Kensington has announced a partnership with Dick Smith, in which Kensington’s Play It range of car-kits and chargers for iPods, iPhones, and other mobile phones and MP3 players, will be retailed across Dick Smith stores nationwide, including Dick Smith Powerhouse and Tandy stores.
Play it products keep iPods, iPhones, MP3 players or mobile phones fully charged and links players to a car stereo, allowing users to enjoy music and talk safely while on the go. And the deal is now in place, so you can find all that Kensington goodness in a DSE store, like, right now.
The Play it range includes:
Kensington Wall & Car Charger for iPhone and iPod — car charger, wall adaptor and two power/sync cables, RRP $69.96.
Battery Pack and Charger for iPhone and iPod — provides a go-anywhere, backup battery pack extending playing time up to 100 hours of music and 21 hours of video for the iPod Nano and six hours of talk for the iPhone, RRP $99.94. (Keep an eye out for an upcoming Gizmodo hands-on with this device.)
Car Charger for iPhone and iPod — charges an iPod or iPhone from a car’s 12-volt power outlet and contains a built in safety fuse, RRP $24.96
Car Charger Deluxe for iPhone and iPod — with a flexible arm and cradle, the Car Charger Deluxe securely holds an iPod or iPhone and keeps it fully charged while allowing hands-free speakerphone conversations. The cradle rotates for vertical or horizontal viewing, RRP $59.96.
Windshield mount for iPod, iPhone and mobile devices — a universal mount designed to fit all cars and installs in seconds. It secures an iPod including the new nano, the iPhone or an MP3 player in place while driving. The flexible arm adjusts to hold the player firmly no matter how bumpy the roads, RRP $39.96.
Now, to the Question of the Day.
What’s with an RRP that ends with a 96 cents?
No, just joking…
It’s not clear whether using Kensington’s windshield mount would dissuade traffic authorities from booking you for using a mobile device while driving, even if said device is operating in GPS mode while docked in a hands-free cradle. From a recent email discussion group, Giz gets the impression that state police forces might interpret the use of an iPhone in a manner set down by their state jurisdiction, rather than adhering to any kind of uniform national policy. What’s your experience? Would your local constabulary book you for using an iPhone in Kensington’s windshield mount, or see it for what it really is: a GPS device, which most law enforcement personnel appear happy to accept as a legitimate driving aid? Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that you would only be using your iPhone as a GPS, OK?