[General Accessories] vectron:
This is a review of a newly released Arkon Slim-Grip Ultra (http://www.arkon.com/Slim-Grip Ultra/index.html) grip with various mounting options that can be used in a car and in a house. I have been using a lot of different car mounts for years, everything from cheap ebay parts to some more expensive brand names, but I keep coming back to Arkon for a very simple reason - it lasts through years because of the quality of material they use, more robust locking mechanism, and engineering of adjustable lockable joint. Also, since I use different cases on my phone and like flexibility of attaching my own cables where I want to, I prefer universal nature of these grips.

Since the day of my Droid X, I used their original Mega Grip which still works well with my Note 2. The problem, related to my car, was where I can place it since I didn't want to mount to windshield glass and I didn't want to use sticky or bean-bag bases on dashboard for suction cup mounting. My dashboard is textured, and regular suction cup didn't work with it. So I came up with combination of mounting my Mega Grip to another vertical sticky mount that worked with my car.

I tried looking for a sticky base suction mounts, but those were either not good in heat, didn't work with my textured dashboard, or came off after awhile, so I vent back to my original setup. Now, I was pleased to see them releasing a new Slim-Grip Ultra mount, based on spring loaded mechanism rather then grip-locking mechanism, and was especially intrigued to see a sticky base suction mount offered along with it. This grip is based on spring loaded mechanism where one side will extend when pulled. This mechanism actually allows one-handed operation when in portrait orientation (then you can flip in to landscape if you want to) or you can use with two hands if you have your orientation fixed in landscape. Also, it comes with 2 sets of feet (with inner soft foam cushion) where in addition to original set the extra one gives you another 1" of clearance. With original feet you get about 6" total opening (perfect for up to 5" screen phones or 7"/8" tablets in landscape), extended feet give you clearance of up to 7" - perfect for Note 2 even with extra bulky case. Also, the feet slide thus making it adjustable to a position most convenient for your micro-usb charging cable, headphone cable, etc.

Adjustable mount arm has a very sturdy easy grip nut for different angles, and the grip uses universal ball joint which makes all the component interchangeable with other mounts and grips. In addition to low profile sticky suction mount, I also got extended arm mount for my Nexus 7, although could be used for a phone as well (uses regular suction cup), and two headrest mounts for either direct headrest mount or adjustable arm mount so both of the passengers in the back can share a view of a tablet or a phablet. Every mount is engineered with high precision and reliability; once locked in - its very sturdy and has attachment for slim-grip ultra grip or in general any other universal ball join mount. Those headrest mounts will probably be used in our SUV for kids to watch movies on Nexus 7 while we are on a road.

I'm also tested out sticky suction cup at home on various surfaces and different horizontal, vertical, and upside down positions. It worked perfectly in every case and stuck to a surface like a cement glue!

OK, so here are more detailed pictures of various setups inside of my car and at home.

*** IntelliGrip edition of Slim-Grip Ultra was reviewed here: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=44760662&postcount=41 ***