.KEYWORD unimount
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Fredlet reviews the UniMount
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY The UniMount is one of the coolest PalmPilot gadgets to come along in a very long time. While it definitely appeals to the gadget freak in all of us, it will also appeal to all the road-warriors who need to use their organizers while on the road. UniMount is an ingenious device that allows you to mount your Palm organizer in your car and have it handy while traveling (although you never want to use it while the vehicle is in motion). In her trademark style, S. Fred Green reviews the UniMount and tells us why she gave it 4.25 marmots out of five. Extra credit if you know what a marmot is.
.AUTHOR S. Fred Green a.k.a. Fredlet
As you may have noticed my PalmPilot organizer is important to me. So, of course, it goes everywhere with me–including my car. I recently took a road trip and used my PalmPilot organizer as my navigator. It was great. I had my directions, gas mileage and occasionally, at stops, I wrote out thoughts about the area I was going through for my future Nobel prize winning "great American novel."
The thing is, there’s really not a convenient place in the car to put my PalmPilot organizer. It tends to slide around the dash board when I do my impression of 70’s car chase movies with the soundtrack of "Shaft" turned up to 11. [Um, Fredlet…don’t do that too much, okay?] The cup holder has my Joe Bob Briggs Fan Club commemorative mug full of Kool-Aid and my passengers always use up my batteries playing Tetris when I make them hold onto it.
It’s a darn good thing that Revolve Design came up with the UniMount.
The UniMount isn’t a case, but a type of cradle for your PalmPilot organizer. The basic model holds your PalmPilot organizer and serves as the attachment point of your PalmPilot organizer to all of the other accessories in the UniMount group. The base unit includes slots for two spare batteries, a combination pen/stylus, and a clever little kickstand for sitting on your desk at a comfy viewing angle, as shown in Figure A. I use this with my HotSync cable at work serving double duty for synching as well as typing on my Newton Keyboard for input.
.FIGPAIR A Here’s the base with the PalmPilot and HotSync cable attached. The kickstand is extended for comfortable viewing.
The back of the base has a notch for slipping onto a corresponding peg on the mounting kit of your choice, as shown in Figure B.
.FIGPAIR B With the kickstand stored away, you can attach the base to the pedestals.
Revolve Design included a one handed, stylus free selector system for Memo Pad items, address entries and anything else that is listed in a line by line manner. A plastic arrow shaped extender on the right side of the base unit hovers over your PalmPilot organizer screen. As it slides up and down the track on the side, you can press the slider down to select the desired line on the PalmPilot organizer. To switch between categories in the memo pad or the address book you can either drag the selector to the category in the pulldown menu or press the corresponding buttons to scroll through the appropriate category. For items like the Details button in the Address List, you simply use your finger (which I have a tendency to do anyway.) If you just can’t survive without a stylus, a combination pen/stylus is included and rests in its own side mount, available for quick retrieval.
The base unit that holds the PalmPilot organizer is four arms that clamp onto the body forming a quick-release feature. When you want to remove the PalmPilot organizer, all you have to do is press the release button at the top, the PalmPilot organizer pops up and you can lift it out with one hand. Another advantage of this quick-release feature is that you can quickly flip your PalmPilot organizer over and reinsert it into the base unit face down to keep the LCD out of direct sunlight. That said, I wouldn’t recommend leaving your PalmPilot organizer on its own in the car on warm days. Actually, I wouldn’t recommend leaving your PalmPilot device unattended in your car at any time, it’s just too tempting to thieves.
Good news for all PalmPilot organizer owners: the base is adjustable to hold either the original PalmPilot organizer form factor or the Palm III units. The instruction book has clear directions with accompanying photos to walk you through the process.
.H1 Mounting the UniMount
For the car, there are several options for those of us with commitment phobias.
No, not that kind of commitment.
I’m talking about the kind that involves permanently affixing something to your car. No bumper stickers for me thank you very much. The first option is the Universal Pedestal Mount. I chose to use the suction cups for the windshield to hold my PalmPilot organizer in place, but it also has a Velcro attachment and of course, the more permanent flange style screws. One advantage to this particular kit is that you could use the Velcro to attach the base to the side of your monitor at work or home for easy viewing while you are at the computer.
The second non-permanent option for your car is the Vehicle Vent Mount. It locks onto the air vents which then, in-turn, clips onto your base unit. This is great for rentals and lease cars where you simply don’t have the option of permanent attachments. The Vent Mount allows the PalmPilot organizer to migrate around the car to the various vents so that you aren’t simply tied into one particular mounting place in your car. If you have a family of PalmPilot organizer addicts, you can have one Vent Mount for each of the passengers. [Why does this worry us so much?] I have to warn you, this will most likely garner strange looks on the freeway.
Those who do not share my irrational fear of permanence can boldly go to the Universal Pedestal Mount screw attachment. Its stem can be extended up to 8 inches from the base and is very lightweight. If you need a more robust option for your truck, emergency vehicle, boat, space shuttle etc., you can opt for the Heavy Duty Pedestal Mount Kit that sports two ball swivels to provide the appropriate angle to view your PalmPilot organizer. This is made from metal and engineering grade plastic to protect against bumpy rides. This particular mounting kit does require the screws for attachment.
The Flex Mount Kit has a long stem that can be bent to the desired angle and can be mounted horizontally or vertically. The Flex Mount with Phone Holder Kit, shown in Figure C, has the added benefit of being able to hold your cell phone next to your PalmPilot organizer.
.FIGPAIR C The Flex Mount with Phone Holder Kit allows you to have your PalmPilot organizer and cell phone in easy reach on the adjustable stem.
The UniMount really appealed to my gadget nature: because of the base unit’s nifty ability to have the HotSync cable plugged in, you can use any accessory for the PalmPilot organizer that uses the HotSync cable for connection. The first one that comes to mind is the GPS Tracker. Just slip it into the adjustable phone holder and watch yourself drive all over the place. Keep your eyes on the road though, partner.
.H1 Warning….big warning
One thing I would like to mention is that having your PalmPilot organizer in your car is a big temptation to use it while you are driving. Don’t. Ever been annoyed by the schmo in front of you swerving around while they are trying to do the crossword puzzle and drive at the same time? Well that could be you. So let’s just not go there. Its not a safe or polite thing to do on the road.
Revolve Design specifically mentions this in their manual (though they do so a little more gracefully than I). I think the wisest thing they mention in their little safety blurb is to not put the UniMount in the path of your airbag. I love my PalmPilot organizer, but I don’t think I want the impression of it permanently imprinted on my face! [Thank you Fredlet for that lovely image!] OK, I’ll stop there, but you get the idea. Safety first.
.H1 Conclusion
All in all, UniMount is a handy device with plenty of customizable options. I’ll give it 4.25 marmots out of 5 on the marmot-meter. Its a little pricey for the average user, however that is offset a bit by its usefulness and the sheer availability of options Revolve Design provides.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
UniMount is available from Revolve Design at http://www.revolvedesign.com/producthome.html.
The GPS Tracker for PalmPilot: http://www.GpsPilot.com/.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
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