Customer Reviews

Kensington Car Charger Deluxe for iPod; iPhone 1G, 3G

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I bought this as I wanted something that would charge my iPhone (1st gen) while it also allowed me to play through my aux cable in my car. I did think the mount had a aux cable plug in it. Instead you have to plug the aux cable straight into the iPhone itself. One star for Kensington because the cable was iPhone compatable, meaning the recessed jack was not an issue here as the plug was just slim enough to fix. However, having that plugged in makes the iPhone think you're using headphones when you're not. In other words, using a BT earpiece with the phone while it is plugged into the aux cable is a no go.

Second the arm is not quite strong enough though would be tolerable if the thing wasn't so top heavy. It rotated in the cigarette lighter to the point where I would turn a corner and have to "think fast" to turn, watch the people on the road and catch my phone! I tried to fix this but in a Ford Ranger this was impossible.

I hardly return things but at $50.00 I have to admit there is nothing deluxe about this item. It charges the phone and did not create feedback, but I can't have the phone flopping all over the place while I drive.

Interesting that Kensington calls the "Deluxe." I don't think it deserves the name.

First, this is a mount and charger. No audio / speaker connections. You plug a separate wire directly into the iPod/iPhone. Not what I was hoping for in a Deluxe model - I want to plug in the iPhone and use the one plug for everything.

The mount: I tried it on a Toyota Highlander - it only works when the 12V connection is on the dash (it is for the Highlander). The arm is only a few inches long so will be limited on where it works. It wouldn't work when the 12V is somewhere below (like a Prius). It does hold the iPhone very well. EXCEPT that the mount rotates too easily on one of the axis. Press a button on the iPhone, rotate the iPhone. Not great for in the car. (I used a hose clamp to lock it down, then it worked OK.)

It does function with the iPhone 3G - meaning it does charge it.

BUT for my setup, it creates a audio feedback loop between the charger and the audio so a huge buzz when it is in the dock and charging. iPhone alone - no buzz, iPhone in dock - buzz. I'm returning this one - if it didn't have a buzz I would have kept it. It could just be the iPhone 3G and/or a weirdness with the Highlander.

Didn't exactly break, but doesn't hold up that well either.

There is a rubber ring around the part that gets inserted into the slot; I think it's supposed to stabilize the charger and stop it from moving. It was ripped by week two. The charger gets a lot clunkier after this rips.

I don't think that this is going to hold up well in the long term.

This charger works great with the new Apple iPhone 3G. Now I don't have to worry about my battery going out on me while I use the GPS feature! The charger is fully adjustable, and holds the iPhone when it's in a case.

And since the power point is my car is in the dash, it holds my iPhone at eye level which is perfect for navigation. The cradle of the charger is also made of the same shiny black plastic that the iPhone uses, so it matches perfectly!

It's also offered for a really good price and includes free shipping. Really a must have for any Apple iPhone 3G owner!

Nice product overall, but two problems:
1. The little rubber ring that is supposed to hold the charger in place within the outlet so that it doesn't tilt, got twisted at second use and broke. I'm really careful with my stuff. This rubber ring is not sturdy enough. So now the whole thing doesn't stay in place anymore because of its weight with an ipod or iphone installed. This is a design flaw.
2. For some reason doesn't work in the VW Jetta because it doesn't get power. I guess that's a problem with the outlet in the Jetta, in other cars it worked fine.

Despite the other largely negative reviews, I purchased this because I was looking for a car charger for my iPhone 3G that would also serve as a mounting device. Unfortunately, this seemed to be the only thing that fit the bill (other than the unnecessarily expensive Kensington LiquidAUX Deluxe Auxiliary Car Kit with Remote for iPod; iPhone 1G, 3G, which is basically the same thing with a built-in auxiliary cable and a remote control). I have to stand by the negative opinions of the other reviewers. It seems like such a good idea to have something that will not only charge my iPhone but also hold it in place. I just wish there were better options available. I previously ordered Kensington Power Port Car Mount for iPhone and iPod, not realizing that it would not actually charge my device. The arm on that one was MUCH better, though. I'm not sure why Kensington doesn't use the same arm on this product.

The good: This product manages to hold and charge my iPhone (albeit in a less than ideal manner). The package included an auxiliary cable to connect my iPhone directly with my car stereo. I was pleasantly surprised by that, especially since the cable seems to be of higher quality than the one I already had.

The bad: As other reviewers have noted, the mounting arm is very flexible and won't stay in place very well once you've positioned it where you want. The junction of the arm and the mount also swivels, making horizontal mounting basically useless. (The weight of my iPhone swivels the mount to face the floor.) My iPhone will not fit on the charger with a case on, which isn't a huge deal, but it increases the risk of scratches. Since the first time I plugged it in, the power indicator on the charger has flickered, which, along with the flimsy mounting arm, doesn't give me much confidence about the longevity of the device itself.

Overall, I'm not very pleased with this device. As soon as I can find something better, it will definitely be replaced. I wouldn't feel so bad if it had been half the price, but it's really the only acceptable device I could find. Based on the 2 bad experiences I have had with Kensington and the lack of thought and testing that seems to go into their products, I will not buy anything from them in the future and would recommend that no one else buy anything from them. A little more competition in the iPod/iPhone accessory marketplace would be nice.

I read many reviews for this product before I decided to buy it. Honestly I was afraid because some reviewers wrote many bad things about it. But my decision has been made after I looked at YouTube and after I asked the sales person at Apple store, because they sell this product at the Apple.
Well, honestly it is very good, I'm amazed satisfied with it, and I recommend for anybody to buy it. I'm using it vertically and not horizontally, which guarantees that it doesn't rollover, because one of the problems I heard at You Tube was that it rollover when in the horizontal position.
It charges perfectly my IPhone 3g.
Buy it ! 100% satisfaction guaranteed !!! I can watch movies and use the maps when driving.
If it becomes not so good I'll edit my review.

The locking mechanism for the clamps is really filmsy. I broke my first one trying to unstuck the clamps and my replacement was broken by a mechanic because he didn't realize there was a release button hidden in the back of the mount.

While the clamps seem to secure the phone/player in the cradle, the overall mounting is not very firm. The whole unit tends to sag if the unit has to be turned sideway so that the flexi goose neck would not obstruct the access to a certain car or radio button.

So the overall impression is that it is way too expensive for its poor quality.

I bought this charger because it said that was compatible with the ipod touch and iphones, what they didn't tell you is that you can't use the aux cable if you want to charge your ipod touch since the earphone hole is at the bottom and there is no room or way to charge it and use the aux at the same time, I think it is very misleading how they describe this POS, anyway I thought I will sneak into my wife's car in the evening and swap her belkin car charger, I went in the dark try to plug it in and right before it went in I heard a ping, ping, crack, the whole pointy thingy was all over the floor, I tried to fix it but I think I was missing some parts because it didn't work anymore so to make sureI had to go inside the house to get a flashlight, which was kind of suspicious so right in then i was busted, this thing didn't last 24hrs, very disappointing.

I bought two of these units and neither one works in my car, it will not charge the phone, the light on the unit is intermittant, I have tried it in other vehicles and no luck.