Arkon Car Mounts for iPhone 4 [Review]

Arkon is a manufacturer of car mounts for the iPhone. The company recently sent me a couple of mounting solutions for the iPhone 4, and I have been testing them out for the past month.
The package Arkon sent me contained the following items:

1. SM012 – Mini Weighted Friction Dashboard Mount
2. GN014-SBH – Travelmount Mini Swivel Windshield Suction Pedestal
3. AP013 Circular Adhesive Dashboard Disk
4. GN015-HPB-2 Mini Windshield Suction Pedestal
5. SM050-2 Slim-Grip Holder

First Impressions

I have to say I was a bit overwhelmed when I first received the package due to the sheer number of parts. First there is the weighted dashboard mount — which if I may be honest is far from “mini” as the product name states. Then there is an adhesive hook to prevent the weighted mount from sliding off the dashboard. Then there is the pedestal that attaches to the mount. The pedestal is comprised of several parts which you have to assemble, including the plastic pedestal itself, the Slim-Grip holder, and four support legs that you have to slide into the holder before you can mount your iPhone.
Phew! That’s a lot of parts. As Apple customers, we want products that “just work,” as the old Mac slogan goes. I don’t want to have to read an instruction manual to figure out how to use this thing. I just want to take it out of the box and use it