[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II SGH-I777] SmittyRN:
I thought I'd try to get a thread started where everyone could share what they have learned and what they are using to use the SGS2 in a car mount. Please everyone, if you have any tips or want to share your setup, add a post and share your knowledge.

I have a Bluetooth connection with my Kenwood receiver, and I've got to say that the SGS2 connects much better then my previous phones (iPhone 3GS, HTC Inspire 4G). Hardly ever any cutout, and the sound quality is wonderful.

As far as charging, at the moment I have a short cable going to the phone from the USB plug I have in the lighter. When I get off of the road, I'll be hard wiring an adapter into a 12v supply under the dash, and have a very short cable coming from behind the radio bezel. I'll have just enough cable coming from behind the mount to plug it in and keep the rest out of sight. Pics to follow.

Here are the things I'm using so far.

Mounting:

I've got a SlipGrip mount made to use the air vent of a car. What I like about the SlipGrip is that they are made to use with a couple of different cases, or with no case; I have the Otterbox Commuter on my phone, and the mount made for it works perfect. I really like the way it works because there is not much more to the mount than what it needs to hold the case; none of those huge universal holders that you see for sale. It's even got a cutout for the camera.

The vent mount, however, while it looks like a good design and is well made, just won't work right on my truck; your results may vary. At present, I've got a couple of tie wraps helping hold it on until I get home from this road trip, then I'll come up with a mod to work better. Don't worry about having to rig something up, though, as they also have an assortment of other mounting options; RAM HOL mounts, suction mounts, desktop mounts, even handlebar mounts for bicycles and motorcycles.

Car interface:

I'm trying out a few different interfaces right now. Car Home Ultra https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=spinninghead.carhome&hl=en seems to be my favorite right now. The description:

Customize up to 18 shortcuts to launch apps, direct dial numbers, or even navigate to a specific location.

- Speedometer (Speaks when pressed)

- Compass

- Clock (optionally replaces compass)

- Current Weather Conditions (Speaks when pressed)

- Current Location (Speaks when pressed)

- Integrated Media Controls (Play/Pause, Next, Previous)

- 30 Custom Shortcuts

- Location alerts

- Custom Day/Night color schemes

- Auto switch between Day/Night based on Sunset and Sunrise

- Set to speaker phone mode when docked (optional)

- Starts CarHome when bluetooth connection is detected

- Auto Bluetooth on with Car Mode (optional)

- Auto Bluetooth off when exiting Car Mode (optional)

- Auto Wifi on/off with Car Mode (optional)

- Displays speed in KPH or MPH

- Displays temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit

- Optionally hide status bar

Music player:

I've tried a few out, and the biggest thing I've noticed with them is that it's VERY distracting to try to use my regular players like Player Pro, Spotify, TuneIn. Pandora has a pretty simple interface and works pretty well. For my stored music, I'm really liking how much minimalistic player SimplePlay https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.twistedpixels.simple_play&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS50d2lzdGVkcGl4ZWxzLnNpbXBsZV9wbGF5Il0. works for a car dock.

The description;

simplePLAY allows you to browse your music files with ease, using unique features like Quick Letter to jump to a specific letter while browsing.

Pressing the playing tab in the bottom of the corner takes you the "No Look" playing screen, where you can swipe left or right to navigate tracks, tap the screen to play and pause, or swipe down return to the library. No wrong buttons to press, no fumbling for the right function. Simple. Safe. Great for attention free shuffling while driving.

Podcast support includes browsing with art and bookmarking functionality.

Other features include:

• Theme Support (Light, Dark, more to come)

• High Resolution Album Art Downloading

• Fullscreen functionality

• Lock Screen replacement

• Option to keep screen on while being charged.

• Full Playlist Support

• Now Playing List including option to reorganize and save as playlist

• Lock Screen controls with swipe to unlock

• Widgets (4x1, 4x2, 4x3)

It works great for the car; no looking for small controls. Touch the screen, it pauses, touch it again, it plays. Swipe anywhere on screen to skip/go back.

Other apps:

Full Brightness When Plugged In https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jester3141&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5qZXN0ZXIzMTQxIl0 A must-have app for me that solved my problems perfectly. It does just what it says; you set the brightness level that you want when the screen is plugged in, choose that you want the screen to stay on while it's plugged in, and boom! no more messing with your brightness controls and lockscreen while you are driving. It's only problem is that it doesn't have a night-mode, where it would dim the screen a bit at a preset time of day; the screen on the SGS2 can be awful bright at night.

I'm going to be trying out some of the Siri alternatives on my trip home; I'll update with my observations later on.