Technology Blogged, News » smartphone

Scott Paul Technologies E – Systems Review

Benny Sabghir — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:51:34 +0000

There are many, many accessories for Smartphones and Tablets. From silicone based covers to docks. If it can be used in conjunction with your portable handheld device, odds are there are anywhere from 1 – 5 different versions of the product from most major OEM’s. Scott Paul Technologies (SPT)) has entered the field of mobile gadget accessories. However, instead of trying to compete with case manufacturers and such, they have introduced their own, original product to the market. Meet the Cell Handle, e-Handle and EZ Cell Holder systems. SPT says they are made from “soft, hypo-allergenic materials, including latex free nylon and non-toxic adhesives”. These systems all use advanced types of Velcro on a patch with an adhesive back to ensure they remain attached to your gadget of choice. Each system contains a black colored patch with an adhesive on the back. The patch is placed on the back cover of your mobile device and should be given 24 hours to properly bond with the back of your device. The other part of the system is placed on your hand and attaches to the adhesive patch via Velcro.

In use, the Cell Handle, placed on my index finger, felt quite comfortable to use for extended periods of times with my iPhone 4. It’s rotating base, which offers a full 360 degree rotatable head (patent pending), came in handy when using my iPhone to watch movies and play games. It also worked well as a makeshift kickstand when placing the iPhone on a flat surface to watch movies. When I needed to make use of my hand I would remove the ring-like holder and simply slip it into my pocket. The piece of Velcro that I had attached to the back of the iPhone was unobtrusive so when I had the phone covered via a generic silicone based covering it was barely noticeable, producing a small but comfortable bump. Unfortunately do to the nature of the adhesive it will not work properly if you attempt to stick it on any type of rubber/silicone based Smartphone cover. However it can be easily attached to any hard case without issue.

The e-holder system was also a breeze to use. While it’s suggested for use with an e-reader, I only had an iPad at my disposal to use the system in conjunction with. SPT claims that the systems advanced Velcro can hold up to 9 pounds (or 4.5 Kg for those of you on the metric system). Seeing as the heaviest of consumer tablets max out at 2lbs or a bit less than 1Kg, it is strong enough to hold your system without worrying about it detaching from your hand. During my testing of the system I found it to provide a comfortable holding experience. Unlike the traditional way of holding most tablets by gripping it from the side, I was able to keep it resting on my hand without fearing it might slip off. Its patent pending 360 degree rotatable head was easy to use when I decided to take a break from reading and watch a video. The part that you wrap around your hand can also be wrapped around the wrist if desired. I found the system provided optimal use while reading. After my experience using it with the iPad, I understand exactly why it is primarily meant to be used with e-readers which are often smaller and lighter than the iPad.

The EZ Cell Holder worked wonders on the dashboard of my Citroen. I found it to be incredibly solid unlike suction based holder systems. All you need to do is find a convenient location to place it on and viola! Do to the nature of the adhesive used it might be a bit tricky getting it to stick to smooth plastic surfaces. Always remember to set your phone to hands free mode while driving and never take your eye off the road. Just because you are not holding the phone does not mean you cannot get distracted by it. Taking your eyes off the road for even a split second can be potentially fatal. The system is not just meant for in car use. I placed one of the Velcro adhesive backed patches on the wall next to my computer monitor so as to have easy access to my iPhone while at my workspace and not be too concerned about the possibility of accidentally having it knocked off my desk.

Final Thoughts

The systems have their convenient uses. I was entirely confident my iPhone/iPad would never detach from the Velcro. I feel 100% satisfied that the products worked exactly as advertised.

The Cell Handle has an MSRP of $19.95

The e-Handle has an MSRP $24.95

The EZ Cell Holder has an MSRP of $9.95

All SPT products are designed and manufactured in the United States. They can all be purchased here directly from Scott Paul Technologies.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Editors note: Images to be adjusted soon.

Panasonic unveils super thin, waterproof OLED totting smartphone

Jakk — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:15:10 +0000

Of all the smartphone designs currently on the market, not one of them makes you stop and think ‘oh yeah, that’s different’. Keen to change this, Panasonic have revealed a brand new smartphone which is as of yet unnamed, featuring a 4.3″ qHD OLED display and a design so thin it makes a size 0 model look like a 30 stone monster. It is also waterproof, dust proof and will be targeted towards businessmen primarily. Dubbed to be running the latest version of Android upon it’s European, Asia and US release, the unnamed smartphone looks to be a very tempting package indeed and with that OLED display, the battery should last quite a while too. Here’s our prayer that this smartphone is priced right and runs stock ICS. PR below.

Panasonic to Expand Smartphone Business to European Market

Panasonic will expand its mobile phone business into the global market, targeting at nine million units of overseas sales in fiscal year 2016.

Tokyo, Japan – Panasonic announced today that it will expand its smartphone business to the European market in March 2012. At the same time, it announced its aim to bring its overseas smartphone sales to nine million units in fiscal year 2016, ending March 31, 2016, using Europe as a stepping stone to the global market.

With the mobile phone market rapidly shifting to smartphone usage worldwide and a steady growth expected particularly overseas, Panasonic aims to tap into this growth with its first global model smartphone for the European market in March 2012.

The main characteristics of the global model are:
1. An ultra-slim D-shaped design for easy portability
2. Slim bezel with high viewing quality Quarter HD (QHD) 4.3-inch large organic light emitting diode (OLED) screen
3. Waterproof and dustproof for ease of handling

Using this as a reference model, Panasonic will expand its lineup, aiming at sales of 1.5 million smartphones in Europe next fiscal year. Furthermore, in fiscal year 2016, Panasonic targets global sales of 15 million units, including nine million in Europe, Asia, China, and the United States and six million in Japan (of which five million are smartphones).

The Panasonic Group created the Systems & Communications Company (SNC) in April this year in advance of its reorganization scheduled for January 2012 in order to handle products and services related to system, network and mobile communications. Within this company, Panasonic will maximize its internal resources, including making use of an existing factory in Malaysia. Currently, phones for the Japanese market are manufactured in this factory but now the same factory is also scheduled to manufacture the first global model as announced.

Panasonic will continue to expand its product lineup and increase sales in a speedy process by thoroughly utilizing the Group’s technological assets and development resources as well as its production and sales sites around the world, thereby strengthening development, production, and sales structure and product competitiveness.

Via: The Verge

Top Money Saving Smartphone Apps

Jakk — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:55:12 +0000

We all want to save a few bucks so why not let your smartphone be smart and save you some money? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of great apps available that will help you to reduce your bills and find the best deals. Here are my top money saving smartphone apps.

1. Amazon Kindle App

The Amazon Kindle App is free to download and can be used on your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. With over 700,000 titles at your fingertips you will never again be short of something to read. If you are anything like me you will carry your smartphone with you everywhere you go which means that you do not have to carry anything extra like a Kindle or old dog eared book! So, save yourself the price of a Kindle and a trip to the bookstore by downloading this fantastic app..

2. Gas Buddy

The price of gas has increased a lot over the past couple of years and all of us want to get the best price per litre. Gas buddy is free and can be used on your iPhone. No matter where you are you can locate all of the gas stations in the surrounding area and view their fuel prices in real time. As their tag line tells us “you’ll never overpay for gas again!

3. GroupOn

The GroupOn app will work on your Blackberry, Android and iPhone and is of course free! GroupOn has become a force to be reckoned with in the last couple of years and is now a global phenomenon. In the current economic climate who could resist the temptation of 70% off? Definitely not me! The app allows you to view all of the latest deals in your city such as discounted spa days, restaurants, hotel rooms and fashion labels. You can buy and redeem you deals right from your handset with no paper and no fuss!

4. Red Laser

This aptly named barcode app allows you to compare the prices of products when you are out shopping. Simply scan the barcode of that shirt, TV or bottle of wine you’re interested in and Red Laser will search the internet and tell you where to find it at the best possible price. A price comparison app like this will help you to save money on your grocery bills and the best thing about it is that it’s free!

5. Quidco

Quidco is a pretty well known money saving website here in the UK, and it is particularly good for cashback savings. My personal favorite thing about the Quidco app (available on iOS and Android devices) is that it allows you to search for products, and then returns a list of results where that product is stocked as well as showing a percentage for the amount of cash back you’ll get.

This article was kindly written by Vicky Dean who likes to blog about mobile phone insurance and mobile phone related technology.

6 Smartphone Apps Perfect For Bloggers

Jakk — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:34:46 +0000

Since blogging has become so popular nowadays, many blogging platforms are now being introduced as breakthrough applications to smartphones like iPhone, Blackberry and other Android phones. With these apps installed on your smartphone, you can now write and blog about things wherever you are, whenever you want to.

So for those who love to blog, here are top 5 smartphone apps that every blogger needs.

1. WordPress

When it comes to blogging, WordPress is one of the best platforms out there. It has a simple user interface for those end users that can also be customized according to a blogger’s needs. WordPress for smartphones is actually not very different from its live interface seen in a computer. It enables you to make posts, edit text and publish them right away. You also can read and respond to comments left by your readers.

2. ShoZu

This blogging application is known to have the meaning of “sharing the moment.” Well indeed, when you use ShoZu, you can write blogs, upload photos and videos that you can publish and share to your family, friends and almost everyone around the world. ShoZu has this quick links to leading networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Flickr, etc. Once you have made some blog posts, you can also read and moderate the readers’ response to what you have shared to them.

3. Pixelpipe

ShoZu isn’t available on Android just yet, however Pixelpipe is a pretty neat useful app for bloggers. Pixelpipe syndicates text, audio, video and image files to 120 different social networks, blogs and sites making it extremely productive in the real world.

4. Idea Organizer

For always-curious person, this app is one of the must-haves for him. The Idea Organizer, from the name itself, helps you to organize and sort out all your ideas. The human mind functions 24/7 and during those wandering moments, you mind might get filled with brilliant ideas that you cannot articulate just yet. In order to save these ideas, you can use Idea Organizer app on your smartphone so that all those thoughts of yours will not vanish after an hour or two.

5. Evernote

Evernote is an application that enables you to accumulate different notes and ideas whether it is an audio recording, a picture or video or text notes. Evernote helps you save important information that you can later on include in your blog posts. It is also a convenient app that you can use when you suddenly think of a clever idea to write about.

6. Adobe Photoshop Express

Some people do not like using photo editing applications because it ruins the candidness of one image. But let’s face it; no one would like a picture that appears disorganized. So with Adobe Photoshop Express, you can edit photos that you need to attach to your blog post to make it more interactive and fun. What’s one great thing about this app? It is absolutely for free!

These 5 apps are just some of the best blogging apps for smartphones out there. You can still search online and see which apps really fit your blogging style.

This guest post was written by Danny who loves to blog about the best android tablet apps at his blog: Android Tablet Fanatic.

Tag Heuer Link Smartphone costs $6,712, runs Android 2.2 with alligator skin

Jakk — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:46:10 +0000

If you are an animal acitivist and have landed on this post I recommend you look away now, or purchase the latest Tag Heuer smartphone which although available in Alligator skin can also be bought in rubber and diamond accents, all topped off with 18K rose gold, steel and titanium. Yep, Tag Heur is on the smartphone market, and amazingly this smartphone (pictured, above) packs specifications which are very last year indeed. For your money, you are looking at a 3.5-inch (800 x 480) display, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, 256MB of internal memory, an 8GB memory card, a 1400 mAh battery and EDGE / HSUPA connectivity all running along nicely with Android 2.2 Froyo.

So how much is all of this going to cost? Well it’ll set you back a not so cool sounding $6,712, and probably a few teeth in an alley on a dark night too.

Motorola releases new budget smartphone, looks pathetic

Jakk — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:50:05 +0000

When I was at college not very long back (a few years) people categorically adopted touch screen smartphones and ditched the traditional candy bar handset. Hot handsets at the time included the LG Viewty and later the Samsung Tocco Lite, and since I have been at college more and more students have adopted newer and fresher faced handsets.

The latest handset from Motorola is called the ‘Wilder’ and is aimed at students and teenagers just like those back in the day. Featuring a 2.8 inch touchscreen and just one physical home button, Motorola is aiming this smartphone (or is it smart?) at people looking for something very pocketable. Motorola has included a small notification bar at the bottom of the screen which gives connectivity and battery notifications, however it is unclear exactly what OS the Wilder will run, because it obviously isn’t Android.

Currently we know that Motorola has taken the liberty of installing Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube apps on to the handset, however we also know that the Motorola Wilder has no 3G or WIFI, making these apps immediately redundant.

So with a 2.8″ touchscreen which will probably be unusable, no 3G, WIFI or Android and a plastic looking design, this mobile phone seems a little bit pathetic and pointless really, doesn’t it?

Windows Phone 7 Sony Ericsson caught in the wild, slides open to reveal underbelly

Jakk — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 11:25:16 +0000

Well well well! Sony Ericsson appear to have a rather sexy looking smartphone in the works according to these images leaked online, which clearly show a Sony Ericsson slider smartphone running Windows Phone 7, Microsoft’s latest stab at the mobile OS market which has recently seen a few updates for those that have gone out to buy mobile phones with WP7 already.

As seen in the images provided the device says ‘prototype’ meaning this is in development stages, however the device is also clearly a Sony Ericsson and runs Windows Phone 7. Sony Ericsson’s Android handsets have so far been rather underwhelming compared to competitors, so perhaps launching a few handsets running WP7 is a good idea.

Check out more WP7

If you think outside of the box for a second though something smells fishy. When Windows Phone 7 first launched a range of manufacturers got in on the WP7 act early to release mobile phones and Sony Ericsson were reportedly supposed to do the exact same thing. But they didn’t. Could this be the late Sony Ericsson smartphone which was supposed to arrive much earlier than now? Theres certainly a high possibility.

We’ll keep you noted.

Some Galaxy S 2 handsets will ship with Tegra 2, some with Exynos Chip

Jakk — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:20:59 +0000

Samsung appear to be having trouble making their ends meet in the processor department for their upcoming smartphone the Samsung Galaxy S 2, as it has been confirmed that although at this years MWC the S 2 was boasting Samsung’s Exynos chip, Samsung are having to use the Tegra 2 within an as of yet unconfirmed amount of handsets due to the Exynos manufacturing not being able to keep up with demand.

The Tegra 2 is very similar to the Exynos in power, because both run at 1GHz, however the Exynos is said to be more power efficient than NVIDIA’s offering. A very popular aspect of Tegra chip sets is Tegra gaming, which has many would be smartphone buyers wanting the Tegra version.

Whether you receive a handset with an Exynos or Tegra 2 will depend on where in the world you live, with Europe and the UK probably getting the Exynos.