When Julie posted her news item introducing the MobiValet mobile phone holder for the car, many of the commenters remarked that they just used their drink holders for their phones.  There are many ways to hold your phone in the car, ranging from holders that attach to your car windows or air vents, phone cases that may already be attached to your body, free solutions like putting the phone in a drink holder or just throwing the phone on the seat beside you.  Let’s look at the MobiValet and see what it offers.

I carry my phone inside my purse.  I have my phone ringer on the loudest setting, but I sometimes can’t hear it ringing in my purse, even without the car noise and road noise interfering.  Leaving it in my purse in the car doesn’t work for me.  I can put the phone in the drink holder, but that doesn’t work when I have another person in my car and we both have sodas.  When I’m in the car alone, I sometimes throw my phone on the passenger seat, but that often results in my phone being dumped in the floor in start-and-stop traffic.  I tried one of the hard holders that clip onto the plastic vent louvers.  That holder didn’t work for me.  It wouldn’t clip onto the plastic louvers in my car, and I really didn’t like the idea of blocking the air flow anyway.

I was excited to be given a chance to try out the MobiValet.  The holder is available in a variety of materials, ranging from cordura nylon to leather.  I was sent the brown palo and the black palo leather holders.  Visual inspection shows nice even stitching on the smooth leather exterior.  The brown case has light contrast stitching;  the black case had black stitching.  The interior of both cases  is a black velveteen fabric with a large, but not scratchy, MobiValet tag.

The website shows the MobiValet installed on the side of the center console just above the seat, facing the driver.  I couldn’t install mine there, because the console is lower than the seat.  I couldn’t install it on the side of the console at the seat back nor in front of the driver’s seat because it would interfere with seat adjustment.  (I’m 5’0”, and my 6’2” husband sometimes drives my car.  That requires major seat adjustments!)  I found that it fit perfectly on the front of my upper console compartment.

Installation is easy.  Just peel off the clear plastic backing and use your fingers inside the case to press the Velcro in place.  Check the website for complete installation instructions.

I measured the interior dimensions at 4 3/8 inches long by about 5/8 inches deep.  The MobiValet website says the holder works for all smartphones, but you can see I don’t have a smartphone.  (Please do not laugh at the geriatric phone with the dowager’s-hump extended battery!)   Although my phone is smaller than most smartphones, it is held snugly inside the MobiValet.  In lieu of a smartphone, I did try my iPod Touch inside a leather case, and you can see the MobiValet holds that snugly, as well.

Having the phone in the MobiValet works really well for both me and my husband.  The case is cut lower on the sides, and this makes it easy to grab your phone.  The leather is flexible enough to allow the phone to slip out without struggling with it.  I could easily hear my phone ring, even with the radio on.  Even my husband could hear his phone ring with the radio on, and he listens to music somewhere around 11 on the Spinal Tap scale – LOUD!

You can even charge your phone while it’s in the MobiValet.  You can see my charger attaches to the side of my phone, but the low-cut sides of the case would allow the charger to attach to the end of the phone.

I was concerned about how well the MobiValet would attach to my car.  I live in North Carolina, and it gets very hot here in the summer.  I worried that the heat would loosen the adhesive and the case would fall off.  We haven’t had any 100-degree days since I installed the MobiValet, but the adhesive has held up nicely to the 90-degree weather.  It seems as sturdy as when I installed it.  The website says they use temperature-resistant acrylic adhesive.

I really like the MobiValet.  It keeps my phone safe and safely in reach, even when charging.  My phone can actually be heard when it rings.  And it doesn’t block my air-conditioning vents – something you just don’t want when you live in the southern United States!

Filed in categories: Car Gear

Tagged: car accessory, Cell Phone Case

MobiValet Cell Phone Holder Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 2, 2009 at 2:38 pm.

I recently purchased the Blackberry Storm and since it is my first exploration in to the world of touch screen phones I thought I might want to protect it.  The salesperson at my local cellular provider was fairly high on the Body Glove snap-on case.  Let’s check it out.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Snap-on hard case covered with a textured glove material
• Ultimate custom fit for maximum protection
• Removable knob for a low profile
• Adjustable kickstand built into clip
• Kickstand allows for multiple viewing angles

IN THE BOX:

• Snap-on Case
• Belt clip
• Snap-on replacement plug
• Snap-on replacement knob

Opening the box, I discover five pieces:  main front-face plate, back plate, belt clip, small snap-on replacement plug and knob.  The plates are lightweight and feel fairly strong.  I took the front-face plate in my hand and I was surprised at how sturdy it was, especially since it is between 1/16″ and 1/8″ thick.

The front and back plates are covered with a textured rubberized material.  This material adds to the sense of durability of the case.  The fact that the exterior is coated in a textured rubber provides a great amount of grip.  The case feels similar to a wet suit, which makes sense because  Body Glove prides itself in being the “Ultimate Watersports Brand.”

The rear plate has an hole near the center where you can insert the replacement plug if you want to carry the phone in your pocket or purse.  If you want to utilize the belt clip, you must insert the replacement knob in the rear plate.  I decided to pop-in the knob because I am not one who likes much in my pockets.

With that decision made, I placed the Storm in the rear plate and applied the front-face, snapping the halves together.  It was very easy, not require alot of pressure to secure the pieces together.

The case fits the Storm perfectly, like a glove – a joke off the manufacturer’s name.  All of the Blackberry options are easily available through cut-outs and recessed sections in the case.  The Storm’s buttons on the sides are especially accessible with the case allotting approximately 3/16″ space around each key.

The cut-outs on the back plate flawlessly allow for the camera lens, flash and speaker to serve their purposes.  I did find it  difficult to wipe clean the lens and flash from debris particles with the case applied but that is about it.

The case provides no protection to the actual touch pad of the Storm, so I would definitely recommend investing in a screen protector too.

The belt clip is probably the coolest feature of the Body Glove case.  I know you are probably thinking “how can a belt clip be cool?”  It clips to your belt/purse, it allows the phone to rotate and it easily accepts and releases the phone via the case’s knob.  Nothing spectacular, I know.  This clip meets all the normal requirements but the cool feature included is the kickstand.

The kickstand is a component of the belt clip, resides on the outer portion of the clip, furthest from the attached phone. and while the clip is attached to your belt/purse the kickstand is not accessible.

With the phone attached to the clip and the clip removed from the belt, you can utilize the kickstand to hold your phone on your desk/counter.  The stand has three catch-points, each provides users with a different angle.  Consider the fact of the three catch-points, the ability to swivel the phone 360-degrees on the clip and the Storm’s functionality to view the screen vertically and horizontally and the Body Glove snap-on case gives users six different view angles/positions.

The one negative I discovered regarding the belt clip is it comes off too easily.  Twice during my three week trial my phone was secured in the clip and the phone and clip just fell off my belt.   Once while picking up my little girl and another time while getting up from my office chair.  Lucky for me the case served its purpose in protecting my phone from harm.

Wrapping up, I was very impressed with the form, fit and function of the Body Glove snap-on case.  The textured rubber molding and the ability to easily access all of phone features are great.

The unique kickstand feature built-in to the clip accessory is what makes this gadget special.  It is just serves as a delighter, extending the use of your phone by propping it up on your desk or counter top.

The big negative I have with the case is the fact that it is too secure.  I had extreme difficulty removing my Storm from the case.  Once it snaps into place, it is on there and you are going to have to work to dislodge the phone.

All-in-all, I would strongly recommend the Body Glove snap-on case to protect your Blackberry Storm.

Filed in categories: Blackberry related

Tagged: Blackberry, Body Glove, Cell Phone Case, Storm

Glove Snap-On Case for the Blackberry Storm originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 23, 2009 at 1:00 am.