Very cool! This is a great idea. Didn't even realize someone has been making these. Thanks for sharing his work, I'll definitely have to look into his product!
D-Docks Review...An easy way to dock for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto!
9
So before I bought my 16 R I was very torn between the R and the S3. In the end I picked the 16 R, for more than a few reasons, but one of the reasons was Apple CarPlay. I knew with this that maybe my infotainment system wouldn't seem to get outdated as quick. I knew wireless CarPlay wasn't available nor would it be a good option anyway, especially for longer trips since it will greatly diminish your battery life. Once I got the car I quickly realized that plugging in a cable every time was a bit annoying. And I would also have tuck the wire in the cubby so it wouldn't get in the way of the shifter.
Some of you may recall that a person by the name of Danny sold a 3D printed dock on shapeways that fit our cars perfectly. No more messy wires and everything is hidden away. I believe he owns a GTI which is why he even made it in the first place. The bad news was that this dock was made specifically as a hobby and for Danny's own phone with a case. So while it fit some phones it wasn't a great solution to fit all.
So I messaged Danny and questioned him whether he would design and make something that more people will use. I guess other people have been asking him as well and he decided to make a better dock. Fast forward several months or more, and me impatiently waiting, and Danny finally had finished the design, made a website, and printed the first few docks for sale on his site. I quickly ordered one and received it about two weeks ago and have been using it and now finally wanted to post up a review and pictures of the product.
DESIGN:
So first off this is a 3D printed custom dock specifically for our cars. I believe it's just Danny making these by hand one by one right now. So while the product is not 100% finished like a product made in a mold, it is still very well built. Take a look at my pictures and you might be wondering why it looks odd shaped, and some lines do not look straight. I can tell you that I never knew our cubbies had such a weird shape until I installed this and realized the shape is absolutely spot on. The design to adjust how the plug and side bumpers can adjust to almost any phone is super simple and once locked, feels very secure. You can see on his site how the adjustments work.
REAL WORLD USE:
So I've been using this now for almost two weeks. And as you could imagine it works great. The dock feels very secure and inserting and taking out the phone doesn't move the dock at all. And no rattles or odd noises while driving either. The phone stays very secure even during spirited driving. And I'm really enjoying the better quality music I'm getting by having my phone wired vs bluetooth.
CONCLUSION:
So are there any cons? I guess the fact that the dock is 3D printed vs being made in a mold is a con for some. But I understand why this can't be done in a mold yet because of upfront cost to make a mold. But with that in mind, I believe the top of the dock is sanded down nicely and you can see in one of my pictures where it's installed that the product does look very "finished" because of that. The felt also makes it feel like a finished product as well. The dock could be considered pricey for some people but it was worth every penny to me. The fact that the dock will be usable for any of my futures phones is great. It also makes me use CarPlay more often which in the end is the purpose of this dock and it's done that so far.
This is where I bought mine from: D-Docks
Some of you may recall that a person by the name of Danny sold a 3D printed dock on shapeways that fit our cars perfectly. No more messy wires and everything is hidden away. I believe he owns a GTI which is why he even made it in the first place. The bad news was that this dock was made specifically as a hobby and for Danny's own phone with a case. So while it fit some phones it wasn't a great solution to fit all.
So I messaged Danny and questioned him whether he would design and make something that more people will use. I guess other people have been asking him as well and he decided to make a better dock. Fast forward several months or more, and me impatiently waiting, and Danny finally had finished the design, made a website, and printed the first few docks for sale on his site. I quickly ordered one and received it about two weeks ago and have been using it and now finally wanted to post up a review and pictures of the product.
DESIGN:
So first off this is a 3D printed custom dock specifically for our cars. I believe it's just Danny making these by hand one by one right now. So while the product is not 100% finished like a product made in a mold, it is still very well built. Take a look at my pictures and you might be wondering why it looks odd shaped, and some lines do not look straight. I can tell you that I never knew our cubbies had such a weird shape until I installed this and realized the shape is absolutely spot on. The design to adjust how the plug and side bumpers can adjust to almost any phone is super simple and once locked, feels very secure. You can see on his site how the adjustments work.
REAL WORLD USE:
So I've been using this now for almost two weeks. And as you could imagine it works great. The dock feels very secure and inserting and taking out the phone doesn't move the dock at all. And no rattles or odd noises while driving either. The phone stays very secure even during spirited driving. And I'm really enjoying the better quality music I'm getting by having my phone wired vs bluetooth.
CONCLUSION:
So are there any cons? I guess the fact that the dock is 3D printed vs being made in a mold is a con for some. But I understand why this can't be done in a mold yet because of upfront cost to make a mold. But with that in mind, I believe the top of the dock is sanded down nicely and you can see in one of my pictures where it's installed that the product does look very "finished" because of that. The felt also makes it feel like a finished product as well. The dock could be considered pricey for some people but it was worth every penny to me. The fact that the dock will be usable for any of my futures phones is great. It also makes me use CarPlay more often which in the end is the purpose of this dock and it's done that so far.
This is where I bought mine from: D-Docks
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