Mobile Fun Blog

10 of the best Sony Ericsson Vivaz Accessories

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Sony Ericsson have been having a tough time lately, but if the Vivaz is anything to go by, that’s all about to change. The Sony Ericsson Vivaz is a great looking, easy to use touch screen phone with some exceptional features – HD video capture being one of it’s best.

To really get the most out of your Vivaz, you’ll need to invest in a few accessories but with so many Bluetooth Headphones, Vivaz cases and Car Kits available, choosing the right one can be a bit of a mission.

To help you make the right decision, this post runs through 10 of the best Sony Ericsson Vivaz Accessories.

1. Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

Sony Ericsson have always been one of the best brands for stereo Bluetooth headsets and the MW600 doesn’t disappoint. Not only does this compact headset allow you to stream music from your phone, it has full music controls and is the first stereo Bluetooth Headset to feature a built in FM Radio.

If you’ve tried to listening to the radio on your phone using a Bluetooth connection in the past, you’ll know it’s nearly impossible as the headphones act as the radio’s antenna. The MW600 solves this by having an FM receiver built into the control unit. Considering the price of previous Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Headphones I was amazed to see that this is on sale for less than £40. For more details on the MW600, take a look at our Sony Ericsson MW600 Hands On Review.

Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

View All Sony Ericsson Vivaz Stereo Bluetooth Headphones.

2. Sony Ericsson AN300 Car Charger

The Vivaz isn’t too bad when it comes to talk time, but as soon as you start emailing, going online or watching videos your battery will start to drain quite quickly so a car charger is a worthwhile investment. The genuine Sony Ericsson Vivaz Car charger will work in both 12v and 24v vehicles (Cars, Lorries and Trucks). It has a Micro USB connection and will work with all Micro USB devices.

Sony Ericsson Vivaz Car Charger AN300

View All Sony Ericsson Vivaz Chargers.

3. Dash Genie In Car Holder

The Dash Genie is the latest must have accessory to arrive at Mobile Fun. It’s an ingenious car holder that uses suction to attach itself to your dashboard and will hold your Vivaz securely, without having to mess around with adjustable arms. The ‘Red Dot’ sticks to the flat back of your handset and holds it securely. Don’t just take my word for it. Mobile Fun’s very own Stig took it for a test drive and you can see the result on the Mobile Fun YouTube Channel.

Dash Genie Vivaz In Car Holder

View All Sony Ericsson Vivaz Car Holders.

4. Martin Fields Screen Protector – Sony Ericsson Vivaz

The last thing you’re going to want to do to the screen of your new Vivaz is scratch it. Martin Fields screen protectors are without doubt the best quality screen protector you can get. They’re crystal clear and will make your phone look like new. They don’t reduce the clarity of your screen and colours look exactly the way they’re supposed to. If your screen protector gets dirty, they can be removed easily from the phone, cleaned and refitted. For more information on choosing a screen protector for your phone, take a look at our guide to choosing the best Screen Protector for your phone.

Martin Fields Screen Protector - Sony Ericsson Vivaz

View All Sony Ericsson Vivaz Screen Protectors.

5. Jabra SP700 Bluetooth Speakerphone

If you want to listen to music from your Vivaz in your car but don’t have a 3.5mm line in port on your stereo, don’t panic there is another way to do it – and what’s more, you won’t need to have wires trailing everywhere to do it! The Jabra SP700 is a self install Bluetooth Car Kit that simply clips to the sun visor of your car and pairs to your Vivaz using Bluetooth. The SP700 supports the A2DP profile, which means that you can stream your music to it over Bluetooth and listen to it either using the built in speaker or you can stream the music to your car stereo using it’s built in FM Transmitter. The Jabra SP700 will also play your phone calls through your car stereo speakers for improved clarity. The battery life of the SP700 is fantastic with up to 14 hours talk time and 250 hours stand by.

Jabra SP700 Bluetooth Speakerphone

If you want to be able to fully control your music without having to touch your phone, then take a look at the Jabra Cruiser. It’s similar in many ways to the cruiser, but features noice cancellation technology to reduce road noise and most importantly, it has play/pause/track skip buttons on it that allow you to control the music on your phone remotely

View All Sony Ericsson Vivaz Car Kits.

6. Sony Ericsson Vivaz Data Cable

Not all versions of the Vivaz will come with a data cable, so if you want to be able to transfer your music, photos and videos between your phone and PC, you’re going to need a data cable. Using a data cable is faster and often less hassle than transferring files over bluetooth and will charge your Vivaz at the same time. All you’ll need to use it is the Sony Ericsson PC Suite which is a free download from the Sony Ericsson Website.

Sony Ericsson Vivaz Micro USB Data Cable

View All Sony Ericsson Vivaz Mobile Data Accessories.

7. SanDisk MicroSDHC Card – 16GB

Despite the Vivaz being a great Multimedia handset, it only has a limited amount of internal storage. As a result, one of the first purchases you will need to make is a bigger memory card. This 16GB memory card can store upto 14000 high quality photos, 3000 songs and 18 hours of video. Using a SanDisk 16GB Memory Card with the Vivaz will allow you to store more music, games, photos and videos on your phone. Images and video taken using the HD Camera will take up lots more space, so more memory is a must. A 16GB memory card will let you store over 6000 high quality photos, 3000 songs or around 80 hours of standard definition video. A 16GB card is the largest memory card that is currently available, although a 32GB Micro SD HC memory card is due for release in April.

SanDisk MicroSDHC Card - 16GB

View All Sony Ericsson Vivaz Memory Cards.

8. InvisibleSHIELD Full Body Protector – Sony Ericsson Vivaz

InvisibleShields are still one of the best ways to protect your phone. They’re made from a tough, thin plastic film that covers pretty much all of your phone. The film has been vigorously tested and can withstand scratches from hand drills, screws, nails and being kicked across the floor (although we wouldn’t suggest trying it for yourself). They can be removed from the phone in no time at all and it won’t leave any sticky residue behind either. They add little/no bulk to your Vivaz and can be used in conjunction with other cases and covers.

InvisibleSHIELD Full Body Protector - Sony Ericsson Vivaz

View All Sony Ericsson Vivaz Covers.

9. Jawbone 2 Bluetooth Headset – Black

Jawbone changed the way that noise cancellation in bluetooth headsets worked. Jawbone’s work slightly different to other noise cancelling headsets, as they use a ‘voice activity sensor’ to help make your voice stand out. This sensor needs to maintain contact with the side of your face as it picks up vibrations as you speak. It then uses this information with the sounds picked up from the two microphones to eliminate almost all background noise.

Jawbone 2

View All Sony Ericsson Vivaz Bluetooth Headsets.

10. PDair Leather Pouch Case – Sony Ericsson Vivaz

The PDair Leather horizontal pouch is a simple but effective case that keeps your Vivaz safe and secure. It’s made from high grade leather, has contrast stitching and is lightly padded to help cushion your phone against knocks and drops. On the back is a solid, sprung belt clip that you can use to clip it to your belt/bag.

PDair Leather Pouch Case - Sony Ericsson Vivaz

View All Sony Ericsson Vivaz Cases.

If you’ve not seen the accessory here that’s right for you, take a look at our full range of Sony Ericsson Vivaz Accessories or let us know what you’re looking for using the comments below.

(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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Review: Navigon iPhone Holder & Car Charger

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

iPhone Car Holders are a  must have item – especially if you use your iPhone for Sat Nav. I’ve already covered some of the most popular mounting solutions for the iPhone in my post on Using Sat Nav on the iPhone, but this week I came across the Navigon iPhone Holder and Car charger and thought it was worth reviewing.

Navigon iPhone 3GS / 3G Car Holder - With Car Charger

Navigon were one of the first software companies to launch a Sat Nav application for the iPhone and it often features in the top ten apps in iTunes. The Navigon Car holder is designed to compliment their software and provide you with a simple and effective in car holder.

Features

There’s not really a lot you can say about a phone holder, after all, it is just a holder. Unlike the TomTom iPhone Car Kit, the Navigon car holder doesn’t have a GPS receiver or loud speaker built in, but there are a couple of features that make this one stand out.

Firstly there’s a discrete cable holder built in to the underneath of the arm. While this might not sound that great, it does mean that once your cable is clipped into it you won’t have to fish around between the seats to find the end of your charging cable when you want to charge your iPhone.

Built in cable holder saves time

The cradle for the iPhone has a ball joint fitting so that allows you to rotate it through 360° - nothing new, but what I did like with the Navigon holder is that it’s the only car holder that I’ve seen that lets you tighten up the ball joint when it starts to come loose (although the allen key needed isn’t included).

Design

As holders go, it’s slim and it’s not bad to look at, although from the images on the box I did expect it to be a little slimmer than it is, although it’s by no means bulky.

Simple, slim design

The cradle allows you to slide your iPhone in and out quickly and easily and it can be done with one hand, you just pull your phone forward slightly and lift it out. There’s no spring clip to keep your phone in place, but given the shape of the cradle I really can’t see that it would ever fall out.

In the Box

Navigon are rather generous. Instead of just including a generic third party car charger, they’ve partnered with Belkin to include the Belkin Micro Auto Charger + Charge Sync Cable.

Belkin Micro Auto Car Charger Included

This is one of the most compact car chargers available for the iPhone and can be left in your cigarette socket even when not being used – just remove the USB cable and it will look like a standard USB Port in your dashboard.

Why choose the Navigon iPhone Holder?

Navigon Car holder for iPhone

The Navigon iPhone holder is a solid, sturdy holder that will work brilliantly with your iPhone and any Sat Nav App. The suction pad is strong and the built in cable holder is a nice touch – although it would have been even better if you could connect the cable to the base of the cradle so that it connected each time you put your phone in.

My Rating: 9/10

(15 votes, average: 3.80 out of 5)

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5 of the best Nokia 5230 Cases

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

The Nokia 5230 is the latest touch screen phone from Nokia and although it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that you’ll find on it’s bigger brother (the Nokia 5800), the 5230 is a great choice if you’re new to touch screen phones. It features a 2MP camera, GPS and 3G connectivity for faster browsing.

If you’ve got the Nokia 5230 you’re going to want to make the most of all of it’s features, so to help you find the best ones, but with so many Nokia 5230 Cases available, choosing the right one can be a bit of a challenge, so to try and make the process a little easier I’ve compiled a list of 5 of the best Nokia 5230 Cases.

1. Capdase Book Style Leather Case

If you want a more subtle, professional looking case, then these leather cases from Capdase could be just your thing. Available in either a side hinged ‘Book Style’ or bottom hinged ‘Flip Style’, these classic leather cases do a great job of enhancing and protecting your Nokia 5230. Each case is made for lasting protection and is lightly padded to protect against knocks and drops. Built into the cover of each case is a storage area for additional memory or sim cards.

Capdase Classic Leather Book Case for Nokia 5230

2. Nokia 5230 Silicone Case

Sometimes the simplest cases are the best. Silicone cases are made from a thin, tough silicone gel that protects the back and sides of your Nokia 5230 against knocks and scrapes. They add very little to your phone in terms of weight and size and are designed to repel dust and fluff. They allow full access to your touch screen and keypad but as they leave the screen exposed you’ll need to invest in a Nokia 5230 screen protector to go with it.

Silicone Case - Nokia 5230 - White

3. Nokia 5230 Krusell Orbit Flex Premium Case

Originally crafted for the Nokia 5800, the Krusell Orbit Flex is one of our most popular styles of case. It’s a leather flip case with a belt clip with a twist – the front flap can be completely removed to give you improved access to the screen – this is especially handy when you want to watch films or spend a reasonable amount of time emailing or going online. The Orbit Flex has cut outs for all the Nokia 5230′s buttons, charging port and headphone socket as well as the camera. On the back is a detachable belt clip.

Nokia 5230 Orbit Flex Krusell Premium Leather Case

4. Nokia 5230 InvisibleShield

Ok, so it’s not technically a case, but the InvisibleShield are still one of the best ways to protect your phone. They’re made from a tough, thin plastic film that covers pretty much all of your phone. The film has been vigorously tested and can withstand scratches from hand drills, screws and nails and being kicked across the floor (although we wouldn’t suggest trying it for yourself). They can be removed from the phone in no time at all and it won’t leave any sticky residue behind either.

InvisibleSHIELD Full Body Protector - Nokia 5230

5. Nokia 5230 Case CP357

The Nokia CP357 is a stylish leather carry pouch for the 5230. It holds your phone securely and is lightly padded to absorb any impact. It has a removable belt clip and is a great way to protect your phone if it spends most of the time in your bag.

Nokia CP-357 Carrying Case - Black

This isn’t all of the Nokia 5230 Cases available for the Nokia 5230, just some of the ones that I think do a great job with the phone. If you’ve not seen the one here that’s right for you then take a look at our full range of Nokia 5230 Cases, or let us know what cases you think should be here using the comments form below.

(3 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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Review: Sony Ericsson HiFi Wireless Headset MW600

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Sony Ericsson have just released their latest Bluetooth Headphones, the MW600. Those of you familiar with older models from Sony Ericsson might think that they don’t look much different to the DS200 or DS980 that have been around for a number of years now, but you’d be wrong!

Although similar in design to previous models, the Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset is a massive improvement over previous models and has some great new features. Given the wide range of phones that now double up as music & media players, I thought I’d get hold of a set and put them through their paces with three of the most popular phones currently available – the iPhone, Nokia X6 and Sony Ericsson Vivaz.

Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

Features

The MW600 certainly isn’t short of features, despite it’s compact size. Built into the control unit is a multipoint Bluetooth receiver, FM Radio, music controls, touch sensitive volume keys,  a hidden OLED display, a Micro USB charging port, internal battery and a 3.5 headphone socket. That’s a lot for something so small.

The MW600 supports both the A2DP and AVRCP profiles so you can listen to your music in stereo and control your music playback without having to touch your phone. Advanced Multipoint support allows you to connect the headset to your phone, MP3 player and games console all at the same time.

Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

The feature that stands out the most is the FM Radio. Most of you will know from experience that in order to use the radio built into your phone you need to have a wired hands free kit connected, so listening to the radio over Bluetooth has always been impossible. That all changes with the MW600 as there’s an FM receiver built into the control pod. Not only will this save power on your phone, but also means that you can listen to the radio when you get bored of your music on your iPod touch or MP3 player.

Design

Sony Ericsson have always been a fan of this style of headset, but it’s nice to see that they’ve finally ditched the hard wired headphones and as I’ve already mentioned they now include a 3.5mm headphone jack that allows you to use any standard headphones with it.

MW600 is not much bigger than an AA Battery

Size wise, the MW600 isn’t much bigger than an AA battery and it weighs just 13g. It comes with a set of HPM-78 headphones which are comfortable to use and sound great. More on those later.

Sony Ericsson have given the MW600 a very simple, stylish look. Minimal visible controls and a hidden OLED screen make this a really nice looking device.

In the Box

Not a lot to say about what’s included. You get the MW600, a (now standard) Micro USB mains charger, HPM-78 headphones with 2 sets of spare ear gels and the usual wealth of user guides and warranty leaflets. The user guides though are all quick start, and to be honest they weren’t really detailed enough.

Sony Ericsson now use Micro USB chargers

Controls & Set Up

5 buttons, one small screen and a quick start guide did leave me a little confused initially, but once I’d figured out the logic behind the menu system it all made sense.

The MW600 can be paired to 3 devices at the same time thanks to multipoint technology, but of these 3, only two are active at any one time. This means that you can pair it to your phone for calls, your iPod touch for music and your games console or PC for gaming.

MW600 is the perfect partner for the Vivaz

Pairing your phone is really simple – especially if you’re using it with a Sony Ericsson phone. The first time I turned the headset on it found the Vivaz straight away and the phone asked me if I wanted to add it as a device. After I pressed yes, it was connected. No searching for bluetooth devices, no entering PIN numbers, it just worked.

The process was similar for subsequent devices, although I had to search for the MW600 on both the X6 and iPhone, but neither asked for a PIN.

You can quickly choose which 2 devices you want active by pressing and holding the play button to select your music source and pressing and holding the answer button to select your phone.

It’s easy enough to do, but it might take a couple of try’s to figure out which is which. The icons on the screen are a little small and don’t show the name of the devices that are connected.

Small icons make it tricky to identify devices

Of all of the controls, the one that takes the most amount of getting used to is the volume. It’s a touch sensitive bar mounted above the screen. You just slide your finger along it to adjust the volume but I found you needed to slide your finger across it several times to go from quiet to full volume.

Sound Quality

You really can’t tell that your music is being streamed to the MW600 from your phone. Audio quality is excellent. I tried using the HPM-78′s and my existing headphones and suffered no problems at all with the quality of music play back.

Music Playback

On both the Nokia X6 and Sony Ericsson Vivaz music playback was a dream. Just hit play and it started to play music, press it again and it stopped. Track skip and rewind worked as they should without too much of a delay. The iPhone, because of it’s lack of support for the AVRCP Bluetooth profile had it’s usual problems. Track skip won’t work but play/pause works fine.

MW600 supports volume adjustment on the iPhone

One thing that did surprise me with the iPhone is that you can adjust the volume. Most others headphones don’t allow this because they try and change the volume level on the phone, but as the MW600 can increase the volume output itself, you can adjust the volume to a comfortable listening level.

The X6 and Vivaz were both able to display song information on the screen of the MW600, but the iPhone didn’t support it.

Battery Life

I couldn’t test this fully as I only had the headset for one day, but the headset charged fully in just under 2 hours. I had it connected to my phone, streaming music all day and still had power left.

A cool feature that’s only available with Sony Ericsson handsets is that the headset will display an alert on the screen of your phone when the battery in the MW600 is running low.

Sony Ericsson say that the MW600 will provide you with upto 8.5 hours of music streaming, 500 hours of standby time and up to 11 hours of talk time – that all seems mad considering how small it is, but nothing I saw lead me to believe that any of this wasn’t possible.

Why Choose the Sony Ericsson MW600

No matter what brand of phone you have the MW600 will work brilliantly with it. Admittedly there are some features that will only work on Sony Ericsson phones, but your everyday features will all work fine. The MW 600 is the only headset I’ve come across that has an FM radio built in, or that allows you to listen to radio without being plugged into your phone.  Taking all this into account and the fact that the Sony Ericsson MW600 is currently less than £40, you really can’t go wrong.

My Rating: 10/10

Prices and availability are correct as of 19/03/10 and are subject to change.

(22 votes, average: 3.73 out of 5)

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Top 5 Nokia X6 Bluetooth Headphones

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Carrying on with my series of posts that look at some of the best Nokia X6 Accessories, this post is all about Bluetooth Headphones. The Nokia X6 is all about music – the 32GB Comes with Music version gives you unlimited music downloads, and the 16GB one has enough memory for you to store over 3000 songs.

With music at the heart of the phone, you’ll need some decent headphones to listen to your music through and if you want to free yourself from wires, then you’ll need to get yourself some Bluetooth Headphones.

Here are our top 5 Nokia X6 Bluetooth Headphones.

1. Jabra Halo Bluetooth Headphones

The Jabra Halo Stereo Bluetooth Headphones are Jabra’s latest stereo headset, and to be honest its probably the best one yet. It has incredibly simple controls – a touch sensitive slider on the right ear lets you adjust the volume by sliding your finger up or down, where as a double tap will skip the track.

Jabra Halo Bluetooth Headphones

One multi use button lets you play/pause your music as well as answer/end calls and activate voice dialling. When they’re not in use, the headphones fold away so as not to take up too much space and to reduce the chance of them getting damaged. If you want to know more, take a look at my Jabra Halo hands on review.

2.  Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

The Jabra BT3030 is a Stereo Bluetooth headset that will work for both calls and music. It comes with some standard wired in-ear headphones but as it has a standard 3.5mm headphone socket, you can use any 3.5mm headphones with it. The BT3030 supports the AVRCP Bluetooth Profile, which means you’ll be able to control your music playback from the headset and won’t have to touch your phone.

Jabra BT3030 Bluetooth Headphones

The BT3030 will let you play/pause your music, answer/end calls and adjust the volume as well as skip tracks. The ‘Dog Tag’ style controls can be worn either around your neck or can clip on to your belt or clothes. The BT3030 is a mix of Bluetooth and Wired headphones – it has a Bluetooth connection to your phone, and then a wired connection to your ears. The headphones are changeable, so if you don’t want to use the ones that come with it, you can simply plug in any standard 3.5mm headphones.

3. Altec Lansing BackBeat 903 Bluetooth Headset

Altec Lansing aren’t the biggest name when it comes to Bluetooth Headsets, but having recently been acquired by Plantronics, they’re starting to make some great headsets. The BackBeat 903 is a twin ‘over the ear’ design, with a flexible cable connecting the two together.

Altec Lansing BackBeat 903 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

It’s extremely comfortable to wear and is geared more towards those who like to listen to their music while working out, down at the gym or cycling. The headset has buttons to answer and end your phone calls as well as music controls to skip and rewind tracks. The BackBeat 903 was recently awarded 5 stars on whathifi.com.

4. Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

Sony Ericsson have always been one of the best brands for stereo Bluetooth headsets and the MW600 doesn’t disappoint. Not only does this compact headset allow you to stream music from your phone, it has full music controls and is the first stereo Bluetooth Headset to feature a built in FM Radio.

If you’ve tried to listening to the radio on your phone using a Bluetooth connection in the past, you’ll know it’s nearly impossible as the headphones act as the radio’s antenna. The MW600 solves this by having an FM receiver built into the control unit. Considering the price of previous Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Headphones I was amazed to see that this is on sale for less than £40.

Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

The concept is similar to that of the Jabra BT3030, it’s a Bluetooth receiver with 3.5mm headphones. This means that if the earbuds aren’t to your liking, you can simply swap them with any standard 3.5mm headphones.

5. Nokia BH-905 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

The BH-905 are serious Bluetooth Headphones for serious music lovers.  They’re by far the most powerful Bluetooth Headphones available as well as one of the most comfortable. They’re the only ones in my top 5 that are ‘over the head’. They have full music controls built into the ear pieces and allow you to change track, increase volume, play/pause, answer and end calls all without having to touch your phone.

Nokia BH-905 Bluetooth Headphones

You can also use the BH-905 to make calls, but unlike every other headset here, the BH-905 has 8 internal microphones to provide you with the clearest possible audio during calls. Advanced noise cancellation means that the person on the other end of the line will only hear you and the high quality speakers will block out background noise and allow you to hear them clearly too. The BH-905 includes a number of adapters that will allow you to use the headphones with non -Bluetooth devices such as TV’s, aeroplane seats, home stereo’s and all other standard 2.5/3.5/6.3 mm devices.

This isn’t all of the Bluetooth Headphones available for the Nokia X6, just some of the ones that I think do a great job with the phone. If you’ve not seen the one here that’s right for you then take a look at our full range of Nokia X6 Bluetooth Headphones, or let us know what headphones you think should be here using the comments form below.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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