RAM iPhone quick-release - mini review

So RAM has come out with a mount for the iPhone 3G and 3GS.

I bought the case and the quick-release mount for bicycle. The case is excellent. The iPhone slips in easily and is held in place by a flexible tab on top. It is very secure and the raised tabs securing the iPhone at the edges provide face down protection for the screen.

The back of the device is is narrow at the top, so the camera and side controls are totally unobstructed. The case is a perfect fit, so this means you can't have a case on the phone like my iSkin Solo in the RAM case. You have to take off your case.

There is no waterproofing, so I'll be getting a small waterproof food bag to keep the phone dry while retaining access to the touch screen.

Trying it out today, I found that the quick release is crap. But I've just seen that I've been doing it wrong. Anyway, about the quick-release for bicycle:

This screws onto the standard mount socket (other non-quick release mounts are available) on the bottom of the case. Onto this, there is a cross type widget that is supposed to slot into another widget that you attach to your bike. The cross means that you can attach the iPhone in portrait or landscape. Nice.

I fitted it to my stem and the cable ties were not the tightest fit. Perhaps because the stem is slightly ovoid. It came with two rubber mounts, one for flat and one for a tapered (angled) handle bar. I used the tapered piece to angle the phone more towards horizontal on the slanting stem.

I put it onto the socket, pressed and rotated, and it went in. Easy. Then I tried the same thing in reverse to remove it. Nada. Nothing. Squirm and squeeze and squirm. Nothing. So for today, my impression of this was dropping and dropping. It turns out I was doing it all wrong.

The instructions are correct, here they are verbatim for attaching the case: "STEP 4 - Attach assembly from step 3 by pressing it against the assembly mounter on the handlebar, turning and then letting go."

Here's the missing 5th step: STEP 5, turn and LEVER the case downward to peel it off the assembly mounter. Just swisting and pulling upward won't work, you need to actually peel it off, like opening the tab of a Coke can.

Phew, I thought I had a dud. Now for Viewranger...