Smartphones & Gear

How ETS-Lindgren Makes the Products You Use Every Day Even Better

Along with a very small group of bloggers, earlier this month I had the opportunity to visit ETS-Lindgren in Cedar Park, Texas. If you are as uninformed as I was before this trip, that name will mean absolutely nothing to you. However, I can promise you that by the time you finish this trip report you will understand why you should be familiar with this company, and how they have most definitely had an effect on you. My initial introduction to the company was a link to their site and a slightly cryptic email from a contact saying that “they…


Leather Wallet Case for Dell Streak Review

One of the downsides of being an early adopter is the lack of good accessories for your new device.  When the Streak was released, Dell seized the opportunity to fill in the gap and issued their own leather wallet case for the Streak.  Given the limited options available so far, I purchased Dell’s Leather Wallet Case to protect my Streak when we recently went on a family vacation.  While the simple cloth bag that comes with the Streak is okay when I’m carrying the Streak in a dedicated pocket in my briefcase, I needed something with a little more strength…


Bioserie iPhone 4 Case Review: Made from Plants

I’ve reviewed a ton of cases for the iPhone over the last few years. Cases made from leather, silicone, plastic, metal, felt, fabric and polycarbonate. But the Bioserie case for the iPhone is the first case I’ve reviewed that’s made entirely from advanced bioplastic materials which are derived entirely from plants. Here’s some technical information from Bioserie on how this is done. Bioplastics are a variety of plastics derived from renewable biomass sources, such as plant starches or microorganisms, rather than fossil-fuel plastics which are derived from oil. Bioplastics represent a relatively new and very promising field of modern biotechnology….


Android on a Palm Tungsten C!

(image courtesy Dmitry Grinberg) Yes, Android has been ported to iPhones, but what about older devices? If you’ve got a Tungsten C, you can (theoretically) run Android 2.1 on it! Yes, a Tungsten C can run a higher version of Android than some official Android phones! This upgrade (if you can call it that) was done by Dmitri Grinberg, possibly the last major hacker/developer of the Palm OS platform. He’s claimed for some time to be working on “DGOS”, a pseudo-upgrade to Palm OS. Either to not endanger his DGOS project or because the Android port is so unstable, it…


izozzi FormFit iPhone 4 Case Review

There are plenty of “artsy” cases for the iPhone 3G/3Gs and it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing our fair share for the iPhone 4. I only hope that the cases that are to come are as cool as the ones I just received from izozi.com The company takes the work of real-world artists and slaps it onto the back of their cases. The iPhone 4 case is made from a high-quality thermoplastic and features and anti-scratch, anti-glare polycarbonate window where the artwork shines through. The case reminds me of a cross between the Incase Frame case…


Samsung Vibrant on T-Mobile Review: After a Week Out of the Box

Samsung has been making phones for a long time, but until recently fell quite short of a worthy phone to run the Android OS. The Behold II and Moment never really took off in the eyes of the consumer and certainly not with developement. The Moment was not too bad, with some decent specs landing somewhere in between the G1 and Droid. Both have since pretty much been abandoned by the community, and for me Samsung was almost written off. With the US launch of the Galaxy S series, Samsung really was pushing hard to gain back some lost followers…


DryPaks Review: Protect Your Gear for That Last Summer Beach Fling

Alas, this weekend brings the end of Summer for those of us in the U.S.    Like many others, I’m trying to cram in three days of beach fun into this Labor Day weekend.   Unfortunately, duty still often calls and I still need to be ‘connected’ for work even while trying to grab some relaxation with friends and family.  Unlike last summer’s shenanigans, I made a point to take precautions and bring extra protection. See, last summer a good friend found their phone, iPod touch and digital camera claimed by the angry sea while boating (OK, maybe it was merely the…


Kensington Pocket Battery for Smartphones Review

Smartphones are all the rage these days.  Everyone uses them as more then just a plain old phone.  We browse the web, stream media, play our music, check our e-mail, take pictures, check social networks and oh, yeah, use it as a phone.  Battery technology in these phones have not really progressed to the point where you can make it the whole day.  Especially if you are using it as something other then just a plain phone.  If you are away from an outlet at anytime, well, you will likely run out of juice at any time unless you have…


OtterBox Commuter iPhone 4 Case Review

OtterBox is probably best known for their highly protective case, the Defender.  The Defender packs as much shock and impact defense for your iPhone 4 as any case on the market.  However, all that protection doesn’t come without a price.  The Defender can at times be bulky and because of this OtterBox realizes it’s not for everyone.  It’s for this reason that, starting with the iPhone 3G/3Gs, the company began offering a slimmed down version of the Defender.  The Commuter Series case offers the same level of quality that its big brother, the Defender, does, in a sleeker package. The…


OtterBox Commuter iPhone 4 Case Review

OtterBox’s flagship case, the Defender, provides an unparalleled level of protection. But not without a price. The Defender is considered by some to be big and sometimes even bulky. What isn’t up for argument however is OtterBox’s quality and the level of customer service they put behind every one of their cases. The company understands that the Defender isn’t for everyone and that’s why they’ve developed three levels of iPhone protection. The recently released Commuter Series case for the iPhone 4 is OtterBox’s mid-level protective case. While the Commuter doesn’t provide the same amount of shock and impact protection as…


Griffin Reveal Etch Graphite iPhone Case Review

The Griffin Reveal case for the iPhone 3G/3Gs was one of my favorites.  The case, which combines a see-through, clear poly-carbonate back along with rubber guard rails has also quickly become one of my go-to cases for the iPhone 4.  The Reveal for the iPhone 4 is currently available in both black & white and I reviewed the case here. If you’re not fan of the see-through back though Grfffin has added a new offering to the Reveal lineup.  The Reveal Etch Graphite combines the same soft rubber rails found on the regular Reveal along with a carbon fiber looking…


Primo Battery Cube Review

It happens without fail at least once a week. I install a new piece of software on my phone or read a book on the Kindle app, or I get caught up in too many IM conversations…and I run my battery down mid-day with no access to a charger for several hours. Oops. Luckily, there are products like the Primo Cube to provide extra battery boosts. How well does the Cube do? Read on to find out! Physically, the Cube is tiny! I was shocked when I held it in my hand. It’s really small and incredibly pocketable. I was…


This Sports Illustrated and HTC Contest Is Sure to Raise Eyebrows and Elicit Smiles

If you are an active social networker with accounts on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc, and if you have a following that would appreciate seeing your complete coverage of everything that goes on at the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Photo Shoot, then you’ll want to pay attention to the following: HTC and Sports Illustrated have teamed up to sponsor the Behind the Tan Lines contest, where one (very) lucky individual will have the opportunity to cover the 2011 SI Swimsuit Photo Shoot. The winner will get to share their own unique interpretation of what goes on behind the tan lines by stepping into…


Switch Easy Colors for iPhone 4 Review

Silicone Cases are very popular.  Not only because they are generally in-expensive but because they also come in a ton of colors.  In addition they make a great “throw-away” case.  Everyone needs a “throw-away” case.  What’s a “throw-away” case you ask?  It’s a case that you always have on hand in case of emergency.  One that’s usually cheap and therefore one that you really don’t care all that much about.  Leave it in your gear bag or in your glove box.  If you find your self in need of a case for your iPhone 4 it’ll be there waiting. Priced…


Sena Sarach Ultraslim for iPhone 4 Review

Yesterday we took a look at Sena’s Argyle for iPhone 4. Today we’ll take a look at another of their pouch-style cases- the Sena Serach Ultraslim for iPhone 4. If you use your iPhone with just a Clear-Coat type film on it (or nothing at all) this might be just the right protection for those times you toss your iPhone in a pocket or briefcase. It is slim, good looking and highly protective of the delicate device. Let’s take a look. From Sena- The Sarach UltraSlim case is a part of the unique Sarach Designer Series by Sena. It is…


D2u Transcriber iPhone App Review

I’m rather keen on apps and applications that take my speech and convert it to text for me. I love the time-saving, the convenience and the fact that I don’t have to put more stress on my hands when I am writing a lot. Most recently I have been testing d2u. d2u is an iPhone app combined with a professional transcription service. While in a different league than Dragon Dictation and Vlingo due to its price per minute, it is also in a differently league due to the remarkable accuracy. To review the app and service I have been using…


Windows Phone 7 Integrates Voice; but How Good Could It Possibly Be??

My first smartphone was a Window Mobile smartphone — a Motorola MPX220. My second smartphone was also a Windows Mobile Smartphone — an iMate Jam; my third and my fourth smartphones were Windows Mobile devices as well. And then… I was done with Windows Mobile. Say what you want, but my experience with Windows Mobile was never all that good. Too often I found myself doing more to get and keep the phone up and running than I was actually using it. BlackBerry was next, and then the iPhone came along. When Android entered the fray, I felt that Windows…


Android Device Review: the AT&T HTC Aria Mobile Phone

With all of the current buzz over Android phones with ~4″ screens like the Incredible, Xperia X10, Galaxy, Desire, and EVO 4G, it’s easy to forget that sometimes less can be more; sometimes less is actually more desirable. Take the HTC Aria for instance. Measuring a diminutive 4.1″ long x 2.3″ wide x 0.46″ thick and weighing 3.8 ounces with battery installed, the Aria is the perfect size to tuck into a smaller pocket or the smallest of evening bags. Its matte black plastic backside is covered in that wonderfully grippy material which rejects fingerprints and offers a bit a traction…


Charge Your Mobile Devices with the Power of the Sun

External batteries are great, but they’re only as good as the mAhs they possess; once you deplete them, until you find yourself near a charging source they become useless. The Monaco Mobile Power Solar Charger from Wireless Ground takes care of that problem by harnessing the power of the sun to recharge itself. You can use the battery to recharge you device and then recharge the battery on to go so it’s ready to be used again. In addition to the battery itself you’ll also get some tips to charge with. The Monaco comes with a USB out cable which…


Just In Case You Missed It: Sprint & HTC Bring Froyo to the EVO 4G

If you’ve got a Sprint HTC EVO 4G, then today you have yet another reason to feel vastly superior to all other Android Device users … Today HTC marked yet another “first” in its long history of bringing innovation to the mobile arena. Ahead of the pack, Sprint has started to make available the latest version of the Android platform, version 2.2, otherwise known as Froyo, for HTC EVO 4G. Not only is HTC EVO 4G the first Froyo device with HTC’s Sense user experience, it’s also the first mass-market Froyo handset period. In addition to bringing a number of…


SGP Skin Guard Review

Many of us like to keep our iPhones as sleek as possible.  I personally prefer to use my iPhone 4 naked.  But I also know that it’s just not practical to do so.  I want to keep my iPhone looking as new as possible not only because I enjoy looking at “minty-fresh” gadgets but I also realize that in under a year Apple will be most likely be coming out with the next generation iPhone and I’ll most likely be selling this one to finance the new.  The better condition a phone is in the more money it fetches in…