[Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III Accessories] Boopman:
Review of AT&T Tilt GPS Car Mount form JustPal at justpal.com purchased on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...rksid=p284.m183&_trkparms=its=S%2BI%2BSS%2BSD

This is not directed at JustPal other than their typical shipping policy. They do have a generally good record. I did get the same item that was advertised on eBay at other retailers for 10-20 dollars more than their price of 35.99. Other retailers use the same picture so I would imagine it is the same unit. The shipping was $10.95 (now it is $12.65) which was lower than most also. Also their shipping was fast.

Their return policy is similar to others on eBay which is they don't credit shipping so I would have to pay return shipping and new shipping (which has now gone up)and thus the cost is prohibitive to exchange it. Plus I destroyed the packaging opening the item and that would void the return. It would be cheaper to just buy another and have it sent immediately and not have to wait for them to examine the package and perhaps tell me I am not eligible for an exchange. I would be out the return shipping and still pay new (higher) shipping.

My quandary is this: should I chance another one as this may be a fluke of a defect or it may be a trend. Or should I wait for one that is probably twice as much and purchase it from someone with a better shipping and return policy along with hopefully better quality. Perhaps someone else will take the chance on one and it will be ok.

Here are my issues with the Cradle:

1. At first I didn't even think it was going to match up with the USB on the bottom of the Tilt and I was a bit reticent to force it as that is a weak link. I wiggled it quite a bit but it finally slide on with a fair amount of pressure. I had the thought that perhaps the stylus was causing it to be offset a bit so I removed it and it did go on easier but still requires some fiddling with it. It may loosen up a bit in the future with some use but the fit of the cradle is fairly tight which is a good thing. The unit has a label that states CM-A8925 which would indicate that someone thinks it will fit but they must have not tried it.

2. I didn't plan on using he suction cup mount so I didn't try it as I wanted to use the vent mounts because I travel and rent cars frequently. Unfortunately they do not fit very secure in my Toyota Matrix. Others with more and flatter louvers may be better.

3. Now for the REAL PROBLEM; when I first plugged it in there was a noticeable buzz in the speaker. It seemed to change as I opened and closed items and then when I started up TeleNav, which has an icon that resembles a spinning propeller, the speaker "popped" each time the propeller fin rotated. It would appear that there is some type of shielding needed between the speaker and the Tilt. VERY Annoying!!!

4. Well, annoying that was while the speaker lasted!! I unplugged and re-plugged the "hands free" wire (a short wire with a microphone that plugs into the upper unit and the speaker) a couple of times and the speaker quit working altogether. Now I have gone being from annoyed to completely disgruntled. After inspecting the unit it was found that the upper connection was loose and wiggled with the connector plugged in. If I did hold the connection in tight, it would again cause the speaker to work, albeit with the same annoying fizzing and popping. Finally it quit altogether.

5. A "tab" which is used to glue the front and back together on the side with the defective connector is not as smoothly mated with the side piece as the one on the other side.

6. A small clip on the vent mount that is meant to "snug" it up fell off inside the vent and now rattles while I drive.

7. The mount which connects to the base unit and either the vent bracket or the suction cup was very difficult to get on and once on damn near impossible to get off.

That is about it. I guess I don't need to say I would not recommend this to anyone. A $46.46 lesson which I can't say was worth the money just to publish this review. I really expected at least something functional. Oh well, I have a speaker (poor that it is) and a USB connector to play with and see what I can do with them.

Hope this helps others.