Kensington Introduces Acoustic Amplified Gps Mount For iPhones

Turn at the right corner. Look behind you. Is that TomTom in the rear-view mirror? Those probably aren’t instructions most of us will hear from our GPS units, but they might have been in the minds of Kensington when it released a “cost-effective” alternative to competing systems. The windshield or vent car mount also “acoustically increases speaker volume without additional battery drain on the iPhone,” the company claimed Wednesday. The mount is placed either on an auto’s windshield or in a vent. How can volume increase without using any power? The keyword in the last paragraph may be “acoustically.” We’ve all experienced the great acoustics in a tiled bathroom or the cathedral ceilings of a church. Maybe Kensington’s discovered an electronic voice bounce better when backed by a windshield or a hollow vent? Who know, no details were provided. But what is evident is that Kensington is taking a slap at TomTom. In August, the FCC released photos of TomTom’s Car Kit, including a GPS mount that can reportedly be positioned either vertically or horizontally . The kit also includes a SIRFstar GPS chipset and Bluetooth. Kensington’s acoustically updated GPS mount goes on sale in November, including at all Apple stores. Notes: Only one speaker. If sound is focused through a channel, it gives off the feeling of being louder, not exactly louder, but focused. So rather than the sound going in every direction, you hear more since it is now going in only one direction…try playing your iPhone’s iPod over the internal speaker with it just siting on the table. Then make a fist, open it slightly, and put the iPhone in the opening on top. This mount will do essentially what this is doing.