Photon Docks (e.g. HD Station, Car, & Laptop) - Discussion Thread

[whttigress]

Are you using the HDMI cable that came with the dock? I have heard that it is not a standard cable, and the webtop will only work with that cable.

 

[charmcityjz]

Yes, I am using the HDMI and power cable that came with the dock. I think it's odd that the Motorola icon appears on the TV, it would seem to show communication from the phone to Tv?... But why no web top option on the phone? Frustrating.

 

[drexappeal]

Yes, I am using the HDMI and power cable that came with the dock. I think it's odd that the Motorola icon appears on the TV, it would seem to show communication from the phone to Tv?... But why no web top option on the phone? Frustrating.

I still haven't opened mine, but does it come with a manual at all that maybe might have some troubleshooting tips?

 

[wynand32]

Just thought I'd give a quick report on the Photon car dock. Note that I'm coming from a Samsung Epic and its car dock, so that's my point of reference.

Positives:

1. Works great without needing to download an app. Just plug it in and it works.

2. Interface is clearer and can be customized with a total of four new apps. Given how great the Photon's screen is in direct sunlight, the phone is actually usable in the dock at noon in SoCal.

3. Interface switches to a night mode at (I believe) 6:00pm. It's an orange UI that's easier on the eyes in the dark.

4. Sound quality through the headphone jack via AUX cable is outstanding. There's none of the interference that I experienced with the Epic when nothing's playing, so I'm very happy I no longer have to be quick with the volume or on/off switch on my car's stereo.

5. The phone seems to manage different audio sources better than the Epic. If I'm listening to music while using navigation, for example, the music will fade when navigation is giving voice directions, then smoothly start playing again. On the Epic, the two interfered with each other and things were a general mess.

6. The included quick charger does exactly what it says: charges the phone really quickly.

7. It's much easier to place the phone into and take it out of the dock. I don't have to try three or four times to line things up and feel like I'm breaking something everything I dock it.

Cons:

1. It's black, so it soaks up the sun and gets very hot. The Epic's dock was as well, so that's a wash.

2. The Epic's dock portion could be easily removed from the suction piece, so it could be more easily taken off and hidden from the sun.

Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the dock. I'm thinking of ways to block it from the sun so I don't have to take a minute or two to cool it off when my car's been sitting in the sun (I really should use a sunshade in general), but otherwise it's a great accessory. I'd rate it a 9.5/10, with a half point off for being unable to unclip it.

In fact, I'd be hard-pressed to give up the Photon just because the dock works so well. Overall, the general experience of using the Photon in my car is much, much better than any phone I've used.

 

[Mikenk]

I totally agree. The car dock and the app are terrific. Navigation, music, radio, phone are really well integrated. Couple that with a readable display in sun and a loud loudspeaker for phone and navigation makes a winning combination.

Mike

 

[charmcityjz]

The webtop is working properly now. Not sure what fixed it. Maybe as simple as a reboot.

 

[twospirits]

I am loving the Sprint Holster/back cover combo even more now that i figures out that I can use it with the car dock. Failed to realized that previously.

Anyway, as for the car dock, I too have noticed the change into orange color at night and its rather nice touch. My only issue with teh car dock is that i don't really like to have it stuck to the window so I placed it on the front console of my Santa Fe SUV, but since everything is so damn curvy every once in a while i get into the car and see the dock on the floor since it fell off. lol

Other than that, I love the dock and the app itself.

Now speaking of docks, I should have ordered a non HD dock when i ordered the phone cause now i can't find it anywhere. I need a dummy desktop dock for my work. The HD one is at home.

TS

 

[drexappeal]

I am loving the Sprint Holster/back cover combo even more now that i figures out that I can use it with the car dock. Failed to realized that previously.

Anyway, as for the car dock, I too have noticed the change into orange color at night and its rather nice touch. My only issue with teh car dock is that i don't really like to have it stuck to the window so I placed it on the front console of my Santa Fe SUV, but since everything is so damn curvy every once in a while i get into the car and see the dock on the floor since it fell off. lol

Other than that, I love the dock and the app itself.

Now speaking of docks, I should have ordered a non HD dock when i ordered the phone cause now i can't find it anywhere. I need a dummy desktop dock for my work. The HD one is at home.

TS

Best Dashboard Mount I've ever purchased. Not crazy big, has opening in front so it's easy to remove car mount whenever needed, friction works great under "normal" driving circumstances.

Amazon.com: Arkon SM512 Slim-Grip Friction Dashboard Mount with Travel Windshield Mount for BlackBerry, HTC, Motorola, Palm, Nokia, LG, Samsung, Sony Smartphone's: Cell Phones & Accessories

Used it with my EVO car dock and now with the Motorola Car dock. works perfectly.

 

[twospirits]

Nope, i think I wasn't clear. When i ordered the photon, i was able to order the accessories for it right then and there. One of the items was a desktop dock much like the HD one that connects to the tv, but is just that a stand alone desktop dock/charging station. I didn't buy it and now i regret it cause i can't find it anywhere.

TS

 

[drexappeal]

Nope, i think I wasn't clear. When i ordered the photon, i was able to order the accessories for it right then and there. One of the items was a desktop dock much like the HD one that connects to the tv, but is just that a stand alone desktop dock/charging station. I didn't buy it and now i regret it cause i can't find it anywhere.

TS

LOL...Oh, I was just posting that because you mentioned the car dock falling on the floor every once and a while (and you didn't like the car dock on the windshield).

As for the standard charging dock...was that a Motorola dock or just generic?

 

[twospirits]

To be honest I don't know. I assume it was by Motorola / Sprint since its no where else to be found and it was made for the Photon.
I'll probably find it on ebay from overseas and probably get here before it pops up on the Sprint site.


TS

 

[mgiven]

Can anyone with the HD station chime in and let me know what they feel it offers over just using the phone upside-down on the kickstand with an HDMI to the TV and charging. I'm off to the Sprint store to get the car dock and I know if I add the HD station I get 25% off on both. That would make the HD station $60 extra since I was commited to pay $60 for the car dock alone. Just deciding if the HD Station is worth it than just using an HDMI cord to my tv.

 

[Citizen Coyote]

Those of you with the car dock, are you using alternate launchers? I have Go Launcher on my Photon, but noticed that the clock app refuses to start when I pop out the kickstand and I worry that the car dock will have a similar problem under Go Launcher.

 

[drexappeal]

Those of you with the car dock, are you using alternate launchers? I have Go Launcher on my Photon, but noticed that the clock app refuses to start when I pop out the kickstand and I worry that the car dock will have a similar problem under Go Launcher.

Yup. I'm using Launcher Pro Plus. And you're correct, the clock app doesn't work when using an alternate launcher. I'm figuring it's similar to how the Sense Widgets did not work with any alternate launchers.

Car Dock does not have the same problem. As soon as you put it into the dock, the Car Dock launches. In fact, I've been trying to find a way to "turn off" the auto launch for the Car Dock because I have LPP set up so that I don't need the Car Dock App to launch.

While in the Car Dock, everytime you press the home button, the phone goes to the dark blue "Car Dock Home." You can exit out using the back button, to see the alternate launcher homescreens, but the home button connects directly to the Car Dock home.

 

[drexappeal]

Can anyone with the HD station chime in and let me know what they feel it offers over just using the phone upside-down on the kickstand with an HDMI to the TV and charging. I'm off to the Sprint store to get the car dock and I know if I add the HD station I get 25% off on both. That would make the HD station $60 extra since I was commited to pay $60 for the car dock alone. Just deciding if the HD Station is worth it than just using an HDMI cord to my tv.

I actually still haven't had a chance to set up the HD dock. The way I looked at it was that, the original retail list price was $129 for the HD dock. The markdown was $99 at launch. After adding the 25% discount, my total basically became a purchase of the HD dock and the car dock was free. Or you can even look at it like you're purchasing the Car Dock and getting the HD dock 50% off.

But if the extra money spent on the dock is a big factor for you, then I'd read around (not only hear, but google search) to see how others feel about the HD dock and if it's worth it.

 

[Citizen Coyote]

Yup. I'm using Launcher Pro Plus. And you're correct, the clock app doesn't work when using an alternate launcher. I'm figuring it's similar to how the Sense Widgets did not work with any alternate launchers.

Car Dock does not have the same problem. As soon as you put it into the dock, the Car Dock launches. In fact, I've been trying to find a way to "turn off" the auto launch for the Car Dock because I have LPP set up so that I don't need the Car Dock App to launch.

While in the Car Dock, everytime you press the home button, the phone goes to the dark blue "Car Dock Home." You can exit out using the back button, to see the alternate launcher homescreens, but the home button connects directly to the Car Dock home.

Awesome, that's what I was hoping to hear. I keep waffling between Go Launcher and stock, mainly because a) I hate the white background of the not-Blur dock and GL allows me to make it transparent, and b) the kickstand clock is pretty nifty and I miss it when using GL. Sigh. One thing has gotta give.

 

[drexappeal]

Awesome, that's what I was hoping to hear. I keep waffling between Go Launcher and stock, mainly because a) I hate the white background of the not-Blur dock and GL allows me to make it transparent, and b) the kickstand clock is pretty nifty and I miss it when using GL. Sigh. One thing has gotta give.

Well, if you're wanting to have a "desk clock," while the phone is plugged in, I found a pretty basic app that works great for me and I use it when the phone is plugged in at work or at home:

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.SteelCityCo.AndroidClockFree

Since I use Simi Clock Widget, it allows me to link the desk clock app to the launcher part of the widget, so once I click on the part of the clock that is linked to the app, my desk clock app launches. I did the same exact thing with my EVO 4G because it had a desk clock app pre-installed.

 

[horn34]

Can anyone with the HD station chime in and let me know what they feel it offers over just using the phone upside-down on the kickstand with an HDMI to the TV and charging. I'm off to the Sprint store to get the car dock and I know if I add the HD station I get 25% off on both. That would make the HD station $60 extra since I was commited to pay $60 for the car dock alone. Just deciding if the HD Station is worth it than just using an HDMI cord to my tv.

I love the dock. Without it, I'd have to buy a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, plus I wouldn't be able to access an external drive.

 

[Citizen Coyote]

Well, if you're wanting to have a "desk clock," while the phone is plugged in, I found a pretty basic app that works great for me and I use it when the phone is plugged in at work or at home:

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.SteelCityCo.AndroidClockFree

Since I use Simi Clock Widget, it allows me to link the desk clock app to the launcher part of the widget, so once I click on the part of the clock that is linked to the app, my desk clock app launches. I did the same exact thing with my EVO 4G because it had a desk clock app pre-installed.

I found another solution to getting the clock to appear in kickstand mode when using an alternate launcher. It's so simple I feel like an idiot for not noticing it before. Using the app HomeSmack, you can easily swap back to the stock launcher and use the kickstand clock. When finished, pop the kickstand back in and hit Home to go back to your preferred launcher.

 

[mgiven]

I caved and bought them both...$120 + tax after the premier 25% off, so it was like getting the HD Station for only $60. A very cool toy for sure and works well. I'm traveling this week and using a wireless keyboard and mouse right now on just my phone sitting in the dock as a display and fine for emailing. The Microsoft wireless keyboard/mouse combo at Staples was $49 on sale for $29 - $10 coupon I had = $19 so can't go wrong. Didn't know if the HD Station would recognize the hardware since the back of the box says "requires Windows" and "must install drivers through CD" but works just fine. No need for expensive Motorola bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

The car dock just plain rocks! We just drove 9 hours overnight and I more than kicked the tires. Added and tried Pandora, LastFM, Sprint Navigation, MOG and Spotify and all work perfectly in the cool UI car dock mode. Even more impressive was I could run run internet radio, navigation and web browsing all at the same time and not only did my phone still charge up to 100% and stay there the duration of the trip, but the extra USB port on the plug kept my wife's phone charged as well. NICE!

 

[drexappeal]

I found another solution to getting the clock to appear in kickstand mode when using an alternate launcher. It's so simple I feel like an idiot for not noticing it before. Using the app HomeSmack, you can easily swap back to the stock launcher and use the kickstand clock. When finished, pop the kickstand back in and hit Home to go back to your preferred launcher.

I have homesmack, but don't really use it that much. I only had it because when I was having Force Close issues on my EVO and Launcher Pro, I would switch back to Sense UI, just to see if Sense was the problem or Launcher Pro. That's a good idea for some, but considering Launcher Pro already allows for auto rotation on the homescreens, I prefer not needing to use the active kickstand (just for the desk clock). In the end, that becomes more steps for me then just clicking on the app I have on my main homescreen and seeing a desk clock.

I actually found this clock yesterday and decided to replace the Android Clock. Not as plain as the other one and it displays the battery percentage (in 10% increments, but perfect if the phone is just displaying the desk clock:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.miyaware.batteryclock&feature=order_history

 

[drexappeal]

I caved and bought them both...$120 + tax after the premier 25% off, so it was like getting the HD Station for only $60. A very cool toy for sure and works well. I'm traveling this week and using a wireless keyboard and mouse right now on just my phone sitting in the dock as a display and fine for emailing. The Microsoft wireless keyboard/mouse combo at Staples was $49 on sale for $29 - $10 coupon I had = $19 so can't go wrong. Didn't know if the HD Station would recognize the hardware since the back of the box says "requires Windows" and "must install drivers through CD" but works just fine. No need for expensive Motorola bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

The car dock just plain rocks! We just drove 9 hours overnight and I more than kicked the tires. Added and tried Pandora, LastFM, Sprint Navigation, MOG and Spotify and all work perfectly in the cool UI car dock mode. Even more impressive was I could run run internet radio, navigation and web browsing all at the same time and not only did my phone still charge up to 100% and stay there the duration of the trip, but the extra USB port on the plug kept my wife's phone charged as well. NICE!

Great choice on getting both. With the discount, the 2 docks combined aren't that much more "expensive" than anything any aftermarket manufacturer would come out with (e.g. Seidio, etc.).

And I completely agree about the car dock. You forgot to mention the fact that on the car dock, the auxiliary connector is actually plugged in through the charger and links through the USB. So the 3.5mm jack on the phone is not needed. The one thing I can say about using the auxiliary connector vs. plugging directly into the 3.5mm jack on the phone is I now can't use my bluetooth's A2DP connection because the auxiliary connector gets overrided by A2DP (so every time I plug my adapter in and turn my Jawbone Icon bluetooth on, my music transfers to the bluetooth headset). I may re-activate my A2DP this weekend and just connect directly to the 3.5mm jack on my phone, even though the connector is way less obstrusive.

 

[mgiven]

Wondering if my HD Station remote shipped with a dead battery OR it needs to be activated (paired) on the phone somehow. It doesn't seem to do anything or maybe I'm just not seeing which screen you use it on.

 

[tronninja]

I have had an issue with the resolution in mirror mode on our store demo going from 1920x1280 ( i cant remember the resolution but it was definately high in these figures.) to 640x480. The web top mode is always working fine at 1280x720 no problem. What is happening to the resolution in mirror mode is that i cannot get the settings back to the higher resolution. I switched to a different hdmi port and the resolution returned in high quality in mirror mode. Now the settings are 640x480 on both ports. I tried settings in the TV and the phone. The television information under help was to check the cable and quality of the the cable. Now when i switched ports and the higher resolution was restored and now its not makes me think its the TV. Has anyone heard or seen this happen to thier dock stations for the Photon.

 

[drexappeal]

I have had an issue with the resolution in mirror mode on our store demo going from 1920x1280 ( i cant remember the resolution but it was definately high in these figures.) to 640x480. The web top mode is always working fine at 1280x720 no problem. What is happening to the resolution in mirror mode is that i cannot get the settings back to the higher resolution. I switched to a different hdmi port and the resolution returned in high quality in mirror mode. Now the settings are 640x480 on both ports. I tried settings in the TV and the phone. The television information under help was to check the cable and quality of the the cable. Now when i switched ports and the higher resolution was restored and now its not makes me think its the TV. Has anyone heard or seen this happen to thier dock stations for the Photon.

That seems strange, as if it's storing a cache for the lower resolution and can't be reverted back.

I haven't even tried my HD dock yet, but hoping someone has an answer for this because it'd be strange if it does that with all the HD docks.

Since you mentioned it's the store demo, do you have any direct contacts at Motorola that you can reach out to?