First Look: Arkon Car Mounts for iPad + Handlebar Mount for iPhones

While some of Arkon’s individual components look as if we’ve seen them from other companies before, we’ll admit to being intrigued by the overall direction its iPad and iPhone vehicle mounting lineup is taking. On the iPad side, the company has the Headrest Mount with Custom Fit Holder ($40, IPM-RSHM), which impressively solves the “how do I hang the iPad in the back seat of my car?” question with a custom hard plastic headrest mount that requires only the popping out of the headrest, adjustment of two thumbscrews for stability, and attachment of the mount to matching bracket holes on an included iPad case. A ball joint in the mount lets you adjust the iPad’s angle for easier viewing on your preferred angle. There’s also a more complex Front Seat Floor Mount for iPad ($TBD, IPM-FSM) with metal mounting brackets, screws, and a big gooseneck pipe attached to a similar iPad-grabbing bracket, plus the same type of iPad case; this one is designed to be attached to the floor of a car for stability in the front passenger-side seat. Both of these mounts lose points only for the simplicity and overly modest coverage afforded by that faux carbon fiber leather-covered shell. iPhone users with bikes are given a separate option in the Bicycle or Motorcycle Handlebar Mount for iPhone ($25, SM032), which bundles a generic but water-resistant zippered smartphone case with two sizer inserts and a hard plastic handlebar mount. You can join the case and mount together temporarily if you want to use them separately, or add a metal screw to lock them tight. With sharper-looking cases, these solutions would be pretty awesome; as-is, they’re affordable and functional enough to do the trick for some users.