iPhone 3g mount???

[bimmer billy]

Im looking to get a mount for my iPhone 3g for navigation purposes and its a lot easier to scroll on through songs on the phone itself rather going through the crappy thing BMW provided us in their radio i.e. takes like five years to scroll to U2 from artists and the information on the dispaly sucks. I would like one that preferrable charges my iPhone as well, any one do this before or can steer me in the right direction.

[tridens]

Originally Posted by bimmer billy

Im looking to get a mount for my iPhone 3g for navigation purposes and its a lot easier to scroll on through songs on the phone itself rather going through the crappy thing BMW provided us in their radio i.e. takes like five years to scroll to U2 from artists and the information on the dispaly sucks. I would like one that preferrable charges my iPhone as well, any one do this before or can steer me in the right direction.

I've been unable to been able to a find a mount that blends aesthetics and functionality to my standards. As a result, I ended up building this custom cradle in my current car (Mazda):



Functionality wise, it's perfect; it can rotate into landscape mode, it's within comfortable distance for interaction with the touchscreen, it charges and can be controlled by the head unit, and you can bring up any app while you drive ... I stream internet radio over my car stereo (why pay for XM/Sirius?! )

Only problem is that, from the passenger seat, you can see how it's setup ... and it's a little too sloppy for my tastes:



My 135i is still a month out, but when it arrives, I will finish design of v2 of this idea. I intend to route the connection wire down through the center of the support arm, through the A/C faceplate, and connect it to the stereo inside the dash.

Besides an extra A/C faceplate (which you can get here: http://www.partswebsite.com/bmwnewport/ for $15.50 ... search for "face plate") I'll have duplicate pieces, so if you're interested and like what I come up with, I'll sell it to you at cost so that you can replicate it.

Here's what the new cradle will hopefully look like (won't have the plug hanging off the bottom like the current design):

[Bones13]

I was doing some background reading, and there is a post about using the 'iDrive' cupholder as the mount for a smartphone with GPS. It looked like he had unmounted the cupholder, and mounted a phone holder to the bracket. He had a power connector coming out of the dash just over the ashtray.

Look through the DIY threads.

[C_Topher]

Has anyone tried the Griffin TuneFlex mount? Looks like a nice clean solution. The whole support plugs into the lighter, and an aux cord comes out of the base. There is an available model with an FM transmitter.

[xxSpudxx]

Tom Tom will be releasing an App in the coming months for the Iphone. They will have a suction cup mount and power connector coming out with the App.

[C_Topher]

Originally Posted by xxSpudxx

Tom Tom will be releasing an App in the coming months for the Iphone. They will have a suction cup mount and power connector coming out with the App.

I saw that. I am wondering if there is a audio connection as well. The Griffin TuneFlex has such a nice clean installation.

The TomTom pricing may be more than I want to spend. I purchased TomTom for a Windows Mobile phone 2 years ago, and the US map was $100. Add 30% for the AppStore markup, plus the mount, and we may be looking at $150.