Tom Tom Hands Free Car Kit for Smartphones

I chose this kit for my iphone 5 to replace the Tom Tom kit I had for the iPhone 4 and I must say that I was not dis appointed. It is very well made and easy to use. It has a very firm suction and has no movement even with the phone attached. The cables are long enough to mount in most convenient places on the dashboard or the screen and the cable attachment points make it look neat. The hands free mic and speaker are clear and work well with the option of extending the mic to mount it on a visor or similar but I have found that it works just as well mounted on the holder. A great feature is that the Bluetooth kit connects to the phone even when not in the holder and you can answer calls by pressing buttons on the holder itself - very convenient for short journeys when you leave your phone in your pocket. I had to buy an adapter from micro USB to lightning for the iPhone 5 but that fits nicely too. All in all a good purchase.

I was a bit panicked when it wouldn't fire up when I connected it to my computer but this is a high power device and it needs its own adaptor (included) or I manage to get it to fire up using my Google Nexus 7 Tablet PC (Android 4.1 Jellybean) - 16 GB mains adaptor.

I was very surprised to hear the TomTom drums being played out and then a voice...I had not even connected my phone at that point. Yes, this has voice menus and guided bluetooth setup, very nice indeed.

You pair it via Bluetooth to your phone, then plug the micro USB into your phone to charge it. If your using Android like me with my Nexus 4 then its easy and you get access to voice control of the phone via one of the side buttons on the mount as well as volume controls.

I'm sorry TomTom designer person, but those call end, call make buttons are just plain stupid. Why not make them accessible when the phone is actually IN the cradle? I know you want people to do it via their phone screen, but why not at least give them the option to choose that for themselves? The buttons are totally inaccesible when the phone is in the cradle.

The whole thing oozes quality from the high power speaker to the twist action suction cup.

Included in the pack is a microphone extension cable if you wish to wire it up to your car sun visor for better outgoing sound. As well as sticky things to hide the cable and a flat plastic plate with sticky pad on the back, so you can mount the mount (LOL) onto the plate and stick the plate onto your dashboard if you wish.

A great way to get sat nav via your phone. You will need an app on your phone (Android normally comes with a free navigator app or I recommend TomTom's own app or Cygic which uses TomTom maps and traffic data. These are extra of course)

I have had an Iphone 4S for some time. Because the battery life wasn't enough I added a Mophie Juice Pack. The results were great, doubling the life of the battery while only making the Iphone heavier (a lot) and bulkier (only a little).
The point I'm getting to, is that my Iphone would now not fit TomTom's own Hands Free Iphone holder. But, because the Mophie Juice Pack has one of the now common small USB connectors I tried the TomTom Hands Free for Smartphones.
The result is probably better than I expected in that it holds the now heavier and bulkier Iphone very securely and more importantly, safely. I am currently using the window mount successfully but have also had good results with the "bean bag"
At the end of the day, a pricey addition but very well worth the money. Invest now while it's being discounted!