I like to drive and travel quite a bit since Indianapolis is in the middle of quite a few Midwestern cities, and since I’m not from around here, I don’t know where I’m going half the time. So I am sincerely thankful for Google Maps and Navigation, but it became increasingly annoying to pick my phone up to look at the map while dodging traffic and finding my destination. Finally, I broke down and bought a Cobra Mini-Mount. A few days later I bought my girlfriend one, and now it’s on all of my family members’ Christmas lists.

The Cobra Mini-Mount doesn’t have a striking feature or really any advanced design that sets it apart, but, to be blunt, it simply works perfectly.  It uses suction and a sticky grip on bottom to hold the mount in place while the arm of the device has a bottom ledge and stickiness to hold your phone in place. It also has an adjustable dial to hold your desired position for the mount in place so if you’re thinking it’s turning a lot whenever you hit a bump, it’s probably because this isn’t tightened enough.

I’ve only tried a handful of docks and most of those were aimed at a specific device. Being a universal device, the Cobra mount is designed to accommodate all shapes and sizes, and so it also has the perception of not necessarily being perfect for any device. I’m here to set that record straight. I’ve tried a couple different devices, and all of them are held beautifully. I’m not going to admit to my “take-a-turn-as-fast-as-possible” driving attitude, but let’s just say under “rigorous” testing none of my phones flew out of the mount.

The Cobra mount does need a little upkeep though. With a simple glass cleaner (my glass wipes in this case work great), you have to wipe down the sticky surface to keep it holding well. I let mine get about a weeks worth of fuzz and hair on it, and it was noticeably less sticky. Before I cleaned it, I turned the mount sideways to watch a video, and the RAZR I had attached fell because I had it charging and the cord tugged at it. You still need to be careful with your devices, but it took quite a bit to get the admittedly unusually shaped RAZR to fall.

The Cobra Car mount doesn’t seem highly touted, and I had a hard time tracking it down until Amazon finally started selling it. So you can find it on Amazon or at Accessory Highway for $19.95 and $24.95 respectively.

So, you have your big, beautiful HTC Evo with its awesome mini HDMI port for your video viewing on your big, beautiful television. But until now, you have had to just plug your HDMI cable directly into the phone. How barbaric.

Today, Evo owners now have a chance to hook up their HDMI ports via a much classier EVO dock from Sprint. Sprint had promised that the EVO would get the HDMI dock but never really gave a solid date. It seems that this release is pretty late, basically taking a half a year to finally come to market. It looks like they are warming up their accessories for the holiday season, but I am definitely sure many EVO users would have liked this to come to market sooner.

In the box you get the dock as well as an HDMI cable. The cable doesn’t look too long, maybe a couple of feet, but for the use case of having this right next to your HDTV it seems that it is appropriate. So, current EVO owners, check out the Sprint site and to get your hands on one of these, that is if you haven’t already purchased something that does the job.

Via [Phandroid] Full Review [Good and EVO]

Coming quickly after the official unveiling of the Droid X, we are now seeing some of the first accessories which include a car dock and a home dock.

Both products are currently listed on the Motorola website, and the official names are the Car Mount for Droid X and the fancier sounding Multimedia Station for Droid X. In terms of pricing, expect to pay $39.99 for the car mount and $49.99 for the multimedia station. Plus, in regards to the multimedia station, that will work best with an HDMI cable and that will set you back an additional $19.99.

As for the Car Mount, this is fairly self-explanatory in description in that it will allow you to use your Droid X in your car. Basically its a car cradle that will automatically launch a dashboard app when your phone is docked. That app will then offer quick and easy access to features that will often use in a car such as Maps Navigation, music, voice search and calling. The car mount will also keep your phone charged while in use and has a 3.5mm jack that will allow for a connection to your car stereo for better sound.

Moving on to the Multimedia Station and you will find a home dock that will allow you to dock and charge your phone. Of course, there is also the option to connect an HDMI cable and display video and images on your HDTV.

All in all it looks like two decent accessories for Droid X owners.

[via Motorola]

The car mount is described as being a “Window Mount & Phone Holster Combo” and is priced at $24.99. Sadly though, this appears to be nothing more than a basic dock. And for those looking to run your phone in the car, possibly streaming music or using GPS then you will want to be able to have power, that and, an aux out. Anyway, I guess $24.99 is not bad for a basic dock, but personally I would rather pay a few bucks more and get the extra features.

Moving on, we can also see a case. And most likely an accessory that will end up being one of many. This is described as a “Case – Black with Red Gradient Snap On Cover (Front & Back).” I guess if you are looking for a red and black case and also willing to pay $24.99 this could be for you. Personally I have since ditched the idea of using a case for my phones, but that is just me.

In the meantime, lets hope Verizon releases the Incredible soon, or at the very least gives us a firm release date. I for one am getting a little tired of seeing the words leak or leaked associated with Incredible. And yes, I will be the first to admit that this latest “leak” is far from “incredible.”

[via Phandroid]

Some of the features on the dock include:

• charges the Nexus One with access to any 12V utility socket
• uses Bluetooth to allow users to enjoy hands free operation
• allows use the option of playing music through the speakers in the dock (I wonder how that sounds!)
• gives user the Car Home interface for easier searching, music playback, and navigation while driver

I think that this dock adds a lot of functionality and may even justify the $55 price tag. Sales of the dock went live sometime earlier today and if you just can’t wait to get one follow the link to get your own.

Via [Android and Me] Source [Nexus One | News and Updates]

[Google via Twitter @etseng]

The dock is called the Innodock Jr. and is billed as a “desktop cradle” which is selling for $29.95.

Feature wise, the Innodock Jr. will allow you to sync and charge your Nexus One, has an LED power display and ships with a USB cable. Additionally, it is also noted that the Innodock Jr. is compatible with skins, Innocases and Innocell extended life batteries.

The one downfall here is that this is not a media solution, however if you are just looking for a charging solution this seems to be a good option to consider.

Personally, I would like to see a charging cradle that allows me to charge my phone and has a slot for a spare battery. That way I could charge my phone and battery at the same time in the same place.

[via Seidio]

And now, just like many other tech goodies these days, someone has reportedly spent some time with the dock. The information is coming courtesy of an AndroidGuys reader who said the dock will allow the Nexus One to sit vertically. He also noted that his “friend has a soft case around his Nexus one and it sat in the dock just fine even with the case on.”

So far so good, but other details include that the dock has an audio mini-jack to connect external speakers as well as Bluetooth which can be used to transmit the audio. According to that reader, the “range was surprisingly good, able to play music with the phone 20+ feet with a wall or two between.”

Sadly though there was no mention as to whether or not the dock has an AV output, but it seems likely that it would, at least assuming we can believe the details that were posted in that early-run ad which mentioned that it would play photo slideshows and more.

[via AndroidGuys]

The details are light to non-existent. Basically the ad mentions a “New Nexus One Dock” and that it will be available for “only $45.” No picture, availability date or anything like that. As far as where you can buy it, directly from the Google phone store at www.google.com/phone. Of course if you head over there now you are not going to find a dock. My question is, do people want a home dock for the Nexus One? I guess that would depend on the features that it offered. Personally I would like a dock that can charge the phone and a spare battery at the same time. But I am thinking this is more a dock for media use than charging convenience although I am sure it will do both.

[via Engadget]