The UK Mobile Phone Blog

HTC HD2 extended battery with kickstand! January 25, 2010 at 11:57 am by Dan \| In Just For Fun, Mobile News, Mobile Phone Accessories Ok, so normally we wouldn’t really get that excited about a new battery for the HTC HD2. Don’t get me wrong, for todays power hungry smartphones, an extended battery is the perfect accessory to ensure your phone goes the distance but it’s hardly the kind of thing that makes headlines in the mobile world. So why, you are inclined to ask, are we covering such a story on the blog? Well, in a move so ingenious it makes us wonder why nobody has thought of it before, an accessory manufacturer has not only bumped up the battery life but also thrown in a kickstand for good measure! Set to become available through UK retailer Clove Technology in the next few weeks, the extended battery promises to offer twice the juice of the standard version. In our hands on review of the HD2 we found the battery life was more than capable of lasting a full 24 hours with heavy use but for those who like to air on the side of caution, this new accessory could be just the ticket. But more exciting than the improvements to battery life must be the addition of the kickstand. Folding out from the new battery cover, the kickstand puts the amazing 4.3 inch display in the perfect viewing position for video playback and web browsing. Admittedly it does add some extra bulk to the phone itself but when the device we start with is a mere 11mm thick, the added dimensions are hardly earth shattering. Easily a front runner for most innovative accessory of 2010 (OK so we’re only in January) keep an eye on the blog for more info on new and exciting peripherals. Bookmark at: StumbleUpon \| Digg \| Del.icio.us \| Dzone \| Newsvine \| Spurl \| Simpy \| Furl \| Reddit \| Yahoo! MyWeb 1 Comment - click to add another comment L5 Remote turns your iPhone into a universal remote! January 8, 2010 at 3:02 pm by Dan \| In Mobile News, Mobile Phone Accessories Like most things in consumer electronics, mobile phones are prone to more than their fair share of duff add-ons and accessories and one of the biggest culprits of recent years has been the iPhone. Anyone needing proof need look no further than the truly ghastly chocolate bar case. But, every once in a while a company unveils an accessory that is so innovative it really could change the way we use our phones. So a round of applause please for L5 technology and their product, the L5 remote. Announced earlier on in the week at CES (currently being held in Las Vegas, Nevada), the L5 remote looks fairly inconspicuous as a small adapter that that attaches to the dock connector at the bottom of your iPhone. But this small, unassuming little accessory adds yet another stellar feature to the iPhone’s ever growing list; it transforms your phone into a universal remote. That’s right, the L5 dongle features infra red technology that works in conjunction with a free app from the company and lets you control your TV, stereo and much more all from the comfort of your favourite touchscreen phone. Programming multiple rooms, changing button layouts, and managing multiple devices couldn’t be easier whilst setting up a new device is simply a case of pointing the phone at the IR receiver and following the on scree (that’s the iPhone’s screen) commands. No word on pricing or availability yet though L5 Technology hope the L5 remote should be available by the end of February. Keep your eyes on the blog and we’ll let you know as soon as we do. Bookmark at: StumbleUpon \| Digg \| Del.icio.us \| Dzone \| Newsvine \| Spurl \| Simpy \| Furl \| Reddit \| Yahoo! MyWeb 4 Comments - click to add another comment Energizer gives your battery a boost! January 7, 2010 at 2:48 pm by Dan \| In Mobile Phone Accessories With the likes of the PowerMat and Touchstone for the Palm Pre innovating the way we charge our phones at home, it was only a matter of time before some one ensured your phone stayed juiced while you’re out and about. Enter Energizer with the EnergiStick! The EnergiStick is designed to give your phone an extra 30 minutes of battery life, ideal for an important call or text when your battery has run flat. Available in both Mini and MicroUSB flavours, the EnergiStick will not only charge compatible phones but pretty much any electrical device that uses the aforementioned connection. Expected to retail for around £15, the extremely pocketable device, announced at this weeks CES tradeshow in Las Vegas, should make its way across the pond within the next few months. While we’re on the subject of charging and CES (Consumer Electronics Show), PowerMat have announced the Powerpak battery, a battery that slots inside more than 10 models of mobile from the likes of Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson and is compatible with the original PowerMat. Wireless charging without the need to add on a bulky case? Yes please! The company have also announced plans for an in car PowerMat charger, a range of different size PowerMat’s and even a Netbook compatible charger. 2010 could be the year we finally say goodbye to wires and embrace wireless charging! Bookmark at: StumbleUpon \| Digg \| Del.icio.us \| Dzone \| Newsvine \| Spurl \| Simpy \| Furl \| Reddit \| Yahoo! MyWeb No comments yet - click to add a comment Sony Ericsson release IDP-100 Digital Photo Frame! December 1, 2009 at 9:18 am by Dan \| In Mobile Phone Accessories Ordinarily we reserve the reviews section of the Blog for the latest and greatest mobile phones but we do from time to time put a new accessory through its paces to see whether it’s worth your attention. But what exactly is a digital photo frame doing distracting us from our daily duties? Well, because this particular digital photo frame just happens to be made by Sony Ericsson and will play nicely with just about any mobile phone. Intrigued? Read on… The IDP-100 (that’s the model number) looks every bit as stylish as Sony Ericsson’s mobile phone offerings with a sleek form factor and stylish dark grey finish. And style is one thing this digi frame has in spades. Sitting beneath the display is a touch-sensitive panel, cleverly disguised as part of the frame when not in use, that handles all your navigation and settings. Swipe your finger across the panel and the controls will light up and allow you to navigate and select photos. Want more? Well the Sony Ericsson digital photo frame looks great on any desk or coffee table with the built in stand but use the wall mount (included in the box) and attach the IDP-100 to a flat surface and the frame really looks the part. The mount even swivels so you can display your photos in either landscape or portrait. On to the screen itself which is a 7 inch WVGA unit with excellent colour reproduction and capable of displaying incredibly sharp and crisp images. And it’s not just the screen itself that’s boosting image quality. The IDP-100 features something called Digital Image Correction (or DIC - not an acronym i would have chosen) that corrects colours and enhances tones and edges to ensure your photos look as good as possible. The frame will also automatically resize your photos to fit the display so you get the maximum size possible. So, the frame looks the part, as do your photos on the screen, but how do you get them there? Well the IDP-100 photo frame Bluetooth connectivity and 128MB of internal memory meaning you can send your photos from your phone to the frame and store them on the built in memory. It really is that simple; if you’ve ever sent a picture via Bluetooth, you’ll be able to manage sending photos to the frame. Though this is a great addition, rest assured the Sony Ericsson digital photo frame boasts the usual support for M2 card, micro SD, SD, MS Duo and even USB Flash memory meaning you aren’t just limited to your phone pics, you can use your stand alone digital camera too! With an RRP of £119.99, the Sony Ericsson IDP-100 digital photo frame does come in a tad on the pricey side but if you don’t fancy forking out for your photographic needs, click here to check our range of phones where you can get the IDP-100 absolutely free! Bookmark at: StumbleUpon \| Digg \| Del.icio.us \| Dzone \| Newsvine \| Spurl \| Simpy \| Furl \| Reddit \| Yahoo! MyWeb 2 Comments - click to add another comment The Jabra Stone, reinventing the Bluetooth Headset? October 21, 2009 at 12:01 pm by Mark \| In Mobile Gadgets, Mobile Phone Accessories Now, I’m sure everyone knows what i mean, or has had some experience looking at the guy walking down the road speaking to himself, wondering who on earth they’re talking to and whether or not they are quite all there, only to breathe a sigh of relief when they turn around and you see that actually your not in any danger, they’re just using a Bluetooth Headset. It’s easily done. Normally, i detest these Star-Trek wannabe devices because frankly, excluding the rare few, they’re just isn’t any conceivable way that a piece of plastic hanging from your ear could be considered cool or fashionable, that was until now. This is the Jabra Stone and it is said to break the mould of the traditional headset. I think we can all agree, when docked, it is an incredibly sleek and stylish looking thing isn’t it? The unit looks to be an almost seamless, polished and perfectly formed pebble; which in actual fact was what Jabra sent it’s customers as a marketing stunt. As far as specs go, you can expect 8 hours of talk time, thanks to the re-charging on-the-go capabilities of the Dock, as well as up to 12 days on standby. It also has something built in known as Noise Blackout Extreme Technology which doesn’t just sound cool, it apparently completely eliminates background noise. Apparently there is also what Jabra describe as a “nearly invisible” touch-controlled volume pad. Expect to pay around the £99 mark for this bit of kit, which may sound expensive, but is worth it in our opinion. Bookmark at: StumbleUpon \| Digg \| Del.icio.us \| Dzone \| Newsvine \| Spurl \| Simpy \| Furl \| Reddit \| Yahoo! MyWeb 1 Comment - click to add another comment Powermat Wireless charging mat incoming! October 13, 2009 at 2:37 pm by Dan \| In Just For Fun, Mobile Phone Accessories Move over Palm, there’s a new wireless charger in town. With it’s eyes firmly on the Palm Pre’s touchstone wireless charger, the Powermat Wireless charger dispenses with the tangled mess of wires in favour of a completely wireless experience. The real selling point is that, unlike Palm’s Touchstone system, the Powermat is compatible with several different electronic devices and will also charge up to 3 devices at once. Want to know more? Then read on… The Powermat works in much the same way as the Touchstone. Plug the power mat into a power point, place up to 3 electronic devices onto the mat itself and let the charging commence! Ok, so it is somewhat more complicated than that. Before your device of choice is ready for some wireless charging action, you do need to make a change or two. For the iPhone, the people behind the Powermat have designed a skin that includes a compatible powerpoint. When not in use, your iPhone sits inconspicuously in a hard wearing case refusing to reveal its wireless charging potential until it’s placed on the Powermat. This is just one example of the compatible devices with accesories ranging from iPod docks and Nintendo DSi cases to Blackberry battery covers (replacing the standard battery cover). And fear not if your device isn’t by a case or battery cover add on as the Powermat also includes an 8-in-1 dock complete with a host of connectors including micro USB! While admittedly the web site and general PR for the Powermat does look somewhat tongue in cheek (Pomegranate phone any one?), if the bold claims are true the Powermat could prove the perfect addition to the office or home. Check out the video below for all the details. Expected to hit the UK towards the end of the month, keep an eye on the blog and we’ll keep you up to date. Bookmark at: StumbleUpon \| Digg \| Del.icio.us \| Dzone \| Newsvine \| Spurl \| Simpy \| Furl \| Reddit \| Yahoo! MyWeb 2 Comments - click to add another comment Sony Ericsson revolutionise the way we listen to music! Sort of… September 21, 2009 at 2:41 pm by Dan \| In Mobile Gadgets, Mobile Phone Accessories For those of you with a keen interest in mobile Phones (and if you’re reading this, chances are that’s most of you), you may have noticed last week that Sony Ericsson set the 21st of September as the date that “the way you listen to music changes forever”. Idle marketing fluff or a life altering announcement? You be the judge as Sony Ericsson have now revealed their cards. In the run up to the announcement, a specifically arranged webcast was aired entitled “put your ears in control”. It is this that proved to be the most telling insight into Sony Ericsson’s plans as they unveil to the world, drum roll…. a new pair of headphones. Yes, when Sony Ericsson said they were going to change the way we listen to music, we didn’t think they meant it so literally. The new MH907 headphones literally put your ears in control as they offer motion activated controls. Pop both the buds into your ears and the music starts. Pull a headphone out and your music will pause. Simple, yet effective. These controls are mirrored when using the headphones for handsfree calling. Plug ‘em in to answer a call and take one out to end it. Okay so it didn’t exactly deliver the life changing event promised, but still it’s good to see someone putting a new twist on an old product. Check out the video below to see a demonstration in eye-wateringly cute cartoon format. Bookmark at: StumbleUpon \| Digg \| Del.icio.us \| Dzone \| Newsvine \| Spurl \| Simpy \| Furl \| Reddit \| Yahoo! MyWeb 1 Comment - click to add another comment MicroUSB set to become European standard for mobile phone chargers! June 30, 2009 at 8:11 am by Dan \| In Mobile News, Mobile Phone Accessories, Mobile Phones For those of you who’ve swapped to a new manufacturer with your new phone, you’ll no doubt be aware of the annoyances when it comes to chargers; every manufacturer has their own type! And you can guarantee, when you’re in desperate need of a charger, you can never find the right one. Even sticking to the same manufacturer doesn’t mean you’re safe; Nokia phones originally supported a thicker single pin, then switching to a thinner connector and finally settling on microUSB. Some manufacturers have tried to remedy this by including backwards compatibility in new phones. The N97 for example, comes packed with an adapter that lets you use both previous generations of Nokia chargers. But what about charging other makes of mobile phones, wishful thinking? Not anymore… For those of you who begrudge buying new accessories, are terribly disorganised or just like charging your phone on your PC, you’ll be pleased to hear that the European Commission has announced that the majority of leading manufacturers have agreed to adopt MicroUSB as a standard European charging socket including the likes of Apple, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG. Whilst undoubtedly a step in the right direction for convenience, the announcement also has environmental benefits. With reportedly around 4000 tons of mobile phone accessories thrown away each year, changing a phone will no longer mean changing your charger and throwing away your old one. With manufacturers already adopting MicroUSB and others expected to follow suit and start rolling out devices at the start of next year, the dark days of proprietary accessories could finally be coming to an end. Bookmark at: StumbleUpon \| Digg \| Del.icio.us \| Dzone \| Newsvine \| Spurl \| Simpy \| Furl \| Reddit \| Yahoo! MyWeb 3 Comments - click to add another comment Say goodbye to wires and hello to the Palm Pre Touchstone! January 28, 2009 at 12:17 pm by Dan \| In Coming Soon Handsets, Mobile Phone Accessories, Mobile Phones Sick of tying yourself in knots trying to charge your phone? Feel like ripping the charger out of its socket when the tangled mess won’t reach? Or just want to show off and impress your mates? If you answered yes to any of the above then Palm have the answer for you: the Palm Pre Touchstone. The Palm Pre is the phone on everyone’s mind at the moment following a breathtaking debut at the recent CES show in Las Vegas. And now Palm have turned the cool factor up a notch with the announcement of the Touchstone wireless charging dock, a super stylish accessory that will be available at the launch of the Palm Pre. The Touchstone works in combination with a special magnetic battery cover that replaces the standard case. Once all kitted up, simply placing the Palm Pre on top of the wireless charging station will charge the phone. Watch in amazement as your phone charges with absolutely no wires. Amaze and astound your friends with the seemingly over the air charging that is taking place. Ok, maybe I’m getting a bit carried away but you have to admit that simply laying your phone on top of a charging station is effortlessly cooler than physically plugging in a charger. As if the Palm Pre didn’t need to be any cooler with looks that rival the iPhone 3G and a brand new operating system (WebOS) that plans to simplify all your daily tasks so you never miss a beat, the new Touchstone Wireless charging station pushes it to the very limit of cool. The Touchstone wireless charging dock and magnetic battery cover will no doubt be an optional (and chargeable) extra. With pricing and launch details of both the Touchstone and the Palm Pre itself to be confirmed, click here to sign up and keep updated. Bookmark at: StumbleUpon \| Digg \| Del.icio.us \| Dzone \| Newsvine \| Spurl \| Simpy \| Furl \| Reddit \| Yahoo! MyWeb 1 Comment - click to add another comment Nokia’s Latest Little Gizmo: The Locate Sensor January 22, 2009 at 2:30 pm by Jack \| In Mobile News, Mobile Phone Accessories At CES (the worlds largest consumer electronics tradeshow) 2009 which took place on Jan 12th, Nokia announced a new project cooked up by the Nokia Research Centre, the ‘Nokia Locate Sensor’. A prototype service designed to help ensure you never lose anything. You simply attach a physical wireless location tag (the little green gizmo pictured to the right) to stuff such as your keys or wallet, and if you drop anything or it gets nicked from your pocket the accompanying Nokia Locate Sensor application on your phone points you in the direction of the item and even tells you how far away it is. The tiny Locate Sensor tag can be attached and modified to be fixed to any sort of item you can think of and because of its size it can go pretty much unnoticed. The phone application itself will support up to 100 items so you would never be able to use the excuse “sorry I’m late, I couldn’t find my….” ever again. If you drop something the phone application is designed to automatically alert you and help you hone in on the object within a distance of up to 100 metres. So, how does it work? Well, It transmits a simple signal and doesn’t use GPS to locate the misplaced items we know that much, so it can be used inside and isn’t a battery killer. The actual technology Nokia use is still not mentioned but if we had to guess we’d have to bank on Bluetooth. Another smart use for Nokia Locate Sensor is that it can be tweaked to work the opposite way round, so if you have a tag on your person you can set it so that if your phone is lost or goes further than say 3 metres away from you, it immediately disables the handset and re-enables it when it re-enters your selected vicinity. Nokia say it can operate flawlessly up to 18 months before you need to recharge it, but if the tag is made bigger it could theoretically accommodate a bigger battery and longer life. It’s such a simple idea, and innovative to the mobile market. The application looks as if it works brilliantly, if we can believe the news coming out of the tradeshow. It’s definitely the smartest little gadget to make an appearance so far this year… that’s probably not giving it enough credit, as we haven’t even made it to February, however I think you get the point… it’s a great little device to start the year with. There’s no official word if Nokia Locate Sensor will leave Nokia Research Centre and become a real product, but judging how well it seemed to be running on a Nokia N95, i think it would make a great addition to the mobile world.. Bookmark at: StumbleUpon \| Digg \| Del.icio.us \| Dzone \| Newsvine \| Spurl \| Simpy \| Furl \| Reddit \| Yahoo! 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