N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

What equipment is available to allow the N900 to be used in a similar manner to the N97 and other Nokia phones with their car kits?

Whilst the Bluetooth apparently works with most Bluetooth car kits, do we have physical mounts available and does the automatic pickup of calls function?

Apologies if this is somewhere else but I can't see it after looking.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

For in car calling I use a bluetooth nokia device. No need for something special here. BUT: charging and having a good view at the phone is another matter.
I asked Brodit for an active holder, this was their reply:



Q: Can you inform me if and when Brodit will release an active holder for the Nokia N900?

A: For the moment we don’t have any plans for this but it can be changed so please check our web for updates in the middle of December.



So let's all mail them to produce a n900 active holder :)

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Hi Bishop, thanks for the feedback.

Mynokia carkit works with the Bluetooth though people the other end have been stating that there is a delayed echo in their voice coming back to them which is a tad offputting. Do you have the same issue?

I was hoping to find that Nokia would release a cradle similar to that for the N97 so I could solve the visibility and also usability issue too. In the UK you have to have a phone in a cradle if you want to be able to use it to place outgoing unless you have Voice Activated dialing (I wish!!).

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

I did just that yesterday and received the following reply :
I've added a Prius Proclip to my Xmas list and will order a holder separately (or with a Proclip if I don't get one) in the New Year.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

great....already have a proclip (for my X1)...so will just keep monitoring their website.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

I ordered this one for only 10€:
http://www.pearl.de/a-PX8527-5480.shtml
and it is quite perfect.
It can be easily connected to my car and can be changed / drawn in every direction you want and then can be fixed.

I have the keyboard open (closed works as well) and an aux cable connected to the line out jack.

On the left side the power connector is not 100% free, so I have to cut a little bit from the holder.

But the experience is great.

Even phone calls come over my in car radio and I can talk free.

I also tried to do this by bluetooth and it works with clear sound, too.
This solution in combination with no power connection gives you a cable free solution until the battery runs out.

Music, navigation, phone calls - the perfect car entertainment system!

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Anyone tried anything like these solar powered hands free units?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg

I would be an occasional user so not worried it the battery only lasts less than 30 minutes of call time before needing charged again.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Nice idea but hardly a car kit!

But back on topic.

This is the first N900 dedicated mount, but not an active one :(
eBay Link

I too am waiting for the brodit mount, although I hope it will be better than their N95 8GB mount which lasted all of 3 months !

Nothing on their website yet, did they mean next December I wonder:confused:

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

define car kit.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Ah, many appologies Zoot , I read solar power kit, completely missed the car bit :confused: Way too early for me. Was expecting to see a mount or a link to one.

Any chance or a link or a name to the device, Even with zooming I could not catch the makers name on my N900 screen :D

Might be of interest as the hands free kit I have fits in the sunvisor but the battery is always going dead and running a lead is a pain.

Cheers
John

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

These are the cheapest ones i've seen :

Nuxxus Drivemulti - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nexxus-Drive...3048184&sr=8-3

LG HFB-500 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-HFB-500-S...3048184&sr=8-4

Obviously you can buy much more expensive units which may/may not perform better.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

I'm hoping there will be a Brodit active mount soon too. Had on for both my HTC Tytn and Tytn II and found them to be faultless.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

I mailed brodit once more. This was the reply:

We'll just have to keep waiting

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

I emailed the ebay seller in one of the links listed that had a N900 mount as i could no longer find the product on their shop site.

The response was that it was no longer available as changes need to be made. Not sure if he meant the mount or the n900 :D ;)

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

I too have just had a reply from Brodit
Sounds ecouraging.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Do you really expect those solar panels to produce any decent amount of power?? It takes a ton of surface area to produce just a small amount of power with solar.

I hope your not planning to shut the device off and leave it to bake in the sun for 12 hours to get 15 minutes of talk time. If your in the car may as well plug it into the accessory adapter or use an inverter.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

There is still no specific holder for the N900 available.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

This may be a dumb question, but I am new to using car PDA mounts (I have always used stand-alone GPS or aux port/iPod connectors).

Of the mounts available (specifically the Arkon universal passive mounts), can they be easily rotated to put the phone in landscape mode rather than portrait?

I ask because most of the photos show portrait mode, but as we know the n900 doesn't car much for it. I already use the phone in the car extensively (podcasts while traveling for business, etc.) but it usually sits unavailable in my dashboard storage bin.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

They can be rotated but most of these mounts are just plain ugly and in rotated mode some of them will let the phone slip out :(

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Emailed Brodit as well before stumbling onto this post :)

They will have their hands full with all our mails lol

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Read this today on www.brodit.com:


Si I think it will become available very soon now.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Lets hope so. i need this now, and i don't mind it being passive either

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

When Brodit makes active holders, what kind of power do they output? Do they make an accessory that outputs ~1000mA to microUSB?

BTW, Brodit has the 511099 which is for the N900, though I don't know if its shipping yet and so far the US site (Pro Clip) doesn't reflect it.

http://www.brodit.com/?main=producti...jsp&anr=511099

Also, looking at the clip it covers the camera button (I can fix with a Dremel) which is a shame because I use it to swap tasks (GPS / Music).

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Is this holder only suitable for portrait mode?

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

It says tilt / Swivel so I assume it it changes to landscape. If not, they sell and tilt swivel adapter plate, but I'm pretty sure looking at the ball connector in the profile pic that it twilts and swivels as they mention.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Has anyone tried the Nokia Nokia Universal Charging Holder CR-99 with the N900? It seems t be adjustable and even have some provision for using a car charger cable. Unfortunately I can't seem to find anywhere that I can physically see the item to check it.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

The Brodit car holder seems to be available now:

http://www.dsldevelopments.com/brodi...dit-Holder.asp

I haven't look yet but I presume you can buy a suction mount for the windscreen to fit this clip.


Update: just notice the site does say pre-order the holder...

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

I have just heard from Brodit (4th Feb 2010) that:

"We are working on a active holder for N900 will be ready within a couple of weeks."

I expect it will be pricey (the passive one is over £20 in the UK) but it could well be worth it for reduced hassle.

Rgrds

Peter

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

I hope the active car kit outputs closer to 1200mA which is what the home charger outputs. For me, the 550mA found in most car adapters does not provide enough juice.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Just ordered the passive charger. My major concern will be if the active charger suppresses car ignition noise. My Nokia DC-6 car charger makes using my N900 as a music player in the car near useless. It introduces so much noise and whine through the headphone and the FM transmitter :(

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

active holder for n900 is there!
http://www.brodit.com/news.jsp?path=.../100205-2.html

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Surely that shold be solved by a decent car mechanic with a coil around the power supply cable?

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

I keep getting a timeout on that reference. Can you check the link please and maybe paste the part number or similar?

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

512099

one page states coming soon, another does not...so i may be a few days before you actually get it

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Please can you explain more? The N900 is the only device in my car that has this issue. I also run a CD changer and a Sony Walkman Hard Drice MP3 player, which is charging through the same method. Neither of these pics up the noise and the design of the power supplies looks as eqaully basic as the Nokia :confused:

Many thanks
John

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Is this what you mean?
Thanks
John

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Hi John,
if you are talking about the whining noise that comes from the alternator when you drive (pitch rises and lowers in time with the engine) then it is normally the fault of interference from the engine RF. This was common place in older vehicles but most newere ones have either an RF choke (looks like a lump inline in the cable) or supress it at source.

The advantage of supressing it on the cigarette lighter feed is that you do it once for everything. If you have a small iron ring (thihck one) then wrapping the power supply lead to the cigarette lighter through the ring a few times (5 or 10) normally supresses the interference enough. This is similar to the bulge you find on a lot of analogue monitor cables.

The other potential source is the power cable used to charge the device in the first place which could be just acting as an aerial for radio interference from the engine - similar idea to the first but this time around the charging cable.

Sorry about this being a UK link but should give you an idea.

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

and a piccy for the uninformed!

The Passive Version
http://www.brodit.com/images/511099.jpg

(Plug-In Version)
http://www.brodit.com/images/512099.jpg

They appear to have added another one for hardwired version too which leaves the lighter socketfree and looks nicer too:
http://www.brodit.com/images/513099.jpg

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

Cheers Fargus, I have added a three way cigartette lighter socket adapeter in my glovebox. I will try one of the Maplin rings, there is a shop close to me, and add it to the wire that leads from the three way adapter to the car ciggy socket that sorts it at source. If there is still noise I'll try a clip on ferrite ( I have a few lying about) on the power lead and the line out cable.

Will report back on progress later this week.

Many thanks for the advice
John

Re: N900: Car Kit & Mounts
 

I want to get one of the Brodit Active Mounts, but I have the following question:
On the Active Mount with Molex Apater, anybody know how if its possible to unwire the lead at the Molex end and replace it with a USB plug?
MY current Brodit Active Mount sits directly above the lighter socket in my BMW 318 and I use a low profile power adapter with a USB Socket as the output. This means that when I'm not using the power I can close the AshTray flap & completely hide the power adapter.
I tend to do a lot of fairly short journeys so its not worth connecting up the charger. But for a long journey, with GPS, its easy to connect up but means that I haven't got leads waving about when I don't need them and better still there is no bulky power adapter to worry about.