My Review: Proclip Mounting Solution for Zune HD

You ever been that guy that was late to the party, but all was forgiven because you brought some awesome booze? Yeah, consider me in that role as I tell you about the Proclip Solution for Zune HD. Yes, I know that Zune HD has been discontinued, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some of the great accessories, docks, etc that have been created for this little player. The Proclip solution is specially designed per car and per device, therefore I had to get both a holder and dock specific for me (The holder is for my Scion xD, while the dock is for my Zune HD).

So how did this little device do? Quite awesomely.

First off, installing it was a breeze. While I understood the need for an instruction sheet, it’s pretty straight forward what you need to do. Although, I have to admit it was a bit jarring having to make a couple of adjustments and thinking that you’re about to break your car’s stereo frame. Honestly, though, everything *sounded* worse than it actually was and things when in there swimmingly. Once the device holder is screwed on you’re all set to go.

When you have your Zune HD in the dock and the device is connected to a power source and connection to the stereo, you’re all set to go. Now, if you’re going for the visually pleasing, you may not like having these wires coming down from your device and go all over in the car. You may not also like that when you take the wires out of the device, there really isn’t a way to “store” them. Maybe you could just wrap them around the Proclip, but there isn’t a little nub for storing connectors. I just had to leave mine in one of the cup holders.

There were a couple of benefits to having the Zune HD connected in this manner. First off, while driving, it’s much easier to switch songs that you don’t like. While before I had to look down (I don’t recommend this, kids), here the Zune HD is within eye level so you’re able to just swipe a finger and switch the songs. Secondly, because the Zune HD is connected just like a dock, the screen is always on. You get that awesome now playing scrolling experience while driving, which I always thought to be one of the best visual aspects of the Zune ecosystem. Try it sometime when you’re having to go at night or through a long tunnel and tell me that the now playing experience isn’t just awesome to look over at. I double dog dare you!

If you’re one of the lucky Zune HD owners, I can give a wholehearted endorsement for the Proclip Solution. While I wish more could be done to make the wires look elegant (or maybe Zune HD should’ve been able to broadcast using Bluetooth) the location and ease-of-use outweighs the wires issue. Make sure that you get a base station that is designed for your car specifically, I can’t stress that enough.

Many thanks for Johan van Mierlo and Proclip for allowing me to try out this system. I had actually been wanting to give it a whirl for a long time and I’m finally glad to be able to use it. And I must say it’s definitely worth the wait.

[If you want more information about Proclip, check out their site!]