Is tech too cheap?

[hotponyshoes]

I've had a phone mount thing in my van for a few years. It has wireless charging and holds the phone.
That's about all I want it to do.
The usb socket has eventually failed so I bought a new one...

£14.50. First one I found, didn't look to see if I could get the same thing cheaper anywhere else.

Arrived. Quality was better than I was expecting. Not that I was expecting much but the plastics are decent and the mounting clip is metal rather than plastic. Came with 2 different length usb cables.

But, it does a bit more than I was expecting. Wireless charging coil that supports both charging speeds.
14 led lights all different colours (that you can't see when the phone is in place)

But also, the brackets/grips that hold the phone are motorised. There are optical sensors in the cradle that open the grips when you hold the phone towards it.
Once the phone is in there is a touch sensitive button to release them.
They have some sort of torque sensor so they stop once any width of phone is gripped.

There is a second touch sensitive button.
This rotates the bracket (powered again) 90⁰ into landscape mode.
Pressing the release button when it's rotated automatically returns it to the upright position before it opens.

Not only all of that but it also has its own internal battery that powers everything without it being plugged in!

Obviously I'm part of the problem as I didn't pay any attention to what I was getting and bought the cheap cr*p in the first place.

But what a lot of tech for the money!

I'm expecting it to be in landfill within a year or so as there is no method of releasing the grip manually...

 

[MattF]

Link? How does it seem to perform, from initial testing? I was considering something similar a while ago.

 

[hotponyshoes]

Works fine just testing in the house.

It's got an air-vent clip that won't fit my air vent so I've got a mounting adapter printing out at the moment.. I'll have it installed this afternoon..

 

[hotponyshoes]

Pardon our interruption...

This is the one I bought but shop around as if I look in my purchase history the same thing is even cheaper in the 'you might like this' list

 

[Jack Pattenden]

All the bells and whistles and cool features at a low price is a red flag to me and usually I don't go for it. It actually makes me choose another option with less features that costs the same, because that money has probably gone into the things that are actually relevant to the phone holder, holding a phone!

 

[frank horton]

for a friend, looked on eBay.UK for a simple phone holder to fit a Honda 50 or cub.....£12....
found the very same thing on Temu for 4pounds.....very simple n no frills....
Mr ponyshoes, seems to good to be true.....perhaps the Chinese are having to up-grade to keep selling now.....about time too.....

Speaking of China, we have a medium to up market furniture store that sell houshold and garden plus all electricla and soft furnishing....
all stock has to be collected at thier warehouse 2klm away.....
anyway whilst waiting my turn I noticed nothing from China....everything was fromn Vietnam and Malasia....

 

[hotponyshoes]

All the bells and whistles and cool features at a low price is a red flag to me and usually I don't go for it. It actually makes me choose another option with less features that costs the same, because that money has probably gone into the things that are actually relevant to the phone holder, holding a phone!

That was exactly my thinking.

£14.50 including delivery made me think it would the most basic thing available.
I didn't read the description..

 

[mike 109444]

Any more features and it'll be driving the van for you !

 

[hotponyshoes]

Link? How does it seem to perform, from initial testing? I was considering something similar a while ago.

The mount is quite deep,
The air vent clip it comes with would work on a grill type air vent from 1990.
My truck has 2 dash mount points so I printed up an adaptor for it to fit one of those.
The rotate feature hits one of the stalks if I mount it on the drivers side so it's mounted on the passenger side for now.
I'll see how I get on with it there for a bit.

If it's annoying me ill grind the back off it next weekend so I can stick it back on the drivers side.

Or if I can find a replacement like my old one I'll send this one to you..

 

[waddycall]

Can’t stand stuff like that. I’m gettting more and more disgusted by us modern people. People lived fulfilling lives for millennia without any of this junk. All we’re doing is making ourselves redundant. Our bodies will soon be just an interface with a computer interface etc etc. The Chinese will take over the world because of our greed. We will become a third world country due to our services based economy being taken over by AI. It’s the end of the world people

 

[hotponyshoes]

It's also not saying that it's fast charging in the car.
It might be because my phone is over 80% charge already. Or probably because it will need a usb c type multivolt socket rather than the type A I've got it plugged into

 

[hotponyshoes]

Can’t stand stuff like that. I’m gettting more and more disgusted by us modern people. People lived fulfilling lives for millennia without any of this junk. All we’re doing is making ourselves redundant. Our bodies will soon be just an interface with a computer interface etc etc. The Chinese will take over the world because of our greed. We will become a third world country due to our services based economy being taken over by AI. It’s the end of the world people

It's almost forced upon us.
I couldn't find a basic holder with wireless charging..

 

[waddycall]

It's almost forced upon us.
I couldn't find a basic holder with wireless charging..

Indeed - sorry wasn’t a dig! I’m as guilty as anyone

 

[Agrismith]

Indeed - sorry wasn’t a dig! I’m as guilty as anyone

I find the bigger problem is that this tat is allowed to be sold whilst the green climate agenda keeps being pedaled. Reducing consumerism of pointless tat will have a far greater global impact than half the rubbish we have to put up with. It's the same as electric vehicles saving the planet whilst having an enormous LCD screen and electric boot opener. It's a viscous oxymoron.

 

[selectedgrub]

You should post it in the today I acquired thread.
People will swoop on that "deal"

 

[Migmac]

Got mine from Nickle and Dime , a pound shop that’s not ! £7 for it. Put the phone in the arms close, lift the phone arms open, wireless charging. Good enough for me

 

[MattF]

The Chinese will take over the world because of our greed. We will become a third world country

Since time immemorial have empires risen & fallen. This isn't the first time China will have risen.

 

[premmington]

Can’t stand stuff like that. I’m gettting more and more disgusted by us modern people. People lived fulfilling lives for millennia without any of this junk. All we’re doing is making ourselves redundant. Our bodies will soon be just an interface with a computer interface etc etc. The Chinese will take over the world because of our greed. We will become a third world country due to our services based economy being taken over by AI. It’s the end of the world people

Every word of the above - is just so correct/accurate - 100% of where we are at - in the year 2025 in the UK.

@waddycall - I do wish you were wrong about the above - but you are not...

 

[premmington]

Since time immemorial have empires risen & fallen. This isn't the first time China will have risen.

All empires come and go over time...

 

[addjunkie]

Personally I hate this type of tat, just dont see a need for it. Whats wrong with a lead and the phone just chucked on the passenger seat, or other convenient place.

Im a Luddite by the way, and find gadjets more irritating than useful. I dont care how many steps I take, or the route I last pedalled my bike, don't need coffee in a paper cup while driving, or many of the other important things in some folks ever day life.