Or in full: Tetrax Xway Universal Neodymium Car Holder. That’s what Sinterklaas got me (a little early) this year. (Sinterklaas? This guy, Dutch tradition )

To put is very simple, it holds your phone (or other gadget) in place with a magnet. In your car that is. I once tried a universal car holder that clamps your gadget in place using a spring system of some sorts, but that never really worked and it was fragile as well so it broke after about a week...

I had seen the Tetrax thing before and had wanted one ever since but due to its price never bought one. Along came Sinterklaas, put it on my wish list and behold, there it is!

I’m writing about the Xway version of the Tetrax system, there are smaller ones and a version that you have to fix to your dashboard yourself (The Tetrax Fixway). I chose the Xway for two reasons: the little support arms looked more sturdy than just the magnet by itself and I don’t want to screw or glue anything to my car.

Installing it takes about a minute or two. Unscrew the magnet part of the Xway holder. This will open the little claw that grabs on to one of the ribs in the air vent of your car. Place the claw on an air vent rib and screw the magnet tight, the claw will grab the rib and the magnet is now attached to your dashboard.

It will look something similar to this (excuse the quality of the pic):

The next step in making this work sticking something to your beloved gadget. You need to place a little metal dot on the back of your gadget. I had no problem with it, it is very small. See pic:

If you feel you will ruin your gadget doing so, than obviously this car holder is not for you But, once in place you are all set!

There is a catch though, but nothing much. The manual describes the size of the dot you need to put on your gadget. There are three sizes depending on the weight of your gadget. As described I took the medium size (for smartphones and PDA’s) and stuck it on the back. Being all happy I tried to take my phone out of the holder. The pull of the magnet is so strong that I ended up with my phone in my hand and the little dot still stuck on the magnet… using the smallest metal dot, the problem was solved.

But the problem may not be caused by the uberstrong magnet, it could very well be the coating on the back of my HTC Hero. It has a layer of softer plastic on it that makes it feel softer and has a better grip than plain flat plastic. Maybe the glue on the metal dot is not sticking properly like it would on normal plastic.

So, is this a decent gadget holder? I think so, the phone hasn’t fallen out (yet) and there is always the bigger metal pieces in case it keeps falling out. Another thing I like very much is that is has no moving pieces that can break or jam when you attach or remove your gadget. The only weakness is the glue on the metal piece that you stick on your gadgets, but that is easily fixed with some extra glue if it ever comes off. And should I switch phones or have a different gadget I want with me in the car, all I need to do is put a little metal piece on the back and I’m all set.

Looking for a way to fix your gadget to your dashboard? I’d say: get one.