I have my phone with me at all times. When I’m on the computer, it is right next to me, usually making sounds as notifications go off on the phone, and on the computer at the same time. (Get enough devices, and you’ve got notification surround sound going on.) When I’m in the car, the phone is with me, too, obviously, but usually in my pocket. I’ve got music playing from the phone, thanks to Bluetooth, but having it in the pocket means I won’t get tempted to text.
Of course, I’ve also learned to put the phone in my pocket because when I have it in my lap, there’s a good chance it’ll go flying across a parking lot at one point or another.
I’m not a huge fan of having my phone in my pocket, though. I tend to try and skip music tracks a lot, so having the phone in my pocket, depending on the music playing at the time, can be more tiresome than anything else. That’s one reason why I set the phone on my lap from time to time. But with phones like the iPhone 5, pressing on the brake can sometimes mean the phone slides off its resting place, and either goes into a cup holder or on the floor. Neither of which are good places for a phone to be.
A friend of mine recently suggested that I should look into a car mount for the phone, considering how often I use the device for listening to music, and sometimes directions. I can’t say that a car mount is something I’ve ever seriously considered using, but I’m not entirely sure why not. I’m sure I’ve looked at a few options in the past, but for whatever reason I just decided that skipping that particular purchase was for the better.
What’s strange, though, is that I don’t see car mounts. Ever. In the last five years, I think I can safely say that I’ve seen about four car mounts in different people’s vehicles. That’s not an exaggeration, either. It’s an accessory that I know people use, because I’ve seen people talk about them and I’ve seen photos on Twitter, but personally I don’t see them widely adopted. I’m sure there are reasons why people don’t use them, so that’s why I’m here, reaching out to you, Dear Reader.
Because I can’t honestly say why I haven’t bought a car dock, or started using one before now. If there’s a “negative” aspect to a car dock, I can’t really think of one. Sure, some car docks don’t look all that appealing, but there are others that are just so simple, they work. Keep it simple, stupid, right? And if I’m just looking for an apparatus to hold my phone, why should I be hung up on how it looks?
That’s a rhetorical question. Aesthetics matter, of course. Especially if you’re spending money on it.
The car dock I’d need would have to be something that didn’t necessarily take up a lot of room, but still offer an easy way to position the dock itself for easy access when needed. I’m obviously not going to be texting and driving (because I can’t stand when people do that), but I do need to be able to change songs when the time comes, so that needs to be easily accessible.
I think the best option would be one that doesn’t have some kind of crazy retractable arm or something. Those are weird. But one that sits in a stationary place, so that the face of the phone is always accessible, but without having to worry about it swinging all over the place.
So, Dear Reader, do you use a car mount in your vehicle? If you do, do you like the experience? Is it something you’d recommend? Which dock would you recommend? Let me know if it’s something that you’ve decided not to use, just like me, and why you haven’t used a dock, either!
image via TechRadar
