While the world is full of car mounts and docks that are designed for specific devices and cost an arm and half a leg, there are still many other options out there that can be explored. Not all of us need a full on dock with charging support, automatic driving mode and special pins for our devices. The majority of just need some place to stick our device while in the car for ease of use and to see. That is where a more universal approach to a car mount can come in handy.
Not only can a universal mount fit your current device, but it can fit future devices and various other devices as well. After all, having easy access to in-car electronics helps keep us focused on the road and get the most out of our various devices with ease. The perfect example of this are people who have different devices made by different manufacturers. In my case, I have the Samsung Galaxy S III and the wife has a HTC One S. A car mount for my phone won’t do her a lick of good. Another popular configuration is the use of a ….. iPod for connection to your car stereo for music. So many devices with so many size variants could fill up your car with mounts in a hurry and that is not convenient.
When we found MyTrendyPhone online a month ago, we went on a search for various accessories that we felt the community as a whole could benefit from. Things that aren’t device specific. Accessories that you could buy once and use for a life time. That is where we found the super cool and amazing Bluedio DF200 that pretty much rocks and this universal car mount with photo frame by Fly.
 
You can use the standard mount and suction cup to stick it to your windshield in which ever side you want. You can use the dash plate with adhesive backing to place it on the dash, or you can attach the vent clip to mount it on or cars heat vents. I have never personally liked that idea because my heater or Air conditioning is always on and it seems like a rather bad idea to put my device through that extra abuse.
 
 
How it looks and feels –
Looks are important for many people. They don’t want some god awful mount sitting around in their vehicle making them look stupid. The Universal Mount looks like any other suction cup based mount we have all seen in the past. It is made from black plastic and looks pretty slick. It is light, yet the flexible arm is very stiff and solid. The addition of the photo frame on the back of the device holder is nice, but rather unnecessary. It does add a little bit of personal flare to the mount though for those times when you don’t stick your device in it.
How it works –
As I mentioned before, the Fly Universal mount has multiple applications. Maybe we should go through them individually and some of the various features, if you can call them that, of the mount.
First, the section that will hold your device and keep it in place and safe. On the inside of the spring-loaded arms are a set of rubberized feeling cushions. These give your device support, protection from the arms and helps lock it into place. You simply place the device you want it to hold inside and press the two sides together at the same time until it firmly holds the device. The release button is found on the bottom right of the main holder. Simply press it to allow the two side arms to release their tension and free the device. On the rear of the main holder is a small sliding lock. Pressing it down will lock the holder in place at that angle and not allow you to rotate it. Other wise you can leave it unlocked so that you can rotate your device a full 360 degrees in any direction. This is helpful for switching from portrait to landscape mode easily.
Next up is the arm and suction cup. The arm doesn’t need much explaining. It bends, is stiff and can be angled to your liking. The suction cup base however is a little different. When attaching it to a windshield, or the included dash mount base, you will stick it firmly in place. Then you will press down on the suction cup lever found on the base to really make sure it sticks in place and has optimal suction. You don’t want the mount to lose suction and fall over or off your windshield. To release it you will simply press down slightly and pull the safety tabs forward to release.
The main device holder is removable for use with the vent mount. Simply unclick it and place it on the vent mount and attach to your vent. I do have personal downsides to this form or mounting though. For one, excessive heat or cold being pushed onto my device while driving. Probably not the best thing in the world. Also, the vent mount doesn’t offer any way to angle the device to the left or right. It is pretty much locked onto the vent as is and can be angled up or down a little. Of course the ability to use it and the fact that the accessory adapter is included is just plain nice.
 
Overall –
I have had no issues with mounting the suction cup section to any windshield or securely putting any device in the unit. It never came unstuck or fell down. My devices all stayed perfectly locked into place while driving and made my life a little easier. Using My Samsung Galaxy S III for connecting to the car stereo, receiving calls and for GPS navigation all were just as I would expect. It never left any marks or damage to my device thanks to the rubber sponge grips on the inside of the arms. I have been using it and moving it between cars for about a month and the springs are still holding and the Fly is still working perfectly. It is a pretty great little  mounting system really. I would love to give it a much higher rating, but the low-cost materials lead me to believe a lower quality build. While I  am personally satisfied with it because I am careful to not abuse my accessories, others out there that travel extremely rough roads or who have little to no patience combined with a more rough demeanor, could probably break it or ruin it in a hurry.
So, why did we spend so much time on sharing this seemingly innocent little universal car mount system? Simple really, the price. The Universal mount runs a cool 6.10 GBP. That translates into 9.70 USD. For under $10 you get a universal mounting system that will work with any device (iPod, iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S III, Note, Note II, Blackberry or any other device). It is all about long-term usage in our book. A Galaxy Nexus Dock might be nice, but what happens to it when you get a Nexus 4? Or if you have a HTC Incredible dock and buy a new Droid DNA? The specialized docks are nice, but when you change devices or upgrade, they become fairly useless. All in all, the price it hard to beat and it makes a slick little accessory item for a stocking stuffer for the gadget head who has too many devices sitting in the center console all the times.
If you are in the UK or Ireland then please visit MyTrendyPhone to snag up this little mount. If you are else where int he world, then you will need to spend just a  little bit more via Amazon. Still, at $12.99 it isn’t a bad price point at all as long as you don’t go yanking on things and get all crazy with it.
