you’re like me, you probably have an iPhone (or two) and you live by it. Not only for making phone calls and texting, but for Internet access too. My iPhone is never far from me, in fact I get a sinking feeling if I’ve misplaced my iPhone for more than a few minutes.
Although it’s illegal for the driver to use an iPhone (in most of the U.S. anyway) it’s an extremely useful device in a car. Maps, GPS and navigation are the most obvious examples of practical uses of an iPhone in a car, but I also rely on audiobooks, podcasts and music to make my commute more manageable. In fact, I don’t know what I’d do with without my iPhone in my car — probably go completely mad listening to commercials.
That being said, I’ve struggled to find a half-decent mounting solution for my iPhone in my car. I usually plug it in and just prop it up somewhere on my dash. The problem here is obvious: as soon as I take a corner my iPhone goes flying onto the floor, usually out of reach.
I found the answer in a car mount from Pro Clip USA — the mother of all car mounts. I’ve used several over the years and usually abandoned them because they didn’t work well or because they simply fell off. ProClip USA’s vehicle mounts are sturdy, well-constructed and are available for almost every vehicle on the market.
You can mount ProClips just about anywhere in your vehicle, as illustrated in this diagram:
You need two parts to mount your device on your dash. Together, these two parts create your mounting solution:
- a vehicle mount - specific to your vehicle
- a device holder - specific to your device
I opted for the following configuration for my Honda Pilot:
- Honda Pilot - 2009-2012 - ProClip Center Mount (Item #: 854197) - $29.99
- Apple iPhone 4 used with a Case - Adjustable Holder with Tilt Swivel and Pass-Through Connector for Cable Attachment (Item No. 516165) - $79.99
This configuration fits my iPhone 4 and 4S in Apple’s bumper case flawlessly and can easily be rotated between landscape and portrait orientation depending on the application. I opted for the device holder with the pass-through connector so that I could easily connect my iPhone to power without having to fish around for a power cable.
The ProClip setup is high-quality and extremely solid. So much so that I’m probably going to get another one for my Droid Bionic, which I prefer over my iPhone for in-vehicle navigation. This thing is the mother of all vehicle mounts and well worth the price of admission, especially for commuters and people that otherwise spend a lot of time in their cars.
