iphone 4 (a blog by Andy Keeble)

Winter images of Saddington Reservoir

2013-03-13T16:46:00.001+00:00

Digital images of Saddington Reservoir taken during the Winter of 2012/13

http://www.andykeeblephotography.com/p443342979

2000 visitors and the trials of Photoshop CS6!

2013-03-12T18:40:00.001+00:00

The author celebrates 2000 visitors to the website as well as getting to grips with Photoshop CS6!

http://www.andykeeblephotography.com/blog/2013/3/2000-visitors-and-the-trials-of-photoshop-cs6

iPhone5 Images

2013-02-22T19:58:00.001+00:00

iPhone5 images of Saddington Reservoir

http://www.andykeeblephotography.com/p527450650

Search Engine Optimization and keywording images

2013-02-20T21:01:00.001+00:00

The author discusses a new Keywording program, Adobe Photoshop CS6 and cataloguing his images!

http://www.andykeeblephotography.com/blog/2013/2/search-engine-optimization-and-key-wording-images

Item review-Zagg InvisibleSHIELD for the iPhone 4

2011-03-16T15:46:00.003+00:00

Hello again and I hope everything is well where ever you are. I am currently counting down the days until a litter of German Wire Haired Pointers are born, hopefully this weekend coming, as one of the pups will be coming to live with us! We lost both our Weimaraner and Labrador last year, within 6 weeks of each other and our house feels so empty without them. I am still stuck on a name for the new pup so feel free to give me and Amanda some ideas lol!

Anyway back to the purpose of today's post which is an item review and the item in question is the,

Zagg InvisibleSHIELD for the iPhone 4.

Many iPhone 4 users use a case of some sorts but there are also a lot who prefer their device "nude" and I can see their point. The iPhone 4 is a very nice looking device and it is a shame that, for protection, we tend to hide them away inside cases. For those that wish to use their device without a case, but desire a good amount of protection, look no further than the Zagg InvisibleSHIELD iPhone 4 Screen Protector.

What is the InvisibleSHIELD?

The InvisibleSHIELD is a film protector that is specifically cut for the iPhone 4. It is available from www.MobileFun.co.uk and costs £16.95.

In use it basically surrounds the iPhone 4 in a complete layer of highly durable film which acts like a case but without the restrictions a case brings.

The InvisibleSHIELD is made of a film that has been used in the military to provide protection for the leading edges of helicopter rotor blades so it will comfortably cope with anything you decide to throw at it. For those who doubt a film can protect as well as a case, please watch this video!
Now if you couple that with the fact that Zagg have been making protective film since 2005 AND offer a full 30 year warranty, you will realise that this is pretty serious stuff!

What's in the box?

Zagg provide everything needed to correctly install the InvisibleSHIELD. The box contains one complete set of protectors on pre cut sheets, a micro fibre cloth, a decent squeegee applicator, a bottle containing application spray and comprehensive fitting instructions.

contents

How do I fit the InvisibleSHIELD?

The most important ingredient when applying any form of film body protection is patience!, which quite often precludes me from doing the job lol! As with all film applications you must also ensure that your device is completely free from any finger prints or dust contamination.

spray, cleaning cloth and applicator squeegee

Once the device is clean and you have washed your hands to remove any grease I suggest you start with the rear screen protector. Why?, well this is the easiest to fit and will give you a chance to hone your skills!
Remember that the InvisibleSHIELD has an adhesive on the reverse, hence the bottle of applicator fluid. This fluid allows you to apply the film and then move it on the iPhone 4 to ensure it is properly aligned.
Select the rear screen protector and remove the backing paper. Take the applicator bottle and spray the adhesive side of the protector with enough spray to ensure it is fully covered but without it being drenched. Make sure you also spray some of the contents on your fingers as this will prevent the film from sticking to you.
I always start at the bottom of my device when I attempt to line up the screen shield and as such it is a case of aligning the film with the bottom of the iPhone 4.

Now apply the film, adhesive side down, to the device. Do not worry if you encounter air bubbles as this is easily sorted. Whilst the film is moist you can move it on the iPhone so that it is perfectly aligned.
Once you are happy take the squeegee and gently squeeze the air bubbles by working them from the centre of the iPhone outwards. There may be odd, small bubbles left after this process, these will vanish in a day or so so don't worry. Now remove any excess fluid using the micro fibre cloth or some soft paper towel.

Now repeat this process with the front protector, take your time and make sure the protector is fully aligned.
The side and end films are a bit fiddly but easy enough if you keep your fingers moist with the spray solution. I suggest you do the easy side of the iPhone first. You will notice that all parts of the film are specifically cut for the edges and ends of the iPhone 4 so if it doesn't fit you have used the wrong bit!

Finally please remember to spray the film NOT the iPhone4!

Conclusions.

The Zagg InvisibleSHIELD certainly offers a serious amount of protection against scratches and if you are like me and have keys/coins in your trouser pockets, then it is a godsend.
The plus points for using it are the fact that your device isn't hidden away from view and is kept at its intended dimensions so there is no added bulk.
There are some negative points and from my point of view they are as follows. You cannot use any of the slim cases as the fit is too tight and will cause the film to bubble up and ultimately damage it beyond repair. You can use cases like the leather pouches and the flip style if you wish.
You will also notice a degree of "orange peeling" when your iPhone screen is off. This can be a little off putting but does not detract from its use.
Thirdly the Zagg InvisibleSHIELD is quite expensive but it is made of the highest quality materials.

Overall.

If I didn't use a case then I would have no hesitation in using the Zagg InvisibleSHIELD. I paid a lot of money for my iPhone 4 and I want to keep it looking its best. I like the fact that Zagg are a very established company who clearly know what the user wants in a film protector. The contents and instructions are top notch.
Application is so straight forward once you have got the knack, remember that patience over speed is the secret! The finished product is excellent and I personally don't mind the "orange peeling" effect.
I also like the fact that there is the 30 year warranty, this shows the confidence that Zagg have in the product.

I award this product a very healthy 8.5/10

Andy.

App review-Touch Retouch

2011-03-14T15:41:00.000+00:00

Hello again on a day dominated by the tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan. No words can really do justice to what is happening over there at this time, my thoughts go out to everyone involved.

Back to the purpose of today's post. How many of you regularly take photographs with your iPhones only to find out at a later date that there are plenty of unwanted additions to the image such as, advertising or random people that just spoil the picture? In the past the photo would probably have ended up being deleted but now there is an answer to this problem.

Touch Retouch-(29mb) 59p from the Apple App store.

Touch Retouch is an app that allows you to amend any image you have taken on your device and it really is very versatile.

Example.

I took this picture of the Grand Union canal and it is spoilt by the brick building in the distance. Using Touch Retouch I can now remove that building in a few easy steps.

Original image

Step 1.

By touching the "move" icon, a gold star next to the icon will highlight your choice of action, you can zoom into the building making the next step much easier. You zoom by using the normal, two finger, pinch and release gestures used in all apps.

"Move" selected and zoom used

Step 2.

Touch the "lasso" icon and place your finger over the building. You will notice a small box pop up within the image which allows you to see what is happening beneath your finger as you move it around the building. This is a really excellent idea and shows the amount of thought and design that has gone into making this app.
Move your finger around the building until it is fully highlighted.

"Lasso" selected and showing the "in image" pop up box

Step 3.

Once you are happy with the highlighted area touch the "go" icon and allow the app to re process the image.

building now highlighted and ready to be processed

Step 4.

Having touched the "go" icon wait a short time for image to be processed.

Image being processed

Final result.

As you can see, the building has now been removed and the image much improved!

Building removed!

You can now save your image back to the camera roll on the iPhone.

Image saved to camera roll

As you can see, by using Touch Retouch I have improved my original photograph in a few simple steps. The resulting image is, in my opinion, much better and far more attractive. I amended this picture using just one feature of the app, the lasso but there are three other features called, brush, clone stamp and eraser, all of which perform slightly different tasks. All four of the editing features are fully adjustable to make editing of your images completely flexible.

The possibilities are literally endless with this app. You can do as much or as little as an image requires, whether it be removing an object or simply touching up your loved ones face!!! Use this in conjunction with Photogene and you have everything you could possibly need for photo editing.

There are two in app "help" video's to help you get the best out of the software, I can recommend viewing them just to give you an idea of how the app functions.

Touch Retouch is easily picked up and fun to use. I consider it an essential for any of you that use your device to take photographs so what are you waiting for?!

I have no hesitation in awarding this little gem 5/5.

Andy.

iPhone 4 case review-SwitchEasy Vulcan

2011-03-11T18:17:00.000+00:00

Hi guys and gall's, I thought I would add a post now as I need cheering up having seen the England cricket team capitulate in the World Cup!

There is a huge range of iPhone 4 cases on the market and making the correct choice can be a bit over whelming. I generally buy my cases on recommendation which is why I provide so many reviews of these particular items.

Today I would like to introduce you to the,

SwitchEasy Vulcan.

SwitchEasy Vulcan for the iPhone 4

This case is available in black only and can be purchased from http://www.mobilefun.co.uk. It is priced at £20.37.

What's in the box?

Package contents

I think we are all used to manufacturers providing us with screen protectors etc but SwitchEasy have taken this one step further. Along side the case they also provide 2 front screen protectors, a micro fibre cleaning cloth, a screen protector application card and two 30 pin connector plugs as well as two 3.5 mm audio jack protector plugs. This is a brilliant idea and in use really does protect your device from dust etc.

The Vulcan.

The case is made of an ultra durable hydro polymer material ( SwitchEasy's words not mine!). This material feels like a very tough, heavyweight but flexible silicon that appears to be tear proof as well as extremely durable. The case is described as "ultra black" by the makers but this is misleading as it is very slightly translucent.

The Vulcan in use.

Fitting the case is very easy. As always I recommend fitting it button side first and then gently work the bevelled edges over your device. If you use a screen protector take your time working the edges of the case over to prevent the protector from bubbling.

If you choose to use the port protectors, the Vulcan offers a high degree of protection. The bevelled edges provide a good amount of "lay on the table" protection.

good "lay on the table" protection

In the hand the Vulcan feels very nice and the grip is excellent due to the nature of the silicon like material. Although the silicon does attract finger prints is is extremely scratch resistant and remains very smart looking. The case is very sleek and adds very little to the weight or size of your device.

The Vulcan has button covers for the volume controls and the on/off switch. These buttons are well made and very tactile when pressed, adding to the overall quality feel of the case.

volume control buttons

on/off button with audio jack "plugged"

The Vulcan also has good cut outs for the 30 pin dock connector and the camera and flash. I experienced no problems when taking pictures with my device.

30 pin dock connector cut out with plug in use

well designed camera and flash cut out

Everything about the SwitchEasy Vulcan shouts out "style" and the degree of protection is very good indeed. As an everyday case for "normal" use the Vulcan really is excellent.

Conclusion.

There is nothing to dislike about the SwitchEasy Vulcan. It is competitively priced, good looking and offers a good amount of day to day protection. In short it is a top quality product and as such I have no hesitation in recommending it to you.

I can happily give this case 5/5.

Andy.

iPhone 4 accessory review-Beats Tour earphones by dr.dre

2011-03-08T18:30:00.000+00:00

Hi again and what a gorgeous day it is. Bright sunshine, warm weather and the cricket World Cup going well, what more could a man ask for! Anyway back to the post, the weather will have to wait!

The iPhone 4 is an exceptional device but is sadly let down by terrible earphones. I know of very few people that use the OEM earphones beyond the first few days before they buy a decent set but the choice of after market earphones is huge and can be very confusing. I guess I am like a lot of people in so far as I generally go on recommendations.

Today I would like to introduce you to the,

Monster Beats Tour "in ear" earphones by dr.dre.

What's in the box?

The first thing you will notice about these earphones is the packaging which is incredible. A lot of time and effort has gone into the quality of the packaging and the contents do not let you down either.

a box full of goodies!

In addition to the earphones, Monster supplies you with a sturdy carry case, instructions and, other than the ear buds already fitted, there are an additional 5 pairs of buds to ensure you find a perfect fit. The attention to detail fills you with the confidence that you are dealing with a quality piece of hardware.

The earphones.

Monster Beats Tour earphones

The first thing you will notice about these earphones is the cable which is flat! Monster claim that the cable is tangle free and from my experience they are. The days of spending ages untangling a spiders web is certainly history with these earphones! The cable is also very generous in length being about 4 feet long from jack to speakers.

The earphones are very well made and a fair bit heavier than others I have tried. You can really feel the quality of the materials used and they look very smart in the black and red colour scheme. Whilst they are not noise isolating, once fitted correctly they certainly reduce any outside noise.

quality materials throughout

Each speaker is clearly marked and nicely finished with a silver chrome edging. A tip when trying out the different ear buds is to squeeze the foam, insert into the ear and allow the foam to expand within your ear. I do this each time I use any set of "in ear" earphones and it certainly helps with the fitting.

The earphones are also fitted with what is called ControlTalk. This is basically a hands free mic and control that is fitted so it falls close to hand. With ControlTalk you can answer calls and talk hands free. You can also pause, advance tracks and control the volume.

"ControlTalk"

Another nice feature of the Monster Beats Tour is the way the jack is angled at 45 degrees to the cord thus allowing for a flush fitting to your device. I have tried these earphones with a number of different cases and they have always fitted well.

angled jack

flush fitting even with a case

In use.

First off and as already mentioned is the fact that the Monster Beats Tours are heavy. This does sometimes give the feeling that they are about to fall out and as such I would not recommend them when "on the go". These earphones are most suited for home use where they perform extremely well.

The audio quality is excellent with the bass being deep and the treble crisp. The earphones certainly reproduced my music choices well throughout the volume settings with no noticeable distortion. I dare say if I had younger ears I could really get an acoustic thump going lol!

When not in use they store away nicely in the carry case provided.

carry case

Conclusion.

Overall the Monster Beats Tour earphones perform very well in certain environments. As mentioned, they are not really suitable for use when exercising etc due to the weight of the speakers.

All materials used are of a very high quality and the finish is second to none but this does come at a price to your pocket. The Monster Beats Tour retail at £139.99 which will immediately put them out of some budgets however they are available for considerably less if you are prepared to shop around.

Ear phones are very much an item of personal choice. What suits my ears may, very well be totally unsuitable for others so it is important to take the time to try different makes.

A final word of caution when buying these ear phones via the web. They are very widely copied, the fakes are very good. With that in mind please take the time to search on WWW.YouTube.com for various, informative videos on this particular problem.

I give these ear phones 4/5.

Andy

App review-Photogene

2011-03-03T15:06:00.000+00:00

Hello all and before I start I would just like to say a big thank you to those that support this blog. This week the site had it's 2000th visitor which is way more than I ever expected to get! I was looking at the stats the other day and I have had visits from all over the world. I forget that this is the "World Wide Web"!

It has been a busy week for Apple as they announced the roll out of the iPad 2 and, more importantly for us, the newest version of the iPhone 4 operating system. IOS version 4.3 will be available on March 11th so make sure you have all updated iTunes to 10.2 ready for the big day! I will, of course, bring you a comprehensive review of what is new with IOS 4.3.

Anyway back on topic. In my last review I promised that I would do a more thorough review of a couple of apps. Being a man of my word today I bring you one of those reviews. Today's review is on,

Photogene. 4.1mb and £1.19 from the Apple App store.

When I first got my iPhone 4 I spent a lot of time and a fair bit of money looking for a decent photo editing app. There are many such apps on the Apple App store and a majority of them were either way too complicated for me! or filled with features I would never use. However having spent a fair few hours using Photogene, I can honestly say it is the best app in its class that is currently available.

Photogene has every setting you can ever wish for when touching up pictures you have taken with your iPhone. It is very straight forward and brilliantly laid out making the job of editing pictures fun. If you couple that with the fact that the end results are more than acceptable what you have is the perfect bit of software.

I will run through each setting giving a brief description of what they do but remember that half the fun is trying different effects!

As seen in the image above, the login screen gives you three options. I generally don't edit my pictures at the time they are taken. I prefer to do it in comfort with a cuppa!

Once you have selected to load an image or take a picture, the said image will be loaded to a default screen with a list of icons on the left hand side.

default screen

If you hover your finger over the icons there is a text pop up which will tell you what each icon signifies. You can move the image anywhere on the screen and zoom or shrink using the 2 finger pinch gesture.

The first icon on the left is the crop feature.

Crop.

crop screen

When you crop an image you are basically removing areas of a picture you no longer wish to be included in the final result.

In the crop setting you can either elect to choose a preset or, more commonly chosen, choose to crop the image manually.

I always choose to manually crop my images and it is made so easy with Photogene. You will notice from the image above that there is a box which contains a lighter version of the image along with blue spots on each corner. Simply touch and drag the spots to choose the area you wish to work with. Cropping is made easier by the grid that pops up within the image. This grid is there to help you construct a well balanced picture.

Within the grid there is also a number which indicates what size resolution you are currently working with.

Once you are happy with your cropped image click on the crop button. Remember that no decision is final with Photogene. You can press the undo arrow, the reset button or the cancel button at anytime should you be unhappy with the result.

The next section is the rotate section.

Rotate.

rotate screen

In the rotate screen you can move the image around its vertical and horizontal axis as well as rotate the image by 90 degrees at a time either to the left or the right.

In addition you can also choose to straighten the picture, again there is a pop up grid to help you.

Now we are moving on to the fun part of the app. The next icon on the list is the filters icon.

Filters.

filter screen

It is at this point that you can really let the "creative juices" flow! Even I enjoy the following screens and I have zero artistic abilities!!

Your picture will default to the sharpen setting along with a slider bar. Sharpen does exactly what it says, it gives the picture more definition. Here is a handy tip, always zoom in to the area you wish to sharpen. In this case it will be the boat as this is the main object of this image, unless of course you want to concentrate on the canal bank!

Once I have zoomed in I will move the slider by very small increments until I am happy with the image. Remember there are no hard and fast rules when editing a picture. What I may find acceptable will look completely wrong to someone else.

Once you are happy you can then select more filter effects by touching the sharpen box. This will bring up 7 more choices including pencil, blur and black and white.

more filter choices

Again you can play around with these settings to get the image of your choice. Again please remember that nothing is final. You can change your mind and roll back at any time so don't be afraid to experiment.

The next icon is for the colour adjust setting.

Colour adjust.

colour adjust screen

This screen looks a little more complicated but it isn't. Within colour adjust there are many settings to make improvements to contrast, colour saturation, colour temperature etc.

If you wish you can click the auto button where available or, if like me, you can have a "play" with each of the level settings. It is surprising by how much you can improve the original image using the colour adjust and some really good results are possible, particularly if you are using a black and white image.

The next icon in the list is for the symbols setting.

Symbols.

symbols screen

The symbols screen allows you to insert any one of a variety of speech bubbles. Now this is not really necessary as an image improvement but it can make for some funny pictures none the less.

All of the text bubbles are configurable on screen, you can alter the colour and border as well as the text from here.

symbol screen

As I have already mentioned, using your imagination and the available choices can produce some really funny results. This is a setting I have really started to use when editing family and friends images!!

The next icon in the list is for the frames settings.

frames screen

This setting allows you to apply a choice of frame should you so wish. As with the other settings, Photogene provides a really good selection of frames and frame effects. Sometimes adding a frame can really set the image off well.

In addition to frames you can also select different back ground colours, which again can make a real difference to the finished image.

background setting

That is the last of the image editing features. The last icon gives you a variety of choices as to what you want to do with the finished image.

last screen

From here you can choose to save the image to the iPhones photo albums. You also have a choice of image size and resolution. You can also upload the image to your FaceBook, Twitter or Flicker account or email it.

Conclusions.

I really do like Photogene. It is a cracking piece of software that is well supported by its makers. There have already been a number of excellent updates which are free and indications are that it will stay that way.

For the money I have yet to see better on the Apple App store but I have definitely seen and used worse.

The interface for this app is clean and easily understood and the final results are very good, even to my untrained eye!

I give Photogene 5/5 it really is that good.

Hopefully some of you will give it a go, you never know I may even see the results one day on the interweb!!

Andy

Hot Apps

2011-03-01T20:06:00.000+00:00

Hi there and I hope you are all well and rested after the half term break last week. My wife and I went to stay at The Lifeboat Inn in Thornham, Norfolk last week. Despite the weather we had a great time and the break was just what we both needed.

Today I will introduce you to five apps that I think you will like. With so many to choose from, over 250,000 on the Apple App store, it can be difficult to find the good ones and I often read reviews like this before making the choices myself.
Included in the description is the size of the app so you are aware of how much disk space theses apps will use.
All the apps I review on this site I use personally and whilst I will generally introduce the good ones I will, from time to time, warn you against apps I think are a waste of money.
Anyway back on topic and to let you know that all the following are available from the Apple App store. The first app I will start with is,

The FreeAppADay.com (5.3mb) free download

FAAD icon

FAAD is an app that looks for free apps on the Apple App store. It is updated daily and in general it offers 5 or 6 apps at a time. It also looks for apps that are available at a reduced price but I tend to wait until they are free!
A majority of the apps are available from both the US and UK app stores and are only available for 24 hours a time.
I check with FAAD daily and have come across some real bargains since I have been using it.

today's free apps

FAAD is simple to use and once on the selection screen you side scroll through the daily choices. There is a preview screen which gives a more detailed description and it links directly to the official Apple App store for downloading.
Don't expect to find apps you want on a daily basis but you can usually find a few during the week that are worth looking at.

The next app on my list is called,

TechUpdate (3.9mb) 59p

TechUpdate icon

TechUpdate gives you access to over 27 tech based blog sites from one app. Before I used this app I had at least 6 separate apps on my device but since using this they have all been deleted.
TechUpdate gives you access to all the popular sites such as Engadget, MacRumours, Mashable and Apple Insider etc and all are updated regularly so the news is literally "hot off the press"!

default main screen

more choices

There is an added bonus with this app in so much that, even when it is closed, it will update in the background and the content is viewable without access to the Internet.

The main screen is fully editable so you can easily set it up with your favourite blog sites on one page.

configuration page

This is an app I consider to be essential if you like to stay abreast of what is new. I like the layout and the ease of use, even an old git like me can use it! Well worth the 59p and a has a permanent place on my device.

The next app is called,

System Manager (2.9mb) free

System Manager icon

System Manager is an app that allows you to manage all the active processes on your iPhone.

It is beautifully laid out with visual references for items such as disk space, battery condition, active processes etc.

I use this a lot and have found it to be invaluable when I want to monitor how much free disc space I have left. It also gives you full information about the device such as its ID and network connections etc.

disc space page

This also has a little gem that really does improve your devices performance.

There will be many times when you find that your iPhone feels laggy in performance, even when you have closed down all inactive apps. Well with System Manager you can go one stage further by manually refreshing the amount of free RAM that is available.

If you refresh prior to playing games or using one of the more memory intensive apps you will find that your iPhone runs a lot smoother.

RAM page

There is a host of useful and interesting information stored on this app as well as tips on improving battery life and performance.

This is another app I use daily and whilst some may be scared off by its apparent "geekiness", let me say that by just using the RAM refresh your iPhone experience will be vastly improved.

We are now down to the final two apps for today. I intend to do a full review of both of these in the next few days because they are, in my opinion, two of the most essential apps currently available.

The first of these is,

WhatsApp Messenger (6.1mb) 59p

WhatsApp Messenger icon

This is a cross platform, smartphone messenger. By using this brilliant app you can text anyone who has a smart phone whether its an iPhone, Android, Nokia or Blackberry and this is done without having to have to log in or have an easily forgotten user name and password.

chat screen

WhatsApp Messenger has a multitude of uses. You can group chat, send audio messages and send video or picture images for free. In other words wave goodbye to paying for SMS messages when you use this app!

choices, choices!

This app is a pleasure to use. It is nicely laid out and easily configurable to your choice. I use it daily and can even chat with my friends who were stupid enough not to buy the iPhone!

The final bonus to this app is that you will incur no charges even if you are using it with someone who is abroad!

OK we are down to the final app in this article.

There are so many photo editing apps available that I found it very difficult to settle on one alone. I have tried them all, literally and have come to the conclusion that the following is the best. The app in question is,

Photogene (4.1mb) £1.19

Photogene icon

If you enjoy taking photos and tinkering about with the images on your iPhone then Photogene is the app for you.

Unlike many of the leading competitors, this app is intuitively laid out, easy to pick up and learn and the end results are excellent.

Photogene allows you to perform all the necessary changes to images such as crop, rotate, straighten, sharpen etc. You can post your finished picture on Facebook and Twitter amongst just some of the choices.

The interface is clean and very user friendly with a little practise you will make improvements to your pictures you thought were not possible.

Below are images of just some of the various settings available to the user.

As I have already mentioned, I will be doing a more in depth review of this app later this week but suffice to say that if you purchase Photogene you will not be disappointed.

I hope this post has given you some good ideas of just some of the excellent apps available. I have collected hundreds so if you have a question about an app not covered in this post, feel free to leave your question in the comments box.

Andy

Type Top Bluetooth Mini Keyboard Case for the iPhone 4

2011-02-18T18:51:00.000+00:00

Hello again and I cannot believe that another week has literally flown by! I don't know about you lot but doesn't Xmas seem an age ago?

Today I am going to do another product review for an item that seems to becoming ever more popular. The item in question is the,

Type Top Bluetooth Mini Keyboard Case for the iPhone 4.

The Type Top Case

The Type Top Case (abbreviated lol!) is a leather case that comes with a removable mini, bluetooth keyboard and is available from this blogs sponsor, MobileFun and is competatively priced at £29.95. It is only available in black. It fills the gap in the market for those of us who still like the feel of a traditional keyboard, particularly when composing long emails or notes etc.

What's in the box?

The product consists of the case, the keyboard, a USB to mini USB lead for charging the keyboard, a screen protector and a set of simple instructions.
The Type Top is a flip style, leather case which is very well made and will certainly protect your phone from minor impacts and scratches. It is purpose designed for the iPhone 4.
The case is fitted with a built in stand and a magnetic fastener, the stand is really handy for the times when you are sat at a desk. When not in use it simply folds away and is secured at the rear of the case magnetically.

The case showing the stand and camera cut out

The case has a good size cut out for the camera and flash and is also well designed, allowing easy access to the iPhones controls.

Easy access to the volume and silence controls

The iPhone is fitted to the case by gently pushing it into a snap fitting. As always I recommend you fit the device button side first and, when fitting your device into the case, take care as it is an extremely snug fit. There is definately no danger of the iPhone falling out of this case!
One note of caution when removing your iPhone, do so by gently prizing one side of the snap fitting away from the device. It took me a little while to find the easiest way of removing the iPhone due to the snug fitting!

The bluetooth keyboard is only 11.4cm in length and weighs in at a tiny 45g. It is easily fitted into the case by sliding it into its frame.
The keyboard has a built in rechargeable battery so draws no power from your iPhone. The battery lasts 100 hours between charges which is more than ample.

How does it perform?

The bluetooth keyboard is a little gem. The buttons are rubberised and have a lovely, tactile feel to them. They may look a little small but even my "manly" sized fingers can cope easily!

Keyboard

It is full QWERTY with additional, multimedia buttons so music playback and watching videos is a breeze. The keyboard is charged using the USB to mini USB lead that is provided. It has a small on/off switch and also an auto off function which is very handy. It takes about 3 hours to fully charge from fully discharged.
The case is a little bulky, as one would expect, but all in all the user experience is surprisingly good with the keyboard performing flawlessly.
For those of you who would prefer a different style, the Type Top is also available in QWERTZ (German) or AZERTY (French).
The integral stand is a great idea when sat at the desk typing or watching a video, it just shows how much thought has been put into this case.

Stand in use

Overall

The Type Top Bluetooth Mini Keyboard Case does exactly what it says on the tin and does it well. For the price, it should make a welcome addition to anyone's case collection.

I give this case a blistering 9/10!

Andy

App of the week-Where to?

2011-02-16T14:45:00.000+00:00

Hello again. I hope you are all well and having a good week whatever you are doing.

In the past I have done App reviews, hopefully you find them useful. The Apple App store has in excess of 250k Apps available for download so choosing a decent one can be a real headache. I will only preview ones that I like personally and here is an App that has caught my eye.

Today I want to introduce you to Where to? , an App produced by Future Tap and available for download for £1.79.

Where To?

What is Where To?

Where To? is a travel and information app although it is stored under navigation in the App store.

What does it do?

Where to? will help you find any sort of service from hotels to fishmongers! It provides the name, address, telephone number, map and route to it from your location. It currently has in excess of 2k of stored services and also includes a search feature should you want to find something really obscure! Now this app sounds like it could be really confusing but that is not the case. It functions and looks brilliant.

Key feature.

Search.

Where To? searches from this excellent wheel type icon.

search page

Highlight the "categories" tab and it will bring up this screen, each of the 11 icons is a sub menu. For example I am looking for dog kennels so I click on the "services" spanner which brings up a list of different types of service, all listed alphabetically. You can also do a direct search by highlighting the magnifying glass icon top left and typing in "Kennels" in the search box if you prefer.

I scroll down to "kennels",

"services" sub menu

and click on "Kennels".

Kennels listing

This brings up the Kennels listing and starts with those closest to your location.
I have decided to look at the first in the list so click on Debdale Grange,

details page

This page tells me that Debdale Grange is 2.4 miles, "as the crow flies", from my current location and provides all the relevant details. At this point you can choose to add the Kennels to your iPhone phonebook, share on Facebook, Twitter or send the details by text or email. You can also look at a map, or ask for directions. You can also use the phone number from this page by clicking on it.

I have decided I want to see where it is on the map so I click on the "Open in Maps" tab which brings up a Google Earth map and shows where the Kennels are,

map screen

I now select "directions" which brings up a route map.

route map

The "route map" tells me it will take 10 minutes to reach the destination by car, I'm not fit enough to walk there lol!

If I click on start it will take me to the navigation screen,

navigation screen

I can now follow the directions which are very detailed. You can also scroll through the entire journey using the arrow icons at the top of the screen and it will bring up screens like this,

route screen

Because "Where To?" uses Google Earth you can even view your final destination!

final destination!

As you can see, "Where To?" provides all the details you could possibly wish for, I even defy my Mother In Law to get lost whilst using this brilliant app!

"Where To?" also has a Virtual Reality setting, ideal for finding stores in a busy shopping centre. This is purchasable "in app" for only 59 pence.

Overall

"Where To" is a well designed, well thought out app that is really interesting to use. It gives you invaluable information, lets face it, it costs less than half a pint of lager! Two phone calls to directory enquiries and you have covered your costs.

I have used it a few times now, without fault.

This is a brilliant travel companion and for the price, can you really afford not to have it?

I give "Where To?" a thoroughly deserved 9/10.

Andy

Item review - Flexishield Wave case for the iPhone 4

2011-02-11T16:06:00.001+00:00

Hello again on what is a really nice, almost spring like afternoon! It wont be long until we have the light nights and warm days and I for one cannot wait!

Today's post is a review of another case. The amount of new cases coming onto the market is amazing and I am really grateful to Natalie and the guys at MobileFun.co.uk for providing me with some to review. Hopefully these reviews will help as a guide to the better ones out there, but I also appreciate that cases are very much a matter of personal taste.

Today's case on review is the,

Flexishield Wave case for the iPhone 4.

Flexishield Wave case

This case is a cracker and is available from MobileFun.co.uk for the amazing price of £9.99.

What's in the box?

Unlike many manufacturers who provide a goody bag, this case comes on it's own. For the price I cannot complain and read on because this is probably one of the best, value for money, cases currently available.

Description.

The Flexishield Wave is very stylish in design and is made of two materials. The clear part is made of a very sturdy polycarbonate whilst the rest is made of a gel like silicon rubber. This silicon is extremely grippy and has a very nice feel to it. I cannot foresee anyone dropping their iPhone through losing their grip. Flexishield have even provided a pitted grip area to both sides which makes dropping the device even less likely!

The Flexishield Wave has well designed cut outs for the iPhones buttons and ports and is slim enough that using a third party set of earphones will not cause any problems. The camera and flash cutout will cause no problems when taking pictures.

Base of the iPhone showing 30 pin dock connector plug

Volume controls and silent switch

Camera and flash cutout

Using the Flexishield Wave case.

If, like me, you use a screen protector then you need to take your time when installing your iPhone as I found that the case did cause a little bubbling around the edges of the protector. This wasn't a big issue for me but I did install my device with care.
I always fit my iPhone "button side" first as I find this the easiest way. Once fitted I spent a minute making sure that the edges of the case were all fitting correctly.
The iPhone is certainly very snug once in the case, there is no fear of the device falling out!

You may have noticed that I use a 30 pin connector plug which is available, for very little cost, from that famous, online retailer! These plugs prevent dust and such like from getting into the iPhone, I also use a 3.5mm audio jack plug for the same reason.

From the pictures you will see that the case really does show the iPhone off well. The clear section has a really nice design to it and people often ask what case it is when I use it.

The Flexishield Wave case provides a certain amount of "lay on the table" design which is always a welcome feature. For those who don't know what "lay on the table" means, it means that the case has a slight "lip" to the front which raises the screen from the table and prevents it from getting scratched.

"lay on the table" design

As I have mentioned, the case has a really nice, grippy feel to it. It certainly feels nice in the hand. The materials used will provide a reasonable amount of protection to the iPhone, the case also feels very durable.

Overall.

I really like the Flexishield Wave case. It is certainly very attractive and sets the iPhone off really well. Not only is it stylish, it is also a protective case. Whilst not in the league of some of the "ballistic" style cases, with normal use your iPhone will be well protected.
For £9.99 I was not expecting much and I was pleasantly surprised. Hats off to Flexishield for this one!

I give the case 4.5/5.

Just a reminder guys. If you want to see a seriously good collection of iPhone 4 cases then click on the highlighted link.

Andy

Item review-Cellular Line Retractable Car Charger

2011-02-09T13:03:00.001+00:00

Good morning one and all. I hope I find you all fit and well and looking forward to whatever challenges await this year!
In this post I intend to ease myself back into writing by reviewing a simple yet great item which possibly has the longest name! The item in question is the,

Cellular Line Retractable Car Charger

Cellular Line Retractable Car Charger

In car chargers are, in my opinion, an essential item these days particularly for anyone who is a heavy iPhone user. There is nothing worse than getting halfway through the day only to find your device is nearly out of charge. The Cellular Line Retractable Car Charger is available from MobileFun.co.uk and is priced at £10.18.

What's in the box?

Straight out of the box

The Cellular Line Retractable car charger comes nicely packaged and other than the charger, it comes with a set of user instructions. However the device is so simple to use these instructions should not be required!

What makes this charger so different from all the others?

Now most of us that have used in car chargers will know that they can be a real nuisance when not in use. The cable invariably tangles with the contents of the vehicles glove box, or wherever else it is stored. This is where this charger stands out as the charging lead is retractable at the touch of a button thus making it a lot easier to store between uses.

In addition to the retractable lead, this charger can be used in either 12v or 24v sockets so this covers most, if not all vehicles. It is also has auto shut down thus turning itself off once your device is fully charged.

The lead partially extended

The charger in use.

To use, one simply plugs it into the vehicles electrical socket. Then pull the lead to the required length, plug into your iPhone or iPod. Once connected the LED shines bright blue.
Once your device is fully charged, simply unplug and then press the charger button located next to the LED light. The lead will retract very quickly so my advice is to hold it as you press the button thus allowing the lead to retract slowly and preventing any damage to the charger or your fingers!

Overall impressions.

The Cellular Line Retractable Car Charger is made of a sturdy plastic. It is stylish and very well constructed and with normal use, should last for years.
It stands out from other chargers due to the retractable charging lead, which is a brilliant feature.
Overall I would give this item 5/5.

For those of you who use, have access to the HTC Wildfire, why not check out this link for a great range of chargers for your device.

HTC Wildfire Chargers

Andy

I'm back!

2011-02-03T13:46:00.000+00:00

Hello all and a very happy, if somewhat belated New Year!

I have been absent for about 6 weeks and there is a story behind it so read on lol!

Last December I was due to go into Hospital for surgery on my neck. For a few weeks prior to this I had felt really grotty and a week before my hospital stay I went down with the flu. No not "man flu" but the pucker version! My GP sent me home and for a week I was in a different world and it was not a pleasant place to be!

Fortunately I was well enough to go from my "death bed" at home to a hospital bed at the Oxford Radcliffe Infirmary, well if you call that fortunate lol! This was for surgery to remove a disc from my neck and various bits of bone that were pinching my spinal chord! This is in relation to an accident I had in 1998 and was the second time I have had this particular op. I have shrunk by about 3 inches due to losing most of the discs in my neck!

I went in on 23rd December, yes how lucky was I!, and was released on 24th in time for Xmas. However my Xmas was spent sleeping off the anaesthetic and feeling rather grim.
The recovery for this operation takes time and it is only really today that I have felt well enough to sit at my PC. Six weeks worth of emails to sort out has had me swearing a fair bit!

Anyway enough about me. I hope you all had a great Xmas and were lucky in the "gifts received" department.

I shall be back posting regularly again, if any of you have items you would like me to consider etc then please let me know.

Case review-Case Mate Vroom for the iPhone 4

2010-12-14T20:49:00.000+00:00

Hi again on what is a milestone for my blog. Today I got to 1000 viewings, so that's 999 from me and thank you to the other person! Seriously I never considered the amount of hits my blog would get, although I do know that the blog subject is popular, so a big thank you to all who have spared the time to read my ramblings lol!

Tonight I will be doing another case review but was wondering how many cases the average iPhone 4 user owns. It would be interesting to know who has the most cases and the numbers involved, my best guesstimate would be well over 100. If any of you own a large amount of cases why not let me know.

Ok back on track and tonight's review is on the Case Mate Vroom which is available from MobileFun.co.uk and is very reasonably priced at £12.95.

Case Mate Vroom

Now first off you will notice the name, which in my opinion is rubbish. I think the marketing dept at Case Mate must have been on a late night session when they came up with this name but it is even worse when you see the reverse of the case!

the back of the Vroom!

Yes it resembles a tyre tread but come on guys, surely you can do better than Vroom!

What's in the box?

Case Mate are very good in this department as, yet again, they provide a screen protector, applicator card and very good sized micro fibre cloth in addition to the case itself. Other manufacturers please take note!

Description.

The Case Mate Vroom is a single piece case made of a very high grade silicon. The unique aspect of this case is the tyre tread pattern on the rear which is actually very accurate. To be fair I have seen cars on the road with less tread than this case but that's another story!
As with all Case Mate cases I have seen or tried personally, all the relevant cut outs are in the correct place and very neatly done. You will have no worries about operating the iPhone 4 with this case so well done Case Mate in this department.

Lens and flash cut out

sleep button, audio port and secondary mic cut out

30 pin dock connector

volume control and vibrate switch

good lay on the table design

Using the Case Mate Vroom

The Vroom is one of the easiest cases to install, a real plus point. Due to the quality of the silicon it really does provide excellent impact protection. Another feature so often overlooked is the lay on the table design. As you can see from the image above, the Case Mate Vroom offers excellent protection in this department. As always, I use a screen protector with this case. Unfortunately that is where the good points end for this case and on this I will elaborate.

I found the silicon to be very slippery to the touch, in an odd way it even felt slimey. This feeling is made worse by wet hands and I would not trust myself not to do a good impression of trying to hold a bar of soap! Yes the back of the case has a substantial amount of grip but the sides seemed to have been overlooked. In addition to this I found the case really difficult to extract from my trouser pockets. I know this is in contradiction to how the case feels, but it really seems to snag on cotton pocket liners.
The final annoyance with the Vroom is the amount of dust and grease from my hands it seems to attract. Now I don't have greasy hands, or at least my wife has never mentioned it lol, but just holding the case I seemed to transfer lots and lots of pale marks. The dust it attracts is really bad, it's a real "lint" magnet and after a few hours use I thought the case looked really "tatty".

Overall.

Case Mate are a premiere case manufacturer so the Case Mate Vroom came as a real surprise. I would prefer to see the case made a 2 part with a plastic outer, this would fix all the problems. I won't be using the Vroom again, unfortunately it is destined for the "odds and sods" drawer at home ready to give out as a gift to someone!!!!!(just kidding).
Overall I give this case a 3/10 and just think that Case Mate had a bad day when they drew this one up.

I will be back later this week, hopefully with my Xmas shopping done, so until then stay safe and warm,

Andy

App of the week-Fizz Weather.

2010-12-11T22:08:00.000+00:00

Good evening guys and gals, hope you have had a good day. To those of you who have done your Xmas shopping today I say, "would you do mine please" as I have yet to start! I usually leave it to the last moment and then panic but I WILL do mine this week coming! I also know what day I won't be doing my shopping because the weather forecast is terrible. So how do I know this fact?

Well I don't have access to any weather super computer but I do have an excellent weather app called,
Fizz Weather which is available from the app store and costs £2.39.

If you are anything like me, you will have tried a whole host of different weather apps, some free and some paid. Most I have tried have been rubbish, either very inaccurate or prone to crashing but Fizz Weather has proved to be totally reliable and also very accurate.

Fizz Weather

What is Fizz Weather?

Developed by Fizz Software Ltd, it is a weather app that encompasses so many features it will keep even the most critical of users completely satisfied. Fizz Weather is a feature packed weather application which uses local weather stations, situated at airports, to provide a very accurate weather forecast.

How do I use Fizz Weather?

Firstly it has access to over 58,000 cities globally and it is one of the few that located the village where I live. You can either search manually or allow the app to search using the iPhone 4 GPS. I searched manually and within seconds it located my village. It also located 8 airports within a fairly close proximity, all of which provide weather forecasts used by the app.
Set up was easy for me as I don't travel much. I simply set it for my village, changed 1 or 2 features in the settings tab and I was ready to use it.
If you are a traveller both nationally and internationally, you can select and store a number of locations as well as the default. Selecting a stored location is easy within the menu.

What does Fizz Weather report?

It provides the user with a huge range of choices. Everything is done by a very slick, touch screen UI which is extremely user friendly. Below are just a few of the huge range of features that this app gives the user.

It will provide the current weather forecast.

current weather report

This page shows wind speed, wind direction, visibility, barometric pressure, humidity in %, sunrise and sunset times as well as the airports providing the forecast. Graphically it is very easy to understand but a nice touch is it displays either the sun or moon, dependant on the time of day, with appropriate weather graphics. This is also the default report screen for any of the huge range of forecasts.

It will provide a 2 day forecast.

2 day forecast

The 2 day forecast is self explanatory. You can tap on the mini icons to get the default weather screen with all the relevant information.

You also get a 5 day, 7 day and 15 day chart which are used in the same way. With these 3 settings you also get access to mini charts which show a variety of important information such as temperature, rainfall and wind speed trends.

Showing "mini chart"

If you turn the iPhone 4 horizontally you get the full screen weather charts.

full screen temperature chart

full screen rainfall chart.

You also get maps and satellite screens, there is a radar screen but that does not work in the UK at the moment.

map screen

satellite screen

There are more features including information about flights from major airports but I think you get the picture.

Overall user experience.

For such a feature filled app, Fizz Weather is an absolute breeze to use. The UI is totally intuitive and probably the best I have seen on any weather app.
Whilst this app reports on a whole host of weather information, that information is very easy to understand. The weather forecast is very accurate and I find myself turning to this app on a daily basis, particularly with the extremes of weather we get in the UK at this time of year!

So there you have it. A cracking app which I consider to be a "must have" on your device. Download it, you won't be disappointed! This app scores a maximum 5/5.

I will be back soon with another review so until then, stay warm and safe.

Andy

What's in the news?

2010-12-09T20:01:00.000+00:00

Hello once again, I hope you are all well. I thought I would add an extra feature to my blog. This will be in the form of a weekly iPhone news bulletin. I am doing this because, at the moment, I have to read through around 9 different web sites in order to get all the relevant information. I think it is a lot easier to read the news from one location so from now on I will do a weekly news post towards the end of each week.

ETA for white iPhone 4.

There have been a lot of rumblings across the various boards this week in relation to the white iPhone 4. The general consensus of opinion is that it will not be released in the US until February at the earliest and even later in the UK. I am sorry to bring this news to those of you who are waiting.

IOS 4.3 is imminent.

This is quite a surprise considering we have only just had the latest Operating System upgrade. The release of IOS 4.3 looks likely to be early next week (week commencing Monday 13th December 2010). As yet there is no mention of the contents of this next upgrade other than the News based apps being run on a subscription base. I was hoping for more in the way of Air Print compatible printers but it looks as if I will have to wait.

iTunes US improvments.

iTunes (US) have increased the song preview length from 30 seconds to 90 seconds. This is a really nice change, lets face it you can't really preview a new song in 30 seconds. As is per the norm, the iTunes UK site has yet to be amended.

Infinity Blade released!

Wednesday night saw the release of the much hyped game , Infinity Blade. This is the first in a line of games to utilise the brilliant Epic Unreal 3 game engine. I downloaded it in the early hours of this morning and spent a few minutes messing around. As promised the graphics are amazing, below are 2 screen shots I took in game.

screen shot taken in game

I will do a full review of Infinity Blade in the next few weeks but early impressions are that graphically the game is going to be a benchmark for all future games. I never thought the day would come where I would be playing a game on a mobile phone where reflections and textures are so life like.
Infinity Blade is available on the App store and is priced at £3.49.

Well that is the news! I will be back over the weekend with another review so until then, stay safe and warm,

Andy

Item review-Case Mate Tough Case for the iphone 4

2010-12-08T19:22:00.000+00:00

Evening guys hope you are well. No doubt everyone is thoroughly fed up with the weather now, I know I am. On a positive note, with each passing post we are one day closer to Spring time!!!

Tonight I thought I would do another case review. This time the case in question is the,

Case Mate "tough" case for the iphone 4. RRP £27.95.

Case Mate Tough

What's in the box?

The Case Mate is a "two part case" and comes nicely packaged. In addition to the case itself Case Mate supply a complementary pack which contains a front screen protector, an applicator card for the protector and a really decent sized micro fibre cloth. It is always nice when manufacturers include these items because they are always very useful. The case itself is only available in black although it is described as grey in the literature.

What is in the box!

Product description.

As mentioned, the Case Mate Tough is a "two part" case. The inner is a very soft silicon whilst the outer shell is made of a very tough and durable ABS type plastic. The outer has a very nice "grippy" texture with the Case Mate logo, it is very comfortable to hold and won't slip out of a "wet hand".
The inner silicon section will provide a very high level of shock and impact protection, the outer will certainly withstand a decent amount of knocks and bangs. As with all cases I will never volunteer my device for a "drop test" lol!
The Case Mate Tough looks quite similar to the Otterbox Commuter case that I reviewed recently however it will provide more in the way of protection in my opinion.

inner section

outer shell

Installation.

This case is one of the easier of the "two part" cases that I have used. The inner silicon section is very easy to fit, the outer shell is no different. Once assembled the iphone fits very snug and gives the user a great deal of confidence that the device is very well protected.

Performance.

Once assembled the Case Mate Tough will provide plenty in the way of protection. Both sections are really well designed, the cut outs are in the correct place. The sleep and sound control buttons are covered by the silicon inner section but react well when pressed.

volume control

The 3.5mm audio cut out allows easy access of an audio jack, as with all cases it pays to make sure that any after market earphones fit correctly.

sleep button and audio/secondary mic cut out

At the base of the case there is a large cut out for the 30 pin dock connector, primary microphone and speaker. As with virtually every case I have used the iphone 4 will not fit into any desktop charger I own however it is not difficult to disassemble to do so.

30 pin connector, mic and primary speaker cut out

The Case Mate Tough also provides a lot of "lay on the table" protection. This is where the front lip of the case is deep enough to ensure that the device glass will not touch a flat surface when laid face down.
The cut out for the rear camera and flash is very generous, there are no problems when taking photographs or video whilst using this case.

Overall impressions.

I really like the Case Mate Tough. It offers a high degree of protection without being bulky. I like the way the case fits together and the texture of the outer shell is nice in the hand. I also found it to be aesthetically pleasing (wow big word Andy!)!
The Case Mate Tough is available from MobileFun and whilst it is not the cheapest on the market, it is very competitively priced in its particular standing as a "medium to high" protection case.
I give the Case Mate Tough a very strong 4/5, the only down side is the price, I can thoroughly recommend it if you need a real "work horse" of a case.

I will be back later in the week so until then, stay safe and warm,

Andy.

App review-Internet Radio Box.

2010-12-06T21:38:00.001+00:00

Hi there one and all and what a cold night again. I just took a peek outside and realised that I am becoming soft in my old age as I really hate being cold!
Tonight I thought I would do a review of an app I found on Saturday. I spend quite a bit of my free time looking at various apps and this one caught my eye and I thought I would share it with you. The app in question is called,

Internet Radio Box

Internet Radio Box

There are no prizes for guessing what this app does I'm afraid, even I would guess correctly!
Internet Radio Box is an Internet radio application and, until today, it was free however it will now cost you 59p from the App store. Even so it is a bargain.,
There are, what seems like, dozens of similar apps available for download. I only downloaded this because it was free but first impressions are very good.

Key Features

Over 40,000 stations

Radio Box supports many formats including MP3, AAC(+) and WMA.
The play back quality from the stream is excellent.

Supports 3G, EDGE and Wi-Fi.
Use WiFi wherever possible because it is free and unless you have an unlimited data plan with your service provider the data usage over 3G and EDGE is very high.

Supports Multitasking.
This is a very handy setting. Listen to your favourite music whilst doing something else on the iphone 4. Not all radio apps support this.

iphone 4 Retina Display Support.
The UI is really nice and looks great, thus enhancing the user experience.

Sleep Timer.
A self explanatory feature.

RadioDeck directory.
Browse for your favourite channel by Genre, Country, Most Popular Station, or search.

RadioDeck Options

Built in WWW browser.
With media detection. Also has direct access to Facebook and Twitter.

Built in Data Monitor.
Allows you to keep tabs on your usage!

Data Monitor

Those are just some of the features, there are many more including offline favourite management etc.

Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed using this little app. I have found some of the more "offbeat" Channels via the search function and so far it has not let me down.
The music playback is of the highest quality either via the iphone 4 built in speakers or via earphones. Another nice touch is that the name of the song and artist are displayed along with an option to purchase the track from iTunes.

I give Internet Radio Box a 5/5 rating not only for it's price but also for the quality of music and choice of stations. Well worth the 20mb it will take up on your device so give it a try.

I will be back later this week with another item review so until then, stay warm and safe,

Andy.

Item review-Cygnett OpticClear Screen Protector for the iphone 4

2010-12-04T20:57:00.000+00:00

Hi again. Hope your weekend is going well, if you are a cricket fan then its going very well!

Tonight I thought I would introduce you to a very important piece of kit for your iphone 4 and that is screen protectors.
Screen protectors are hardly the stuff of exciting reviews but, because they are overlooked, they are often forgotten until it's too late.
Imagine taking your iphone 4 out of a pocket to find there is a huge scratch to the glass surface. Chances are the scratch is permanent and could have been avoided by using a screen protector.
I have tried a few screen protectors, some are good but some are very poor. The poor ones are difficult to install, have nightmare bubbles that are impossible to get rid off and, worst of all, seem to attract fingerprints from everywhere.
Later in this post I will give you a few simple tips that will help with installation but first I would like to introduce you to the,

Cygnett OpticClear Antiglare Screen Protector for the iphone 4. These cost £12.95 and are available from www.MobileFun.co.uk.

Now I appreciate that some may say that £12.95 is a lot of money for screen protectors. Six months ago I would have agreed, particularly when you can buy screen protectors for around the £3 mark from a famous Internet auction site but, you really do get what you pay for.

The Cygnett OpticClear come neatly packaged, the package contains 3 front and 1 rear protector as well as a micro fibre cleaning cloth and an applicator card.

package and contents

Installation of the OpticClear protectors was easy and stress free. Both front and rear were applied in around 10 minutes in total. Any small air bubbles were easily removed.

The relevant cut outs for camera, flash etc were in the correct place and neatly done. I bought some from that famous site I mentioned, the cut outs looked like they had been done with blunt scissors!

Once on I did notice slight granulation of the screens images but it in no way subtracted from the pleasure using the iphone 4.

There is no interference with the iphones touch screen responsiveness and in fact using the touch screen is a real pleasure as my fingers slide really nicely over it.

In other, cheap protectors, finger prints can be a real menace. With the OpticClear I find I have very few to worry about, one wipe with a micro fibre cloth and the screen stays clean for what seems like ages.

The OpticClear are anti glare which works extremely well, the screen is visible in even the worst of light conditions.

iphone with Cygnett OpticClear screen protector fitted.

rear of iphone with Cygnett OpticClear fitted

As you will see from the two images above, which were taken with the flash enabled on my camera, there is very little glare from the flash. Pretty impressive.

There is not much more I can say about these screen protectors, other than they come with a 2 year manufacturers warranty and work very well.

I give these 5/5 and thoroughly recommend them.

Installation tips.

As promised here are a few tips that I swear by when installing screen protectors.

1. The iphone must be absolutely spotless, any bit of dust no matter how tiny WILL cause bubbles.

2. Lie the iphone on a lint free cloth to avoid scratching it.

3. Put one index finger in a cup of clean water and then smear the water gently all over the screen prior to installing the protector. The water should literally be a "smear" you MUST NOT soak your device!

4. I always work from top to bottom.

5. Peel about 3 inches of backing tape away from the protector.

6. Align the protector with the camera, flash and proximity sensor.

7. Gently smooth and work the applicator card from side to side whilst pulling the remainder of the backing tape off.

8. Because there is a little moisture you can, if needed, slide the protector to line it up.

9. Gently, using the applicator card, work any bubbles outwards to the edges of the device.

10. Lastly, gently pull the front protector tape from the screen protector.

11. If you ever need to replace a protector, the easiest way to remove them is to do so with a small amount of cellotape.

I hope this helps. Any of you that know me personally can bring your device to me and, for a small, alcoholic drink, I will apply the protectors for you!

Take care and stay safe,

Andy.

Item review-Otterbox Commuter case for the iphone 4.

2010-12-02T20:44:00.001+00:00

Evening all. Yet another snowy night so what's better than reading a review?Quite a lot if I am honest but I am here and if you are reading this, then so are you lol!

This evening I bring you another review. The item today is,

The Otterbox Commuter case for the iphone 4.

The Otterbox Commuter costs £22.95 and is available at www.MobileFun.co.uk. It is only available in black.

What's in the box?

The Otterbox Commuter comes in two parts, more of which I will explain later. In addition to the case, Otterbox also supply a small pack which contains a front screen protector, a micro fibre cleaning cloth and a small card to use when applying the screen protector. This extra pack is always handy and, as far as I know, Otterbox supply this courtesy pack with all of it's iphone cases.

Description of the case.

As previously mentioned, the Otterbox Commuter case is made up of two parts. The inner segment is made of an extremely soft, silicon rubber which is very easy to fit to the iphone. Once fitted this inner case provides a good deal of protection on its own. It neatly covers the volume buttons and has two really useful port protectors, one for the 30 pin dock port, the other for the 3.5mm audio jack. I really like this aspect of the case, the extra protection of these two ports is important in my opinion.

The rear of the silicon case has two cut outs. One for the Apple logo, the other for the rear facing camera and flash.

Rear of inner case

The outer segment is made of a very durable looking polycarbonate material which adds a slightly higher degree of protection. Again the outer case has cut outs for the 3.5 mm audio jack and the Apple logo.

rear of outer case

The outer segment has a nice rough feeling to it which really aids grip. I cannot see this case slipping out of your hands unlike some currently available.

Using the Otterbox Commuter.

Fitting the inner segment of the case is easy. Just make sure that the two port covers are in place. This segment, when fitted, has a slight lip which protrudes slightly and fits over the front of the iphone. I like this as it gives what is known as "lay on the table" protection. This means that when laid face down, the front of the iphone will not scratch on the surface, again another thing I look for when buying cases.

Fitting the outer segment is a little more tricky. I have found that fitting the iphone "top in" first makes it a lot easier. The outer segment is quite a snug fit and it is important that you take the time to make sure it is fitting properly.

Once the Otterbox Commuter is correctly fitted I found that all the various device buttons were easily accessable. The rear facing camera lense is not interfered with in any way. The case really does offer a very good level of protection without being too bulky.

base of the case

top of the case

case fully fitted

Overall I really like the Otterbox Commuter. Whilst not the most pleasing on the eye, it is what I would describe as a work horse. There are no issues when using it and I feel confident that it will protect my iphone 4 from everything bar a nuclear attack! If you want a case that does that, go for the Otterbox Defender!

My only real niggle with this case is that it is a little tricky to put together. I certainly wouldn't want to be putting it on and taking it off on a daily basis! Like most other iphone 4 cases currently on the market, I have yet to find a desktop charging dock that will take the iphone with the case fitted.

I give the Otterbox Commuter 4/5 and can certainly recommend it to you.

Until the next time, stay safe,

Andy.

Item review-Koss iSpark iphone 4 earphones

2010-12-02T00:06:00.000+00:00

Hi once again and I hope that you are comfortably settled in for the night. I love this time of year, particularly when it is so blooming cold. It is nice to be able to draw the curtains, crank up the heating and forget about the miserable weather outside. Unfortunately, yet again, the United Kingdom shows its complete lack of preparation for inclement weather. If folk abroad can cope, why can't we? "Get off your soap box" Keeble!

This evening I thought I would do a quick review of an often overlooked item. I am talking about stereo earphones and in particular the,

Koss iSpark iphone 4 Earphones

Koss iSpark

The Koss iSpark are available at MobileFun.com , they cost a very reasonable £25.97. I have had mine for a few weeks so they are thoroughly tested.

What comes in the box?

In addition to the earphones, the Koss iSpark come with a soft carry case and a spare set of memory foam ear buds, I will explain more about the ear buds later.

Description.

I would guess that these are the low entry earphones made by Koss. The earphones are sound isolating and are made of a durable polycarbonate type material which is very light in both the hand and the ear. The lead is about 4 foot in length and although prone to tangling has posed no real problem for me.

The earphones are tipped with a very soft and spongy foam ear bud, which are easily replaced and a spare set is thoughtfully provided. Initially I thought the ear phones looked a little bulky but as you can see from the image below, that is far from the truth.

The Koss iSpark also comes with an in line microphone and button, allowing the user to access the iphones ipod and telephone functions. In use the button and mic always sit in a convenient place and are easy to use.

The earphone connector is a 3.5 mm jack and fits the iphone 4 perfectly. I have tried it with various makes of case and have never had a problem in fitting the earphones to the device. This can be problematic with other makes of earphone so it pays to test the jack and case if possible.

Overall use of the Koss iSpark.

Due to the light weight nature of these earphones, the user will never be left feeling as though they will fall out. The memory foam buds provide a really comfortable fit and the sound isolation worked really well.

The sound is surprisingly crisp with a decent amount of base response. I liked the fact that the base response was not over powering.

The in line mic is of very good quality, being able to immediately take a phone call is a real bonus. People I have spoken to whilst using the mic have commented on the excellent clarity of speech.

Whilst the primary use for most will be listening to music, many will really enjoy playing games whilst wearing these particular earphones. There is one particular app called Osmos where it is recommended that earphones are worn. Having played this game whilst wearing the Koss I can verify that the sounds made the game really absorbing.

There are no real negatives that spring to mind and considering the price the Koss iSpark earphones are excellent value for money. Yes there are better ear phones on the market but they carry a hefty price tag, with the Koss iSpark you get a pair of earphones that will satisfy a majority of users. With Xmas less than 4 weeks away, these little gems would make a cracking stocking filler.

I give these earphones 4/5. They would score a perfect 5/5 if they were completely tangle free but that is asking an awful lot considering the price.

I will be back later this week so keep checking in if you can so until then stay safe,

Andy.

App of the week with a tip or 2!

2010-11-30T21:43:00.000+00:00

Hi once again. Let's hope this latest post finds you all warm and well. I'm not sure about you lot but the novelty of the snow has worn off fast, bring on the spring..........now............please!

I was mulling over tonight's blog content and fancied doing something slightly different. So for tonight, and tonight only I will give you my "App of the week" AND a couple of handy tips. My apologies if some of you have heard about the tips but I am sure there will be those that have not so here goes.

I spend a fair bit of time trawling the various iphone 4 forums and this particular subject appears as regular as clockwork. It is a subject that usually finds people in a mad panic because they have inadvertently deleted a favourite app from their iphone, so how does one reinstate that deleted app? Well fortunately the answer is easy.
Log onto itunes and let your device sync. Once the sync is finished go to the left of your screen, locate the library tab and from there select "Apps". This will bring you to a screen full of all the apps you have ever downloaded whether via itunes or via your device. Simply find the missing app, left click and drag it to the devices tab. once you drop it onto the devices tab your phone will re sync with itunes and your missing app will be back. On a side note, prepare yourself for a shock when you see how many apps you have downloaded, I was unpleasantly surprised when I saw how many I have!!

This brings me nicely onto the next tip, pure fluke let me tell you! There will be times when your lovely iphone 4 goes from running like an Olympic athlete to performing like an old BBC computer, yes I really am that old!
The reason for this sudden lack of performance will be down to the number of apps you have running in the background.
Like all computers, any app that has not been fully closed will "hog" resources. Simply pressing the home button does not clear those apps and this is how you do it.
Firstly double tap the home button to bring up your "dock" at the bottom of the screen. If you have done it correctly you will see this,

Next you need to touch and hold any of the icons in view until they start to "shake". Again, if you have done this correctly you will see this,

All that is left is to tap the top left of each icon, thus closing the apps completely. It is worth doing this regularly whilst using your device as it is surprising how quickly you build up a large quantity of apps in the back ground.

Now to the main part of tonight's post and that is a review of my "App of the week", queue the drum roll.

Have you ever yearned to fight the Dark side, shoulder to shoulder with Hans Solo?, well now you can well if you download the following that is! My "App of the week" this week is,

Star Wars Arcade:Falcon Gunner £2.99 from the App store.

The intro screen to this gem of a game lets you know exactly what is in store. Listen to Harrison Ford telling you about the Millennium Falcon as authentic music plays in the background. Don't think I am one of those chaps who attends Star Wars conventions and the like because I am not, but even I found the intro to be very, very realistic.

Once into the game proper, you pilot the Falcon and face a variety of different challenges. You control the Falcon by moving the iphone, thus employing the iphones accelerometer, gyros and compass. You also have control of the ships weaponry, via the on screen joysticks. It may sound complicated but it is a very intuitive way of playing.

The game makes use of the iphone 4's retina display support so the graphics are absolutely stunning. However I have yet to mention the games piece de la resistance and that is AR or Augmented Reality.

Basically by using the iphone 4's front facing camera you can actually play the game as if in real life and let me tell you it is a scream. I can honestly say I have never shot Tie Interceptors in my downstairs toilet, that was until playing this game!

Unfortunately my screen shots do the game a disservice but hopefully give you an idea of what to expect.
The game moves at break neck speed and whilst shooting and steering, you have brilliant sound clips of the various film characters. Sometimes urging you on, at other times being quite rude!
Star Wars:Falcon Gunner's game play is well balanced, the loading screens allow you time to recover before the next onslaught. As you progress you earn credits with which you can buy upgrades to the ships defenses as well as bigger guns!!!!!

I have played for around 6 hours and still feel there is a lot to complete, I have yet to even try the Arcade mode so it comes out top as far a value for money is concerned.

Star Wars:Falcon Gunner is Game Centre and Facebook enabled so no doubt, given time, there will be a healthy community.

It's hats off to the guys at THQ Wireless Inc for what is, in my opinion, the best game currently available. To think we can play this on a mobile phone is unbelievable.

5/5 with no hesitation. Nothing more to say other than GET IT NOW!!!

Andy.

Review-Exolife battery case by Exogear.

2010-11-29T19:20:00.000+00:00

Hi all and first an apology. I have not posted since last week because I have been laid up with a really horrid bug. I have basically slept for the last 3 days and still feel grotty, however I decided to drag myself from my death bed and post a review just to keep the site moving along lol!
Well the weather forecast was spot on. In Leicestershire we have had -10 temperatures and a fair bit of snow. The forecast for the week shows little improvement so maybe it's time to catch up with the chores you keep putting off! Anyway, enough of real life. It's time to put pen to paper so read on.

It has been mentioned that the iphone 4 has a poor battery life. I do not necessarily agree with this statement, I just believe that the iphone 4 offers the users so much that we all spend FAR too much time using them and hence the battery drains faster! For those of you who cannot access a charger during the day, there is an alternative in the shape of a battery case. One of the best on the market at the moment is,

The Exolife battery case by Exogear.

The Exolife is currently on sale direct from http://www.exolife.co.uk for £54.99, it normally retails at £57.99.

For this you get the case, a USB to mini USB charge/data sync cable and a smokey coloured bumper. The Exolife is available in Black (as pictured) or white but the white is a pre order item. You can also order a pack of three different bumpers which come in green, blue and clear. These cost £11.95 and again are available from the Exogear web site.

The case shell is a shiny, polycarbonate material and has a 30 pin dock connector at its base. The manufacturer claim it is currently the lightest and slimest battery case available. The data available for it makes interesting reading too.

Exolife data.

The battery fitted is a 1500 mAh lithium-ion battery. it provides an extra,
300 hours standby,
7 hours talk time,
6 hours surf time,
10 hours video time and last but by no means least,
40 hours listening time.

So to the layman that means it effectively doubles the life of your iphone 4 battery! And I also forgot to mention the 3 years un limited warranty too!

case showing the 30 pin connector

Fitting the iphone 4 is easy, just slide it from the top and push down gently until it sits flush with the base.

iphone 4 partially fitted

iphone 4 fully fitted to shell

Once the iphone is fitted to the shell it is a simple task to fit the supplied bumper to the shell, thus locking the iphone in place. Just a tip, fit the bumper from the top first. Once fitted, the bumper allows easy access to all the iphone buttons and, as it is one of the lightest, and sleekest battery cases currently available, it does not make the iphone bulky to carry or use.

Exolife in use.

Allow your iphone 4 battery to drain down to single figures before you use the case battery. To turn the Exolife on simply depress the button on the base and hold for about 3 seconds. A small, green led light will come on indicating the case is working. In addition you will hear the familiar sound of the iphone 4 charging.

base showing on/off switch to the left and the covered mini USB port to the right

On the back of the case, just below the Exolife text, is a small, horizontal slit. When in use this will flash with 4 blue segments, indicating how much charge is left in the Exolife battery. It also illuminates to show how much charge is available in the case. To see the charge left simply hold the on/off switch down for about 5 seconds.

rear of case

The Exolife case can be recharged without removing the iphone. The nice feature is that you can also sync your iphone with itunes at the same time. Recharging is self explanatory!

Because the Exolife battery is slightly larger than the one fitted to the iphone 4, you should be able to get a little over 1 full charge plus enough if you really get caught out!

Another nice addition to this case is what is called, Exosave. Basically a posh name for an auto off feature when the case battery is not in use!

Exolife charging iphone 4

So that is the battery side of the Exolife covered but how does it perform as a case? I would say it offers the minimum of protection to your phone and I certainly won't be conducting a drop test! It is certainly not an "Otterbox Defender" when it comes to protection and I most definitely recommend using a screen protector. ( I use a screen protector 24/7 for every case I have tried and use).
I can also see the polycarbonate becoming scratched with prolonged use however, you don't purchase this sort of case for protection alone. It is a battery case that provides "some" protection and it does this job very well indeed. What the makers have also done is to make sure that all buttons are easily accessable and have also allowed a generous cut out around the rear facing camera lense and flash.

I have used the case off and on for about 4 weeks and it is brilliant. I can easily go for the whole day without worrying about running out of battery power and trust me when I say that I use the iphone 4 lots!
The Exolife is light and slim and nowhere as bulky as other, comparable makes of battery case. It is so easy to use even the most ham fisted users (me) can use it with ease!

This case will make the perfect main Xmas present to the iphone 4 lover in your life so get ordering now!

I have no hesitation in giving the Exolife battery case a 5/5 on the "keebs"rating!

I will be back later this week with a look at what's hot on the app front. I will also do another review so you will have plenty to keep you interested. Until then,

stay warm and safe,

Andy.