treocentral.com >> Products & Reviews >> Accessories >> G2500 Car Kit

treocentral.com >> Products & Reviews >> Accessories
G2500 Car Kit


Wed Jan 5, 2005 - 11:37 PM EST - By James Hromadka

Overview

Ok, so you have your Treo, and your life is more organized when you leave the office. But what do you do when you get in the car? I typically toss mine on the passenger seat or slide it into one of those three dollar cupholders that attaches to an air-conditioning vent. Then of course I get a call, and I have to reach for the phone to see who it is. This is where having a car mount can be useful, especially since the Treo's screen is large enough to allow you to read its screen from a distance. The G2500 Car Kit from Seidio allows you to safely and securely use the Treo in your car.

Features

When it comes to car kits, the gambit runs from cupholders to fancy integrated kits that have to be installed. The G2500 strikes a happy medium; it does a lot more than a foam cupholder yet is easy to install.

What is in the box:

Seidio 2-in-1 cradle with detachable DC power cord
8" suction windshield pedestal
Slide and lock air vent pedestal
Car charger
360° swivel adapter
External microphone cable

I was impressed with the mounting options that come with the G2500. You can either attach it to a car's windshield or to an air vent. Most mounting solutions give you only one choice, and the suction cup that the G2500 uses is top-notch. Press the suction cup against the windshield and then push the latch down to securely lock the mount. There is a funky plastic plate that connects to the mount, and then the G2500 slides onto the mount.

The mount also has a sturdy coil that allows you to position the G2500. The coil is very rigid, yet I could still adjust it while it was attached to the windshield. Most windshield cups I have used have been almost worthless -- any good bump or pothole on a Texas country road would cause other suction cups to detach, but not the G2500.

The air vent mount is also pretty straight-forward. Slide it onto the G2500 and then maneuver it between the flaps of an air vent. The vents on my Celica are pretty thin and flimsy and did not hold up the weight of the Treo very well. I was also concerned about how well the speaker would would work when using the air vent mount, but I could still hear people pretty well. It was a little tricky to get out of the vent though.

An included swivel adapter allows for even more freedom, as you can angle the G2500 better. You do not have to use it but I recommend doing so because it makes it easier to read the Treo's screen.

An external microphone plugs into the top of the G2500 and can be clipped to your shirt while driving. The cable is over six feet long yet does not have to be next to your face in order for people to hear you clearly. As long as I pointed the mic towards me, I was able to leave it on my lap or set it on the center console.

Usability

I have said how well the G2500 secured the Treo. Plug in the cigarette adapter and it charges the Treo as well. After the Treo is in place, make sure the switch on the front of the G2500 is on Phone and you are ready to go. There is no action necessary on the Treo itself. When in Phone mode, the G2500 works as an excellent speakerphone. The speaker is nice and loud, and there is a volume control on the left side of the unit.

When I made calls, both myself and the other person could hear each other well. I liked that the mic did not have to be close to my face in order to work effectively, and the speaker audio does not distort except at maximum volume. There also did not seem to be any echo on either end of the call.

The G2500 can also connect to a GPS unit, but I did not test this functionality for this review. There are additional ports for DC Out to Seidio's FM transmitter and an Audio Out port to connect the G2500 to your car's stero system. If you move the front switch to the left, it puts the G2500 in audio mode in order to listen to MP3s or hear GPS voice commands.

My only quible with the G2500 is the aesthetics, as it is a little bulky in weight and width. The red sticker in the picture is a warning label to prevent pluging the charger into the DC output. It is easily removable though.

Next Page: Conclusion >>

User Opinions
No reader opinions available.

Product Info

Sponsored Links

G2500 Car Kit from
TreoCentral

References
Actions

>	Print this page
>

Copyright 1999-2016 TreoCentral. All rights reserved : Terms of Use : Privacy Policy

TREO and TreoCentral are trademarks or registered trademarks of palm, Inc. in the United States and other countries;
the TreoCentral mark and domain name are used under license from palm, Inc.
The views expressed on this website are solely those of the proprietor, or
contributors to the site, and do not necessarily reflect the views of palm, Inc.
Read Merciful by Casey Adolfsson