RAM mounts for Sony Vaio UX series
According to a recent study by the Consumer Electronics Association, U.S. consumers will spend more than $11 billion this year on gadget accessories. Faced with such a staggering figure, I can’t help but think that RAM’s line-up of car mounts, now fully compatible with the UX Micro PC, is an absolute steal! The UX cradle ($24) is made of "high strength plastic" and can be used with a range of mounts to affix the unit to windshields, dashboards, and even handlebars (!). The bases and arms are sold separately and from different vendors, so ordering a "kit" is not a simple one-click process. The website in general is actually a bit of mess, but I recommend wading through it because RAM has a pretty impeccable reputation of producing high-quality products (they make cradles for just about everything, including the Samsung Q1, Asus R2H, and Apple iPhone).
Besides, consider your alternatives.
Thanks for the tip, Rob!
Thanks so much for this post. I’d been actively searching for a solution like this but hadn’t found one for the UX… only for the OQO. I just placed an order for all four parts with an estimated delivery date of the first or second week of April. Not bad for $60 considering I was almost willing to take a spare docking station apart and do a do-it-myself job.
Hmm. I kind of would’ve liked to have seen a DIY project using a docking station.
Which mount did you buy?
The one you had linked to. Basically, I couldn’t find anyone with the “kit” shown here: http://www.ram-mount.com/mount/sony_mounts_vaio_mount.htm with part number: RAM-B-166-SON1. But I was able to hit up ExpressMounts.com and order the following individual parts (the break down of the kit):
Cradle RAM-HOL-SON1U
Base RAM-B-238U
Arm RAM-B-201U
Base RAM-B-224-1U
According to ExpressMounts, all but the cradle itself are in stock but the cradle itself is a new part that they won’t have for 1 to 2 weeks, hence my second week of April ship date.
I think this will work well for me… it was either this or an external 7” display with VGA to connect to the UX, but that is A) expensive and B) leaves cables all over the place.
I would also like to thank you for the link to the RAM piece. I had been searching on their site and couldn’t find anything. Then I tried Google and found this article only to find myself right back on the RAM site. Finally, I found that it was under new for 2007.
I just got a Bluetooth GPS unit for navigation purposes (and fun) and was trying to figure out how I could mount this in my car without messing anything up. Either the suction cup version (easily portable to other cars) or the seat bolt one should work great.
Thanks again,
-Shane
I purchased one for my motorcycle from mountguys.com, got it the day after I ordered it too. Looks like they have a little better selection too.