Useless car kit for the Xda Orbit 2
By neville on Feb 23, 2008 at 18:57 in Experimenting, Gadgets, Mobile, Review
Last Monday, I received an Xda Orbit 2 mobile phone courtesy of mobile operator O2 and their ad agency VCCP.
So I’ve been playing with this gadget all week, trying it out mostly with wifi. It’s very nice indeed.
As a phone, it does what all phones do (let you make and receive calls) and it does that job pretty well in the few calls I’ve made, probably testament to O2’s good cellular network coverage.
Not received any calls yet as I haven’t widely advertised the number 
As I mentioned in my initial post on my main blog, I’ll be posting thoughts about the Xda Orbit 2 here as and when I have some.
Today I do and it’s to do with an accessory for the phone that I found pretty useless, never mind extremely irritating.
Yesterday I drove into London and decided to try out CoPilot Live 7, the satellite navigation application that comes with the phone.
It’s good and I’ll have a post soon with thoughts on that. This post, though, is to do with the fixing kit you put in your car where you put the phone in a cradle so you can see it and interact with it from your driving position.
Assembling this car kit is impossible. Two of the parts just will not mate. I must have had a dozen attempts to try and do it, all to no avail.
This is one of those situations where you wonder if you’re just an idiot in not being able to figure it out or if the product is badly designed and/or made.
I think the product is badly designed as surely it should be simpler than this.
What exactly is this about? Take a look at this little video I made and posted to YouTube.
If I’m not doing it right, please let me know!
12 Comment(s)
By Philip on Feb 24, 2008 | Reply
It took me ages, too! Eventually I did manage to clip it together - but am now finding it very difficult to find somewehere in my car to put it. Any suggestions for a position that means I can actually see the satnav gratefully received.
By neville on Feb 24, 2008 | Reply
How on earth did you manage it, Philip? Do tell! I’ve not been able to at all.
By Philip on Feb 25, 2008 | Reply
I think I just pressed down hard and wiggled it about and suddenly it just popped into place. (I was impressed by your grasp of technical language in the video - I can’t find ‘things that you stick in your car’ in my manual).
What you are going to do with the thingy when you do get it to done is a different matter… short of holding it in my hand I can’t figure out a way of setting it up so I can see the display and drive at the same time.
By neville on Feb 25, 2008 | Reply
I’m doing all that, Philip, and I still can’t get the damn thing fixed. Ridiculous.
As for fixing it in the car, I think that is a problem, too. The pole thingy is stiff and inflexible. So if you stick that to the windscreen, it would need to be right in the middle or at the top to give enough clearance for the cradle and phone. Equally ridiculous.
Surely it must be simpler than all this palaver indicates!
By Philip on Feb 25, 2008 | Reply
It does seem silly to offer us four days on CoPilot satnav… when it has taken two great minds like ours longer than that to figure out the pole thingy.
By Sarah on Feb 25, 2008 | Reply
After seeing your video i just had to do this one for you… another will follow with how to get it into a car… or rather trying to find a car to fit the kit!
http://www.viddler.com/explore/girlgeekdinners/videos/12/?secreturl=72945008
By neville on Feb 25, 2008 | Reply
Brilliant, Sarah!
Maybe mine is just badly made as, whatever I do, it just will not snap together. Impossible.
I think another video to show that is needed…
By hope on Mar 2, 2008 | Reply
You are definitely the most stupid idiot I have ever seen in my life, just look at your face in the mirror once again,honestly aren’t you a massive fool?
Do you really need a smart phone like this?
I bet you wanted to crush walnuts with it.
By neville on Mar 2, 2008 | Reply
You could be right, hope (cute name, btw). I have trouble working the DVD and can never figure out how to programme the Freeview PVR.
So how do you do it? Or don’t you know either?
By Steve on Mar 3, 2008 | Reply
great work - i found it nearly impossible getting the top bit to slide in. honestly the best way seemed to be force. there’s four little pins it slides into - line it up and then use some grrrr.
By Darren Straight on Mar 4, 2008 | Reply
When I got mine I was wondering if it was actually going to clip in or not as it didnt look like it would but hey presto it did!
And then when it came to attaching it to my car I just had to use my strength to bent it - not for the weak that’s for sure!
By Andy Stansfield on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply
I found this detail annoying too - but was helped by my capacity for brute force overcominng ignorance - I forced the two bits together and they did actually fit. But it’s a VERY inflexible stalk, and I’v cancelled my gym membership as this provides a very effective workout.
Another gripe with the Orbit 2 is the lack of a cradle, even as an aftermarket acccessory.
Cheers
Andy