Introduction: Car Mobile Holder

About: Will Make Stuff, When I get Time... rest of the Time I am mostly Dreaming them Up...

I have been traveling quite a lot, and have used my HTC mobile as a GPS guide on many drives. But the Issue always remained that how to view it without getting my hands of the steering wheel.. regular Mobile Holders cost around 150 - 1000Rs. depending on make and Company..
Now i being a miserly Being, though i can make a suitable Holder for almost 0Rs. So one fine day as i was browsing for good Holders on Mans Current Best friend "Google" i happened to look upon my Visiting Card Holder and behold, i felt Enlightened....
The Idea had formed, and I set out to make it happen.

Following are the Steps that I recorded using my humble Phone Cam (So please excuse the Picture Quality) ;)

REASON of build: Absolutely Cheap alternative to the Mobile Holder for my Phone (which incidentally fitted very almost Snugly in the Card Holder)

Step 1: MATERIALS

Materials:
1- 1No. Visiting Card Box.. The Holes in the Underside is of great use. my phones Camera aligned perfectly to allow for Video shooting while driving.
2- Lots of cello-tape... The cheapest and best helper / binder for such on-the-fly projects. I used a 25mm wide tape, for better holding capacity
3- 1No. Paper Clip.... The kind that pops up in Windows Office, offering help even if you dont need it.. the stiff pin makes for a good Holder..

Tools:
A Sharp Blade.
and Deft Hands.

CAUTION:
Use care while using the Blade. The material of the Box is very soft and pliable, so not much force is required to cut through it, but still a sharp blade near the Body Appendages, is a good recipe for disaster. SO PLEASE DONT BLEED YOURSELF...

Step 2: Prepping the Housing

Use the Phone to check the Height and if necessary cut out a part of the Offending Box. Use the lower Portion of the Box (The one with holes in it)

For my Phone i had to get rid of a Shorter edge. although this compromised a bit of the strength of the box, but on the whole it held fast. NO harm Done on the whole..

Step 3: Prepping the Base

Using the Top Cover, I converted it into the Base. Make Slits around Halfway down the Length of the lid as Shown. make sure they are equidistant from one side, else the lid will not bend correctly as wanted.

Once the edges are cut, Bend the lid and make a crease, it shouldn't be too hard, but make sure the crease is as straight as possible.

Cut of the face from on side (shorter edge) so that when assembled, the sides will overlap the Housing and make provision for a stronger hold.

Step 4: Getting the Housing and Base Together in Holy Matrimony... ;D

I'll let the pictures do the Talking.

Step 5: Lock and Load....

Follow the Images for the instructions. After I finished the lock, I gave it a good shake by just holding the base. And guess what, IT DIDN'T FALL AT ALL.... WOOHOOOOO, AND the phone is still working ;)

Step 6: Finito...

It may look Haphazard, and Cheap, but that was the Idea in the First place.
if required you can paint it in any color you want. Or bling it with Dora the Explorer Stickers, go Grafitti on it etc.

Now the question arises, how to use it.. simble... take this Contraption to your car, and place it around in various places in the car. things to remember though are:
1- the charging port should have easy access, for charging on the move.
2- the holder should not be hidden from Driver view, or from anybody else's view for that matter.. display your creativity to the world.
3- you can use double-sided tape / foam tape to do the sticking.. make sure the Chosen Surface is clean. Mine wasnt so it didnt stick at all :(
4- MOST IMPORTANT: take care while Driving. The phone is a Secondary device of information. give it least amount of notice.. first preference is to the road and traffic. ALWAYS.

What i can do with this
1- Use the On-screen GPS for directions and driving instructions.
2- Use the Camera to capture your videos, while driving thru breathtaking vistas and relive them in the comfort of your home., or thru Bumper-to-Bumper Traffic, to remind you of that horrendous day after office.
3- sync the music system to the phone, to listen to music, or talk to people (not recommended) without using your hands, via the stereo system. be sure that while talking to friends, your family aint around, or a playful banter with friends, will land you in trouble with the family. (happened to a friend of mine once. had his phone connected via BT to the car system, and had his wife and mom-in-law. a friend calls up, the phone gets picked automatically, and friend of friend starts abusing filthy, for not meeting him even though in same city. end result, he goes red faced, and didnt say a word for the next few days, fearing retribution)


Hope you enjoyed the Instructable.. let me know how it goes. if you make it. please leave your comments (make sure they are nice). would like to see your products if you make it anytime soon..
Take care, and Drive safe.