As you know, I co-host a weekly podcast with David from UKMobileTech called Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast. It is a light hearted tech podcast broadcast bi-weekly. To subscribe click here for iTunes or copy and paste this link into your favourite podcast app.
Episode 8 is now live.
If you get a moment and have enjoyed the podcast, please leave some feedback in iTunes. Thanks.
The Cellz Leather Flip case costs £10.23 with free UK Shipping.
The above case is one of several designs of leather cases for the iPhone 5/5S that Cellz offer. The profile of the case is incredible thin and consequently I would imagine it could get marked or damaged fairly easily. But it is lovely nonetheless. I do like the inside sketchings.
You slide the phone into the case and the side pieces hold it really tightly. And then you just use the phone as before.
Rating 8/10.
The Cellz Premium Metal Bumper in Gold costs £6.27 currently with free UK shipping.
I was looking forward to this bumper, but was left a little disappointed.
First of all it didn’t look premium in finish. Maybe the gold colour was just not right for it. Next you had to build it, insert the soft cushion stickers and the final fit was not perfect at one end. You do get spare screws and an Allen key.
The home button has to be inserted in to the bumper and you can see above the finished look. I suppose one has to be slightly realistic. This cost just over £6 so the assembly required was not difficult nor perhaps not unexpected.
If you like this sort of bumper case, then at just over £6 it may be something you would consider.
Rating 6.5/10.
The Xperia Z1 just got smaller.
Sony has set a high standard with their Xperia Z range of phones. First the original waterproof Z, then the 20 MP camera in the updated Z1 and now the Z1 Compact.
As the name implies, the Compact is smaller in size than the Z1, but that is really where the differences end. The Compact has a smaller battery and a smaller lower resolution display but the same feature set.
The battery has dropped from 3,000 to 2,300 mAh and the screen is now 4.3” with a 1080 x 720 resolution, in comparison to the 5” 1920 x 1080 display of the Z1. Of course the physical size and weight has been affected too but more on that later.
More over at Clove Technology Blog.
The Cellz Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-503 is currently £33.97 with free shipping to the UK.
The specifications are –
– neckband for multiple uses
– Bluetooth v2 with EDR hands free. Headset A2DP and AVRCP
– Frequency response 22 – 18,000 Hz
– Total Harmonic Distortion less than 0.5%
– Music and talk time up to 13 hours
– Fast charging – get up to 75mins music with 20 minutes charging
– for mobile phones and computers
These Bluetooth do exactly what the say on the tin. I’m so pleased with these I bought another pair for my wife. The only thing you will need is an adapter as it comes with a shaving plug. Luckily my bathroom has an electric socket for shavers.
Music quality is just above average. It’s not at Sennheiser levels but it’s fine. I did you a slight EQ in a Google Play Music but getting a loud enough volume was not an issue whatsoever. They don’t have thumping bass, just a little to not overpower the music. Occasionally the music did seem to slow ever so slightly for a split second. Not sure what or why this is.
Call quality was ok, nothing to set the world alight but fine. The neckband held firmly around my head. It’s non adjustable but it fitted my large head and did not feel like it was going to fall off.
Controls – music controls for track rewind and forward, play pause and answering calls. Volume up and down.
A reasonable set of Bluetooth headphones just let down by the non standard charging plug for which you will need an adapter.
Rating 8.8/10.
Cellz Non Slip Mat is a mat for placing in most places for holding your phones. It is stick on both sides and feels really weird. It is ideal for many places including cars. It currently sells for £2.97 with free shipping to the UK.
I stuck the mat on a kitchen unit vertically.
I then placed my iPad on it with no real issue and there it stayed for an hour. I then removed it, used the iPad again and placed it back. I could see the mat collecting dust and I imagine a wash under the tap will resolve that.
I have got to say I really like this product. It’s strangely sticky too.
Cellz Ultra Thin Slide-Out Bluetooth Backlight Keyboard is an ideal case, keyboard combo if you struggle with the size of the onscreen iPhone keyboard. It’s is currently £16.72 with free shipping to the UK.
In the box is the micro USB charging cable and a quick setup booklet. It is really simple to connect to your iPhone. Simply, slip iPhone into the case holder section, go to your iPhone Bluetooth settings and pair the keyboard, and voila. The guide does recommend a first charge of 6 hours and thereafter a minimum of 2 hours between charges.
So of the additional features of the keyboard include buttons for music player controls, brightness adjustment, backlight switch for the Bluetooth keyboard itself, bring up the iPhone virtual keyboard, home and lock screen.
The technical specs are –
Frequency – 2.4ghz
Voltage – 3.7Vdc (Li-ion)
Standby Current – 1 mA
Sleep current – less than 0.25 mA
Operation current – less than 2.5 mA
Colours – white and black
So what is the keyboard like to type on. It’s ok apart from the space bar being too small and not centred enough for me. All the special keys work as advertised, so I can adjust the brightness up or down, lock the phone and more.
I would give with an 7.8/10.
I can’t recall how long I’ve had the Note 3, but it must be getting on for 6 weeks. And that is a record ownership duration for 2014.
So why am I enjoying the Note 3 experience so much?
1) Endless specifications – when I look at other phones they always have something missing versus the Note 3. Eg. 4K video, wireless charging, S-Pen editing, multiview screens. NFC. Game controller support. . USB Audio out. Wireless Printing. Expandable memory. Replaceable battery.
2) Google Android works really well on a phone. Sharing of apps and data a joy.
3) Design – the phone is so well designed from hardware to software. The size of the phone is not excessive despite a 5.7 inch screen. I even like the fake leather back.
4) Camera and audio quality. Both are excellent. In fact the camera is way better then I thought. Listening to music is wonderful.
5) Full use of the screen with the multi view windows. It’s not used every day but messaging between hangouts and whatsapp is easy when both apps are on the screen together.
6) Media consumption just looks and feels better and more engaging in a bigger screen. Even photo editing is simpler.
7) Sometimes you think wouldn’t it be great if my phone did this. The Note 3 doesn’t have that problem.
8) Proper Bluetooth profiles for sharing and more. Game catalogue of Moga compatible titles is huge and I am playing some of the best games.
9) NFC – one touch on my QX10 or QX100 and it powers open the lens and opens the Sony app.
And finally battery. No longer do I have any worry about the next power source no matter how hard I use the phone.
As you know, I co-host a weekly podcast with David from UKMobileTech called Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast. It is a light hearted tech podcast broadcast bi-weekly. To subscribe click here for iTunes or copy and paste this link into your favourite podcast app.
Episode 8 is now live.
If you get a moment and have enjoyed the podcast, please leave some feedback in iTunes. Thanks.
As you know, I co-host a weekly podcast with David from UKMobileTech called Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast. It is a light hearted tech podcast broadcast bi-weekly. To subscribe click here for iTunes or copy and paste this link into your favourite podcast app.
Episode 8 is now live.
If you get a moment and have enjoyed the podcast, please leave some feedback in iTunes. Thanks.
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