Mobile Fun Blog

iPhone Christmas Gift Ideas

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

I’m pretty sure that an iPhone or iPod touch will be at the top of a lot of Christmas lists this year. If you, or someone you know is getting one, there are loads of iPhone accessories that would make a great Christmas present, so here are some of our top iPhone cases, covers and other accessories that will make the perfect gift.

Power Support Anti-Glare Front and Back Film Set – iPhone 4

Power Support make the best screen protectors money can buy. They fit brilliantly and prevent scratches to the front and back of your iPhone 4. The anti glare one makes reading your screen easier and also helps prevent irritating fingerprints.

Power Support Anti-Glare Film Set for iPhone 4

Jawbone ICON Bluetooth Headset – The Thinker – Black

Jawbone headsets are amongst the best you can get. The Icon is the latest headset and features advanced noise cancellation technology. The Icon works great with the iPhone 4 and even shows you how much battery is remaining on the screen of your phone. You can also download audioapps to the headset, these will change the way that the headset talks to you when you get an incoming call, want to check your battery level and make a call.

Jawbone ICON Bluetooth Headset - The Thinker

TypeTop Bluetooth Mini Keyboard Case for iPhone 4

The TypeTop is a protective case with space to store a Mini Bluetooth Keyboard (included). Similar cases for the iPad have been around for a while, but it’s taken a long time for them to make an appearance for the iPhone. Your iPhone is held in place by a secure plastic holder and the keyboard is gripped by some leather covered clips that won’t scratch or mark the glass on the front of your phone. Cut outs on the back of the case allow you to still use the camera and a small built in kick stand will hold your phone at just the right angle for typing while you’re sat at your desk.

TypeTop Bluetooth Mini Keyboard Case for iPhone 4

KitSound BoomDock Docking Station

The KitSound BoomDock Docking Station is a powerful speaker dock for all iPhones and iPods. It’s a solid wood case with 22 watt speakers and plenty of bass. It has a built in radio, alarm clock and can also be connected to other audio devices such as laptops or dvd players. It also includes a remote control

KitSound BoomDock Docking Station

L5 Universal Remote Control for iPod, iPhone and iPad

For years I’ve wanted to be able to control the TV and Blu-Ray player with my phone, mainly because you can never find the remotes and my iPhone is never far from reach. This add on accessory allows you to turn your iPhone into a universal remote control that can operate any TV, Stereo, VCR, Blu-Ray – anything that uses an InfraRed remote. All you need to do is download a free app from iTunes, arrange the buttons to how you want them and then train it using your existing remotes.

L5 Remote Control for iPod, iPhone and iPad

MiLi Pico Power Projector For iPhone / iPod – Black

iPhone owners love showing off their phone and this is a great way to wow your friends. It’s a portable projector that connects to your iPhone dock and can project video up to a massive 70 inches in size! No messing around with cables or streaming video from one device to another, just dock your iPhone, play your video and sit back to enjoy your films as large as you like!

MiLi Pico Power Projector For iPhone / iPod

Noosy HDMI Adaptor for iPad / iPhone 4 / iPod touch 4G

Want to hook your iPhone up to your HDTV with minimum of effort? Then you’ll need one of these and a HDMI cable. Simply plug the adapter into the base of your phone, plug in the HDMI and you’re ready to go. It transfers both Audio and Video so you’ll only need the one cable and is a great alternative to streaming video from your phone using Airplay and an Apple TV.

HDMI Adaptor for iPad, iPhone 4 & iPod touch

OtterBox For iPhone 4 Defender Series

The OtterBox Defender for iPhone 4 is just about the toughest case you can get. It’s a three layered case that really does keep your phone safe. It has a soft outer rubber shell, a hard plastic frame and a membrane layer to protect the screen. No other case currently offers the same amount of protection.

OtterBox For iPhone 4 Defender Series

Dexim P-Flip Foldable Solar Power Dock – iPhone 3G/3GS/4

The Dexim solar dock does more than just hold your phone. It’s got 2 built in solar panels that will recharge your phone’s battery while it’s docked. It doesn’t need to be in direct sunlight, just anywhere that there is natural light.

Dexim P-Flip Foldable Solar Power Dock - iPhone 3G/3GS/4

Case-Mate Barely There For iPhone 4 – Black

The Barely There range of cases for iPhone 4 are one of our most popular. They look great and do a great job of protecting the back and sides of your phone against dents and scratches. They come with a screen protector so that all of your phone is protected. Barely There cases are extremely thin, so thin in fact that you may not even realise you’ve got one on.

Case-Mate Barely There For iPhone 4

KitPerfect In Car FM Transmitter For iPod And iPhone

Carrying all your music around with you is great. You can listen to what you want when you want – unless you’re in the car of course. There’s a way round that using the KitPerfect FM transmitter. It’s a compact holder and charger that can stream your music from your phone to your car stereo using a built in FM Transmitter. All you need to do in order to enjoy your music in the car is to tune your stereo in to the same frequency as the KitPerfect and press play in the iPod app.

KitPerfect In Car FM Transmitter For iPhone

Supreme Pack For iPhone 4

If you’re still not sure what to get, why not get them a bit of everything? The iPhone 4 Supreme Pack includes 12 iPhone 4 accessories, including 5 bumpbers, a 3.5mm audio cable, dock, stylus, screen protector, car charger, headphone splitter and a pair of earphones – a bargian at less than £30. Buying the same items individually would cost you over £90.

Supreme Pack For iPhone 4

That’s just 10 of our iPhone Accessories that would make great gifts this Christmas. If you’ve not seen anything here that’s on their Christmas list, head over to the main site and check out our full range of iPhone Accessories and other Christmas Gift Ideas.

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Win a Desire HD, iPhone 4 or Galaxy S!

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

This is it, after weeks of voting we’re now down to the final three handsets in our X-Factor style giveaway!

In case you missed it, over the last 11 weeks, we’ve been asking our fans on facebook to vote for the handset that has the X-Factor, with one phone being voted off each week and this week saw the surprise departure of the HTC Desire, leaving just the iPhone 4, Desire HD and Galaxy S in the competition.

Which Phone has the X-Factor? Cast your Vote now!

The final vote is now open and will run for two weeks, so for your chance to win, click on the like button below and then head over to the Love Your Mobile page on Facebook for full details on how to cast your vote and information on each of the final three phones.

Voting closes on the 13th December at 10am.

Voting History:
Here are the phones that didn’t make it.

HTC Desire
Out Week 11

Nokia N8
Out Week 10

BlackBerry Torch
Out Week 9

HTC Desire Z
Out Week 8

Sony Ericsson X10
Out Week 7

HTC Trophy
Out Week 6

BlackBerry Storm 2
Out Week 5

Samsung Wave
Out Week 4

HTC Legend
Out Week 4

HTC HD2
Out Week 3

Nokia N900
Out Week 2

Motorola XT720
Out Week 1

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Getting The Best Deal On Your Next Phone

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

Choosing your next mobile phone is never an easy task and with so many great phones around that all have very similar features, deciding on the exact model may boil down to what it’s going to cost you.

I spent many years working for the biggest mobile phone retailers in the UK and know tariffs inside out, so for me, choosing a new tariff is easy, but with so many options now available making the right choice can be incredibly hard if you’re not that familiar with how the networks, tariffs and contracts work.

To try and make it easier for you to get the right package, we’re going to do some of the hard work for you. Each month we’ll be compiling information from all of the main UK networks to show you just how much your next phone is likely to cost you.

We’ll give you some hints and tips on how you can bring your bill down, compare the networks for the most popular handsets and tell you about any great deals that we find online. I want to stress though that we’re doing this purely to help you out. We don’t make any money or earn any commission from any networks by sharing this information with you.

There is quite a lot of information here, so you may want to bookmark this page and come back to it as and when you need to. This post covers:

• Before you start shopping
• Choosing your phone
• Comparing Networks
• Keeping your Number
• Dealing with Retentions
• Free Gifts & Cash back

Before you start shopping:

Everyone gets excited when it’s time for a new phone, but rushing out to the retail parks and signing up for the first deal that you see is the worst thing you could do. Even independent dealers that offer multiple networks will still steer you towards the deal that is best for them rather than what’s best for you, so shop around. Check both the independent retailers and the network stores – and remember, you’ll often find different deals online to what you’ll find in the stores.

It’s worth looking at your last 3 months bills too. This will give you a good idea on how many minutes, texts and picture messages you’re using each month.  Most networks should also let you know how many MB of data you’re getting through each month too. If this isn’t shown on your bill give your network a call and ask them. Data usage could make a big difference to the tariff you choose.

Choosing your phone:

Often your friends will tell you to go and get a certain model of phone, normally their recommendation will be the most impartial opinion you’ll get. Friends won’t tell you to get a bad phone, and if they do, maybe they aren’t your friend after all!

To avoid any problems get to a store and go hands on with a phone before you sign up to anything. Most shops now have live handsets on display that you can play with, and familiarise yourself with. There’s nothing worse than blindly signing up to a lengthy contract, only to find that when you get the phone home a key feature is missing or that you can’t work out how it works – especially as most networks don’t allow you to return a phone.

Try to put a short-list together of potential handsets. There may be two handsets that are equally matched in specification, but the deals on them may be significantly different. The HTC Desire and Samsung Galaxy S are a great example of this. Both phones are very similar, but you’ll often find a better deal on the Galaxy S than you will on the Desire, for no reason other than the Desire came out first and is well known. If you’re not too clued up on phones, websites like GSMArena are a great place to go to find out and compare specs on handsets.

Compare Networks:

Coverage is not so much of an issue now as all networks are just about as good as each other, however, there are localised black spots that can cause misery if you don’t know about them. Thankfully though, the networks coverage maps are available on their website and make it pretty easy to see what’s going to work where you live. Spend some time checking area’s where you are likely to use your phone to make sure that the signal is sufficient.

If you’re looking at getting a smart phone such as the iPhone or HTC Desire HD, it’s not coverage that you’ll want to compare, but the type of coverage that you’ll get. Without getting overly technical there are generally 3 types of coverage available, each one will provide you with different speeds when you’re accessing the internet on your phone.

• 2G/GPRS – Slow. This will give you internet speeds comparable to dial up internet. It’s enough for calls, but if this is all your network is offering, look elsewhere.
• 3G – Moderate. This is the minimum level of coverage that you should be looking for. Internet will be reasonably fast. Again, if you aren’t in a 3G area by now, switch to another network.
• 3G+/HSDPA – Fast. This is the best coverage that you can get, but it hasn’t been rolled out everywhere yet.

Don’t forget that there are more than just 5 networks in the UK now. Most supermarkets now offer their own mobile services and can undercut the big 5 by a fair amount. The handset choice is often limited, but coverage is just as strong as they all piggy back off one of the big networks. Tesco use O2′s network, Asda use Vodafone’s and Virgin use T-Mobile. If you have landline, TV or broadband with Virgin, you’ll normally get an extra discount if you take out mobile services with them too.

To check the coverage for each of the networks, you can use their coverage maps on their websites.

• Vodafone Coverage Map
• Three Coverage Map
• T-Mobile Coverage Map
• Orange Coverage Map
• O2 Coverage Map

Be Prepared if you want to keep your number:

The biggest stumbling block to people taking out a new contract is their phone number. Not many of us want to keep changing our phone number, so before you go shopping, call your network and ask them for your PAC code. It’s important that you ask for your PAC and not your PUK. These codes sound similar but are very very different!

You’ll need to call your network to request the PAC code. Network stores on the High Street are generally unable to provide them. When faced with the never ending list of automated options, choose the one for “If you’re thinking of leaving”. You don’t normally have to wait too long, but you may have a challenge on your hands to actually get the code out of the operator.

Retentions:

The department you’ll be put through to is called retentions, and their sole mission in life is to prevent you from leaving the network. While this sounds like a bad thing, it can often work in your favour as they can often offer deals that no one else can, but the options are sometimes limited.

It pays to have done some shopping around before you call them as they will often ask which network you’re going to and what deal you’re getting. In most cases, they will at least match if not better the deal. If you’re happy with your network, this is a great way of playing the system and getting a better deal out of them than you would have if you’d just upgraded normally.

Remember though, requesting your PAC code doesn’t commit you to anything – if it isn’t submitted to another network with in 30 days, it will expire and your contract will continue as normal. If you’re not sure that the deal that they’re offering is right for you don’t worry. You don’t have to sign up to it there and then despite what they say. You can always take the PAC and then call them back at a later time to accept any deals that they’ve offered.

Free Gifts & Cashback

All that’s left is to find the best deal for you out of the thousands that are available. Network websites are great for finding out about the tariffs, but you won’t always get the best deal from them. Independent retailers will often offer some kind of incentive for you to take out the contract with them, this could be in the form of a free gift, cashback or discounted line rental. Beware though, there is often a catch, especially with cashback offers. With my time in retail I dealt with hundreds of cashback deals, most went through smoothly and without any problems, but there are occasional problems.

Free gifts can be tempting, but don't always give you the best deal

Most cashback or discounted line rental deals are ‘by redemption’. This means that you have to pay the full rate each month and then send off to apply for the money back. If you’re going with a well known high street retailer, you shouldn’t have a problem with this kind of offer, as long as you send them the appropriate bills when you’re supposed to. If you’re slow sending them off or they go missing in the post you may miss out though, so make sure you mark the dates on your calendar and always send your paperwork off to them using recorded delivery.

Some retailers now offer an automatic cashback – this just means that you’ll get your cheque without having to do anything, but it comes at a price. As the retailer can’t rely on people forgetting to apply for their refunds, the amount that they pay out on these kinds of deal is normally considerably lower than it is on a standard redemption deal.

Free gifts are normally a bit more straight forward than a cash back deal, although you normally have to wait a while before you get your freebie. Always shop around when it comes to free gift deals though and do some maths before signing. Often it can work out a lot, lot cheaper to go for a cashback deal than it would be to get the free gift. For example:

On e2save, the Samsung Tocco Lite on O2 is available for a one off cost of £8.81, with a free Playstation 3 Slim worth £249 on a £25 tariff offering 300 minutes and unlimited text for 24 months. The same phone/tariff combination with the same retailer is available with a £350 cashback deal – that would save you over £100.

In addition to cashback from the networks, there is another way to earn cash back when you buy a new phone, and that’s through cashback websites such as Quidco.com or topcashback.co.uk. These websites are a great way to save money when shopping online. The way that they work is that online retailers pay them a commission for every sale that they refer to them. Quidco then pass some of this commission on to you. Depending on the retailer, this can be a small percentage of the order value, or in the case of mobile phone and utility companies, it can be hundreds of pounds.

Quidco cash back for e2save is currently £46 cash back for a completed Pay Monthly phone contract and £60 cash back for a completed Pay Monthly phone contract that has a free gift. This cash back is always in addition to what ever the retailer is offering. Using the same example the deals would work out to be:

*cashback amounts are subject to change and exclude any membership fee deductions.

Time for a New Phone

If you’ve done your homework and checked everything listed above you’re now in the perfect place to go shopping for a deal. By now you should;

• Know which networks will/won’t work for you
• Know which handsets you would be happy with
• Have your PAC code (if you want to keep your number)
• Know how many minutes, texts and MB of data you need
• Know who’s offering the best deals and cash back

Over the next few weeks I’ll be looking at some of the most popular phones and compiling a Total Cost of Ownership chart for each of them to give you a better idea on the costs involved. I’ll keep an eye out for some of outstanding deals and will post details on where you can find them.

The first comparison chart should be available later this week and will compare the HTC Desire HD and the iPhone 4.

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Need a Replacement Nokia N8 Charger?

Saturday, November 27th, 2010

Have you just bought a brand new Nokia N8 and gone and lost the charger already?

Well you’re not alone, and I must admit I have done the same. With the N8 not being compatible with a micro usb charger as you might expect with a modern smartphone, you’ll be glad to know that we stock the original Nokia 2mm pin charger as standard. If you’re after another type of Nokia N8 charger, from car chargers to portable wind up chargers, we’ve got the lot over on the MobileFun site.

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Choosing the best Jabra Car Kit

Saturday, November 27th, 2010

When it comes to portable car kits, there are two big names, Parrot and Jabra. Both of these companies have recently released new models, the Parrot MiniKit Smart and the Jabra Cruiser 2. I’m a big fan of both brands, but for different reasons. Parrot excel in compatibility, ease of use and voice control, where as Jabra tend to have a slightly wider feature set.

For this post though, I thought I’d take a look at the range of Jabra Bluetooth Car Kits. There are currently 4 available. The entry level Jabra SP200, the mid-range Jabra SP700 and the range-topping Jabra Cruiser and Jabra Cruiser 2. Each one has its strengths and is aimed at a different market, but which one is right for you?

Features at a glance:

Everyone looks for something different in a car kit and it’s not always easy to find the information that you need. The chart below shows all the key features on the car kits as well as battery life and charger info.

Feature	Jabra SP200	Jabra SP700	Jabra Cruiser	Jabra Cruiser 2
Hands Free Calling
Music Playback (A2DP)
Voice Dialling
Voice Prompts
Multipoint
Phonebook Sync/TTS
FM Transmitter
Music Controls (AVRCP)
Dual Microphone
Standby Time	23 Days	11 Days	13 Days	13 Days
Talk Time	10 Hours	14 Hours	10 Hours	14 Hours
Charger Type	Micro USB	Micro USB	Micro USB	Micro USB

Chosing your kit

If you just want a simple, no frills kit then the SP200 is a great option. It’s easily got the best battery life of the kits and has multipoint support. This allows you to connect two phones to the kit at the same time and no matter which phone rings, the call will be routed through the SP200. Ideal if you carry a work and personal mobile.

Jabra SP200 Bluetooth Speakerphone

If you’re looking for a bit more from your car kit, or want to be able to listen to your music through it, then any of the other three kits will do the job, but there are a few subtle differences between them.

Each of the kits has a built in FM transmitter that streams audio from the car kit to the stereo in your car. The FM transmitter works with both music and calls and can be turned off, audio will then be routed through an internal speaker instead.

Music Streaming with Jabra Car Kits

If you’re new to the concept of music streaming, the way that it works is that you connect the car kit to your phone using Bluetooth. When you start playing music on your phone, it will be transmitted to the car kit automatically. If the FM transmitter is turned off, your music will play using the built in loud speaker. The speaker is only mono though, so it won’t sound as great as it could.

If you turn on the FM transmitter, the kit will announce a frequency that you will then need to tune your car stereo into. As soon as it’s tuned in you’ll be able to hear your music in full stereo through your existing car speakers.

The Cruiser has something that the SP700 and Cruiser 2 don’t – Music controls. This means that if you are listening to music from your phone, you can play/pause/track skip without having to touch your phone. This is especially handy if you’ve left your phone in your bag or pocket.

Jabra Cruiser2 Bluetooth Speakerphone

The Cruiser 2 is the latest kit, but oddly lacks the music controls found on the original Cruiser, instead it has more advanced noise cancelling microphones and software. If music isn’t important to you, but audio clarity during calls is, then the Cruiser 2 will be your best bet. The SP700 is very similar to the Cruiser 2, but lacks the dual microphones and advanced noise cancellation, but at just over half the price it’s a great buy.

A couple of things to remember when using FM transmitters though. Firstly, FM isn’t secure. If you’re making a private phone call I’d recommend switching the FM transmitter off and using the internal speaker in the car kit. If you don’t other motorists might be able to hear the person you’re talking to if they’re tuned into the same frequency. It’s highly unlikely to happen, but it might.

The other thing to remember is that you may need to retune the kit as you drive around. You may find that a clear frequency at home is in use by a local radio station when you get to work – if it is, the sound quality will deteriorate and you won’t be able to hear either one clearly. It’s not a problem, just hit the FM button on the side of the kit and select a new frequency.

Best Jabra Car Kit:

My favourite of the bunch, and the one that I’d recommend every time is the original Jabra Cruiser. It’s the only kit to have music controls built in to it. The noise cancellation and dual mics work brilliantly and it’s incredibly easy to set up and use. With the Cruiser 2 now available, it may not be around for much longer – which would be a real shame as there is no other car kit at the moment that can do what this does.

Jabra Cruiser Bluetooth Speakerphone

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