• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

***Official Photon 4G Accessories Discussion Thread***

Is it true that the car dock does NOT have a charging option? I have not been able to confirm this one way or another, but, I saw a review that stated it was just a mount and not a charger, too.

These things need charging often, esp. when using GPS etc.

I hope this is wrong, ...anyone know for sure?


Actually, I read it in the review linked below.... there HAS to be a car charging option....

Since the admins/mods created this subforum, I figured I'd also start a thread regarding accessories.

Motorola PHOTON 4G Car Dock, Multimedia Dock, and Webtop Hands-On | Android Community

Based on what was shown at the event on the 9th, I first thought that maybe I'd only be getting the laptop dock.

After closely inspecting the car dock, that's something I'm likely getting since it has the similar functionality as the HTC car dock I have for my EVO right now.
 
Upvote 0
Is it true that the car dock does NOT have a charging option? I have not been able to confirm this one way or another, but, I saw a review that stated it was just a mount and not a charger, too.

These things need charging often, esp. when using GPS etc.

I hope this is wrong, ...anyone know for sure?


Actually, I read it in the review linked below.... there HAS to be a car charging option....

Interesting. That would be so absolutely pointless if they made the dock without the capability to charge...LOL. My hope is they made it like HTC's dock that has a micro usb input on the base. If not, I"ll be looking at other options for sure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BanterandRant
Upvote 0
How can this not affect the appearance of the screen while on??

my guess is that the film is photo sensitive and reacts to light. how this works would be wgeb light hits the back side (what's touching the screen), the film then becomes transparent allowing you see what's going on. once the back-light disappears, the film resumes its natural status of being translucent or in its natural state....mirrored.
 
Upvote 0
I think that a magnet in the right place on the back of the droids would make it think it was in a dock and go into media dock or web dock mode. I am not sure about how this worked on the Atrix. I think that there are some apps which can throw the older Moto droids into dock mode without the magnet.

One of the reasons I passed on the Evo 3d and am waiting on the Photon is its ability to do presentations through its HDMI out. I would like to be able to have the photon as a backup for powerpoints.

Anyone have any experience with a bluetooth keyboard and using it with an android phone. Any recommendations or warnings on keyboards?
 
Upvote 0
Upvote 0
Interesting. That would be so absolutely pointless if they made the dock without the capability to charge...LOL. My hope is they made it like HTC's dock that has a micro usb input on the base. If not, I"ll be looking at other options for sure.

If you look at pic # 9 of 23 in your first post you can see that the phone plugs into the car dock, so where you sit your phone you have to "plug" your phone into it so I would say it does charge it. Like you said its kinda pointless having a car dock that doesnt charge it,lol.
 
Upvote 0
If you look at pic # 9 of 23 in your first post you can see that the phone plugs into the car dock, so where you sit your phone you have to "plug" your phone into it so I would say it does charge it. Like you said its kinda pointless having a car dock that doesnt charge it,lol.

That's the thing, BanterandRant pointed out that in the article that I posted, it talks about how there's a microusb plug sticking out, but apparently all it does is activate the phone to go into "car mode." If that's the case, the dock won't charge unless Motorola has run wires through to the base of the dock, similar to how the HTC evo 4g and 3d car docks are.
 
Upvote 0
WOW that would.be messed up if its true. Why on earth would ANYONE make one that doesn't charge,LOL. I actually hope iGrip makes one for the photon I like there's and with every phone I get I just change the holder. Like now I have the Evo 3D and a iPhone 4(work phone) and all I do is change the holder, they all fit the same base.

You know, the one thing I'm hoping for is to see more aftermarket manufacturers making accessories.
 
Upvote 0
WOW that would.be messed up if its true. Why on earth would ANYONE make one that doesn't charge,LOL. I actually hope iGrip makes one for the photon I like there's and with every phone I get I just change the holder. Like now I have the Evo 3D and a iPhone 4(work phone) and all I do is change the holder, they all fit the same base.

You know, the one thing I'm hoping for is to see more aftermarket manufacturers making accessories.

Okay, so I got curious about the "charging" aspect of the Photon specific dock made by Motorola, so I looked at the Atrix dock for comparison.

On Motorola & Best Buy's website, it says that there's a dual port power charger adaptor for charging, so I'd imagine they'd design the car dock exactly like they did for the Atrix, so that you can charge. It's possible that the reviewer just didn't look carefully:

Vehicle Dock for Motorola ATRIX 4G

Motorola - Vehicle Dock for Motorola Atrix 4G Mobile Phones - 89456N
 
Upvote 0
Okay, so I got curious about the "charging" aspect of the Photon specific dock made by Motorola, so I looked at the Atrix dock for comparison.

On Motorola & Best Buy's website, it says that there's a dual port power charger adaptor for charging, so I'd imagine they'd design the car dock exactly like they did for the Atrix, so that you can charge. It's possible that the reviewer just didn't look carefully:

Vehicle Dock for Motorola ATRIX 4G

Motorola - Vehicle Dock for Motorola Atrix 4G Mobile Phones - 89456N


I certainly hope so,LOL. From what I remember with the Evo 3D it showed up on the website at about 12:15am ET for the 3 day premier customer orders, so ill be checking starting at midnight. And it shows up for everyone but u can't order unless u sign in as a premier customer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: drexappeal
Upvote 0
the otterbox case is pretty cool, a little bulky Pictures by halfdriven1 - Photobucket

Ever since I got my EVO, I haven't been a big advocate for using a case due to the added bulk (and the fact that I pocket my phones). Otterbox has always seemed to make cases that were way too bulky, IMO,...but, the tradeoff is that everyone I've read about that uses otterbox cases says they're the most durable of all the manufactured cases, so that's definitely a plus for those that are rough on their phones and need something in that respect.
 
Upvote 0
I certainly hope so,LOL. From what I remember with the Evo 3D it showed up on the website at about 12:15am ET for the 3 day premier customer orders, so ill be checking starting at midnight. And it shows up for everyone but u can't order unless u sign in as a premier customer.

The dock showed up for premier customers on the same day as the early release?

If that's the case, I might order motorola specific accessories directly through Sprint, since there's also that premier discount on accessories (might be cheaper overall than anywhere else).
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones