Written on 10/27/2010 03:50:00 PM by poison_ivy
Well, after all the rumors it seems that the Playstation Phone is all but confirmed. Engadget has pictures of the actual mobile phone and it looks SWEET.
The Playstation Phone won't run Sony Ericsson's own UI but instead, will rely on Android 3.0 platform. Rumored specifications include: 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor, 512MB RAM, 1GB ROM, 3.7-4.1 inch screen, and a slide-out Playstation pad with a multitouch center.
Sadly, there's no word if the Playstation Phone can run games compatible with the PSP Go, it is said that Sony will have a separate marketplace for games and that the games sold here can be compatible with other Android 3.0 mobile phones provided that they have the same hardware keys.
Engadget says that this mobile phone may come as early as the Holidays but knowing Sony, 2011 will probably be more realistic.
So, are you excited? I know I am.
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Written on 10/22/2010 05:23:00 PM by poison_ivy
So this is a quick review of the Nokia N8 which a friend of mine let me played around with for a couple of hours so its not really extensive, just my impressions on the mobile phone hardware and a bit of the software side too.
Design
Let me just say that any phone that makes use of metal or aluminum will pretty much get the thumbs up from me in terms of design. The Nokia N8 is no exception and with different colors to choose from? This is a fashionista's dream phone.
On the front you can find the 3.5 inch capacitive AMOLED touchscreen with which is not as crisp as the iPhone's retina display but it's good enough for me. There's one solitary hardware button on front below the screen, and that's the menu button. On top of the phone is the power button, 3.5mm headset jack and the HDMI port. On the left side is the concealed microSD slot, simcard slot and the microUSB port. On the right is the volume rocker, lock slider button, and the dedicated camera button while on the bottom is just the charging port. Now before you gripe why Nokia isn't using microUSB chargers, don't get upset. You can actually charge using either Nokia's proprietary plug or any MicroUSB charger you have lying around which is really great as I have old Nokia chargers and microUSB chargers lying around the house.
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Written on 10/20/2010 05:37:00 PM by poison_ivy
Another one that would be competing for your hard earned money come the Holiday season is the HTC Desire Z, HTC's latest QWERTY android mobile phone running Google's latest build of Android 2.2. What I have is actually the US version of the HTC Desire Z, the T-Mobile G2 but it's actually the same mobile phone save for a few differences like internal storage capacity and 3G bands. So if you're thinking of getting the HTC Desire Z, see what you're in for.
Hardware
The HTC Desire Z or T-Mobile G2 is one sleek hardware. The phone is made from a combination of plastic and aluminum and effect is gorgeous and the phone actually looks pretty slick. On top of the device is the power button and the 3.5mm headset jack, on the right is the camera button, on the left is the volume rocker. On front of the mobile phone, below the 3.7 inch capacitive is the optical trackpad. You can reveal the QWERTY keyboard by pushing up on the screen and the latter will sort of pop up and slide into place. I don't know why HTC felt the need to do that since sliding keyboards are pretty okay to me.
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Written on 10/16/2010 04:13:00 PM by poison_ivy
If you're not a fan of colorful cases, the next best thing to consider are leather cases. They're simple yet elegant and can also protect your iPhone. The SGP Illuzion leather case is one of the many leather cases available for the iPhone 4 from the SGP store. You can snag it for $37.99, just add $9.72 for shipping to the UK.
So the SGP Illuzion leather flip case for the iPhone 4 is made of top notch materials. The outer pouch is made from genuine leather while the inner lining is made from dark red (maroon) soft fabric. Both materials are sort of glued together and not stitched. I'm a bit worried about the glueing part as over time it might come apart but from looking over the whole case, craftsmanship is superb and it looks like everything is glued together perfectly. There's a big silver S on front of the leather case, now this is not customizable, it just stands for SGP, some people might be turned off by it but some, like me, who might have an affinity with the letter S, might think of this as an extra bonus. On inner fabric, there's some sort of poem though I couldn't really read it, but it adds to the vintage look of the case.
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Written on 10/11/2010 01:56:00 PM by poison_ivy
Here's another app that Shape Services has allowed me to review: Business Card Reader. Like the IM+ Pro app, I am no stranger to the business card reader, being a former windows mobile phone user, a business card reader came free with my previous Samsung Omnia mobile phone. This business card reader for the iPhone, however, doesn't come for free but costs $3.99 at the app store. So, is it worth getting? Let's find out.
The Interface of Shape Services' business card reader for iPhone is user friendly enough. When you open the app, you get the feeling that you're looking inside a leather wallet and you're presented with four cards: Take a photo, Select Picture, Card Holder, and the about us card.
Taking a picture of the business card with the camera is easy, you just center the business card and follow the "this side up" on the screen. Once the autofocus sets in, you tap the picture and the app automatically tries to recognize and read the business card and then opens up your contacts to save what has been read.
As for the accuracy of the image recognition software, I can't say it's perfect. Out of the four business cards I tried, there's one that only has 1 mistake while the others have misspellings or where put in the wrong field but that's understandable considering that business cards are presented in different ways right now. The misspellings are forgivable since you only have to mildly edit some of the fields and thanks to the iPhone's copy and paste function, if an item is in the wrong field, it's just a simple cut and paste away. The app automatically makes the image of the business card as the default image of your contact. Transcribing the image is pretty fast, around 5-10 seconds.
The card holder option is where the images of the business cards are stored. It's a nice additional feature and you don't have to store any business cards in your wallet again.
There's a built in browser so you can search your contact on LinkedIN but I haven't tried that coz I'm not really familiar with LinkedIn and I don't have a LinkedIn profile.
Overall, I think the Business Card Reader is a pretty useful app especially for businessmen. Yes, transcribing of the images may not be perfect but it sure the heck beats typing everything on your contacts. I'd rather just edit a few misspellings rather than type the whole business card in. I've searched other business card readers in the app store and surprisingly, Shape Services' Business Card reader is cheaper than other paid BC readers out there. So for $3.99 and the time you saved when saving business card contacts, yes, it is worth it.
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Written on 10/09/2010 03:34:00 PM by poison_ivy
Before I jumped on the iPhone bandwagon, I'm already familiar with Shape Services' and IM+ instant messenger but I didn't want to purchase it then because I'm already contented with the free Yahoo Messenger App so when they asked me if I could review this app, I readily agreed.
So, if there's already a free Yahoo Messenger App in the App store, what is IM+ Pro good for? Well, IM+ is an all in one instant messenger. If you have different accounts, you can just download this app and get instant access to your Skype, AOL, MSN, Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo!, Google Talk, Jabber, ICQ, and MySpace accounts. Now that's a lot of chat services.
Perhaps my favorite part about the IM+ Pro is the Twitter integration. I don't have to download the twitter app for iPhone as I can easily view my friends' tweets on IM+. Facebook chat is also great since the native Facebook App for iPhone doesn't have the chat client. Another plus is that aside from push messages when someone sends you a message on the chat client, you'll also get push notifications when someone emails you on your yahoo or Google accounts.
While there's no live video chat feature, you can easily send photos, videos or voice messages to the other person. The photo/video/voice message will be uploaded to Shape Services' servers and will be available as a download link to the person you've sent the message to.
IM+ Pro also has a built-in browser so that you don't have to leave the app when someone sends you a link. Although I think a built-in browser isn't really necessary but it's still a nice feature to add.
The Cons? I don't know for what reason but my contacts are not arranged by accounts but the good thing is that they have a search feature, still, finding all your yahoo contacts or facebook contacts under one name would still be nicer. Maybe in a future update? Okay, so I just found out that you can actually group your contacts under different accounts. It can be found in settings. However, the app would keep asking if you want to stay signed in with a notification, something that doesn't seem to be a problem with Yahoo Messenger which constantly runs quietly in the background.
Overall, for $9.99, I'd say that IM+ is all the IM client you need. I think it's the best out there and come on, Facebook and Twitter alone seals the deal.
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Written on 10/07/2010 03:55:00 PM by poison_ivy
Although the Apple free case program is now officially over, you can still get some of the free cases they offer from the manufacturers. I got the Incase Snap Case from the free case program and here are my thoughts about it.
First, I was actually disappointed when I saw the case. It's just a clear plastic casing and a big chunk of clear plastic which is supposedly the stand. I thought, how can this thing ever protect my iPhone? And then when I put it on, I actually cringed as the plastic reacted with the chrome bezel. I had to take it off again just to be sure that it didn't actually scratch the bezel. Thankfully, it did not.
Anyways, looking at the Incase Snap Case on the phone, it actually looks decent. Unlike other cases which hide the actual form factor of the iPhone 4, the InCase Snap Case looks like you're holding your iPhone 4 naked. Of course, if you don't have a bezel protector, there are some huge gaps which will be prone to scratching like the top and bottom bezel and the spaces between the volume buttons.
The Incase Snap case for iPhone 4 is pretty thin. Compared to the
Speck Fitted Case,
CAPDASE Soft Jacket 2 Xpose, and the
Scosche bandEDGE G4, this is the thinnest case that I've encountered. The opening at the bottom of the case also allows you to use any third party chargers or adapters for your iPhone 4.
Since the Incase Snap Case is a clear case, I thought I might do some customizations to my iPhone 4 rather than go bare naked. I put on some LuckyLabs Spectra Wraps around the bezel so that I won't have to cringe every time I take the case off and hear metal against plastic, and also to add some color to the iPhone 4's side. I also installed a SGP Leather Skin Guard at the back on top of a back protector that I got from Seidio. Overall, the Incase Snap Case still fit perfectly even with the additional back and side protection. In fact, the addition of the back skin guard and bezel wrap made the Incase fit tighter so that I won't have to worry about it popping off.
My other worries about this case is that I feel that dirt might actually accumulate on the edges. Also, I feel like the plastic isn't scratch resistant and over time, scratches would make this case look less sophisticated.
Overall, I think the InCase Snap Case would be an ideal choice for those on the fence about going bare naked with the iPhone 4. It offers decent protection for the back but I would suggest that you get a side wrap for the bezel, either LuckyLabs spectra wraps, iColor wraps, or Zagg's clear side wrap for the iPhone 4 will do to give extra protection for the bezel.
Also, those who're opting to
skin their iPhone 4s and want added protection without hiding their artwork would also welcome the Incase Snap Case Clear.
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Written on 10/06/2010 10:30:00 AM by poison_ivy
One of the greatest feature of the iPhone is its extensive apps. Right now there are over 250,000 apps available and its growing everyday. The downside of this "extensive" collection, however, is that consumers will likely spend 59 pence on a very useless app. Of course, there's the rating system to keep you away from those useless apps but some of the apps are unrated. There's also no try before you buy feature and not all apps have their "free", "demo" or "lite" version. So how can you get good apps without spending a dime? Well, here are some of the websites, apps I use to find iPhone apps that recently became free for a limited time.
FAAD (Free App A Day)
FAAD is perhaps the most useful free iPhone apps website that I've come across. Most of the apps I've downloaded are actually pretty great and useful such as Creeps, Backbreaker football, iStart Spanish, etc. Look for their free apps under their Main section, Daily Double, and don't forget to check out FAAD of fame because some of the older apps might still be free.
FreeAppAlert
FreeAppAlert is another website I use. Unlike FAAD which actually sponsors the apps that will become free, FreeAppAlert consolidates all apps that just became free so you'll find a rather extensive collection of free apps everyday rather than just two or three apps. FreeAppAlert also posts the price of the apps before they became free. Of course, you have to sort through the list because the website doesn't categorizes the apps so if you're looking for just games, better use the search function on your browser.
AppShopper
Appshopper is another useful website, unlike the previous two, Appshopper doesn't only consolidate free apps but those that have gone down in price as well. Unlike freeappalert, you can search using categories found on top of the page so browsing through the website is a breeze. I think they have an iPhone app available though I haven't tried that. I'm content surfing the site on Safari.
OpenFeint Spotlight App
The OpenFeint App just like FAAD, sponsors free apps that were previously priced .99-$2.99. Like FAAD, most of the games featured are actually pretty decent. Games I've liked that I've discovered using this app includes Hollywood Hospital and Space Station. Of course, I can't say that all apps featured are decent but it's worth checking out everyday just in case you'll find a gem.
BargainBin
Bargainbin is an app that helps you search for recently free apps or apps that have recently gone down in price on the app store. Apps are sorted using categories and what's great is that you can watch some of the apps you've been eyeing and Bargainbin will notify you when that app becomes free or is on sale.
AppMiner
AppMiner is a lot like bargain bin. It also supports notifications so you can watch your favorite apps become free. What I like about AppMiner is that it has a ranking system displayed for apps that are in the top 100++ in iTunes so you can easily look for apps that are noteworthy.
So there you have it, bookmark these websites on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad's Safari browser or download the apps so you can become an app addict without spending another dime. Happy app hunting.
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Written on 10/01/2010 06:11:00 PM by poison_ivy
Looking for an Apple iPhone 4 bumper alternative since Apple's version is still not available online? Well, there are a variety of
Apple bumper alternatives out there in the market and one of them is the Scosche BandEDGE G4 series.
The Scosche BandEDGE G4 is an iPhone 4 bumper made up of hard plastic material, it's not so hard so as to make the bumper breakable but then it's not as soft as silicone. I'd say it's somewhere in the middle. The Scosche BandEDGE G4 can be bent but I was a bit worried about the plastic being too hard and might scratch the chrome side of the iPhone 4.
As for protection, well, the Scosche bandEDGE actually covers most part of your iPhone 4. The power button and the volume buttons don't have that metallic buttons like the Apple bumpers have but there's plastic material that covers those buttons. Herein lies my other problem with this bumper, the power button and the volume buttons are sometimes hard to press. You have to make sure you press hard in order for the plastic material to reach the actual buttons.
There's also no opening for the simcard tray slot but the bumper can be easily removed, unlike the
Speck Fitted case I've previously reviewed. There's also an opening for the charging slot but I don't think third party chargers would be compatible with this bumper. I tried out a CAPDASE USB connector with it and it won't fit with the bumper on. On a positive note, I could actually use my iPhone 4 with the Scosche bandEDGE on my JBL On time Micro Dock.
The package comes with front and back screen protector which I can't actually say anything about considering that I haven't used the included protectors.
Overall, the Scosche bandEDGE G4 is a good alternative to the Apple bumper. It's definitely cheaper and comes with a front and back protector, unlike Apple's.
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