Xmas Gift Guide As Apple‘s advertising points out, when it comes to most activities, there’s usually an app for them. But not every task can be performed with a handset alone. Sometimes hardware is required to utilise the brains of a smartphone and take functionality further.
Whether you seek solution for better typing, improved battery life or something to turn your handset into a Swiss Army-style gadget, there is usually an accessory to cater.
Here’s a handful of options that’ll give your blower additional features. Alternatively, especially if you already bought them a pair of smartphone-compatible gloves last year, the following gadgets could be the perfect filler for a fellow-smartphone user’s stocking this Christmas. Depending on how generous you feel, that is.
1. Celluon Magic Cube
This beast rocks up looking like the daddy of Bluetooth keyboards and claims to work across the board on a range of connected devices.
The Magic Cube projects a full-sized layout onto most flat surfaces, which can then be used to type button-free, removing the need for clunky pads while apparently reducing strain on the wrists. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Motorola’s been keeping its hand in with an interesting variety of Android handsets of late. The Pro+ is clearly designed for business rather than fun, which is fine, but next to the top-end, revitalised Motorola Razr, it’s not in the same league.
Doing the business: Motorola’s Pro+ Android smartie
Following on from the original Motorola Pro earlier this year, it offers a newer version of Android and a slightly improved screen, but not a great deal else, though the all-plastic body feels sturdy enough and the rubberised plastic back feels comfortable. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Sony Ericsson may not be churning out Android handsets in the bulk of HTC or Samsung, but its has produced some consistently good phones recently in its Xperia range. Building on last year’s X10 Mini Pro, this new version adds a slightly bigger screen, faster processor and Gingerbread, the latest version of Android for mobiles.
Sony Ericsson‘s Xperia Mini Pro: take it out for a slide
The Xperia Mini Pro is one of the smallest Android handsets you’ll find anywhere at 90 x 53 x 18mm and weighing 136g. But it has also got a trick up its sleeve, as it slides open with a reassuring clunk to reveal a 43-key full Qwerty keyboard. The teensy keys sit proud of the casing and while they don’t have much in the way of grading or angling, there’s enough room between each for mis-keying to not pose much of a problem. Read the rest of this entry »
Review LG might have been first with its Optimus 3D, but HTC hasn’t wasted any time coming up with a glasses-free 3D phone of its own.
From the front, the Evo 3D looks like a standard, snazzy HTC smartphone, but it’s one of the manufacturer’s chunkier numbers. Its metallic casework is sturdy, but the paint on the edges where it sits slightly proud of the screen in the usual HTC fashion seemed very quick to flake away, spoiling the look.
A 1.2GHz dual-core CPU makes for a reasonably nippy smartphone
The four standard Android buttons sit beneath the nicely sensitive 4.3in, 960 x 540 touchscreen, which can be flicked from 2D to 3D mode using a switch on the side of the phone. The thin, textured plastic casing on the back surrounds the two Camera lenses required for stereoscopic snapping. Read the rest of this entry »
Generally, users have two beefs with Android. One, handsets often don’t get updated when a new version of the OS rolls out from the Chocolate Factory, and, two, many of the bespoke overlays and ROMs cooked up by handset makers and telecos are more akin to painting a moustache on the Mona Lisa than adding anything of value to the user experience.
Luckily, you can fix both these problem, and fix them quite easily by installing a new ROM to replace the entire operating system with a better version. There are several out there, some generic, others coded for specific handsets. Probably the best one is CyanogenMod.
CyanogenMod: revamp your Android
The latest version – at the time of writing; updates are frequent – is CM7. It’s available for a wide range of devices, including HTC’s Desire and Desire HD; Samsung’s Galaxy S; and even Dixons/Advent’s Vega tablet. There’s a visual list of supported handsets on the CM website. I installed it on an Orange San Francisco – aka ZTE Blade – kindly lent to me by Orange. Read the rest of this entry »
