Historically, I have been impressed with Seidio's product line. So when I saw that Seidio had the G4700x windshield powered mount with a speaker phone for the PPC-6800 / Mogul ($119.95), I was very excited to give it a try.
Sadly, there is little doubt that I have found the first Seidio product that I have not had a good experience with.
Physical Build / Design
It is built solidly with the ability to withstand the rigors of traveling. The overall physical design is nicely thought-out. Since the stylus is not accessible while the phone is in the mount, Seidio was thoughtful enough to put a stylus holder on the side of the mount so it is easily accessible while the phone is in the mount. They even included a long spar stylus to put in there. The suction cup works great and the neck is strong while still easy enough to bend to any position convenient for your car. It also comes with a vent mount attachement.
Seidio took care to make sure that you can use the mount even if you are using Seidio's Crystal Case, Rubberized Case, Skin Case, and their oversized Extended Battery.
There is a volume dial on the side for the speaker phone. Above that is jack for an earphone and microphone.
Seidio also made the G4700x able to rotate on it's side with the phone still in the cradle so you can slide the screen up and expose the physical keybaord.
Seidio really did work hard for the physical design of this powered mount. They even included an external DC jack to power an optional FM modulatory (which I did not test) or a GPS unit.
Sound Quality and Usability
Now for the moment of truth… using it as my speakerphone in the car. The G4700X comes with both a wired microphone and earphone to use with it. The microphone is required to use during a phone call, if you do not want to use the built-in speakerphone in the mount. It worked just fine when using both the earphone and the wired microphone. But every time I tried to use the speakerphone, the person on the other side would hear themselves talking. The problem was that the microphone was picking up the person because I had them on the speaker in the mount. I contacted Seidio about this, and they recommended that I clip the microphone to the visor. When I tried this, the other person had a hard time hearing me.
The other challenge I had was that since the sound and the power are both through the mini USB port at the bottom of the PPC-6800, the phone thought I was always wanting to use a wired headset and microphone. As a result I was **not able to use my Bluetooth headset** while the phone was the in the G4700X speakerphone powered mount. To Seidio's credit they do note this limitation on their website.
As far as the sound quality from the speakerphone itself, it was loud and easy to understand the person talking, my GPS voice prompts, or MP3 music (though obviously not in stereo because it is playing through a mono speaker).
Now if Seidio had put in an on / off switch for the speakerphone / headphone / microphone part of the mount, it would have been fine as the power feature of the mount worked great.
Conclusion
Despite very good design on the hardware, I am not able to personally recommend this specific powered mount, the G4700X with the built in speakerphone, as I was not able to hold any conversation without having to use a wired earphone or totally confusing the person I called as they always heard themselves talking through the speakerphone.
| Ratings (2 out of 5)Design / Build: 5 starsSound Quality: 2 starsUsability: 1 starOverall: | ProsNicely molded to fit the PPC-6800 even if you are using an extended batteryCompatible with Seidio's Crystal Case, Rubberized Case, and Skin CaseThe speakerphone on this end is loud and clearAble to use physical keyboard on the phone while in the mountIncludes lots of extrasConsHave to use a wired microphoneIf you do not use a wired earphone, the microphone picks up the other end of the call from the speakerphone causing the other end to hear themselves talkingUnable to use any Bluetooth headset while in the mount. |
Just the Facts
Features:
- Holds and Charges Device
- Rotates for Landscape Mode
- Stylus Slot with Extra Stylus for Ease of Retrieval
- Compatible with Seidio Extended Batteries and Cases
- Hands-free Usage
- Built-in Amplified Speakers with Adjustable Volume
- True Stereo Audio Out for Use with Headphones or Car Stereo System (with Optional FM Transmitter or Audio Cable)
- Equipped with External Microphone (10 ft long)
- Easy Setup
- DC Out Port Can Power (optional) FM Transmitter or Bluetooth GPS Receiver
- Works with Bluetooth GPS Receivers for In Car Navigation
- Trendy New Rubberized Coating
What is included?
- G4700 Car Cradle with Stylus Holder
- 12V DC Power Cord
- 10 foot Microphone
- External Earpiece
- 8“ Gooseneck Suction Cup Windshield Mount
- Air Vent Pedestal
- 360 Degree Swivel Adaptor
- Extra Stylus
Special notes:
- NOTE: This device is compatible with all Seidio cases, extended batteries, and extended battery cases.
- NOTE: This car kit does not include GPS Software or Bluetooth GPS Receivers.
- NOTE: This G4700x is not compatible with the bluetooth headset or vehicle intergrated bluetooth system, if you have the most recent firmware update, if you are planing to use bluetooth headsets or bluetooth system please consider about the G4300s model.
