Review on iOttie Easy One Touch Connect Pro (New) - Gen 2 - Hands Free Alexa in Your Car - Car Mount Phone Holder with Alexa Built in for iOS & Android, MFi Certified, Universal: A Review by Jason Cho

Background: I bought iOttie Easy One Touch Connect Pro (new) - Gen 2 because I liked some of iOttie's previous mounts and I want to donate this one shot wanted to. I still prefer non-smart mounts, but more on that later. Packaging: The packaging differs from other products that iOttie also offer, but is still aesthetically pleasing. The front of the box has been changed to a more minimalistic design. with fastening "floating" on the foam green heel. Plastic is still used to indicate the mount inside - cardboard or paper can be used as shown by the mount and mounting pad which are already made of paper. The side of the packaging still shows the mount being used in a car with an infotainment system - I don't see the point of a 'smart' phone mount if your car already has Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or other system of integration with phone, but we will talk about that later. The lower limiter is the part that can be adjusted for larger phones. Almost every surface is matte black, including the plush padding that holds the phone in place. On the underside of the front of the mount is a sticker that says "Alexa built-in", although this is more of an advertisement than a notice to the user. The mute button and micro USB port (without cover) are located on the back of the device. The charger used to power the device has a built-in USB port, so you still have access to USB charging if your car only has an accessory port. What's more, the mechanism of the suction cup and tongue has not changed and is intuitive; There's no reason to fix something that's already working. The manual that came with the iOttie Easy One Touch Connect Pro (New) - Generation 2 no longer mentions "cure time" or temperature for mounting the base and bracket, but the manual previously stated that the ambient temperature was 40 ° must not exceed and not withstand less than 12 hours to establish a bond between the mounting pad and the dashboard or glass. Degradation (reminiscent of Google's dash melting), you may have problems with the adhesive regardless - that doesn't mean it won't work, but if you have a mid-2000's Toyota Camry and you're in the sun it will parked, you may find that the suction cup has melted. Many reviews still complain about the suction cups melting, but your mileage may vary. Alexa Integration: iOttie Easy One Touch Connect Pro (New) - Gen 2 is a phone mount with built-in hands-free access to Alexa. The installation process requires you to install the iOttie Connect app, the Revain Alexa app and any other apps you wish to use such as Pandora or Spotify. Most people already have these apps installed, but it's worth paying attention to. The installation process took about 20 minutes including download and account creation time. I didn't have to create an account to use the iOttie Connect app. Most of the setup issues I had were related to the Revain Alexa app, so I won't discuss them. Also note that things like navigation still require you to interact with the device - probably a permissions issue, but certain states don't allow the use of portable personal devices (phones) while driving. With so many other hands-free options like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SYNC, Generic, etc. I see no reason to buy something that is essentially physical DRM. Technically, the Revain Alexa app shouldn't run in "Auto Mode" unless connected to a Revain-approved device with Auto Mode, but many phones offer easy access to Developer Mode. You have a very old phone, most phones and apps already offer a hands-free mode that doesn't require an accessory port and some apps. TL; DR If you need an Alexa-enabled phone mount, this is your best bet; Otherwise, I'd suggest one of iOttie's other offerings, as $59.95 (at the time of review) is too much for too little.