A Geek Goes Flying

For the Solterra, for my iPhone 16 Pro with the unreliable USB C port, I wanted something that would hold the phone visibly and securely  and charge it with a decent amount of juice, and ideally with cooling. (I was waiting for TackForm to bring the CR07 back, but, alas, support confirmed it’s been discontinued.) The components I currently have, which work together brilliantly: The vent hook module from this: Coolpow for MagSafe Car Mount【Windshield+Vent+Dash】Magnetic Phone Holder  (the phone holder component works well, too, but doesn’t charge). It has a 17 mm ball so interoperates well with other hardware. This Anker 67W 3-Port USB-C Car Charger (the ESR below comes with its own 12V charger, but I know and trust the Anker, which is a little more flexible[1]; if I didn’t already have the Anker, the adapter that comes with the ESR is I’m sure fine...) [Edit: If I had it to do over again, I’d probably go with the  167.5W Anker charger instead; it’s $38 but USB...

There’s a bunch of ~ $100 Chinese devices that purport to provide a portable CarPlay solution for older vehicles. I’m sure some of them work, for a while. Some would only support FM audio, others said they’d work with an Aux input, some would do wired CarPlay but not wireless, etc. Car & Driver has their own, too, the INTELLIDASH PRO (which is actually the CAD-DU1000 made by Summit Electronics a/k/a Summit LLC a/k/a Summit CE Group ‡ ). I figured something so branded would probably be a better bet. But at $399 it was a bit steep, so I put it on the “someday” list. But then Amazon had a Prime sale in mid-October (2022), and the price was $349. And there were a few “Pre-Owned – Like New” options for $249. Suddenly, I had to click “add to cart.” The reviews weren’t glowing (especially at full price) but were encouraging enough: Car and Driver Intellidash+ review: a painless way to add CarPlay to your vehicle Review of the Car and Driver Intellidash Pro Wireless Touchscreen Car and D...