[General Accessories] Kangal:
Okay Rev0 has been great, but it *needs* a design change.

Basically it needs a better way of latching the phone to the cradle [MAJOR], and a comfy fir of the cradle to the controller [MINOR].

#1) What I had in mind, after the plastic is made, the inner-sides of the cradle that make contact to the phone needs to be stickied with a "breathing foam" AKA SCOTCH TAPE!!

This can be had at any arts & craft stores, most newsagents and also at hardware (tool) stores. I usually see them in cheap Chinese stores and local retailers.

Scotch Tape:

http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00QBiaTJtEIhqo/Scoth-Tape.jpg

That increases grip to the device, adds more presure for snuggly fit.

#2) Securing the phone in to a "base".

The easiest way to do this is to have a backplate and a frontplate. The backplate we already have, and that is the adjustable arm.

The frontplate is easily accomplished by giving the base a 5mm frame towards the front of the device. This prevents it from falling forwards. This frame needs to be duplicated on the top side of the cradle (the adjustable arm).

Regular: http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/2761/sixaxis.png

Base: http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/7282/sixaxis2.png

The reason for this is because the cradle needs a "base". What I mean by that, is that the phone needs to rest on this peice of plastic. So far the device's top and bottom movement are restricted.

#3) The biggest challenge is that all Android phones come with different thickness, so how thick does the base need to be ??

But I've been on a Google-rampage and found out all the sizes. Basically the thickest Android devices are ~11mm. But just to be sure we need to assume 12mm. For the base:

Naked phone = 12mm (tight/snugly fit depending on phone).

Naked phone + scotch tape (on both inner sides) = 12mm (very tight fit)

Naked phone + scotch tape (on both inner sides) = 14mm (snugly fit).

Silicon cased phone (no scotch) = 14mm

Silicon cased phone + scotch tape (on both inner sides) = 17mm (snugly fit).

Now the front and back movements are restricted too.

#4) Securing the phone further.

So the phone won't fall back, front, up or down....but it can still slide left and right.

Solution: place a rigid block on one-end to secure. It doesn't matter which of the two sides, as illustration I've put the right side. I've done this by adding the block to both the base (bottom) and the adjustable arm (top). Its basically 15mm of vertical plastic (that needs scotch tape). The device still *can* slip to one angle; but the position of the device, tightening of the arm and grip of the scotch tape will prevent that.

Rigid Block-er: http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/3097/sixaxis3.png

Why not both sides?

To prevent fragmentation, so that nearly all android phones/MIDs can slot inside this cradle.

#5) The Adjusting Arm.

Now that we know the general layout/features lets contemplate on one of the most (structurally) important aspects of the cradle, the adjusting arm.

The current rev0 does the job, but it does it poorly. We need it to be strong enough to last 12+ months of wear and tear and prevent phone falling.

I think a suitable means would be to have a " rail system " which you see on most Universal Phone Holders. Its basically two plastic bits slotting into each other like a zipper, examples:

Front: http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/939/adjarm1.jpg

Back: http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/4254/adjarm2.jpg

Neat: http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6430/adjarm3.jpg

Since one arm (the base) is stable/unmoving, it basically means there is only ONE moving part. This means that piece can be made larger, thicker, and sturdier... meaning it will be even more DURABLE than those Universal Phone Holders.

#6) Finishing touches.

Now I've experimented with the SGS and the SGNOTE and the most ideal angle I found was ~ 45'

-So the base needs to holster the phone on a 45' angle against the controller, this allows your index fingers room for the R + L buttons but also points the display direct to you.

-And the " PS " button needs to be exposed so it can be pushed readily, but the " Pause " and " Start " buttons can be covered up.

-The plastic should wrap around the controller tightly but not choke it, so the dimensions need to accurated as best as possible (Note: most Sixaxis controllers will have same dimensions, very little variance)

-Varnish needs to be applied to keep the plastic strong, but a (better) alternative would be black paint as it will also make the plastic colour match the Sixaxis and most (black) phones.

As you can see, the Official PlayStation 3 Keyboard slots over the controller like the current method. However it fits much tighter/cleaner/superior to yours because it shapes around the contours. The rev2 needs to mimick this.

Snugly Wrap: http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/6828/sixaxis4.png