Review

When Seidio sent me the Multi-Function Charging Mount Kit, I was expecting a simple plastic sleeve for the Axim that would let you attach it to your dashboard or the like. What I got is something totally different.

At first glance, the MFCMK looks a little like a prop for a sci-fi movie.  Besides it's shiny silver paint (it's also available in dark grey) everywhere you look the mount has plugs, jacks, dials, and cables. I would not want to put this in a fancy vehicle, unless you're looking for a 'geek chic' look. The entire case is molded in a semi-wavy design, featuring a few square white plastic studs along the seam at irregular intervals--don't ask me why. The main body is entirely plastic, and doesn't feel bad at all. The central body is well built and doesn't creak, crack, or flex. The material on the flat face of the mount feels like neoprene, and the chunks on the arms have the feel of poly foam.

The Mount's most prominent feature is the pair of large padded clamping arms on the front. Designed to grip your handheld between the blocks of spongy foam and hold it there securely, the arms don't precisely live up to expectations. The overall design is simple--when the arms are released by a button on the side of the case, they pop out to the fully open
position, then you slide them in until they squeeze your handheld between the foam pads. While the arms operate fine, and lock properly all along the way, the foam material that cushions them is so rigid that to get it to distort enough to hold the PDA in place, you have to place the arms in a very tight position. Because they're entirely plastic, this in turn presses them backwards. Obviously, this isn't a healty position for them--locking and relocking in this position could eventually cause damage to the mechanism.

On top of the Mount is a 3.5mm stereo audio jack. Using the included tiny cable, you connect this to your PDA's audio output jack, providing a major boost in audio output via the large speaker seen on the back of the Mount's case. Though the speaker is still rather hollow and tinny for decent music,it provides a huge volume boost for spoken driving directions, audio books,or other non-fidelity dependant operations. The speaker's volume is
controlled by a small dial on the bottom left of the case, and when cranked up it really does provide a great deal of volume. There is no question about hearing this speaker if you're not drag racing. Unfortunately, but somewhat predictably, the speaker does not function if the Mount isn't plugged into 12 volt power.

Also on the back of the case is the attachment point for the actual mounting hardware. The slide grooves allow you to connect the Mount to your choice of a gooseneck windshield attachment with suction cup, or a dashboard attachment. My unit came with the gooseneck, and what a gooseneck it is.  It feels a little hard to adjust at first, but once you get used to it
you'll apprecciate how strong it is. The specs say that the suction cup is rated for 20 pounds of weight--judging from my experiences, it can hold probably double that. This has got to be the best suction cup I have ever seen. At the base of the cup is a tiny latch that helps create the vaccum--be sure to remember this when trying to remove it, or you'll never get it off.

The right side of the Mount features the small plastic button that releases the arm clamps. I've sometimes had to press this button several times to get it to let go, and when it does it makes an unpleasant snapping noise. It feels like it's going to break. The left side features the volume
control and an auxiliary DC power out plug, for charging an additional PDA, cellphone, or other device. This requires a special cable, sold seperately.

On the bottom of the mount from left to right is the power supply LED, which lights up red to notify you when power is going to the mount, a USB-style plug for connecting a mobile phone handsfree setup (special cable required,sold seperately), the DC input cable, and a USB plug for charging your handheld. Included for use with the latter is a short, roughly 4 inch USB charge cable. One end is a normal USB plug, the other is a DC barrel plug compatible with all modern Pocket PCs.  If you so desire--and is in fact neccessary for Palm OS PDAs--you can also use the USB sync-charge cable of your choice, but don't toss the default cable--using it only blocks the DC power jack, leaving the Pocket PC's main sync port open. This means that on serial port equipped PPCs, you can simultaneously charge your PPC and connect it to a serial-driven Global Positioning System receiver. In theory that is. Unfortunately, when I plugged in my Axim, it would not charge. I tried the included charge cable with USB ports on my PCs, and it worked. After ten days, three unanswered emails to Seidio--including one to the PR rep who had arranged our review unit--and a series of extensive tests on the mount, with a variety of electrical supplies and peripherals, I finally
determined that the Mount was simply not supplying power to the USB charge port.

I broke down and called them direct. After several minutes on the phone, my tech support person decided that I needed a replacement unit, and told me to get an RMA number from the online form.  I did so, and was told that I would get a confirmation within two days. Surprise, no confirmation.

Putting aside the Customer Service problems totally, I can't say I was wowed by the Seidio mount. It's bulky, awkward looking, and feels rather marginal in it's quality. What it does could be replaced by prefabricated parts and a little ingenuity for less money than you would spend on the Mount Kit. That's truly a shame, since the Mount kit is a good idea in theory, and uses good ideas like the USB charging ports to make it more universal. If  you can afford to drop the speaker, Seidio's 'Universal Windshield Mount Kit' looks infinitely more appealing and elegant in both looks and utility.

I really do wish that this lived up to it's full potential. A smaller, higher quality, and more aestheticically pleasing version of the MFCMK would be wonderful for it's intended use, but this isn't it.

Pros:

• Powerful and durable gooseneck/suction cup mount
• Can charge multiple devices concurrently
• Optional Hands-free capabilities
• Leaves PPC serial port open for GPS

Cons:

• Lighter cable is not detachable
• Speaker won't work without 12V DC power
• Clamp mechanism feels cheap
• Review unit was defective

Bottom Line:
The MFCMK needs another generation to mature before it's really a
killer product.

To Purchase:

Visit http://www.seidio.com to purchase any Seidio product such as the Multifunction Charging Mount Kit.