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.

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Easy Sync 2.8.6 Review

Active Sync will synchronize files between your pocket pc and your desktop, but it is very limited in how it does so.  Desktop files must be placed in your pocket pc’s My Documents folder.  That means that all files to be sync’d on your pocket pc must be in the My Documents folder.  What if you want to place files on a flash drive on your pocket pc?  What if you want to sync files from a network to your pocket pc?  Active Sync won’t help you.  But Easy Sync will.

Easy Sync claims it has bidirectional sync, one way transferring of unlimited number of files, supports transferring over network, and syncs several devices.  It won’t replace Active Sync, but will enhance it.  Here are some of its features:

• Bidirectional synchronization, one-way upload and download
• Able to process unlimited number of files and folders
• Supports Storage Card and Network locations
• Sync multiple devices with one computer
• Real time monitoring of changes made to files
• Flexible scheduling
• Filter by mask (e.g. *.txt, *.mp3, etc.)
• Sound notifications and pop-up messages
• Simple and intuitive user interface 

So how does it perform?  Read on.

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The RedFly - Extending the Possibilities

The RedFly arrived just before I was heading out to Seattle to attend the Microsoft MVP Summit and I thought that I would start the written part of my review of the RedFly in a real situation where it might be reasonably used. So this review was started as I was flying with Steve “fyiguy” Hughes out to Redmond for the Microsoft MVP summit. I thought it might be a neat way to see how easy it was to use and to see if it performed to the level of expectation that I had.

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The Venturi Mini

Music Streaming and Hands Free Audio

• Author:  Jack Cook
• Vendor:  Venturi
• Cost:  $129.00
• Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Recently I did a review on a Bluetooth hands free solution that was in my estimation one of the best solutions I have ever used. In a nut shell it had a great quality case, excellent sound reproduction and the FM transmission was absolutely terrific. Shortly after that review I was contacted by a representative of the makers of the Venturi Mini and they asked if I would like to look at their device and if I liked it, would I review it. Frankly I was impressed with the confidence they expressed in the quality of their device so I said I would look at it and I am pleased that I did.

The Venturi Mini is quite a bit different than the typical hands free solution you see on the market today. The device does not attach to your sun visor but rather plugs directly into your cars DC outlet where it then will tune to an available space in the FM radio bandwidth. All sound from calls or from streaming music plays through your cars audio system.

As soon as you pair your device to the Venturi Mini, you are able to listen to music and hear phone calls over the car speakers. A2DP technology allows high quality stereo audio to be transferred from your device and if you have multiple devices, it will allow you to connect up to four. For this review, I used two devices (Motorola Q9m and the Cingular 8525).

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Sextopus: a solution to universal frustrations

My life was a mess; Sextopus has saved me from embarrassing, inexcusable, inappropriate, unmanageable, and extreme entanglements. It was love at first sight. The sinewy appendages, the inviting receptacles, and the penetrating blue eyes were irresistible. Instantly, I knew I couldn’t live a moment longer without Sextopus.

Sextopus is so amiable and highly adaptable; its only purpose is to conform to the master’s needs graciously without complaint. It’s just a matter of appendage adjustment.

Similar to the octopus, a distant cousin with eight tentacles, Sextopus only has six. But oh what it can do with those six appurtenances. It is a wonder to behold.

A characteristic peculiar to the echinoderms of which the Sextopus must be related is the ability to regenerate severed appendages. Lop off the arm of a starfish, and it will grow a new one. A Sextopus has the same ability, but even better. You can just rip one off, and it can be instantly replaced with one more suitable to your liking and special needs.

Are you beginning to think a Sextopus might be right for you too? Let me tell you a little more about what this little beauty will do for you.

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RAM Mounts - Strong, Tough, Secure & Near Perfect

Author:  Jack Cook

Vendor:  RAM Mounts

Cost:  Cost varies  by product

Rating:  5/5

 

I am fortunate that I am now able to spend an immense amount of time traveling to those places that I have always wanted to visit and when I go someplace new I usually use my Pocket PC with TomTom 6. It is a great program and always gets me where I want to go but sometimes I really want to “adapt” the route I have to travel and if it is a long trip adding “vias” using my Pocket PC can prove to be a tedious task.

In the final analysis, I prefer to use DeLorme’s Street Atlas USA on my Sony Vaio laptop, LS800 tablet or SonyUX because I can easily plan my route on my PC and import the route onto those devices. Ease of planning is a huge factor and using the “bigger screen” often proves to be a big advantage. But the issue is how do you deal with the bigger device? I have a great mount for my Pocket PC that adapts to virtually all of my phone devices but it won’t adapt to my bigger devices and even if it could, it just is not durable enough to handle a larger heavier device. So the search began to find a great mount and it stopped at RAM Mounting Systems.

When I first visited their site and started to look at their solutions I could see that the products were “heavy duty”, yet designed to be as unobtrusive as possible without compromising the ultimate reason for using a RAM Mount …. security for your device. I was convinced that I wanted a suction cup mounting system for ease of use and I was sure that I wanted to get one that I could use my Sony UX with.

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BoxWave Designio Leather Case and ClearTouch Screen Protector Review

I just completed evaluating the Designio Leather Case and the ClearTouch Anti-Glare Screen Protector for the HTC Advantage. 

 

The Advantage comes with a screen protector and a nice leather case, so why would you spend money on replacements?  Read on after the break.

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Menneisyys’ Touch Browser Review

Menneisyys is not technically part of the “team” here, but he’s been around quite some time and he shares some really technical reviews across the entire Windows Mobile Community. I wish I would have had a chance to meet him in person at the MVP Summit last week, but maybe next time.

Anyhow, last week I posted some news about another browser for Windows Mobile. Well, now we know it’s really not a standalone browsers. It sits on top of Pocket Internet Explorer. Ruh Roh. Menneisyys shares his review in the forums. This should hold you off until Ksong finishes his review.

Web browsing is one of the major application areas of portable devices – no wonder the iPhone is also Web-centric with its excellent Safari browser.

The “accelerated” scrolling mode of Safari is widely copied in the Windows Mobile world. The latest title to support this kind of screen dragging mode is Touch Browser by Makayama available for purchase and, now, trial download HERE (manual HERE).

It’s an external wrapper to Internet Explorer Mobile (IEM), just like Webby and unlike traditional IEM plug-ins like Spb Pocket Plus, PIEPlus and MultiIE. This also means it has some of the inherent problems common to all these solutions; more on this later.

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MWg Atom Live gets a new Krusell Case

I just acquired a new MWg Atom Life, which is a sweet device and certainly worth protecting–hence, my quest for a new case. The one I decided on after a fairly exhaustive search is the Krusell Orbit MultiAdapt case. Let me tell you why.

Generally, I do not like things dangling from my belt, but I like to have the option once in a while. The Krusell Orbit Multiapt case supplies me with that option. I can remove the belt clip and the protective case will fit snugly in my pocket or in my accessory bag.

The case comes in well-crafted black leather with tan stitching with a tan leather interior. The flap cover fastens with a surprisingly aggressive magnetic snap in the back. Around the case, there are sufficient openings to access all the ports and buttons necessary.

The back of the case unhinges from a magnetic mooring to allow yet another belt fastening option. I appreciate this feature because it allows the unit to fit snugly against the belt instead of sticking out like a sore thumb with the revolving belt clip. The swivel belt clip is extremely secure with a strong spring and a hook. The mounting flange slides and snaps into place on the back of the case but can be removed if desired.

By the way, I use a Podzilla accessory bag from www.roadrunner.com that has straps on the back to which I can snugly attach the Krusell case should I wish to have it outside the bag or easier access. In fact, I have attached two other cases to the back and still have room for one more, which saves lots of room inside for other items.

Inside the case, on the flap cover, there is a pocket that will accommodate business cards, but not credit cards. On top of that are two more pockets for standard SD cards. This is interesting because the MWg Atom Life uses mini-SD cards. I suppose the idea is that you put them in a caddy for storage, and the pockets will accommodate that nicely.

The SD storage is an important consideration. I appreciate this stowage as many cases lack this feature. I almost always take along extra SD cards that contain data, tunes, or GPS, and it can be a problem keeping them safely with the device so they don’t get separated or lost. Good job Krusell.

This handsome case has certainly found a welcome spot in my accessory bag to protect my little pocket concierge, and I would even be proud to display in on my belt from time to time in two different ways.

Did I mention that all Krusell cases come with a lifetime guarantee? Expect to pay around $40 for this case, which I consider a bargain as I’ve seen comparable cases for twice as much. Don’t bother going to the Krusell site to purchase it. Instead, try a Web search. You can purchase it at www.expansys.com for sure, but it may pay to shop around.

By the way, this case model is available for a surprising number of devices, not just the MWg Atom Life. So, if you like the features of this case, there may be one for your specific device.

HanDBase 4.0

I must admit that I have been aware of HanDBase for some time, but have largely ignored it because my databases are in the millions of records and would swamp the memory of a PDA.

However, upon the prompting of a friend, I took another look at the new version 4.0 recently and was more than a little impressed with what I found.

HandDBase is a sophisticated relational database that will work on almost all PDA platforms. It allows data entry, record searching, sorting, filtering, printing, and syncing with desktop and handheld devices. It will import/export Microsoft Access or other ODBC compliant databases.

You can construct your own custom-designed database using fifteen different kinds of fields from text to numerical to date to calculating and more. It also lets you create forms for data input with a nifty drag and drop designer. The form designer is impressive. You can select colors for text, background, buttons, as well as button functions and button shape. There are drop down boxes, radio buttons, and free text fields that can contain up to 2000 characters. You can even insert graphics in the forms.

HanDBase comes with a desktop form designer application as well. You can also sync data with a desktop computer if you wish.

There are unlimited ways to use HanDBase. For example, in the personal arena, you may wish to make shopping lists, packing lists, to do lists, guest, and gift lists. You can construct a database to handle recipes, car and travel information, bible study, workouts, and weight loss.

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SplashMoney

Compared to the money transaction program I’ve been using, SplashMoney is the ultimate supreme being, the granddaddy of the universe. Instead of a black and white ho hum presentation, SplashMoney opens in full Technicolor with spiffy icons and lives up to its name from the first impression.

Delving deeper into SplashMoney, I found it to be a transaction recording program that probably has no equal. For instance, to my knowledge no other similar application allows you to access your bank accoun ts live online and sync data.

SplashMoney will allow you to create accounts for credit cards, loans, bank accounts and many other kinds of accounts. You can enter transactions, keep a running balance, create and print reports, pay bills, and synchronize data from handheld to desktop and vice versa. It will also import transactions into accounts. Of course, it will help you to keep your accounts accurately balanced as well.

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A Visit to OtterBox Headquarters

A couple of months ago, you may have seen the MobilitySite.com posting by gasusan2005 titled “OtterBox Launches Stylish Protective Case for New BlackBerry Pearl Smartphones.”  I had heard of OtterBox and their products before seeing that posting, but until then I did not realize that their offices in Fort Collins, Colorado were only a few short miles away from my home.  At the time, I was brand new to MobilitySite.com and looking for article ideas so I asked myself, “Why not visit their office and write about the Company?”  I recently made that visit and here is my report.

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The UMPC Evolution: Samsung’s Q1 Ultra

Two years ago a cover story in Smartphone and Pocket PC magazine introduced the UMPC, and Samsung’s Q1 was the first to make it to market. At the end of the article, I asked if the new UMPC would replace the Pocket PC, or whether it would even survive as a platform. Samsung’s second generation device shows that the developers have been paying attention to user feedback. The new Q1 has impressive improvements that make it an attractive computing choice. Recently, at the Consumer Electronics Show, I observed several second generation entries and that more manufacturers were coming out with new models. Apparently the UMPC is gaining a significant foothold as a viable platform and computing alternative.

Outside: first impressions

First impressions and appearances reveal significant differences in the new Q1 compared to the original version. Perhaps most noticeable immediately is the QWERTY keyboard split on either side of the screen near the top. On the left is a joystick with mouse and Internet control buttons. On the right, is the navigation panel with an enter button, and below that are left and right mouse button keys.

Viewing the same seven inch screen is a more pleasurable experience now because instead of the 800 x 600 resolution, it has been bumped up to 1024 x 600 eliminating most sideways scrolling.

Another new feature is the fingerprint scanner on the lower left corner of the front panel. Instead of no camera on the first Q1, there are now two cameras, one in front, one in back.

Along the top, above the screen to the left are a series of indicators for power, battery, and wireless connections. On the left is a bank of four buttons for volume, and a menu for various system controls, and a handy UDF or user defined button. There are dual microphone pinholes at the bottom of the screen. A button that activates the camera is on the top right.

Gone is the CF port replaced by a standard SD card slot on the top of the unit accompanied by a 3.5 mm earphone jack and USB port. On the left is a lanyard connector, an AV Station button, and a locking power slider.

On the right side is the power input and a removable cover housing LAN, USB, and VGA ports. On the bottom right corner you will find the stylus silo. On the backside, there is a battery cover latch and a foldout stand.

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Review: Motorola Accessories for Q9m

• Author: Jack Cook
• Vender: Motorola
• Travel Pack Price: $79.99
• Cradle Price: $29.99
• Rating: 5/5

I think that often what makes a device just that much better are the accessories that you can buy to get that little “extra” from the device. I have been fortunate to have had a slew of different devices over the years and one thing that I always liked about my first few iPAQs was the cradle that always came with it. It just made it a little nicer for your desktop to avoid some “clutter” and it was definitely a whole lot easier for that instant hookup for charging when at home.

So recently I got a hold of a Motorola Q9m which has turned my opinion of a smartphone around 180 degrees. It is an absolutely incredible device providing me with virtually every function I wanted on my “touch screen” devices but now I have those functions on a “non-touchscreen” device that has a very slim form factor. If I am only going to take one device with me, it has become my device of choice. Of course I have too many devices and having wires all over the place for charging I decided that I was going to rearrange how and where I charge my devices but I wanted to keep the Q9m near me while at my desktop. So I looked to see if there was a cradle and sure enough there was.

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Pocket Informant 8 Review

In January of this year many websites hosted free downloads of Pocket Informant 7 (PI).  Why would Webis.net, makers of PI and several other programs, give away the leading Personal Information Manager (PIM) for free?  We found out one week later when on January 10th PI 8 was released.  The idea was to hook people on the old version then give them a reason to upgrade.  So what makes PI 8 so compelling?

PI has streamlined the complicated settings, making them far easier to navigate.  They have added a new Roles-based interface that gives you a selection of preferred methods of work, then tailors the menus to your needs.  They have produced a one-handed interface that is more finger friendly.  Scrolling with fingers is now possible as well.  This version marks the first time that the Pocket PC and Smartphone versions have near feature parity.  For a complete list of what’s new in PI 8 go here.

If you use Pocket Outlook and are wondering what a PIM can do for you, consider this.  PI acts as a single, integrated springboard to launch the many activities you wish to engage in, including tasks, email, appointments, notes and more.  One significant feature is the ability to link all the above to one contact, as well as linking documents, such as spreadsheets, to a contact, or even to a task.

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