Screen protectors are an accessory that used to be a required item on PDAs and smartphones that were stylus driven, but it would be a mistake to think that there is not a place for them on modern smartphones such as the iPhone or the non-touch BlackBerry’s.

There uses are many-fold and when you consider the price of a modern smartphone, a few extra pounds is not a lot to spend for the added protection. The one I am reviewing today is specifically designed for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 which may seem like a curious device to use a screen protector on. However, the screen is one of the major parts of any smartphone and in some cases the most susceptible to scratches. Even a phone like the 9700 which has a tough screen benefits from a screen protector because I have seen a couple of work with noticeable scratches on already. When you pay £400 for a smartphone, £5.95 extra to protect the vulnerable part is a no brainer.

The Expert Shield model comes with everything you need to start protecting your screen and is one of the easier ones I have applied in recent times. It uses the two sided method; you peel off one side, attach the protector to the screen and then peel off the second side. I had a moment after I applied it where I honestly thought that it was not there, but it was and with no air bubbles in sight. It is advisable to use a straight object such as a credit card to ease the process, but all on all it worked well for me.

Besides adding protection, a screen protector can stop glare which is particularly useful when driving using GPS. The model I tested here, however, is so clear that you really will not notice that it has been applied. For under £6 this is a very cheap way to protect your smartphone and one which ensures that the resale value will be higher when you come to upgrade- it is highly likely that you will add much more than the asking price on any future sale of your phone.

To sum up, the Expert Shield protector is simple, easy to apply and well priced. I have no hesitation in recommending it and even though I dread writing screen protector reviews, I have been more than pleased with the product.

Available from Expert Shield who also make protectors for the iPhone, HTC HD2, Nokia 5530 and many other devices

Finding the right case for your smartphone is as difficult as choosing which phone to buy in the first place, and the perceived wisdom is that you often pay for what you get. There are many, many iPhone cases available and the styles range from simple slip cases to silicone covers to full leather wallet style cases which do more than just protect your phone. This case from Piel Frama protects your iPhone and also enables you to carry a couple of credit cards and some money at the same time. It is designed in the traditional style that almost all PDA cases were a couple of years ago, but that takes away none of the practicality and quality. When you consider how much you probably use your iPhone, it makes sense to invest in adequate protection which extends the style and life of it.

First impressions

As always with Piel Frama you are presented with a first impression of completeness, attention to detail and quality throughout every part of the contents. In the box there is a belt clip, a tool to undo the belt clip holder, three plastic inserts for the belt clip hole should you wish to not carry it on your belt, instruction booklet and a few paper inserts detailing other products available from Piel Frama and the construction process. I have a bit of a soft spot for Piel Frama because I still use one of its mouse mats after about 4 years and it is still in perfect condition despite continued daily use.

The case is the most important aspect here though and everything about it screams good quality. From the smell of the leather to the perfect stitching through the care that has been taken to make the iPhone usable when in situ, it has a consistency about it which is not often matched elsewhere. The embedded writing inside the case rather sums up the initial user experience- “The product you have just acquired has been hand-made by Piel Frama leather craftsmen, each piece is unique.”

In use

Piel Frama includes a neat little solution to the age old problem of carrying credit cards together by way of a small leather insert which has a soft material in the centre flanked by two plastic panels. This enables you to carry credit cards without fear of scratching or damaging them, and in practice it works well. The fact that it suits the overall case look is an advantage.

There are holes for the camera, headphone jack, volume control, sync/charge port and home button and these are all perfectly cut and placed precisely. The elastic inserts for the credit cards ensure that the cards are separated and that they are easy to insert and remove, and the magnetic closure still worked well for me even after I have stuffed the case to the brim.

Around the edges things get a little stiffer and this affords more protection should you drop the phone onto a hard surface. I was so certain that it would work that I dropped my iPhone onto a concrete patio just to test it. It worked and the case suffered little damage as well. The closure stayed in place and this gives confidence for using it in the future.

The front cover flips all the way over which is useful when making calls and despite looking like it will not work for calls, it soon became second nature to keep my iPhone in the case all of the time. I am struggling to find a downside with this case, I really am.

Conclusion

You may baulk at the asking price of 70 Euros, but when you consider how much you use your iPhone and how much pleasure it gives you the cost is not substantial in comparison to the cost of the phone and the protection this accessory will afford it.

Sometimes in life you pay just a little more to have the best and a case like this is a good example of attention to detail and an end user experience which more than justifies the price. I have no hesitation in recommending this case and I may get one for my BlackBerry as well. The reassurance of having excellent protection every day and a little bit of luxury to keep my case in has made the whole experience one I will return to again and again.

Available from Piel Frama for 70 Euros.

All photos taken by Thomas McGill (age 9)

On Monday I reviewed the Nuforce NE-7M headphones and was mightily impressed by the sound quality and overall build quality. The voice quality was particularly impressive and since receiving them I have used nothing else.

Today is the turn of the NE-8 headphones which do not offer a built-in microphone. They are also a little more expensive than the 7M’s and here I will attempt to see if the extra cost and seeming loss of functionality are justified. The 7M’s were specifically designed for use with phones and MP3 players and the 8’s are not so that explains the microphone omission. Don’t take the ‘not’ in that sentence too seriously though because they work exceptionally well with mobile music players despite their more general market appeal.

The specifications of the NE-8’s and NE-7M’s are almost identical, but there is a reason for the price difference; the components in the NE-8’s are better quality and the sensitivity rating is lower which bizarrely means they are more sensitive. They also require less power to drive the sound and so less volume is needed, which in turn means that the sound should be clearer with a more rounded tone and slightly less harsh bass reproduction.

The first thing I noticed with these headphones was the understated plastic look which belies their price-point. There are mouldable stalks coming out of the ear pieces which initially seem to do little besides make you look like an alien from Star Trek. Once I realised what they were designed for I was impressed by the way they worked; you put the ear pieces in your ears and mould the stalks around your ears for a perfect fit. It is a simple solution to a common problem and one that works better than any others I have used in the past.

Like the NE-7M’s, there are a selection of inserts to ensure that you get the right individual fit and in my tests I would put the 8’s as slightly ahead in terms of sound quality. The stalks do help with the positioning and make for a tighter fit, which in turn ensures a consistent sound no matter what you are doing.

There is little more I can add to this review except to say that the sound quality alone is reason enough to consider these seriously. Everything works as it should and the build quality should ensure that they will be with you for a long time to come.

Available from Audiologica for £78.95

With the number of iPhone turn-by-turn GPS software solutions increasing, you will most likely need a way to secure it in your car. There are many cheap solutions available in the major mobile phone retailers and the word ‘cheap’ sums them up quite nicely. Some of them are shocking and the better ones seem to escalate in price at a rate not justified by the quality of the product.

PDA Hut recently sent me one of their new iPhone windscreen cradles which retails for the relatively budget price of £18.99. At first glance it looks quite slim and without the chunkiness of the more expensive cradles you can buy. However, the stem is metal and the actual cradle section is made of good quality plastic, with an extra clasp at the top of the unit.

Inserting and removing the iPhone is very easy to do and there is adequate space at the bottom for a charger. Space has also been made for the volume controls which is vital when using GPS and the flexibility of movement is quite superb. With movement possible in every direction and with little effort to place it, it is almost impossible to not get the correct position.

Now, what else can I write about a windscreen cradle? Oh yes… nothing. Seriously, it is a quality solution which is extremely good value and one that will live with you as long as you keep your iPhone. Highly recommended.

Available from PDA Hut for £18.99. PDA Hut is also selling the iPhone Handsfree Office / PDA Holder for £24.99.

We spend a lot of money on smartphones, often upwards of £500, yet we tend to use the headphones that are bundled with the phone for music and video playback. Nokia always bundles shockingly bad headphones and the HTC ones are not much better. Apple bundles the best of the lot with the iPods and iPhone, but they still lack the depth of sound that good music deserves. Smartphones are now the main digital music player for smartphone owners (obviously) and few have a separate music player so you may as well invest some money to improve the overall experience. The question is; are the bundled headphones really so bad and are the more expensive headphones really so good?

I have been testing the Nuforce NE-7M because they represent a price-point which most will be willing to pay and yet they are still supposed to offer a superior sound reproduction to the headsets you can buy in most retail stores for a similar price. If you have the spare cash and want to buy a very expensive set of earphones, be aware that this will not always work out as well as you may expect- headphones need to be purposely designed to be driven by MP3 players and phones to get the best effect so do your homework first. The NE-7Ms are designed with portable players in mind and are compatible with the iPhone 2G, 3G and 3GS (no volume control on microphone for 3GS though), BlackBerry Storm and any device that supports 3.5mm stereo in a 3 or 4 pin plug.

In the box

The packaging is very professional and included in the contents is a carry case and 3 pairs of single flange ear-tips (2 small, 2 medium, 2 large- the headphones already have a set in place as well). An instruction manual is also included which might seem bizarre, but some useful advice is included. There are the expected warnings to not play music too loud for too long, presumably to stop stupid people and sharks in suits from blaming anyone but themselves for hearing damage, and some interesting facts about what makes good quality sound. It is worth a read and you will probably learn something new. The contents are top class and make the purchaser feel like they are buying a quality item before they even try them.

In Use

The build quality is excellent and the gold rims make for an accessory which looks understated, but with a touch of class to show off the quality within. It is hard to quantify, but there the quality shines through in every part; the cable is slightly stiffer than normal and even the clip is heavier duty and more solid than I am used to. It is a strange experience putting them in your ears for the first time because they are in-ear and it can feel a little claustrophobic, but within a few minutes it does feel quite natural so don’t be put off. Now, you may want to spend some time trying out each size of ear-tip to make sure you find the right fit for you. The large ones worked for me which is no surprise; large outer ears= large inner ears I guess. It is important to find the right fit because this makes all the difference to the resultant sound quality.

I tested some songs which have excellent production quality and was astounded by the difference the NE-7Ms made. I played Stardust by Tom Munch and his voice sounded even more clear than normal. The bass in Killing Me Softly by The Fugees was incredibly rich and A Winter’s Tale by Queen blew me away. At that moment I knew that I would not be returning to the standard iPhone headphones. The built-in microphone takes care of calling and the voice quality is vibrant and exceptionally clear. You will need to lessen the volume for music and voice compared to what you are used to, but that is a good thing. Less battery and more clarity are beneficiaries of this.

The goodness does not stop there though. The sound isolation is better than anything I have used before. I had the music turned up ‘loud’ (don’t do that at home) and my wife could not hear a single note sat next to me. For music quality alone these are worth the money, but when you consider the sound isolation, built-in microphone and general build quality they quickly feel like a piece of luxury at a bargain price.

One final point on use- the microphone is very sensitive and so you do not need to worry about having it near your mouth for people to hear you. I was concerned by this so tested it when speaking to a friend who said that it sounded clear and consistent throughout our call- the strange part was that I moved the microphone close to my mouth and away again multiple times and the sound help up consistently. Clever stuff.

Conclusion

You can guess where this is going. It is rare that I am positive about any product the whole way through a review, but credit where its due- these headphones are breathtakingly good at reproducing complex sounds and the price takes my breath away a little more. You spend £500 on a smartphone. It would be daft not to spend 10% extra to improve the sound quality way beyond what the supplied headphones can achieve. My white Apple headphones are now tucked away in a drawer never to be heard from again…

Available from Audiologica for £64.95. My thanks to them for supplying the review unit. If you use the Buy Now button below, you can take £5 off the current asking price.

I recently renewed my T-Mobile contract for another 18 months and in the process got a Nokia E71 free of charge. Brando Shopping very kindly sent me a range of accessories for the E71. The accessories they sent are typical of the range they provide for a wide range of devices and phones. I was sent a range of cases, cradle and their ultra-clear screen protector. They also happened to arrive on my Birthday  which was greatly appreciated.

Before I talk about the cradle and cases, I thought I would mention the ultra-clear screen protector. All the photos shown include the ultra clear screen protector fitted. And that’s the amazing part. You cannot see it and it really is ultra-clear, strong and great protection for any screen, touch or not. It only takes one set of keys to scratch a screen – I know because I have done this and it only took a few seconds…

The market for iPhone cases is large indeed and this is for a variety of reasons; they scratch easily, they have sold in large numbers and perhaps most importantly, they are bought by a diverse set of people who require different things in the look of their phone. Gone are the days of simple black leather cases which provided purely functional protection- many now demand some style in their smartphone cases and an individual look which makes up for hiding the phone itself.

RivetNow has produced the Hard Leather Pouch for the iPhone 3G which is designed for those who want some personality in their pocket and it comes with an interesting accessory which you will either love or hate. The pouch itself is hard and designed to offer substantial protection against knows and even drops, and it certainly feels as though it will stand up to even the roughest of use. It is an unusual design in that it has an elasticised middle which you cannot actually see, but which offers just enough give to enable you to insert and remove the iPhone easily.

I was worried initially that removing the iPhone would be tricky, and it felt so at first, but after a few removals it all came together and the process is now fairly easy for me- the soft interior also ensures that damage is unlikely to occur. This case gives a sense of confidence which many do not and I would have no hesitation in throwing the phone in a bag or pocket and still be fairly certain that it would survive intact.

The design is quite subtle which maybe does not come across in the marketing photos and the three stripes and red tag add a touch of style without dominating the entire look. The vintage leather exterior feels great in the hand and offers some grip as well as a unique style, but I’m not convinced the style suits all areas of the market. I would say that it suits the younger end of the market well and may not be for older iPhone users, myself included. This case does, however, balance style and protection very well and is perfect for people who have an active lifestyle and who need to know that their phone will be safe at all times.

The case itself is a very reasonable $29.90 to buy and there is an optional Kingpin chain which brings the total price up to $49.90. This chain is exceptionally well made and for some it will be a necessity because it lessens the chances of losing the phone and adds oodles of style to the mix. It is a joy to play with and I still find myself rolling it through my hands when I need to think. At $20 it may seem expensive, but it is very well made and your personal circumstances will dictate if this is of value to you.

Conclusion

As cases go, the Rivet Hard Pouch is unique and brings excellent protection to the iPhone along with a touch of style. It may not be ideal for my circumstances, but there is a big market out there that will enjoy the blend of style and protection this accessory offers. Definitely one for the stylish smartphone crowd.

Available from www.rivetnow.com for $29.90 ($49.90 with Kingpin chain).

Available from Mugen

Price – $96.95

Pros – Increases battery life well beyond standard battery and incorporates a solid small plastic stylus in the new back cover.

Cons – Additional depth and width.

It may surprise many of you that I am still using my Samsung Omnia. This is now 9 months with this device and with my 18 month contract up for renewal, I won’t be upgrading to a new device. Why? Simply it has been customised beyond reproach and apart from the QVGA screen it still holds itself against most new devices being released. As mentioned previously, the one drawback with the Omnia is the lack of a stylus. Like most smartphones battery consumption is always lacking behind and often not powerful enough for even a days heavy use. Mugen Power Batteries kindly sent me the extended battery for the Samsung Omnia. The battery is significantly larger in size and oomph then the standard Omnia battery. Mugen Power supply the extended battery with a new black coloured cover. This is made of thin plastic. A small black stylus is incorporated into this cover. The stylus in shown in the picture above.

From the pictures above you can visibly notice the additional depth of battery inclusive of the back cover. The Omnia standard battery is 1440mAh. The Mugen Power extended battery is 3000mAh. Just over twice the juice. I have been testing this battery for just over a month now and in real life tests the results have been excellent. I would obtain just a day and a half with my standard battery. The extended battery powers on for just over 3 days heavy use. In fact, gaming all day on a Sunday has been a pleasure. No power cable needed! And I have a stylus tucked away as well. It is worth noting that when you first get the battery you have to charge it for 8 hours before use. Then to prime it to its maximum charge, it needs discharging it until you get a low battery warning on your Omnia (10%) and then charging fully again. This needs to be repeated two more times.

Summary

A powerful battery. Stylus included too. Highly recommended.

Verdict – 87%

Review by Gavin Fabiani-Laymond

This is a short review of an accessory I managed to pick up last week. The O2 shops, in the UK, are selling a Dexim iPhone Cradle with a remote control for under £20 and this looked to be a good price when you consider the cost of buying the official Apple cradles. The universal cradle is still being sold for a whopping £30 and this does not exactly bring with it much flexibility.
The Dexim cradle is heavy, which is always a good sign, and includes an LED on the …

The invisibleSHIELD concept from ZAGG has received plaudits from around the world from many of the larger websites. It has also received much criticism from smaller websites. The theory behind the product is great- you get protectors which cover the front screen and housing and another protector to cover the back. For devices like the iPhone, which I tried one on, this is a great way to protect your phone and also keep the overall size down to a minimum...Read More

The idea of being able to project a video from a phone onto a wall has long been the subject of concept ideas and something that has not really been possible. Small projectors have been produced over the past few years which are mainly used in offices for presentations and slide sets, but they can be prohibitively expensive and this would explain why they have not branched out from the business communities.
Most smartphones can now carry Office documents and are more than capable of presenting slideshows and Word presentations. They …

Expert Shield UK recently got in touch and asked if I would like to review one of their screen protectors, which they are in the process of launching in the UK as I write this. Of course I said yes because there is nothing more interesting for a technology writer than to review a screen protector… Yes, I am being facetious because writing about a screen protector is akin to being asked by a teacher to write about the inside of a ping pong ball as punishment. The problem is …

Piel Frama is well known for producing quality smartphone accessories in the higher end of the market, and at 70 Euros this particular case is not cheap. The question is if it lives up to the price tag? It may appear to be expensive at first glance, but with the smartphone it is protecting retailing at close to £400 it seems like a reasonable price to pay to protect it.
In the box
The box contents are not what you would normally expect with a smartphone case, but this is definitely a …

Available from Brando
Price – $11.50
Pros – Adds a retractable stylus, neat solution and provides a little more protection than standard back cover.
Cons – Additional length. New design won’t fit Omnia cases or cradles.
I have owned my white 16gb Samsung Omnia for over 6 months which is an absolute record for me! In fact its nearer now to 7 months. The Omnia for me does everything I need to an acceptable standard. It has been customised beyond belief, countless custom rom’s flashed on it, even an early build of WM 6.5 …

The Strap Data Cable from Brando looks like a normal lanyard and I must admit to presuming it was just that for a couple of days after I received a bundle of accessories for review. Upon closer inspection, a more sophisticated use is revealed and the simplistic genius of the design is not to be overlooked.
Lanyards are not liked by everyone, and I personally have never used one on a smartphone, but this one is different and could tempt me to do just that. It is a synchronisation cable that …