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Dammit I'm old. I'm sorry if I do the old man barking at clouds. But. How's different or better than this 9$ smartphone mount? https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Ca

by prower 6y ago

Dammit I'm old. I'm sorry if I do the old man barking at clouds. But. How's different or better than this 9$ smartphone mount? https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Car-Phone-Mount-Compatible/dp/B07W4Z4SMZ/ https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Car-Phone-Mount-Compatible/dp/B... All this compromises and costs just for a slightly bigger screen? While I'm driving?

jon-wood 6y ago
The bigger screen is nice, but the benefit is more around proper integration with in-car controls such as the stalk on the wheel for changing tracks etc, and often in-car microphones for voice assistants and hands free which have been tuned to work in that specific vehicle.
PantaloonFlames 6y ago
Yes, a bigger screen but not "slightly bigger". 15" diagonal screen is significantly larger than 6" diagonal. And it's built in, no goofy clamps or mounts protruding into the cabin.
mplewis 6y ago
The smartphone mount IS the compromise. CarPlay is the ideal.
NikolaeVarius 6y ago
Phones are not automobile rated. For example, while driving in the summer, I've had issues with my phone overheating and shutting down. Infotainment systems are rated to not do that.
izacus 6y ago
How do you safely use that phone mount to switch from Spotify to a PocketCasts podcast while driving on the highway? Because on my Mazda I can do all that with the physical builtin car controls. Or I can just tap the voice control button and say it. Also the navigation on a 7" dashboard mounted screen is significantly more glanceable than squinting at a small phone screen. It's all a great benefit for the 8+ hour highway drives I need to regularly do.
kfarr 6y ago
Agree with you, the only benefit I see is that Android Auto "uses the built-in screen" or allows you to use the "built-in controls in the steering wheel." That's it. It sounds like a $9 smartphone mount and a mini headphone to cassette adapter (or FM audio adapter) you can get 95% of the benefits in any vehicle manufactured since 1980.
notJim 6y ago
I had a mount like that, but in the winter time when I was blasting the heat, it would overheat my phone so much that it would stop charging and eventually have to turn off. I switched to the suction cup kind, and they would work for a few months and then the mount would stop sticking. Having something built in would be nice.
mortenjorck 6y ago
Superficially it's a bigger screen, but the real difference is in a user interface designed for minimal driver distraction. I've only used CarPlay, but the messaging app is a perfect example. The phone's native messaging interface is of course inappropriate for safe driving, being primarily visual. CarPlay's messaging app only gives you a glanceable list of contacts, and you tap one to dictate a message, which is then also read back to you for confirmation (no message text is ever displayed on the screen). I've had entire text conversations without taking my eyes off the road. For maps and music, the difference may be somewhat less profound, but the same design principles combined with a larger screen that equates to fewer milliseconds scanning for information or steadying your finger to touch a small button, still have a significant effect in keeping driver app use as safe as possible.
- saalweachter 6y ago
  I would also note that (Android Auto, at least) will stop you from doing a number of things. When the car is parked, you can use the on-screen keyboard to type in your searches; driving, voice search only. If you scroll too deep in your Audible library, past the first five or ten audiobooks, it will be all, "no, you can't browse your media library while driving, what the hell is wrong with you". It's annoying, but annoying in the kind of way that keeps you from getting in the habit of distracting yourself while driving.
caoilte 6y ago
I don't know about America but I recently discovered that using any system not built into the car is illegal in the UK. The fact is that a lot of people use such a mount anyway, but they are technically breaking the law and can be sent fines (eg if spotted by a motorway/freeway automated camera system). It kind of makes sense. Devices built into a vehicle have to meet safety specifications and it can be proved that they have. There is no such reassurance on a dash mounted phone. It could easily switch mode and distract you and cause an accident.
indymike 6y ago
There's more to it than just the screen size. Voice commands work better, phone apps can use the display, plus you can use the smartphone screen for one thing and the built in for another (eg. media player controls on the phone screen and maps on the dashboard screen). It's actually pretty nice.
Rebelgecko 6y ago
That mount blocks your AC vents and most infotainment screens are 2x bigger or more than a phone. I have a similar (but magnetic) mount in my car, and if I'm not careful my phone will fall off and cause a distraction.

by prower 6y ago

jon-wood 6y ago

The bigger screen is nice, but the benefit is more around proper integration with in-car controls such as the stalk on the wheel for changing tracks etc, and often in-car microphones for voice assistants and hands free which have been tuned to work in that specific vehicle.

PantaloonFlames 6y ago

Yes, a bigger screen but not "slightly bigger". 15" diagonal screen is significantly larger than 6" diagonal. And it's built in, no goofy clamps or mounts protruding into the cabin.

mplewis 6y ago

The smartphone mount IS the compromise. CarPlay is the ideal.

NikolaeVarius 6y ago

Phones are not automobile rated. For example, while driving in the summer, I've had issues with my phone overheating and shutting down. Infotainment systems are rated to not do that.

izacus 6y ago

How do you safely use that phone mount to switch from Spotify to a PocketCasts podcast while driving on the highway? Because on my Mazda I can do all that with the physical builtin car controls. Or I can just tap the voice control button and say it. Also the navigation on a 7" dashboard mounted screen is significantly more glanceable than squinting at a small phone screen. It's all a great benefit for the 8+ hour highway drives I need to regularly do.

kfarr 6y ago

Agree with you, the only benefit I see is that Android Auto "uses the built-in screen" or allows you to use the "built-in controls in the steering wheel." That's it. It sounds like a $9 smartphone mount and a mini headphone to cassette adapter (or FM audio adapter) you can get 95% of the benefits in any vehicle manufactured since 1980.

notJim 6y ago

I had a mount like that, but in the winter time when I was blasting the heat, it would overheat my phone so much that it would stop charging and eventually have to turn off. I switched to the suction cup kind, and they would work for a few months and then the mount would stop sticking. Having something built in would be nice.

mortenjorck 6y ago

Superficially it's a bigger screen, but the real difference is in a user interface designed for minimal driver distraction. I've only used CarPlay, but the messaging app is a perfect example. The phone's native messaging interface is of course inappropriate for safe driving, being primarily visual. CarPlay's messaging app only gives you a glanceable list of contacts, and you tap one to dictate a message, which is then also read back to you for confirmation (no message text is ever displayed on the screen). I've had entire text conversations without taking my eyes off the road. For maps and music, the difference may be somewhat less profound, but the same design principles combined with a larger screen that equates to fewer milliseconds scanning for information or steadying your finger to touch a small button, still have a significant effect in keeping driver app use as safe as possible.

saalweachter 6y ago
I would also note that (Android Auto, at least) will stop you from doing a number of things. When the car is parked, you can use the on-screen keyboard to type in your searches; driving, voice search only. If you scroll too deep in your Audible library, past the first five or ten audiobooks, it will be all, "no, you can't browse your media library while driving, what the hell is wrong with you". It's annoying, but annoying in the kind of way that keeps you from getting in the habit of distracting yourself while driving.

caoilte 6y ago

I don't know about America but I recently discovered that using any system not built into the car is illegal in the UK. The fact is that a lot of people use such a mount anyway, but they are technically breaking the law and can be sent fines (eg if spotted by a motorway/freeway automated camera system). It kind of makes sense. Devices built into a vehicle have to meet safety specifications and it can be proved that they have. There is no such reassurance on a dash mounted phone. It could easily switch mode and distract you and cause an accident.

indymike 6y ago

There's more to it than just the screen size. Voice commands work better, phone apps can use the display, plus you can use the smartphone screen for one thing and the built in for another (eg. media player controls on the phone screen and maps on the dashboard screen). It's actually pretty nice.

Rebelgecko 6y ago

That mount blocks your AC vents and most infotainment screens are 2x bigger or more than a phone. I have a similar (but magnetic) mount in my car, and if I'm not careful my phone will fall off and cause a distraction.