RELEASE: Spb Online

Spb Software, the world’s leading maker of Windows Mobile software releases Spb Online to end-users. Spb Online is a set of attractive online services that share a practical user interface and make superior quality mobile entertainment available on handsets at a single fixed-price fee (no subscription). The services offered include Mobile TV, Online Radio, News, Weather, Online Games, and On-device Catalog — all subject to automatic updates and powered by Spb’s exclusive interface engine and patent-pending TV technology.

Spb Online is robust and easy to use even for novice smartphone users. All of Spb Online services support adaptive skins, smart scrolling, 3D transition effects, and one hand navigation.

[Read more]

REVIEW: SOLO Vintage Leather Backpack

Reviewer: Andy Mason, aka Warthog 

Product: Solo Vintage Leather Backpack

Manufacturer: Solocases

Price: MSRP $84.96 (significant savings available online)

A year ago I purchased a laptop on eBay and the seller included a backpack with the transaction.  I carried my old laptop around in a briefcase and had never really considered a backpack until the “freebie” arrived with my new ThinkPad.  The backpack was spacious and very functional, but I was never a fan of the white cloth material and the black flap that overlapped the front of the bag.  It occurred to me one day that detachable pouch I was using for power cord/cable storage looked suspiciously like one of those travel make-up purses my wife uses.  My suspicions were confirmed through an online search that revealed I had, indeed, been carrying a woman’s backpack.  Ugh!  

I immediately began a search for a laptop backpack that could accommodate all my gear while, at the same time, restore my manly-man persona!  The kind folks at Solocases.com asked if I would like to review a backpack from their Vintage leather collection. The backpack is constructed in dark leather which, at first glance, reminded me of a WWII aviator’s jacket . . . you can’t get much more masculine than that!  Could the SOLO Vintage leather backpack handle my gear and reinforce my masculinity?  Take the jump and let’s find out . . .

[Read more]

Experience Mobility . . . All Over Again!

Our friend Jack Cook at Experience Mobility has revealed his site’s redesigned layout.  Apparently the old site had some vulnerability that was exploited, so a major overhaul of the site was in order.  Jack’s still got some work to do restoring some of his previously posted reviews, etc. but you can check out the new look right now and Experience Mobility . . . all over again!  You’re invited to Jack’s site-warming party here.

Review: Tritton AX Micro BT Headset

Reviewer: Andy Mason, aka Warthog
Product: Tritton Bluetooth Headset TRI-BH200, AX Micro
Manufacturer: Tritton Technologies, Inc.
Price: MSRP $59.99 (some online retailers offer significant discount)

Bluetooth headsets have been available for a number of years now. However, several states have enacted laws that make hands-free headsets less of an optional ornament and more of a necessary accessory. Tritton Technologies Inc. is known mostly for their USB devices, but they are venturing into the headset market with the AX Micro.

“The TRITTON AX Micro breaks the mold of traditional Bluetooth headsets by providing innovative features in a discrete stylish design. The AX Micro incorporates a new design with flexible finger grips that rest on the in-curve rim of the ear. This headset offers great stability and comfort whether used in an active or corporate environment.”

What’s in the Box?

My AX Micro arrived in a fairly plain black box that displays the headset through a clear, plastic window. Also included in the box are one small and one large sized rubber ear grippers, a lanyard and clip, an AC/DC adapter, and a charging cradle that can be powered by AC/DC or a mini USB.

[Read more]

Review: WriteSHIELD crystal-CLEAR Screen Protector

Reviewer: Andy Mason (Warthog)
Product: WriteSHIELD Crystal-CLEAR Screen Protector
Manufacturer: PPCTechs
Price: MSRP – crystal-CLEAR 2-Pak kit, $29.00; Deluxe 2-Pak kit, $36.99

I am very meticulous about all my tech toys and, for the longest time, did not see the need for screen protectors. After using my Dell Axim x50v for about a year, I began to notice very faint scratches on the screen from text entry and repeated stylus taps. That’s when I decided that maybe screen protectors were not such a bad idea. When I purchased my Axim x51v, the screen protector went on before the unit was ever powered up!  However, when I switched to the HTC Mogul several months ago, I decided that I could live without a screen protector. “After all it’s a touch screen, and it has a jog wheel and a dozen buttons for navigation so the screen won’t be subjected to constant stylus abuse like the Axim,” I reasoned.  Well, unlike the Axim, the Mogul is a phone and gets smudged from coming into contact with my face and from using my fingers on the touch screen.  Additionally, I have found that I use the stylus more than I anticipated.  The need for a screen protector soon became evident. I have a WriteSHIELD installed on my x51v and have encountered no problems with it whatsoever.  I contacted PPCTechs to see if they had a protector customized for the Mogul. They did and they were willing to send me a crystal-CLEAR Deluxe 2-Pak kit for review that I present for your consideration.

[Read more]

Tritton’s AX Micro BT Headset Preview

While I was out of town last week the good folks at Tritton Technoligies sent me a review sample of their AX Micro Bluetooth Headset with charging cradle. 

The TRITTON AX Micro breaks the mold of traditional Bluetooth headsets by providing innovative features in a discreet stylish design.  The AX Micro incorporates a new design with flexible finger grips that rest on the in-curve rim of the ear.  This headset offers great stability and comfort whether used in an active or corporate environment.

   

Included in the package:

1) TRITTON AX Micro BT headset

2) “Flexible finger ear grips” (2 sizes included)

3) A/C charging cradle

4) neck lanyard with cradle to hold the earpiece when not in use.

 

I’ll be putting this headset through its paces in the next week or so and provide a more thorough review then.  Stay tuned . . .

Fun Contact 2.0 Contest WINNERS!

Sorry for the delay, gang. I was out of town last week and it slipped my mind that I forgot to announce the winners before I left. The winning answer was: 249 contacts.
The three closest guesses, without going over, were:
1) Gamblinman - 229
2) byron1957 - 227
3) zacksba - 225
(Note: Jake Speed also guessed 225, but lost the coin flip to zacksba)

Winners, please contact me via PM or email with your contact email address so the software codes can be delivered to you.

Thanks, everyone!

CONTEST: FunContact 2.0

It’s CONTEST time again.  This time around the good folks at VITO Technology Inc. have contributed 3 copies of FunContact 2.0 to our prize vault.  How do you  win a copy of your very own?  Simple: guess the number of contacts I currently have on my HTC Mogul. 

Rules: (yeah, there are always rules)

1. One guess per person

2. Closest guess to the actual number of contacts without going over wins.

3. You can choose the same number submitted by another entrant, but only one guess per person

4.  In the event that more than 3 entries have the correct number (or are closest without going over) I will randomly draw 3 names to select the lucky winners.

Deadline for entries is 12:00 NOON, EST Friday, April 25, 2008

Good luck! 

SolarExpress PDA II Contest

The good folks at Lightcone Corp. have generously donated three of their SolarExpress PDA II Single Port USB Host CF Cards for our next giveaway.

Features:

• Adds an independent USB Host port to your Pocket PC
• Slim Design
• Dongle-less Type-II CompactFlash Card design
• USB Host Port Power is 5v@200mA max.
• A Y-USB cable accessory is available to support additional USB Host current requirements.

Contestants can preview the additional functionality SolarExpress PDA II brings at SolarExpress PDA II Blog thru Light Cone Corp.Tech Support web-link below.
http://www.lightconecorp.com/Tech_Support.html

Read on to learn more about SolarExpress PDA II and to find out how to win!

[Read more]

Review: Gomadic Quad Charger

Have you seen the TV commercial touting IBM’s Bladeservers? It’s the one that begins with some IT guy peering out an office window through a pair of binoculars spying a Godzilla-sized orb overtaking the skyline of his city.� “What is it?” he wonders out loud?� “It looks like a giant ball of cables!” someone says of the rapidly expanding sphere.� “Save us from all the cables!”� [Cut from the screaming IT masses to the IBM Bladeserver; end of commercial.]

Well, if you live in a household with 4 kids ranging in age from 12-19, or you are a gadget freak in a league of your own then you know one of the biggest drawbacks of owning multiple gadgets is the aggravation of trying to keep all of the proprietary chargers organized for easy access and usage.� I have to admit that I am a bit intimidated by the rat’s nest of cables that confronts me each time I open my desk drawer looking for a particular charger.� “Please, someone save me from all the cables!” [Cut from the frantic reviewer to Gomadic’s Quad charger; end of frustration.]

Gomadic touts the Quad charger as a smart and flexible solution to powering all of your rechargeable devices.

Fight Wall Warts And Tangleweed One Cord At A Time

No more wondering where you left your Treo or iPod. No more unattractive wall warts and tangleweed polluting your power strips and outlets. Gomadic’s brand new Charging Station� was created to bridge the gap between technological efficiency and stunning home design. Compatible with Gomadic’s innovative TipExchange Technology that works with thousands of mobile devices, the Charging Station gives you limitless options, providing a safe and tangle-free command center to charge 4 of your family’s devices at once.

Not a power strip in disguise like other universal charging solutions, the Gomadic Charging Station offers a clean streamlined solution unseen in either the technology or home design markets. While other charging solutions simply hide your AC adapters in a fire-risky environment, Gomadic’s uses one outgoing cord, offering a fire safe and ecologically sustainable solution to everyone from the chicest urbanite to the circuit salivating gadget aficionados we all know and love.

“Tangleweed” . . . I like that!

Read what else I liked and didn’t like about the Quad Charger here…

BCS Championship Contest Winner - Sebring!

Okay, for the record… LSU won the BCS Championship game. The Tigers and the Buckeyes put 62 points on the board and combined for a total of 42 first downs.
14 contestants predicted the correct winner: LSU.

Therefore, the first tiebreaker was employed to determine the winner. Remember, the first tiebreaker was to predict the total number of the final score (62) without going over. Based on that criteria we have a winner . . . Congrats to Sebring who predicted a total of 59 points! (Chrissard was within 3 points of the correct answer, too, but exceeded the actual total ).
Congrats Sebring! The Helium Digital HDBT-550 Bluetooth headset will be on its way to you as soon as you PM me with your contact details……

BCS Championship Contest - Sponsored by Helium Digital

� �

The first contest of 2008 is a BCS Championship contest sponsored by Helium Digital. Up for grabs is a Helium Digital HDBT-550 Bluetooth headset. To win, simply predict the winner of the BCS Championship game to be held on January 7, 2008 in New Orleans, LA. The winner will be randomly selected from all who correctly predict this year�s NCAA National Football champion; LSU Tigers of the SEC or The Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten.

Tie-Breaker question: guess the total number of combined points scored by both teams (closest to total without going over).

Tie-Breaker question #2: guess the total number of first downs accumulated by both LSU and OSU (closest to the total without going over).

Rules:

1) only one post per person

2) Entry deadline is 5:00 p.m. EST, 1/7/08

3) Staff may enter

4) Must be a registered member of Aximsite/Mobilitysite

Remember, you must post three answers to be eligible:

a) Winning team,

b) combined total of final score,

c) combined total of first downs by both teams.

GO ahead.� Post away!� This prize is a big-BUCKS item. You can�t BEAT this Lightweight, Svelte , Unit!

Contest Winner Announced!

 

Okay, everyone, let’s all give it up for kvand who is the lucky winner of the Helium Digital HDBT-750 Stereo headphones with transmitter.

Thanks to everyone who entered . . . and a special word of thanks to our friends at Helium Digital for contributing such a great prize.

Stay tuned for your chance to win other fabulous prizes . . . .

5th Birthday Bash - Helium Digital HDBT-750

Thanks to all our good friends at Helium Digital, as part of our ongoing 5th Birthday Bash we are giving away their Bluetooth Headphone and transmitter combo, the HDBT-750.�� This is a great prize for our community.� It will add wireless listening pleasure to your Axim, your Zune, your iPod or any other device that has a standard headphone jack.� Thanks to Helium Digital for their generous contribution.

How to win:

1) One entry per person

2) Must have at least 10 posts

3)� Staff may enter

To enter: head on over to Helium Digital and check out the HDBT-750 and tell us one feature that is the most appealing to you.

Deadline for entries will be December 25th, 12 midnight EST.� A random winner will be selected from all entries and announced on December 26th.

Good luck!

Review: SBSH iLauncher 3.1

Reviewer: Jake Richards (JakeRich)
Product: ilauncher Release 3.1

Manufacturer: SBSH
Price: MSRP - $14.95, (Free Upgrade to all v3.0 owners)

One of the things that Microsoft didn’t include in the Windows Mobile operating system is the ability to put icons on the desktop (Today Screen) and then directly run the associated application by tapping the icon. You have to get to programs through multiple taps and menus. One of the vendors to step into the void created by that omission is SBSH Mobile Software. They created a product called iLauncher that allowed for exactly that functionality. Their latest release is 3.1, and it adds some significant improvements in functionality.

You can download a demo version from SBSH at their website and try it for yourself. Installation is easy and the software is installed as a Today Screen option. At $14.95, iLauncher is easily the best addition I’ve made to my PDA. 

Read Jake’s full review here…