Related
It's really annoying. The Hero's got it, and it was invaluable to me. saved my phone many a time.
I've been reading many reviews online re this lacking on the Nexus One as well, and users as well as editors citing Apple as starting the dumb trend to eliminate a strap connecting point as I am sure it would ruin steve's aesthetics. So why did HTC have to go follow this dumb new trend?
Does anyone know if any of the silicon cases set to come out will have at least the option for a carrying strap?
You know this was brought up at HoFo. We were talking about creating some sort of lanyard port on the iPhone itself. Maybe if case-mate got the hint and started producing cases....
Anywho, what could be done is get a thick gelli/silicone case and use a small tipped screw driver or even a safety pin to create 2 holes anywhere on the case.
That eBay seller (e-story) that I keep talking about, has Nexus One cases that have a built-in lanyard port. Unfortunately he hasn't started selling silicone cases yet for the Desire. Hopefully sometime in the next few weeks.
I posted a link earlier with a guy in Hong Kong who has started to sell a silicone case that can possibly be modified with the holes for a lanyard.
thanks for the reply. I already have "ruinified" my back cover by placing those self adhesive gripper strips on it so the phone doesn't slip out of my hands. It's way more slippery than the Hero -- which is funny, because so many review spoke of how the phone's materials had more of a grip feel to them... not so. Yes, some resistance vs slipperyness of polished plastic or aluminum, but not enough to be safe.
So that was "be safe not sorry" measure #1.
Measure 2 is: I ordered already a silicon gel case for the Desire. It starts shipping in 5 days. I have no idea the quality. But to me it's insurance at this point, since who knows how long til the market is developed withj accessories. quite amazing how unprepared the accessory market was. Not like this phone was a secret.
I ordered from here, since i am usa:
http://www.amzer.com/Amzer-Silicone-Skin-Jelly-Case-Black-P87961.htm
but found it here initially, a uk vendor for them:
http://www.fommy.co.uk/view-full-page.asp?divid=HTC&model=HTC+Desire&cat=Cases&skuno=87961
I am sure i must have seen it on one of these threads.
I will for sure be fashioning a carry strap one way or another, and how dumb for HTC to "delete" this usability design element... especially when the European Hero (NOT the ones you would have seen in the USA) has the most elegant design including its carry strap hole and method of securing. Just beautiful. I wonder if the Legend has a carry strap or did they abandon it there too...
redrazr7791 said:
You know this was brought up at HoFo. We were talking about creating some sort of lanyard port on the iPhone itself. Maybe if case-mate got the hint and started producing cases....
Anywho, what could be done is get a thick gelli/silicone case and use a small tipped screw driver or even a safety pin to create 2 holes anywhere on the case.
That eBay seller (e-story) that I keep talking about, has Nexus One cases that have a built-in lanyard port. Unfortunately he hasn't started selling silicone cases yet for the Desire. Hopefully sometime in the next few weeks.
I posted a link earlier with a guy in Hong Kong who has started to sell a silicone case that can possibly be modified with the holes for a lanyard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do agree that it was sort of retarded to leave out the lanyard port. Even the MyTouch 3G had it
What you could do is also drill 2 little holes into the back-cover of the phone, line them up with the silicone skin and place 2 holes through the skin also. This way you have added security with the strap being through the back-cover and the skin.
I just did some searching on eBay and it seems that more sellers are starting to push out cases for the Desire. They look pretty good, especially since they cover the whole phone (buttons and trackpad), not just running around the border of the phone -
http://cgi.ebay.com/Blue-Silicone-S...ewItem&pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item414ef7eed5
http://cgi.ebay.com/Black-Silicone-..._MobilePhonesCasesPouches&hash=item4aa097dbda
http://cgi.ebay.com/Silicone-Case-L...ewItem&pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item414ef49799
Thing is...they are all located in Hong Kong
redrazr7791 said:
I do agree that it was sort of retarded to leave out the lanyard port. Even the MyTouch 3G had it
What you could do is also drill 2 little holes into the back-coveri of the phone, line them up with the silicone skin and place 2 holes through the skin also. This way you have added security with the strap being through the back-cover and the skin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's an idea worth considering but of course 2 problems ... backs snap is itself not secure enough for holding weight of hand ... and the warranty void. I did buy 3rd party insurance from square trade which covers accidental damage incl dropping...
Still I would seek some more secure anchor method... If I had some spare time, I swear I would do this: I'd work my way through the corporate maze at HTC until I burrowed into someone in actual product design... and then I would pose the challenge to them from a purely hypothetical point of view about where and how this fish-line could be anchored.
redrazr7791 said:
I do agree that it was sort of retarded to leave out the lanyard port. Even the MyTouch 3G had it
What you could do is also drill 2 little holes into the back-cover of the phone, line them up with the silicone skin and place 2 holes through the skin also. This way you have added security with the strap being through the back-cover and the skin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The skin would have the advantage of keeping some extra pressure keeping the back on, with out this I would also be worried about the back pulling off. I would make the holes nearer the bottom because this edge is opposite the edge which is designed to be opened.
I've gone the Zag InvisibleSHIELD route, so I have no plans to fit a silicon skin, so I've had to find a different solution.
I found that I can loop the lanyard fixing chord around the sim in the phone, between the silver sim socket and the 'runner' about 5mm away on the left hand side of the sim. It makes it tight work to get the sim back in place, but it does seem to work. I was considering making a small hole on the right hand edge of the back panel to allow the mounting chord to pass through but now I don't think this is necessary as the back does clip into place with only the slightest bump.
The sim socket, which will now be taking the strain from the lanyard, is fixed very securely. When I first tried to insert the sim into the phone I didn't even realize the 'runner' was there and tried to slide the sim in over the runner and didn't manage to get the socket to pop out.
Spud, congratulations on a GREAT "Post #1" to XDA ---- one of the best examples of a "Post #1" I have seen here in years. I am really thankful you posted this, as I find this to be an essential accessory... One which to me reduces stress far more than any case or screen shield... Knowing I have the phone strapped to my wrist has always given me primary peace of mind for a device that is so precisely put together where one drop could dislodge any number of things, even if a case prevents a knick or scratch.
REQUEST: Could you get a camera that has macro-close-up focus, and take a few extreme close up pictures of your assembly? I have a good sense for what you mean, but nothing speaks like a picture. I was thinking of exploring this kind of route myself, trying to figure out a way similar to how the HERO's anchor point was designed so brilliantly.
I think new members have some restrictions on posting links, and I am guessing no file attachments either, so, would you consider please taking a full series of photos, cover on, cover off, the whole process... and then email me the pics? and then i can post them here, and this could help a lot of people.
You can email me at my user name here @ gmail dot com. Thank you for posting! And welcome to XDA-developers. How do you like your desire? Have you had a touchscreen phone before? If so, which one?
SpudULike said:
The skin would have the advantage of keeping some extra pressure keeping the back on, with out this I would also be worried about the back pulling off. I would make the holes nearer the bottom because this edge is opposite the edge which is designed to be opened.
I've gone the Zag InvisibleSHIELD route, so I have no plans to fit a silicon skin, so I've had to find a different solution.
I found that I can loop the lanyard fixing chord around the sim in the phone, between the silver sim socket and the 'runner' about 5mm away on the left hand side of the sim. It makes it tight work to get the sim back in place, but it does seem to work. I was considering making a small hole on the right hand edge of the back panel to allow the mounting chord to pass through but now I don't think this is necessary as the back does clip into place with only the slightest bump.
The sim socket, which will now be taking the strain from the lanyard, is fixed very securely. When I first tried to insert the sim into the phone I didn't even realize the 'runner' was there and tried to slide the sim in over the runner and didn't manage to get the socket to pop out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not recommending it, but have you thought about threading through the two holes for the front top "speaker"?
quicksite said:
REQUEST: Could you get a camera that has macro-close-up focus, and take a few extreme close up pictures of your assembly? I have a good sense for what you mean, but nothing speaks like a picture. I was thinking of exploring this kind of route myself, trying to figure out a way similar to how the HERO's anchor point was designed so brilliantly.
I think new members have some restrictions on posting links, and I am guessing no file attachments either, so, would you consider please taking a full series of photos, cover on, cover off, the whole process... and then email me the pics? and then i can post them here, and this could help a lot of people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I can't run to a full set of photographs, but I hope the following will suffice.
Hmm. Don't really like that. Looks risky and deforms the case.
SpudULike said:
Sorry, I can't run to a full set of photographs, but I hope the following will suffice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's pretty impressive.... I didn't check the inside of mine initially when you described it, and so before the pictures I was imagining that carry strap feeding down through the bottom of the cover, and I was wondering how that would work. So I actually didn't realize til I took the back of my Desire off that it's coming off the left side when looking at the screen, which is good placement ergonomically.
As for the engineering tensions and torques, I have no idea... I was trying to just imagine it in my head, and i applied force to the plastic sim card in the downward direction if the device were to slip from my hand... I can't evaluate but one thing's for sure, as you said, with your scenario of no case, this is, to me, a much better solution that praying no accidental dropping.
HTC really should have handled this (pun intended). Nice job! And thanks for the pics. I didn't know new registrants could post pics until x number of posts, but I guess you've shown otherwise, and that's a good thing.
al89nut said:
Not recommending it, but have you thought about threading through the two holes for the front top "speaker"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well do you mean anchoring it at the top and draping over the back and hanging down that way?
I'm going to simulate what MAYBE you mean, and photograph it.. then post again and ask...
al89nut said:
Not recommending it, but have you thought about threading through the two holes for the front top "speaker"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this what you had in mind? This is just a "fictional dramatization".. Do not try this without adult supervision. But now that I see it, I wouldn't mind at all seeing 2 black threads at the top...
I guess when I get a silicon gel casing I won't need this solution, but i think it's also pretty good. Now if only someone can determine how & if the black-thread fishing line can be fished through the opening.... Oh, and if this wasn't what you had in mind, what WAS your idea?
.
That was it, though as I said, I would not be sure that it would not deform the two holes or interfere with the sound quality.
There is another better option - if you take the back off there are two torx screws in the top left and the top right (from the back) locations. I should imagine that if loosened, something could be looped around the top right one and then it could be tightened back up. Whether that loop would be the lanyard or a connecting piece of strong nylon I don't know. If you really want to go to town, you could probably try to cut a tiny tiny nick so it could come through the back cover where the notch is already cut to let you pry the back off. That's my best suggestion.
Attaching a strap
I have threaded fishing line through 4 of the holes in the speaker thingy on the top back and made a small loop. I have attached my lanyard strap to that and it has worked ok so far.
tirc83 said:
I have threaded fishing line through 4 of the holes in the speaker thingy on the top back and made a small loop. I have attached my lanyard strap to that and it has worked ok so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, i would LOVE to see a photo! so cool.
Meanwhile, I have created a lanyard carry strap using a silicon case, punched a needle sized hole through and attached to a small smooth edged thin "plate" about the dimensions of an SD card.
I have been meaning to post my video on this. It is awesome.
But I and OTHERS would love to see your solution in pictures. Could you take some please? and if possible take close up macro shots right at the speaker grill with good lighting shining right in there, maybe a flashlight, so that we can see what IS or is not being obstructed..... the big worry was that fishing a line thru there would puncture the speaker itself.
So could you describe what you discovered?
thank you! great job!
Pics of fishing line method
quicksite said:
Oh, i would LOVE to see a photo! so cool.
thank you! great job!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK here are three pics of the finished article. I just removed the back cover, threaded through some fishing line and tied a small loop. I was then able to use this loop as an anchor for the strap.
Nice, but I would really, really worry that the back cover will come off. Better if you can secure it to some of the screws inside the Desire.
tirc83 said:
OK here are three pics of the finished article. I just removed the back cover, threaded through some fishing line and tied a small loop. I was then able to use this loop as an anchor for the strap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I see now, I hadn't noticed -- you fed thru the BACK cover speaker grill.... When i first read i thought you had created the solution i made the video simulation about, which was afixing the lanyard fishing line around and behind the FRONT speaker grill -- which is why i mentioned there was fear about tearing into the speaker.
Well you saw the other person's solution, right, where he attached the lanyard to the micro SD card cage inside and send the line out the side. Some people liked that conceot, some didn't.
Okay, i have to post my pics. I have a 50-photo sequence of very detailed extreme close-ups of creating a lanyard strap for use with a silicon casing. It's practically foolproof. I say practically, because there are always ways to be so reckless beyond what any guardrails on a mountain roadway will ever do to protect you and your car from tumbling over the edge and over the mountain
I'd say the concerns in this case are correct... With the attchment point being just the back cover; I'm afraid that is not reliable enough to risk a $550 device's safety on.
I have not reviewing this thread, so not sure if it was on this one or another one where someone talked about using one of thecasing screws of the internal phone device.... though i think these void your warranty.
(time for me to say again: why oh why oh why HTC, why did you blindly follow Apple's iPhone BAD DESIGN PHILOSOPHY and do away with this small little item that protects a $500-$550 device? The design of the HERO *had* the carry strap hook, and it was brilliant and elegantly designed... sheesh !)
Can they tell if you loosen a screw a little?
I just bought this new car holder two weeks ago and I have to say it's awesome! I've had two car holders before this, one giant universal one that was ugly and broke really quick, and a SGS specific one bought off Ebay that scratched the backplate and was no good.
I saw this at a local store last week and decided to give it a try, it's a universal mount that holds using an adhesive pad, but the pad leaves no residue or stickyness on the phone it just holds the phone, and then when you pull it off it comes off. My phone has never fallen off and one time just for fun I tossed the phone at it lightly and it stuck, thats how sticky this thing is.
The best part is once it starts to lose its stickiness due to dust, skin etc you just rinse it out and start over again.
(I don't have any pictures right now but heres the website)
http://www.clingo.com/
bigc_13 said:
I just bought this new car holder two weeks ago and I have to say it's awesome! I've had two car holders before this, one giant universal one that was ugly and broke really quick, and a SGS specific one bought off Ebay that scratched the backplate and was no good.
I saw this at a local store last week and decided to give it a try, it's a universal mount that holds using an adhesive pad, but the pad leaves no residue or stickyness on the phone it just holds the phone, and then when you pull it off it comes off. My phone has never fallen off and one time just for fun I tossed the phone at it lightly and it stuck, thats how sticky this thing is.
The best part is once it starts to lose its stickiness due to dust, skin etc you just rinse it out and start over again.
(I don't have any pictures right now but heres the website)
http://www.clingo.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is some pretty neat stuff!!!
Looks awesome.
Just bought one of eBay
I would like some more reviews for this it looks very interesting will it also hold with an invisibleshield attached to the back or is it slippy then? I don't want my phone to fall off while driving it could cause a lot of damage to my phone
webcrtor said:
I would like some more reviews for this it looks very interesting will it also hold with an invisibleshield attached to the back or is it slippy then? I don't want my phone to fall off while driving it could cause a lot of damage to my phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I'd like to know how sticky the sticky bit is as the roads over here are atrocious, I don't really want to have to fish the phone out from under the pedals while doing 100kmh
I like the idea of these but i don't think i'd ever trust it to hold the phone properly
I have seen a video of someone going over speed bumps and the phone stayed attached but i'd rather go for something that i know would be sturdy due to the holder. Just my opinion.
Got mine the other day.
Where I'm living at the moment there is road crew everywhere screwing with the roads. Potholes raised bits in the road. Suffice to say the roads are f'ing terrible.
And this thing will not let go if it at all. After driving around for about half an hour it was actually quite difficult to get my phone off the holder.
Driving around there is very little vibration in the phone, all the joints in the holder are very firm without being a ***** to use.
Overall im very impressed
As an extra test, I just went on a 600km road trip on Monday and it held my phone the entire time, I love this thing
For those who don't believe in Clingo I must say that it takes me two hands to take my SGS off of it. It is STICKY.
When you remove the phone off the holder does it make the back of the phone all weird and sticky?
And will it stick to a phone case? the case has a smooth and a bit of rubbery feel to it
I bought one of these also and found it to be very good.
You just have to watch out for the bump on the bottom of the SGS in positioning the phone during sticking.
I had one of these for a while but have now switched to a holder that my SGS just slots into.
It doesn't leave any residue on the back of the phone. It doesn't work too well with leather cases as it likes a nice smooth surface for maximum attachment and a word of warning, it can lose some of its 'strength' if the sun is baking your car all day. Even in England where we just get ****e weather, last summer mine dropped off a couple of times whilst driving which is why I ditched it.
And one final tip, get a retractable car charger because you can then 'set the slack' in the cable so that it does not pull on the phone. Curly cords can cause the phone to work itself loose as they always try and retract into their original shape. Plus retractable chargers are neater too.
I use the i9000 specific one from Ebay (dealextreme actually). I've hacked it a bit:
- shortened the bit that goes over the phone so it will push less hard
- removed some sharp edges that could scratch the phone
- removed the bendy bit and glued the phone holder and suction parts together at a near-right angle
and most important of all:
- stuck a PU anti slip mat under the suction cup and cut to size (a tad larger than the original suction cup). Now the suction cup also sticks to the dashboard
Those PU mats are like the Clingo backside I suppose. But a lot less expensive. The grip is very good (too good?) as I wanted to remove it from the phone and I was afraid to pull off the back cover. I'm happy I only stick it to the dash
TieNN89 said:
When you remove the phone off the holder does it make the back of the phone all weird and sticky?
And will it stick to a phone case? the case has a smooth and a bit of rubbery feel to it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont have a case on my phone so I can't comment on that part.
But it does not leave any sort of residue at all. comes of perfectly clean.
Quick update (hope this doesn't count as necro posting) The holder got dusty, started losing its grip, I rinsed it off and the next morning when it was dry it was as sticky as it was when I first started using the holder. Much more time down the road and this is still a great holder.
I'm interessed in it also, but...
The hole of speaker sound, is not covered by clingo??
Because when i'm using satnav/GPS apps i need to listen, but if clingo is above the hole the sound doesn't come out...
Can someone say something about this, please...
Sncrespo said:
I'm interessed in it also, but...
The hole of speaker sound, is not covered by clingo??
Because when i'm using satnav/GPS apps i need to listen, but if clingo is above the hole the sound doesn't come out...
Can someone say something about this, please...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All you would need to do is place it on the holder so that it isn't covering the speaker hole when you stick the phone to the clingo holder. You can stick it anywhere you want on the phone so it's only a matter of placement
Only caveat is that smooth/velvety materials don't stick well. My HTC EVO stock battery case doesn't stick for long, and the Seidio active innocase is too smooth to stick. Works great on a stock iPhone and my HTC Universal. Holds that one hard enough to pull the battery cover off!
My concern is will it rip off my invisible shield when I try to take it off the mount. I can see the adhesive pulling the film right off the back of my phone.
I've got this for my Samsung Galaxy S II, and it will almost *always* remove the battery cover due to its grip when trying to take the phone off. Good and bad
If you found this helpful don't forget to hit the thank you button!
Update 18Jan2011: I was not 100% happy with the way the dock looked, it did not looked well finished and was not very smooth. the plastic is actually very hard to sand, it would take some serious time doing it by hand and with a sander or dremel the plastic heats up to much and melts. The perfect solution is to add plaster, I had some in the garage and you probably do too. This was easy to do, just cake some plaster all around your dock, make sure that you only put a thin layer on the part where the phone will sit, you don't want to change the shape of that. after it dries take some sand paper to it and make it baby butt smooth. After getting it the way you want grab a damp paper towel and clean all the dust off, I also found that this does a good job getting rid of some hard to reach imperfections that sand paper could not. Once the dock is all clean its ready to be painted, don't forget to tape off the micro sd plug.
I am really satisfy with the way the dock looks now, here is a pic of it.
the only down side to this is that if you drop it, you will most likely chip off the plaster so keep it safe. If you guys have any ideas as to something better I could of used let me know because I will be making another dock for the second fascinate in the house.
After adding plaster
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Hello everyone, I will attempt to give a step by step instruction on how to make your own custom dock. It does not matter if you have a case (any) or an extended battery this method will work for you.
This is not the cheapest method, or the easiest or the fastest or the safest and the dock wont look as good as the OEM dock, but at the end you will have a dock that fits your phone perfectly and that is what really counts.
Materials
1- AMACO Friendly Plastic Pellets, the 4.4 oz bottle prob has enough for this project but its $12.5 and you will need to pay for shipping (on amazon). I think the best deal out there is the 28 oz bottle, it has a lot more than your going to need but after you realize what you can do with this stuff you will be glad you got the bigger bottle. here is the link Amazon.com: AMACO Friendly Plastic Pellets, 28-Ounce, Ivory: Kitchen & Dining
2- Plastic wrap. You will need to wrap your phone and case to protect it against hot plastic and water.
3- Pot, stove, water.
4- Small chopping board or something else thats flat, to flatten the soft plastic.
5- Cooking thermometer, to measure the temp of the water.
6- Micro usb cable, if you will not be using the OEM usb cable make sure that your computer recognizes the phone, some usb cables don't work for some reason. I made the mistake of not checking and the cable i bought on ebay does not work with my laptop, not a prob for me because dock will be in bedroom.
7- Cold water in a bowl.
8- Dremel tool with sanding attachment to sand plastic. If you don’t have the dremel or something similar its going to be a challenge to put details on your mold.
9- Spray paint of desired color (optional)
Guide
1- Read the instructions on how to use the plastic pellets. I am not responsible for any damage you do to yourself or your phone. You will be dealing with hot water, you can burn yourself or get your phone wet if you’re not careful.
2- Fill the pot with water and bring to a temp between 140 F and 150 F.
3- Get your phone ready, turn off your phone and take the battery out. You will need to protect your phone form hot plastic and a little bit of water. I suggest you wrap your phone with plastic wrap (look in the kitchen) then put the case on and wrap it again. Don't over wrap because this would add bulk to your phone and it will change its size.
4- Plug in the micro usb cable to your phone.
5- By now the water should be hot enough, check the temp and drop some plastic pellets in, enough for plastic to cover the micro usb cable plug to the phone. The pellets should turn clear when they are ready to be molded. I did not have a thermometer so I just had the water below the boiling point. the water should hot but not enough to burn you if you were to dip your finger for a sec or 2.
6- Take a spoon and scoop out the plastic, start molding the plastic around the usb connection, make sure to press in plastic in between the plug and the case, this would make a sort of key so when you slide your phone in it will only fit one way, this will prevent any damage to the usb during normal use.
7- Let the plastic cool, you will notice that it will start to turn white again. It should take about 10 mins for it to be stable enough for you to unplug it and put it under cold water. It is very important to make the usb part of the dock first, if you try to make the rest of the dock first in my opinion is harder to get the usb part later.
8- Drop some more pellets in the hot water, enough to make the cradle part of the mold like in the picture bellow.
Once the pellets are ready take them out and roll them into a ball, grab the chopping board and press the ball to flatten it. Make sure to put plastic wrap in between to prevent the soft plastic to stick.
9- Plug in the micro usb and make sure the molded plastic fits. place your phone the on top of the flat soft plastic. This step is one of the hardest. You need to mold the plastic around the left side of the phone by the volume rocker. This is important because it will create a sort of track for you to slide you phone in. Also keep in mind that you will want the 3.5mm audio jack and the cameras uncover. Keep molding it around the back of the phone and on to the plastic of the usb plug. Don’t worry if there is a lot of extra plastic you will be able to but the excess with some scissors but try to and smooth as possible this will make it look nicer at the end.
10- Let the plastic cool on your phone, this will guarantee and exact fit, don’t try to get it off your phone or you might end up bending or twisting the plastic. After about 10 mins it should be cool enough to get off your phone without bending. Run in though cold water to finish cooling it off. You should end up with something similar to the picture above but with a lot of excess plastic, start cutting all the extra until you have the basic shape you will want, again remember that you might want the audio jack or camera uncovered.
11- Start sanding all the sharp edges and making the mold look the way you want it, I rounded all the corners and made it a curvy look. It’s up to you. Also make it look smooth, focus on the front of the mold and not the back as that will probably be covered. A good technique is to dip in the mold in hot water for a few seconds. the mold should be tacky but not soft. Start rubbing your hand trying to buff out all the imperfections. Make sure the mold still fits on your phone, is very easy to mess it up.
12- Once your happy with the way your cradle looks is time to find what is going to stand on. There are many things you can use, you can even mold yourself a stand. I wanted it to be heavy that way there was no chance of the phone tipping over or sliding around easily on my nightstand. I could not find anything around the house that was the right weigh or size. I ended up finding a rock on my back yard that had the right characteristics, it had 2 flat sides to I knew I could work with it.
13- I used the rock as the stand. I molded plastic all around the rock making the flat sides flatter and made sure it would not wobble. Again make it look nice, and smooth.
14- Once your happy with the way the cradle and the stand look is time to put them together. Melt some plastic, enough to cover the parts of the cradle and stand that will be touching, you will use it as glue. Dip the stand and the cradle to make them tacky. Put the melted plastic on the stand where it will be connected to the cradle. Press the pieces together and hold it for a min or two, then run it through cold water. Your almost done!
15- Make the newly added plastic smooth and put some finishing touches to the dock, your prepping it for painting.
16- Paint the dock your desire color. Make sure not to paint the usb connection you might clog it.
You’re DONE!!!!
ENJOY YOUR NEW DOCK!!
If you found this helpful don't forget to hit the thank you button!
if you have any questions just ask
here is all the pics i took
I didn't read through it yet, but from the looks of it looks very nice. I dont have a use for it. However, i know many will.
Good job.
thanks, I do love it so far very functional.
Very novel idea, and good use of moldable plastic, very nicely written tutorial! Props!
I could see this being a nice way to have an Audio AND charging dock for a car though. Build in an audio cable as well, and buy a universal phone mount that has a removable phone holder (many do, check out semsons.com ) - mold your "dock" to the mount without the phone holder, and voila, instant car dock with audio and charging capabilities. I might give this a go sometime.
However, I would suggest that just getting the Verizon / OEM kickstand case, as a viable/easier alternative for a desk cradle - having the kickstand is like having a dock built into the phone - and IMHO it's also the best case around for our devices (and one of the best kickstand cases for any devices ever). You can get Samsung/OEM charging cords, just like stock with the funky connector, off ebay in 4' and 6' lengths for just a few $'s. I have one plugged into every one of my PC's and cars.
So does it go into the dock app automatically?
Sent from my sch-i500 Showcase using XDA app
Protonus said:
Very novel idea, and good use of moldable plastic, very nicely written tutorial! Props!
I could see this being a nice way to have an Audio AND charging dock for a car though. Build in an audio cable as well, and buy a universal phone mount that has a removable phone holder (many do, check out semsons.com ) - mold your "dock" to the mount without the phone holder, and voila, instant car dock with audio and charging capabilities. I might give this a go sometime.
However, I would suggest that just getting the Verizon / OEM kickstand case, as a viable/easier alternative for a desk cradle - having the kickstand is like having a dock built into the phone - and IMHO it's also the best case around for our devices (and one of the best kickstand cases for any devices ever). You can get Samsung/OEM charging cords, just like stock with the funky connector, off ebay in 4' and 6' lengths for just a few $'s. I have one plugged into every one of my PC's and cars.
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I thought about that before, I decided to build the dock because I wanted to stop messing with wires. the dock just sits there ready to go, all I have to do is slide my phone. best example, the other night I realized I forgot to dock my phone, it was one of those times where you were about to fall sleep and you realize you forgot something, normally you will have to fing the cord and try to plug it in to your phone, in the dark is not the easiest thing to do specially if all you want to do is go back to sleep, with out even looking I reached over grabbed my phone and docked it, that simple. I really like not having to grab the usb cord and plug it to my phone. to me that is worth the effort.
I do agree with you that the case with the kickstand is one of the best, too bad I already spend 20 on my seidio case.
elijahblake said:
So does it go into the dock app automatically?
Sent from my sch-i500 Showcase using XDA app
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sorry i didnt get back to you sooner, kinda busy these last couple of days.
to answer your question, no it does not go to the clock app or dock app, if anyone knows what I could to to make it do that please let me know. thanks
jonagpa said:
sorry i didnt get back to you sooner, kinda busy these last couple of days.
to answer your question, no it does not go to the clock app or dock app, if anyone knows what I could to to make it do that please let me know. thanks
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there's several people trying to figure this out... I remember one was even going to buy a dock and tear it apart, never heard anything else about that...
Someone tried magnets, but said that didn't work..
So it looks like it's probably something built into the actual dock..
Guess you may could get someone to write an app that makes the desk app auto open when your phone is plugged in and tilted in an angle???? (prob only work if rooted though) I'm talking about stuff way over my head, so..
The official dock probably has one of the pins on the usb connector shorted out or connected to the 5v power to tell the phone that it's docked...
Sent from my Samsung Fascinate
Pfredd said:
The official dock probably has one of the pins on the usb connector shorted out or connected to the 5v power to tell the phone that it's docked...
Sent from my Samsung Fascinate
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that's exactly what I thought but with one having the OEM dock its hard to tell, if someone that owns a dock and has a multimeter could they check continuity between pins and give us the info we might be able to figure it out.
This is awesome, and congrats! You've been picked up by xda and your idea/thread announced on their twitter feed!
I don't have a sammy phone but have tossed around similar ideas for a while know. I made a car dock for my G1 out of kydex some time back. I was able to form it around my phone for a secure fit and ease of removing it by pressing a tab, but had to plug the usb in after it was mounted. Ofcourse the other problem I had was not being able to slide up the physical keyboard.
I toyed with the idea of using a piece of thin but strong spring steel to have sticking out from the tab are to fit between the keyboard and display. This never went any farther than an idea.
However, you have reknewed my interest! I could make a mold similar to yours, although flipped 180 degrees. Have the front of the mold make a J shape under my send, home, trackball, back, and end key, and have the part under the send key wrap to the left and up. Like a J. The base could be formed to follow the shape of the sdcard cover and then folow forward to just before the volume key cutout. Do basicly yhe same to the top area, shaping out the camera button.
This should form a contoures socket for the phone to slip into. The shape and fit should prevent it from vibrating loose in travel, and would permit me to flip up the screen for physical keys access! This could also work on the droid 1 and 2, lg ally, and about any other phone with a keyboard.
Awesome post, thread and idea. I tip my hat to you sir!!!
jsp254 said:
This is awesome, and congrats! You've been picked up by xda and your idea/thread announced on their twitter feed!
This should form a contoures socket for the phone to slip into. The shape and fit should prevent it from vibrating loose in travel, and would permit me to flip up the screen for physical keys access! This could also work on the droid 1 and 2, lg ally, and about any other phone with a keyboard.
Awesome post, thread and idea. I tip my hat to you sir!!!
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Thanks, I cant believe it was picked up by xda, now with all the views surely we can get someone that has the OEM dock for the fascinate to figure out how it knows when is docked so we can auto launch the dock app.
@ jsp254 looking forward to see your car dock, that's actually my next project so if you have any tips let me know.
I will also like for anyone that attempts this to post their tips and if they added any new ideas.
You rule!!!
Great idea!!!
roberto188 said:
One word....GHETTO!
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I don't mind constructive criticism, but don't make those kind of comments here, it doesn't add any value to the thread. I also stated on the guide that you won't end up with a dock of OEM quality.
roberto188 said:
One word....GHETTO!
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I think it's pretty cool, a lot of work and I don't think I'm going to try it but's it's a very good DIY. How about showing us something better...
The problem I see with the car dock, even in Chicago it gets pretty hot in the summer, and inside a car it could get to 110-120 degrees, would that melt the plastic, or at least deform it enough to have to redo it? If not, then I will definitely try it, as I got an extended battery for my EVO and don't have a car holder anymore.
Great tutorial though, I might have to try it anyways.
thenuge said:
The problem I see with the car dock, even in Chicago it gets pretty hot in the summer, and inside a car it could get to 110-120 degrees, would that melt the plastic, or at least deform it enough to have to redo it? If not, then I will definitely try it, as I got an extended battery for my EVO and don't have a car holder anymore.
Great tutorial though, I might have to try it anyways.
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That's a good point, have not tried it in hot weather (its cold here in mass) however it should not deform until it reaches a temp of at least 140f°.
thenuge said:
The problem I see with the car dock, even in Chicago it gets pretty hot in the summer, and inside a car it could get to 110-120 degrees, would that melt the plastic, or at least deform it enough to have to redo it? If not, then I will definitely try it, as I got an extended battery for my EVO and don't have a car holder anymore.
Great tutorial though, I might have to try it anyways.
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wow and I thought it got HOT in Mississippi...
elijahblake said:
wow and I thought it got HOT in Mississippi...
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it doesn't get that hot outside in chicago, but greenhouse affect is a killer.
I know it is workable at 140f, but will it deform at 110 under slight pressure, like holding the phone? It doesn't have to melt to be a problem, just sag a little bit or change so the phone doesn't fit.
thenuge said:
it doesn't get that hot outside in chicago, but greenhouse affect is a killer.
I know it is workable at 140f, but will it deform at 110 under slight pressure, like holding the phone? It doesn't have to melt to be a problem, just sag a little bit or change so the phone doesn't fit.
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I think I am gonna set my oven to 110° and leave a piece of the plastic there for 10 or 15 min, I'll let you guys know what happens
Update: It seems like I can't set my oven to a temp lower that 170* so I cant actually test this my self, maybe someone else can.
Now, the charging port is on left side....and if you have to use the kickstand, say to watch youtube or live stream movies, you cant charge it same time coz the kickstand is such that the phone will stand on the left side,i.e. left side is facing down, so obviously you cannot connect charging port....duh...they could not even think of this simple design logic?
Odds are if your watching videos your holding the phone, because most phones today dont have a kickstand for you to do so. though you could probably flip the phone around and put something between the kickstand and the phone to keep it up while you charge
Plus the phone kickstand also works upward as well, so for skype video calls you still can charge
Seems like a Third party will make a landscape dock if it becomes a huge issue, which i doubt... no offense
Just finding things to complain about. not everything can work out perfect..
maybe they did this to get people to buy a dock
Left side kickstands were on clearance.
I'm sure we can find some China made back replacements that have the kick stand going in the other direction.
I do agree though, it's silly that MOTO made it that way when Android can rotate easily in the other direction. Maybe they could have at least designed it to be universal and snap on either way.
smilesuhas said:
Now, the charging port is on left side....and if you have to use the kickstand, say to watch youtube or live stream movies, you cant charge it same time coz the kickstand is such that the phone will stand on the left side,i.e. left side is facing down, so obviously you cannot connect charging port....duh...they could not even think of this simple design logic?
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I'm retracting my stupid Q, because it was in fact probably the stupidest thing I've ever asked, lol. I wasn't thinking about the kickstand only being one way.
Evo user here. Trolling the TB forum, because I have a friend that is on VZW, and she is going crazy in waiting for this thing to drop.
I must say, that this is a pretty big blunder. I use my EVO on the kick-stand in landscape all the time, while charging. Can't imagine how this was overlooked and/or ignored.
Dumb, dumb, dumb, but that is just my opinion...
My charging port is on the left too. But my kickstand on my case is awesome so this isn't the case.
Sent from my Rooted God-like HTC Vision.
Can it not use the kickstand in the other direction? As in lay it on the right edge and the stand flat on the ground?
I thought a video showed them doing it. They said the spring was stronger than EVO and this actually worked.
andydumi said:
Can it not use the kickstand in the other direction? As in lay it on the right edge and the stand flat on the ground?
I thought a video showed them doing it. They said the spring was stronger than EVO and this actually worked.
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I think so, yes, but that would be in Portrait (<-edited), which is not ideal for video watching (what I do with my Evo while plugged in sometimes).
It does appear to be a lot better kickstand (wider, stronger spring, etc.) than the Evo.
Bang3r said:
I think so, yes, but that would be in Landscape, which is not ideal for video watching (what I do with my Evo while plugged in sometimes).
It does appear to be a lot better kickstand (wider, stronger spring, etc.) than the Evo.
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I think you meant portrait.
But I do mean landscape on the right edge, not left. Which would put the charge plug at the top (also not ideal).
Essentially when you flip out the kick stand, instead of laying the phone so the kickstand has a space under it, like a tripod, lay the phone the other way, where the kickstand is flat on the ground in its entire width and the spring supports the weight of the phone upright.
andydumi said:
I think you meant portrait.
But I do mean landscape on the right edge, not left. Which would put the charge plug at the top (also not ideal).
Essentially when you flip out the kick stand, instead of laying the phone so the kickstand has a space under it, like a tripod, lay the phone the other way, where the kickstand is flat on the ground in its entire width and the spring supports the weight of the phone upright.
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Oops, yes I meant Portrait...TY. Prior post changed to make me not look crazy!
Ahh, I see what you are saying. If that is the case, then my concern would be proven moot....
You wouldn't be able to replace the kickstands as the cover comes off halfway and the stand stays intact. The stand is part of the body of the phone, not the case.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
I call this the "Right handed" landscape. I find it perfect with the kickstand.
As far as the charging port. I find that it is better on the left.
If I was using my right hand to click and use the phone the cord would be in my way over my arm constantly. Instead it would be under my arm and out of the way.
Though the location in any case being at the bottom is better than top, it's still hard to hold the phone with the left hand being in the way.
I'm not going to be using it for movies often. My workplace more or less doesn't want to even see it on the desk so using it as a nice desk clock is even out.
Coming from the EVO, all I can say is this has me a little worried but not deterred. I'd say this is more of a blemish as opposed to a big fault though. I'll most likely just put up with it.
Also being an EVO user, I can say that my kickstand saw A LOT of use while on the charger.
After all, the kickstand was designed for watching porn hands free.
The placement of the charge port only shows that HTC might have plans for it, like the canceled Desktop dock by HTC for the Droid Incredible, citing landscape support as the cause of cancellation.
I've seen a couple of videos that show the ThunderBolt being used in portrait mode (ie: standing up) using the kickstand which would free up the USB connector for charging instead of landscape where it blocks the port.
as for the kickstand not being replaceable, that might be a flaw in design but that area of the phone is also the unibody aluminum frame. We can be grateful that HTC decided to make the entire battery/sim/microSD area accessible via a removable battery cover on top of the Unibody frame. Seeing the reviews of the Desire HD and Inspire 4G its one of the cons of the unibody design since its hard to remove the battery/microSD/sim card.
and yes, this phone will have a SIM for the LTE service, its even been shown off how the SIM slot is accessible in the unboxing video Wirefly posted, and that is a pretty nifty way to hide it, kudos to HTC on the design.
I can't wait to hear the sound quality of the back speaker under the kickstand, i've been waiting for something louder than the Incredible, the sound quality is top notch for a phone with that size of a speaker but its not loud enough for use in somewhat louder conditions like working in a loud environment where earbuds are not allowed etc.
Geegolly said:
Coming from the EVO, all I can say is this has me a little worried but not deterred. I'd say this is more of a blemish as opposed to a big fault though. I'll most likely just put up with it.
Also being an EVO user, I can say that my kickstand saw A LOT of use while on the charger.
After all, the kickstand was designed for watching porn hands free.
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Yieww, TMI
smilesuhas said:
..so obviously you cannot connect charging port....duh...they could not even think of this simple design logic?
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Not sure how thats obvious, on a phone thats not even out. But upon reading this I decided to stop and help you out of that box you are thinking in there, negative Nancy.
Did ya ever think about turning it over while charging and watching? You seriously never had a "kick-lay" on a bike growing up? Who said kickstands always have to stand, man?
Its so sick it might just hold up your phone while laying down! One day, we can all be that lazy and effective. Don't knock it 'till you've tried it. Did you hear about that clown that under estimated the power of physics when playing with a spring? No? That's cause it was super-messy, Google that sh*t.
Sent from my thumbs yo!
Drink less before you post next time.
Is this the same guy that posted this ridiculous thread on Android Central?!
The device is not even out yet and people are complaining about these details. Honestly, HTC has some of the best hardware and highest quality designs. I am sure they thought this through and planned this...
Now you will want a desk dock to charge the phone while you Skype or watch videos.
I've been wanting a dock/stand for some time now, and don't like the docks on deal extreme and im finding it hard to find the first party dock from when the phone first came out. So I decided to make my own stand, one that would still allow me to plug in/charge the phone.
It's really simple and is made from a shisha tin (hookah tobacco tin) and 1 paper clip. The tin's lid still lifts off as well, so I can store my second battery, sd cards, cable, etc in the tin. Sits at a nice angle, is great for making calls over speaker phone since the phone is elevated, works great for remote apps like the XBMC app, and makes for an awesome alarm clock.
It most likely works with most phones (depending on where your ac plug is), so it's not necessarily for the G2, but the G2 is my main phone. Works with both my extended and retail battery in place, and how the paperclip is in the tin, it's easily bendable and can be formed to angle other phones. The tin is haevy enough and the phone sits at an angle that makes it so the stand sits strongly, no wobble or anything, even when I use the phone in the stand.
Everything I used was:
Shisha tin (could use any tin)
1 Paperclip
Exacto knife - to make holes in tin
Pliers - to bend paperclip accurately
I can take more pictures for you guys if you'd like.
actually, that is not bad at all i might make something like that as well
ahaha looks cool
A friend today told me to route a small usb hub inside the tin and to integrate the usb cable for the phone. I like this idea, however, I need to get ahold of a small powered usb hub.
Gallaphanx said:
A friend today told me to route a small usb hub inside the tin and to integrate the usb cable for the phone. I like this idea, however, I need to get ahold of a small powered usb hub.
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haha starbuzz, the best. My fav is bluemist!
Are you talking about so you can just plug a usb into the back of it to keep it charged and a micro usb coming out the top?
If that's the case all you need is an usb extension cord and a micro usb cord, and chop it if you feel comfy soldering, or find a short enough one, and solder both sides to the tin.
Kinda vague instructions but hopefully you get the idea.
That's awesome, I just got out of work a bit ago and thought of this as well. My soldering skills are way beyond usb cables so it'd be no problem for me.
Awesome custom job, nice to see some hands on creativity.
Looks cool. Do u have an extended battery on ur phone?
How much? lol, it's a cool looking dock, love the DIYness of it.
Did you grind down the sharp edges of the paper clips at all? Or add rubber tips to prevent any scratching? The USB Hub idea would be good too. Should pitch this dock to an OE manufacturer and start making some money off it!
My backlights are white on my G2. How did you get yours blue?
pretty sure they're white, just a bad picture.
so i love anything homemade, love to build and modify to save money and have thing the way on want when you cant just buy it. so i bought it, well no need they sell pretty decent docks for the g2 on ebay, maybe im just getting old and lazy...