Go hands-free with these smartphone mounts (pictures)

Although its mounting arm is short, the sticky base of the U-Grip Plus lets it adhere to windshields and dashboard materials, while spring-loaded clamping arms hold phones as wide as the Samsung Galaxy S4 in place.

The Mi-T Grip has the advantage of sticking to dashboards and consoles as well as windshields thanks to its tacky suction cup. A short mounting arm and minimal articulation can make it tough to position correctly.

Bracketron's MobileDock uses an adhesive suction cup, capable of sticking to many surfaces in a car. Similar adhesive material holds the phone in place on the MobileDock. Although it is easy to attach and remove the phone, over time the holder loses adhesion, so it will have to be washed periodically.

The long mounting arm of the Clingo Universal Car Phone Mount puts your phone in easy reach when stuck to most windshields. Its innovative adhesive pad makes attaching and removing a phone particularly easy, but that pad also must be cleaned on a regular basis to maintain adhesion.

Designed only for the iPhone 4/4S, the Griffin AirCurve has a unique passive audio amplifier to boost the sound output from the phone. It includes two semipermanent mounts for a car's vent or windshield, which makes it difficult to move from car to car.

The iMagnet Mount offers the best strategy for attaching and removing a phone, as it relies on a powerful magnet. However, its short mounting arm will generally put the phone far from the driver.

The Easy One Touch is one of the better mounts we've seen. Its sticky suction cup base adheres to dashboard as well as windshields, and it employs a unique clamping section that makes one-handed use easy.

The iOauto mount uses a magnet to make placing the phone easy and quick, but it is one ugly piece of hardware.

The Kenu Airframe uses a minimal design, a simple bracket and grip, that grip onto an air vent in a car. This placement makes it easy to reach for the driver, although the stiff bracket spring makes the whole mount come loose when you remove the phone.

The PanaVise 15504 PortaGrip is constructed of thick plastic and its hinges are engineered well, making it extremely unlikely to break. It has an excellent suction mount for windshields, and holds phones well.

With metal parts and a nicely adjustable ball joint, the PanaVise 15508 is the most durable phone mount we've seen. However, its suction cup base is only made for smooth surfaces.

A superlong mounting arm makes the PanaVise 15509 work for larger vehicles, where the windshield is set far away from the driver. Unfortunately, the whole apparatus is bulky.

As an alternative to mounting your phone to the windshield, the Satechi SCH-121 includes a plug designed to fit most cup holders. Although not as visible as a windshield mount, the Satechi SCH-121 keeps phones closer to hand. The kit also includes a tablet holder.

Put that CD slot to use once again with this Satechi Smartphone Mount. Short rubber fins slide harmlessly into the front of a CD slot, holding the mount in place.

The Innotraveler can hold large phones or small tablets in a horizontal placement, using a sticky surface to hold devices in place. That surface will have to be washed frequently, and the mount itself has limited adjustability.

The little Steelie mount sits unobtrusively on a car's dashboard and uses a magnet to easily attach a phone, but its small stature means limited phone view angles.

With its adhesive suction cup, the TackForm C-Fit can be mounted on almost any flat surface in the car. Its phone clamp can be difficult to operate with one hand.

Similar to the TackForm C-Fit, the Steady Clip sticks to most flat surfaces in a car, extending the possible mounting positions. Its clip-style phone holder makes for easier operation than some clamp-style holders, but it also does not hold as well.

Nice and solidly designed, the Ultima Smartphone Holder comes at a hefty price and suffers from limited flexibility.

This vent mount adds a touch of style to the segment with a silver bracket featuring textured inserts. It makes it easy to place your phone or remove it with one hand.