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Friday, February 26th, 2010
Hitwise Award
We’ve done it again! The latest Hitwise report is out and we’ve won another award.
Hitwise have just ranked Mobile Fun as the 4th most popular site in the ‘Entertainment – Mobile Phones’ industry for June – December 2009.
We would like to say thank you to all of our customers for helping us achieve this award.
For more information on Hitwise take a look at our Awards Page.
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Loading ...Thursday, February 25th, 2010
It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve just received confirmation of the 32GB Micro SDHC Memory Card release date along with pricing information.
SanDisk’s latest memory card is available to order now for £99.99, with shipping expected to start on the 20th April.
SanDisk MicroSD Card - 32GB
The 32GB card is a must have accessory for anyone with one of the latest multimedia phones such as the HTC HD 2, BlackBerry Bold 9700, Nokia N97 Mini, Nexus One and Samsung Jet and that likes to have all their music, photo’s and music with them where ever they go.
To give you an idea on just how much this can hold, you can store 4000 songs, 5200 photos and over 30 hours of video, and still have room for all your apps.
SanDisk are promising no compatibility issues. If your phone works with a 16GB micro SDHC card, it’ll work with the 32GB card.
Demand for this is expected to be huge, so place your order now and be one of the first to get them in April.
Visit the SanDisk MicroSD Card – 32GB product pages for more information.
(6 votes, average: 4.17 out of 5) Loading ...Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
You might think that this is an odd subject for a post because using a stylus on a touch screen phone is nothing new or exciting, but it’s not actually as simple as you might expect.
Over the last few years, the technology in touch screens has changed quite a lot, but as it’s not something that’s talked about you may not know about the differences between them.
One of the most important specifications of a touch screen phone is the screen type – Resistive or Capacitive. Until the launch of the iPhone back in 2007, the majority of touch screen phones featured a resistive display that often needed a stylus to navigate the menu system. Since then, more and more phones have been released with capacitive screens that rely on you using your finger to move around the menu system, but what’s the difference?
Some of the latest handsets to feature resistive touch screens
Resistive touchscreens are composed of several layers of plastic, and input is registered when two of these layers make contact with each other when pressed by a finger or stylus, creating an electrical connection. Generally speaking Resistive screens can’t track multiple inputs on a single display and often need a firm press in order for it to register.
Some of the latest handsets to feature resistive touch screens are the LG Pop, Nokia 5800, Sony Ericsson Satio, Nokia N97 Mini and the Samsung Tocco Lite.
Some of the latest handsets to feature capacitive touch screens
Capacitive touchscreens are traditionally a glass panel coated with a transparent conductive material. As the human body conducts electricity, any touch on the surface of the screen triggers the electric field and registers the location of the input. Capacitive touchscreens can more readily accept continuous input across the surface, and also track multiple fingers on a single display (multi touch).
Some of the latest handsets to feature capacitive touch screens are the HTC HD2, LG BL40, Nokia X6, Google Nexus One and the iPhone 3GS.
Resistive screens can be controlled with anything, your finger, a pen – anything that can press down on the screen. Capacitive ones can’t – they won’t work with a standard stylus and you won’t be able to use them if you’re wearing gloves. Capacitive screens only need a gentle touch, where as resistive may need a firm press in order for it to register. Capacitive screens tend to respond faster and are a little more accurate too.
Using a Stylus
Because of how the screens detect being touched, it’s not possible to use a standard stylus with a capacitive touch screen as they don’t conduct electricity. Each type of screen has it’s good and bad points, and if you want to know more about how they perform AllAboutSymbian have put together a great guide that runs through the performance differences between them.
iPhone - Designed for finger control
Personally, I’ve never got on with using a stylus with my phone, but anyone who’s used to using one will no doubt miss it when they make the switch to capacitive – an inevitable change as all manufacturers move to more advanced operating systems that require support for mutlitouch.
Dagi Stylii Types
As always though, technology moves on and there are now a number of styluses available that will work with capacitive screens. There are 3 Dagi Capacitive Styluses to choose from as well as a HTC branded one for the HTC HD2. What makes these different to a regular stylus is that instead of having a point to press your screen, they have a flat circular disc at the end that works in a similar way to your finger would.
Capacitive Stylus Range from DAGi
Each stylus does the same thing, they’re just different sizes:
If you decide to get a stylus for your capacitive touch screen phone, remember that that phone is designed to be used with your finger, so although the stylus will work, you may not find it as responsive as a traditional stylus is on a resistive touch screen device.
If you’re not sure what type of screen your phone has, take a look at GSMArena.com. They list the full specifications for every handset on the market and in most cases will tell you what screen type the phone has.
(6 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5) Loading ...Tags: aino stylus, capacitive screen, capacitive stylus, corby stylus, dagi stylus, droid stylus, genio stylus, genio touch stylus, hd2 stylus, hero stylus, htc hd2 stylus, iphone stylus, magic stylus, milestone stylus, nexus one stylus, nokia x6 stylus, palm pre stylus, resistive screen,
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Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
When it comes to mobile phones, the saying “they don’t make them like they used to” is spot on. These days a phone isn’t just a phone, its an MP3 player, video player, internet device and much more, so what do you do when you don’t need all these extra features?
There are still a number of simpler handsets available, but if you’re still in love with your old, dying Nokia phone and aren’t quite ready to give it up then there is another option – refurbished handsets.
Refurbished Nokia Phones
Refurbished or Grade A mobile phones are handsets that have been returned to an authorised Nokia Service Centre and given a full make over. They’re stripped of their outer casings, fully tested and any faulty parts replaced. They’re then updated to run the latest version of software before being given a brand new housing and battery.
Currently there are 4 different refurbished phones available – each of them a classic that’s easy to use and has great battery life.
The Nokia 3310 has got to be one of Nokia’s most popular mobile phones and I’m pretty sure that almost everyone will have used one! It has an incredibly easy to use menu system and a clear, well spaced keypad. The Nokia 3310 is all about calls and texts – no internet, no picture messaging, no fancy features and as a result, you’ll get amazing battery talk time and standby times from it. A single charge can give you up to 4.5 hours talk time and ten days stand by
Refurbished Nokia 3310
The bigger brother to the 3310. Essentially the same phone as the 3310, but weighs 20g less, has a slightly different keypad and a basic internet browser. A bigger memory for names and numbers make it ideal as a replacement phone for work. Battery life is also excellent, with 4 hours talk time and nearly 11days stand by.
Refurbished Nokia 3410
There was a time when this was the ultimate business users phone, and to be honest it’s still popular now! The Nokia 6310i is slim, light, easy to use, with a few extra features to the 3310 and 3410 – the main ones being Bluetooth connectivity, a much larger memory for names and numbers, as well as the ability to connect it to your PC or laptop for use as a modem or to sync your contacts.
Refurbished Nokia 6310i
The Nokia 6310i is still the only phone available that will fit the Nokia Car Kit – Cark-91, a fully installed car kit that had a cradle to charge your phone. Battery life on the 6310i is incredible – upto 17 days stand by and 6 hours talktime.
The Nokia 6230i was the replacement for the 6310i. It has a colour screen and support for memory cards along with a refreshed menu system and improved support for internet and email. It’s the only refurbished phone available that has a camera and MP3 playback capability. Despite the colour screen and extra features, the 6230i still offers great battery life – 12 days stand by and 5 hours talk time.
Refurbished Nokia 6230i
Refurbished handsets are great as work phones, emergency spares, starter phones or are a perfect way of replacing a broken phone, without having to replace all of your existing accessories too. All refurbished/Grade A phones come with a mains charger, battery, user guide and a 12 month Mobile Fun warranty.
Head over to the Mobile Fun website for more details on our Grade A and Refurbished Phones.
NB: Battery and User Guide may not be original Nokia products. Handset colours may vary.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Monday, February 22nd, 2010
The HTC HD2 is one of the nicest looking phones on the market, although the size of it may not appeal to everyone. The screen of the device is larger than any other handset and is great for watching videos and looking at photo’s and browsing the internet and for those that spend a lot of time driving, the bright, clear display of the HD2 makes it perfect for use as a full turn-by-turn Sat Nav unit.
Depending on your budget and what you want to achieve in your car, there are a number of options available that will help you to use your phone safely and stay legal. To give you an idea on some of the car kits and accessories that are available for the HTC HD2 here are some of our most popular HD2 Car Kits, HD2 Car Mounts and HD2 Car Chargers.
Car Chargers:
The HTC CC200 car charger for your HD2 is a must have item – especially if you’re using the GPS functionality on your phone. The HD2 Car Charger consists of a tangle proof Micro USB charging cable and a USB Car Charger adapter. This allows you to not only charge your HD2, but by using a different USB cable you can also use it to charge MP3 players, Bluetooth Headsets and portable games consoles.
HTC CC C200 Micro USB Car Charger
If you’ve already got a USB Charging cable for your HD2, you can use that to charge your phone in the car – you’ll just need to get yourself a USB Car Charger adapter.
Car Mounts & Holders:
The safest way to use your HD2 in the car is to have it secured in a car holder. There are loads of different styles to choose from but given the extra size and weight of the HD2, some car mounts and holders won’t be strong enough to support your phone.
For the best possible hold, I’d recommend using a Brodit Active holder/ Brodit Passive holder with your HD2. Active holders have a built in car charger where as Passive holders will just hold your phone. They are sturdy, robust holders that are designed to be screwed into place. Now I’d never dream of drilling holes in my car just to keep my phone safe, and Brodit know that this is something people won’t want to do, so they have developed the Brodit ProClip. ProClips clip on to your dashboard and provide a solid, flat area that you can screw your HD2 Car Holder onto. They can be removed easily without causing any damage to your vehicle.
Brodit Passive Holder for HTC HD2
If you want something a little less permanent, then the HD2 Car Pack is a suction mount holder that fixes your HD2 to the windscreen. Unlike some suction pads, the Car Pack has a heavy duty rubber pad that stays stuck to your windscreen and won’t fall off when you park in sunlight or have the heater on.
Car Pack For The HTC HD2
You can rotate the holder in 3 different directions to make sure that you have the HD2 positioned exactly as you want it and can switch between using your phone in landscape or portrait in seconds. The HD2 Car Pack also includes a HD2 Car Charger.
If the HD2 Car Pack isn’t stylish enough for you then you should take a look at the HTC HD2 Cu-S400 Car Holder. This is a genuine HTC in-car solution that looks great. It’s got a strong suction base that can be stuck to your windscreen or dashboard and a fully adjustable chrome arm that lets you position of the phone exactly where you need it. It has a charger connection built into the base, so instead of having to plug your HD2 into the car charger each time you get in the car, you can leave the charger connected to the base of the car mount, then every time you dock your HD2 in the cradle, it’ll switch to car mode and start to charge.
HTC HD2 Car Mount - CU S400
Car Kits:
If you really want to get the best from your HD2 and want an in car set up that can be used with your phone for handling calls, listening to music and satellite navigation there are a number of Plug & Play Car Kits and Fully Installed Car Kits available.
Play music from your HD2 through your Car Stereo with the Jabra Cruiser
There are a number of Plug & Play Car Kits that will work with the HD2, and the Jabra Cruiser is one of the best. The Jabra Cruiser is a self install Bluetooth Car Kit that simply clips to the sun visor of your car and pairs to your HTC HD2 using Bluetooth. The Cruiser supports the A2DP profile, which means that you can stream your music to it over Bluetooth and listen to it either using the internal speaker or you can stream the music from the Cruiser to your car stereo speakers using its built in FM Transmitter. If you use a Sat Nav app on your HD2, any voice commands will also be played through your car stereo speakers so you shouldn’t ever miss any directions. The battery life of the Cruiser is upto 14 hours talk time and 250 hours stand by.
Streaming using Bluetooth can be quite a drain on the battery, especially if you are using Sat Nav at the same time so you’ll almost certainly need a car charger and a way of mounting the phone in the car.
Fully Integrated to your Car
If you want a more permanent solution or one where you don’t need to recharge the handsfree unit, then a fully fitted Car Kit will be your best bet.
Parrot MKi9000 for HTC HD2
Of all the car kits available, the best kit you can get for calling, music playback and sat nav is one of the Parrot MKi Car Kits. Parrot only make Bluetooth accessories and because of that they make sure that every phone works brilliantly with their car kits. There are three kits in the MKi range, but the Parrot MKi9000 is your best bet for the HD2, mainly because the 4.3″ screen on the phone means that you don’t need the external screen of the MKi9100 or MKi9200. You can play music from your phone through the MKi9000 either by connecting the 3.5mm headphone jack or you can stream your music to it using Bluetooth. The Mki9000 will synchronise with your phone book, and supports voice dialling. There is also a small remote that you can attach to your dash or steering wheel to control your music (Play/Pause, track skip & volume). When you use Sat Nav on your phone, voice instructions come through your car stereo clearly, and if music is playing at the same time, it briefly mutes out the music so that you don’t miss any directions.
Sat Nav:
The HTC HD2 doesn’t ship with sat nav software installed, so it’s something that you’ll need to buy separately along with a car charger and car mount, but with sat nav applications such as CoPilot Live 8 for the HD2 available for as little as £45 it works out to be a much cheaper option than buying the latest stand alone Sat Nav Unit.
CoPilot Live for the HD2
CoPilot Live 8 is a great alternative to TomTom. The software has been around for years and is the pre-installed mapping application on most T-Mobile and O2 smartphones. Feature wise it does everything that TomTom does, but for a lot less money. It has full UK Postcode search, POI, Lane assist, Text-To-Speech, live traffic and more. The software can be installed to a memory card or to the internal memory on your phone.
(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5) Loading ...Or sign up for email updates by entering your email address here:
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