When Julie asked everyone if they would like to review the Texthook, I immediately jumped at the chance. I thought it would be a great opportunity to review a gadget when I’m ‘out and about’, so to speak.
I was quite intrigued by the Texthook to say the least. It’s a gadget which allows you to attach your smart phone to your child’s pram/pushchair, your shopping trolley, bicycle or even your exercise equipment, so you can easily read the display when you’re on the move. So, let’s have a closer look!
The Texthook arrived in small, neat box which includes plenty of words and pictures. The box also shows clear fitting instructions, along with lots of information about the Texthook itself.
Out of the box however the Texthook already comes pre-assembled for you, so all you need to do is strap it to the item of your choice.
The plastic used to make the Texthook is very strong, light and durable.
The creators of the Texthook say that it will fit the handlebars of most prams, including Bugaboo, Phil & Ted, Baby Jogger, McLaren and BOB. It will also fit easily to the handlebars of most bicycles and exercise equipment.
As for the handsets that are compatible with it, they say that it can be used with RIM (Blackberry), Apple, HTC, Samsung, Motorola and T-Mobile handsets. However, for a full list of compatible handsets for the Texthook, you can visit the website here.
In Use
Fitting the Texthook couldn’t be anymore simpler really. You clip the base to the handlebar of your pram/bicycle and loop the velcro around the bar and strap it back onto the base of the Texthook, so it secures it into place. Then, to insert your handset, squeeze the two prongs together on the back and this slides the holder up. Insert your handset, then slide the holder down again until it feels secure.
Once your handset is in place it’s very difficult to remove it without either sliding the holder back up again, or physically undoing the velcro strap and removing the whole thing. If someone did try this, you’d certainly know about it!
I did however like the fact that I could see the display clearly whilst on the move, especially when people were calling. Once I hooked up a bluetooth headset, the Texthook came into it’s own, as using it whilst walking & talking was very good indeed!
During our trip out, the Texthook became slack just the once and started to wobble quite a lot, so it had to be tightened up. After doing this, it remained in place till we got home.
A downside of the Texthook (Which my wife kindly pointed out!) is that it doesn’t allow the use of headphones when I placed my iPod Touch into it. The headphone jack on the iPod is located at the bottom and there isn’t any gap or space to allow for the headphones to be plugged in. It didn’t work upside down either. And, unfortunately, you can’t hold the handset in sideways, as I tried this method also.
This was the same for the Blackerry 8900 we used during the review, as the headphone jack is on the right side, which was blocked by the holder.
It would’ve been even better had I been able to use it for this purpose, especially as I could have attached it to my bike as my music collection sits on my iPod.
In Conclusion
The Texthook is a useful tool, great for the ‘on-the-go’ person who needs to be able to keep in touch with the world with ease. It’s inventive design makes it easy to use and the materials used will ensure it lasts a long time during it’s use.
It is available now priced at $25.99 and more information can be found at the Texthook website.
Product Information
| Price: | $25.99 |
| Manufacturer: | Texthook |
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| Cons: |
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Definitely buying one of these for my bike and golf cart. And to all those college kids near my office who text while riding their bikes… jealous!
Inventions like these are the reason that governments legislate for stupidity.
First, for pramulators, you are pushing a child in front of you, you need to be paying attention to absolutely everything around you. It is irresponsible to be texting while pushing a young child in front of you. Parents who lose a child to being hit by a car would tell you this.
Second, when riding a bike or driving a car or driving a golf cart, these activities require all of your attention. You can NOT drive while texting (if you try then a Darwin award for you when you eventually kill yourself and possibly someone else). This also goes for any other “vehicle” you are controlling. Eyes forward and scan the area, not your phone.
Good luck to all you morons who try and use this thing. Hopefully governments will step in and ban it to protect others from the minorities stupidity.
@Richard I don’t think this device is just for texting. It would be great for listening to music while riding a bike, using the GPS, etc.
@julie
I could see this being handy for GPS/music use but I would be worried about the vibrations of riding a bike combined with the weight of a smart phone to make this thing rotate down and out of view from its planned mounting location. Add to that all of the road vibrations will go directly into the device…not a good idea.
and I doubt you need GPS when pushing a pram?carriage. 🙂 ….so the only other use in that situation is texting/phonecalls and I would agree with Richard on this front. Its bad enough trying to make sure a shoe isn’t being pulled off and dropped onto the ground as I am walking or trying to steer clear of obstacles let alone staring at a smartphone as I am walking. 🙂
I certainly found it difficult to use for texting, even when the pram was stationary. I think it was more useful just to have the phone in view whilst pushing.
I have however recently managed to attach it to my bike, just to see how it works during a ride, and to be honest, it wasn’t too bad.
The harsh ride however made the unit bounce quite a bit, but it did remain upright. Plus, as Richard mentioned, my eyes were fixed more on my surroundings than the phone itself. It did however come in useful when I stopped to use the GPS system, so I could map out my ride. However, once I was riding on a smooth, open road, the unit did seem to bounce/vibrate less, so I could quickly glance at the map to see where I was heading.
It’s not a bad little gadget… 🙂
I use this for GPS and music on my stroller. Living in Singapore, as an Expat, I dont always know where I am going, and I walk A LOT… its nice to have the map out all of the time, not holding it in my sweaty hand, which impedes my ability to have both hands on the stroller. I also swing it down on the side of the stroller and let the kids watch videos on it. I also no longer miss phone calls because it was in my purse. I do have to take it out of the device to talk or text, but I like it up front rather than in my pocket or purse. Its great for the stationary bike to read and watch my trash tv too 🙂