Archive for the ‘Mobile Accessories’ Category
Friday, November 20th, 2009
Last year one of the most popular cases for the iPhone 3G was the Solar Powered case, it was a huge success and demand was so great that stock dried up very quickly and we were unable to source any more, forcing us to discontinue it just a few months later. We’ve been working really hard with our suppliers ever since then to find a replacement and are pleased to announce that it’s finally here – the all new Solar Powered Charging Case is now available for the iPhone 3G & iPhone 3GS.

iPhone 3G Solar Powered Case
The case design is different to the previous model – it’s now made from a tough polycarbonate that will help protect your phone from knocks and scrapes. The whole of the back cover is a solar panel and can generate enough energy to fully charge the case in around 3 hours in sunlight. Built into the case is a powerful 2100mAh battery – that’s 50% more than the iPhone’s built in battery.
The case can be charged using either the solar panel, or if you need to charge it faster, you can connect it to a USB port on your computer or laptop using a Mini USB cable. Once fully charged, the case can more than double the standby, talk time and audio playback times of your phone. It has a separate on/off switch, giving you the choice to keep the extra power until you need it or to keep your battery topped up through out the day.

iPhone 3G Solar Case Charging Ports
Another new feature over it’s predecessor is that with the Solar Power Sleeve you can now charge any other device by connecting it to the USB output on the bottom of the case.
The Solar Powered iPhone Case is available to pre-order now with stock due shortly.
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
It’s been almost a year since the Sony Ericsson Satio was first announced and although it took more than 9 months to reach the shelves, the Satio is proving to be an incredibly popular handset. The Satio is the first multimedia touchscreen phone from Sony Ericsson that’s aimed at everyday users rather than businesses. The Satio has a 12mp camera, making it a great choice for people who enjoy taking lots of photos and sharing them with friends by email, social networking sites and picture messaging. The Satio is also a great phone for music and video playback and if you’ve got one, you’re going to want to keep it protected from knocks and scrapes. There are a wide range of Sony Ericsson Satio cases, covers & skins available, but which style is right for you and which one should you go for? I’ve put our top selling Satio cases to the test to see which ones do the best job of protecting your phone.
1. InvisibleSHIELD for Sony Ericsson Satio
The InvisibleSHIELD is more than just a screen protector. Not only does it cover the front screen of your Satio, it also covers the back and sides of your phone. Installation takes a little bit longer than a screen protector would, but the end result is well worth it. It covers almost all of your phone and will withstand the toughest of scrapes. The InvisibleSHIELD has a matte finish with a non slip feel to it. It is great at repelling fingerprints and reducing reflections. As the InvisibleSHIELD doesn’t add any extra bulk to your phone, you can use in in conjuction with most other Cases and Skins.

InvisibleSHIELD Full Body Protector - Sony Ericsson Satio
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Monday, November 16th, 2009
With so many different Nokia N97 Mini cases and covers available, people often ask us “Which is the best case for my Nokia N97 Mini” so to help you out, here’s a list of our top 3 cases for the Nokia N97 Mini. We’ll update this list as and when new cases are released.
1. Nokia CP-390 N97 Mini Carry Pouch
A Mobile Fun favourite – the Nokia CP-390 carry pouch is a custom made horizontal pouch made exclusively for the Nokia N97 Mini. It’s a hard-wearing Leather case, discretely embossed with a Nokia N-series logo. It holds your N97 Mini securely and allows you to use it in both portrait and landscape mode without having to remove it from the case, in fact you can even use the slide out qwerty keyboard without taking it out of the case. There is a secure belt clip on the back, and a strong magnetic catch to keep the case closed. The inside of the case has a microfibre lining that helps to keep your N97 Mini clean and fingerprint free.

Nokia CP-390 N97 Mini Carry Case
2. Nokia N97 Mini Crystal Case
Crystal Cases, as the name suggests are crystal clear clip on covers that are designed to protect the housing of your device from scratches and absorb impact damage when you drop it. Crystal cases aren’t the most robust case you can get, but if you drop your N97 Mini and the case breaks, then it’s done it’s job properly – after all a broken case is cheaper and easier to replace than your phone. Crystal cases are one of the most affordable cases available which makes them extremely popular.

Nokia N97 Mini Crystal Case
3. N97 Mini Toughguard Shell
ToughGuard Shells are similar to Crystal Cases but are much more robust. Rather than being made from clear plastic, they are made from a more flexible, energy-absorbing polycarbonate. This means that the case is unlikely to break or shatter if you drop your phone and it will divert impact damage away from your Tocco Lite. ToughGuard Shells don’t cover the screen, so we’d recommend using a Tocco Lite Screen Protector with it. These cases are a secure fit to your phone and are more suited to people who want to put a case on their phone and leave it on permanently.

ToughGuard Shell For Nokia N97 Mini
If you’ve not seen the accessory here that’s right for you, why not take a look at our full range of Nokia N97 Mini Cases.
http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/crystal-case-nokia-n97-mini-p22195.htm
Friday, November 13th, 2009
The BlackBerry Bold was a big hit for BlackBerry last year and they’re hoping to do even better with their latest version – the BlackBerry Bold 9700. Visually it looks very similar to the original Bold but RIM have made a number of changes to it’s design. It’s now smaller, lighter and has a higher resolution camera. The charging port has moved, the screen improved and the buttons under the screen have also changed, with the trackball being replaced with a more user friendly optical sensor. If you’re upgrading from the original Bold, some of your accessories will still work, but most cases, skins and desk stands won’t.
To help you make the right choice in deciding on accessories for your new smart phone, we’ve compiled our list of top accessories for the BlackBerry Bold 9700.
1. BlackBerry Skin for the Bold 9700
BlackBerry Skins are an extremely popular way of protecting your BlackBerry Bold 9700. They are a rubber case that wraps tightly around your phone protecting the back cover and edges against damage. They leave all the audio and charging ports accessible aswell as the side keys. BlackBerry Skins are available in a range of colours.

BlackBerry Bold 9700 Skin - Black
2. BlackBerry Bold 9700 Battery
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 will be a workhorse for some people – a business tool that you can’t be without. If you’re going to be out of the office for the day and know that you’re going to be on your phone a lot, then then best accessory you can get will be a spare battery.

BlackBerry Bold 9700 D-X1 Battery
3. BlackBerry Bold 9700 Car Charger
Battery life is never great on a smartphone so a car charger is a worthwhile investment. The BlackBerry Bold 9700 uses a different charger to some of the older BlackBerry devices so double check to make sure you order the right one. The genuine BlackBerry MicroUSB Car charger will work in both 12v and 24v vehicles (Cars, Lorries and Trucks).

BlackBerry Car Charger - Micro USB
4. Sandisk 8GB Micro SD HC Memory Card
The high resolution display and the 3MP camera make this phone perfect for recording videos, taking photos and playing music, but it’s limited internal memory means that it won’t be long before you run out of storage space. This SanDisk 8GB Micro SDHC memory card will hold over 7000 photos, 1500 songs or 9 hours of video recording.

SanDisk MicroSDHC Card - 8GB Without Reader
5. Etymotic HF2 Headphones with music remote
The EtymoticHF2 headphones are the world’s first in-ear, high fidelity, noise-isolating headset. They allow you to enjoy clearer communication and better quality music playback from your BlackBerry Bold 9700. The Etymotic HF-2 has a built in microphone that can be used for phone calls, as well as a multi function button that can be used to control music playback.

Etymotic HF2 High Fidelity Headphones - Black
6. BlackBerry HS500 Bluetooth Headset
BlackBerry are expanding their range of genuine accessories and have just released the new BlackBerry HS500 Bluetooth Headset. It’s a lightweight headset that can be used for calls, music and turn by turn directions. It’s styled to match the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and will compliment your phone perfectly. The HS500 can be charged using the same Micro USB Mains/Car Charger as the Bold 9700. It supports last number redial, voice dialing, volume change and mute.

BlackBerry HS-500 Bluetooth Headset
7. BlackBerry VM605 Bluetooth Car Kit
Another genuine accessory from BlackBerry. Just clip the Visormount VM605 to your car’s sun visor, turn it on, and you’re ready to start making and taking hands-free calls on the go. It supports voice activated dialling, caller ID, and verbal notifications to let you know who’s calling, you can stay in touch while keeping your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. It has a built in FM transmitter that can be used to broadcast audio from your calls, music and sat nav through your car stereo without having to connect any wires. It comes with a Micro USB charger, the same as you’ll need to charge your phone, so you won’t need to buy a separate car charger for your Bold 9700.

BlackBerry VisorMount Speakerphone VM-605
8. Parrot MKi9100 Bluetooth Car Kit
Parrot have always made fantastic car kits and the MKi range are no exception. There are three options available, the MKi9000, MKi9100 and the MKi9200. The main differences between them being the display screen that comes with them. I’ve chosen the MKi9100 as the best one for the Bold 9700 as the external screen makes it easier to navigate the car kit menu’s and to see who’s calling you without having to look at your phone. You can play music from your phone through the MKi9100 using Bluetooth or 3.5mm line in. The MKi9100 will synchronise with your phone book automatically and supports phone independent voice dialling. The MKi9100 comes with a small remote that you can attach to your dash or steering wheel to control your music playback and calls. If you’ve got stereo controls built into the steering wheel of your car you can use the optional Parrot Unika to control the MKi9100 car kit with your existing controls instead of the remote. Regular software updates that improve compatibility with BlackBerry phones are available free of charge from the Parrot website.

Parrot MKi9100 Bluetooth Car Kit
This isn’t the full range of accessories, just a selection of the ones that we think do the best job of enhancing your BlackBerry Bold 9700. If you’ve not seen the accessory here that’s right for you, then take a look at all of our BlackBerry Bold 9700 Accessories.
Tags: BlackBerry Bold 9700 batteries, BlackBerry Bold 9700 battery, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Bluetooth Headsets, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Car Charger, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Car Kit, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Car Kits, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Case, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Cases, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Charger, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Cover, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Covers, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Desk Charger, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Desk Stand, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Hands Free Kits, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Memory Card, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Pouch, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Pouches, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Screen Protector, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Screen Protectors, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Skin, BlackBerry Bold 9700 Skins,
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Thursday, November 12th, 2009
BlackBerry have never really done much in the way of accessories for their phones, but recently they seem to be making more of an effort. Along with their recently announced HS-500 Bluetooth Headset, Blackberry have introduced the BlackBerry VisorMount Speakerphone VM-605 – a Bluetooth hands-free car kit with a built in FM transmitter, designed to make using your BlackBerry in the car easier, safer as well as letting you listen to music from your device. It’s similar in many ways to the Jabra SP700 and car kits are new territory for BlackBerry, so I thought I’d test one out to see just how good it is.

The VM-605 is a Bluetooth Car Kit from BlackBerry
In the Box
BlackBerry seem to be keeping things quite simple with the VM-605, inside the box is just the device, car charger and a quick start user guide. There’s no mains charger and no USB charging cable either, so you’re restricted to charging it only in the car. One problem I have with this is that the charging port is on the right hand side, so if you try and charge it while it’s attached to the sun visor you’re likely to have the anti tangle cable crossing the steering wheel and blocking your view slightly, so for this reason you’ll need to remove it from the sun visor in order to charge it. Having said that, the VM-605 has a Micro USB connection, so if you’ve got a newer BlackBerry handset you’ll be able to use your existing mains charger or data cable to charge it up. Personally I’ll stick to using the car charger with my phone and charging the VM-605 in the house when it runs down.

The VM-605 includes a car charger
Simple Controls
One of the first things that struck me about the VM-605 is the apparent lack of buttons on it, but when you look closely you see that it’s got just as many controls as any other car kit, but the kit is styled so that you can’t really see them. The whole of the front of the VM-605 is actually one big button and serves as the on/off, Answer/End key as well as activating last number redial and voice dialling. Given it’s size you can’t miss it, so answering calls or activating voice dialling while you’re driving couldn’t be easier. The only other key you’re likely to need on a regular basis is the volume key, that’s mounted on the right hand side of the kit, however if you’re using the FM transmitter part of the kit, the volume controls won’t make any difference as volume is controlled by your stereo.
Styling:
The VM605 is a very slim car kit that sits almost flush against your sun visor. The mounting clip is removable so you can choose to rest the charger on your dashboard if you’d prefer, but the non slip pad on the back of the kit is small and I found that it kept sliding around the dashboard. There are 4 LED’s that glow red when the unit is in use, and at night these can be a little on the bright side, but on a positive note they don’t flash so they won’t distract you while you’re driving. As you can see from the image below, the high gloss finish is extremely reflective and in bright sunlight it makes it difficult to see if the LED’s are on. It’s a fingerprint magnet too, so you may find yourself having to wipe it down frequently.

Slim design sits almost flush against your sun visor
Easy Setup
As with most current Bluetooth devices, the BlackBerry VM-605 goes straight into pairing mode the first time you turn it on. This makes pairing it to your handset really easy as you don’t have to fiddle around pressing buttons trying to figure out how to get it into pairing mode. The VM-605 also has voice prompts that tell you when the phone is in pairing mode and when pairing has been successful – a great bonus as it means you no longer need to flick through the user manual trying to figure out what the random sequence of flashing lights mean. A quick search for devices on your phone and it shows up. Tap in the PIN 0000 and you’re connected. If you’re using a BlackBerry handset you’ll be asked if you want to connect automatically – I’d always say yes to this as it means your phone will connect to the car kit every time you turn it on.
If you’re only planning on using the VM-605 as a simple handsfree unit in the car, then that’s all the set up you’ll need to do. Just clip it on your sun visor and you’re ready to start taking calls – however, that’s only half of what the VM-605 is capable of. One of it’s best features is the built in FM transmitter.

Clean design keeps buttons to a minimum
FM Transmitter
If you’ve not come across an FM transmitter before in a car kit, they basically transmit all audio from calls & music playback over FM and can be picked up by your car stereo. All you need to do is activate it on the kit and re-tune your radio. This means that instead of listening to your calls on a single, low-powered speaker, you can enjoy them through your existing car stereo speakers. This not only makes your music clearer, most car stereo’s can go much louder than a car kit meaning you’ll be able to hear your music and callers at higher speeds or on noisier road surfaces.
Setting up the FM Transmitter is surprisingly simple. To activate it, you just press the FM button on the side of the speaker and the kit will tell you the frequency that you need to tune your car stereo into in order to pick up the audio from the VM-605. When I tried mine, it started off at 88.1, but as I got some interference from a local radio station, I had to adjust it. There are two ways you can do this, you can either press the volume + key briefly and the kit will change the frequency by .1 (88.2, 88.3 etc..) but this is quite time consuming. The best way to do it is to press and hold the volume + button for a few seconds and the VM-605 will scan all frequencies to find one that is clear of any other broadcasts. Once it’s done it will again announce the frequency that you need to tune your stereo into. As a tip, I’d then recommend storing this station as one of the station presets so that you can return to it quickly and with out any fiddling around.

Stereo Displays shows what audio is being received
Once broadcasting to your stereo, the VM-605 uses RDS to display information on your stereo about what the car kit is currently doing. As you can see from the picture above, if you’re listening to music, you’ll see ‘MUSIC’, when your phone rings, the kit will call out the callers number and display ‘CALLING’. During phone calls, ‘ONLINE’ is displayed.
From the information on the BlackBerry website, I was under the impression that the kit would broadcast song information and caller-ID to the display too, but I couldn’t get it to do this, regardless of what phone I was using. I tried with a Nokia, BlackBerry and iPhone but didn’t see any additional information. It’s not the end of the world, but it would have been a nice feature to have as car kits like the Venturi Mini have been able to do this for a while.
There is one thing to bear in mind when it comes to using FM transmitters for phone calls and that is that FM transmissions are not secure and other people may be able to listen in on your phone calls. If you’re going to be making a call that needs to be private, you’ll need to just press the FM button on the side of the kit to route the audio back to the built in speaker on the VM-605.
Audio Quality
The built in speaker was powerful enough to cope with calls at pretty much all speeds. On motorways there is obviously more road and wind noise which makes hearing anything more difficult, but the VM-605 coped really well. On calls, I had no problems in hearing the caller and they had no problems in hearing me. Music playback though wasn’t so great. The built in speaker is loud enough, but as it’s a mono speaker, the music sounds a little tinny and muffled.
Hit the FM Transmitter button and turn on your car stereo and it’s a different story. Calls are clearer and louder and music play back is excellent – you wouldn’t know that you weren’t listening to a CD. I’ve tried several Bluetooth car kits and music streaming devices and found that most suffer with some degree of drop out, even if it’s just for a fraction of a second, but the VM-605 held the connection well and during my test didn’t drop out or cause the music to skip at all.
The voice that announces menu options and caller ID is worth mentioning here too. Normally devices that speak have a very robotic sounding voice, the female voice of the VM-605 seemed very natural and not as cheesy as others I’ve tried.
Summary
Overall, I’m impressed by the VM-605. In terms of quality, it’s as good as the Jabra SP700, in fact I’d almost go as far as to say that it is the Jabra SP700, just optimised to work with BlackBerry phones – although it will work with any Bluetooth enabled phone. As good as it is, there are a couple of features that would have been nice to have considering the cost. Support for AVRCP (the ability to control music playback over Bluetooth) and as I mentioned earlier song/caller information on the radio display would be a would have been great features to have, but considering that this is BlackBerry’s first attempt at a car kit it’s a great bit of kit.
My Rating: 8/10
Tags: 8520 curve bluetooth car kit, 8900 curve bluetooth car kit, blackberry bluetooth car kit, BlackBerry Car Kit, blackberry fm transmitter, blackberry vm-605, blackberry vm605 visormount speakerphone, bold 9700 car kit, jabra sp700, storm2 bluetooth car kit, storm2 car kit,
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Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
The iPhone is without doubt one of the most successful phones every produced, but it’s not perfect. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great phone. I’ve had one since the day it was released and not really had any problems with it, but I know there are quite a few people out there who have problems with coverage and getting a signal, others struggle to make it through the day because of its relatively short battery life.
This week saw the release of the iPhone on Orange, with Vodafone expected to release it early next year. For some this will solve the problem of coverage, but if you’re tied into a contract with O2 it’s not really going to help you much until you’re out of commitment with O2.
The good news is that as the phone is no longer exclusive to one network, O2 have agreed to unlock all pay monthly iPhone handsets – allowing you to use an alternative sim card in the handset if you want to. You’ll still need to pay O2 your usual line rental each month, but at least you’ll be able to use a sim card from a different network in the phone. You can find more details on what you need to do to unlock your phone on my post that explains “How to Unlock your iPhone“

Unlock your iPhone to use it on any UK network
As you’ll still be paying for minutes and texts with O2, you might as well still use your O2 sim, but having to constantly swap sim cards over is a hassle we could all do without. To overcome this, we’ve just launched the Twin Sim Charging Case for the iPhone 3G & iPhone 3GS.
The idea behind the case is simple. It works in a similar way to the Mophie Juice pack and Case-Mate fuel to charge your iPhone while it’s in the case, but also adds a twin sim adapter that allows you to have two sim cards in your iPhone at the same time as long as your iPhone is unlocked.

iPhone 3G & 3GS Twin Sim Charging Case
The Twin Sim Charging Case contains a rechargeable 1900mAh battery that can be used to charge your iPhone or extend battery life by:
- 300 hours stand by time
- 5 hours talk time
- 25 hours music playback
- 8 hours video playback
- 5 hours game play
- 6 hours Internet surfing over Wi-Fi
To recharge the battery or your iPhone, you just need to plug it into a spare USB port on your laptop or PC. You won’t need any additional cables as the case has a USB cable built in.
Having two sims in your phone opens up no end of ways to save yourself time and money:
- Better Deals: Since the iPhone launched, the number of ‘Sim Only’ tariffs available has increased significantly, with most networks offering much better deals than you can get on the iPhone. If you find you’re constantly exceeding your free minutes, get a Sim Only deal from a different network and switch to it when you’re out of minutes or texts.
- Tethering: O2 charge quite a bit for using your iPhone as a modem to connect your laptop to the internet. By using a Mobile Broadband Sim from 3, you can cut your data costs considerably.
- Calling abroad: Using a sim card from a company such as Lebara will save you money on calls abroad. By using the twin sim adapter, you can easily switch to the cheaper sim card when ever you need to make a call, without having to restart your phone or try and remove your O2 sim.
- Travelling Overseas: If you travel often, the cheapest way to make calls is by using a local sim card. Instead of buying a second phone, simply put your foreign sim in the twin sim case and switch to it when ever you’re away.
- Everything Together: If you currently use two phones, there will be times when the number you need to call is in the phone you don’t have with you. By using just one handset, all your contacts, calendar appointments and emails are with you all the time.
Fitting the Twin Sim Adapter:
Fitting the case takes just a couple of minutes, all you’ll need is your sim tray removal tool that came with your iPhone, or if like me you’ve lost it, a paperclip.
1. Remove the sim tray and attach your sim cards to the Twin Sim Reader and insert into your phone

Attach the Sim Cards to the adapter and insert into phone
2. Remove the top cover of the case and slide it onto the phone

Slide the top of the case onto the phone.
3. Fold the 2nd sim card over the top of your iPhone and clip it into place behind the USB connector. Once in place, clip the back cover onto the case.

Clip the 2nd sim into place and refit the top cover
4. To switch between sim cards, go into the Sim Applications menu within settings on your iPhone

Sim Application menu lets you chose which sim card to use.
Don’t forget though, the twin sim functionality will only work once you’ve unlocked your iPhone.
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
The Samsung Genio is proving to be an incredibly popular phone. Its a touchscreen phone that packs in a lot of features considering it’s small size. If you’ve got one you’ll want to keep it safe from knocks and drops, but with so many different mobile phone cases and covers available, people often ask us “Which is the best case for my Samsung Genio” so to help you out, here’s a list of our top 5 cases for the Samsung Genio Touch.
1. FlexiShield Skin for Samsung Genio Touch
If you’re not one for leather cases, or you want a case that is a bit more practical then a FlexiShield Skin will probably suit you better. FlexiShield Skins for the Genio are thicker and tougher than standard Silicone Cases and will certainly give your phone more bounce if you drop it! It has a non slip feel to it and covers all of the back of the handset, leaving the camera free for you to take your photos.

FlexiShield Plus Skin For Samsung Genio Touch
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Tags: Samsung Genio Touch Case, Samsung Genio Touch Cases, Samsung Genio Touch Cover, Samsung Genio Touch Covers, Samsung Genio Touch Pouch, Samsung Genio Touch Pouches, Samsung Genio Touch Screen Protector, Samsung Genio Touch Screen Protectors, Samsung Genio Touch Skin, Samsung Genio Touch Skins,
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Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
The Nokia N97 was a big hit for Nokia earlier this year and they’re hoping to do even better with its baby brother – the Nokia N97 Mini. Visually it looks very similar to the original N97 but Nokia have made a number of changes to its design. It’s smaller, lighter, has less internal memory and has a slightly different keypad layout, but other than that the two handsets are very similar. If you’re upgrading from an earlier Nokia such as the N95 or N96, some of your accessories will still work, but most cases, covers and desk stands won’t.
To help you make the right choice in deciding on accessories for your new smart phone, we’ve compiled our list of top 10 accessories for the Nokia N97 Mini.
1. Nokia CP-390 N97 Mini Carry Case
A Mobile Fun favourite – the Nokia CP-390 carry pouch is a custom made horizontal pouch made exclusively for the Nokia N97 Mini. It’s a hard-wearing Leather case, discretely embossed with a Nokia N-series logo. It holds your phone securely and allows you to use it in either portrait or landscape mode without having to remove it from the case, in fact you can even use the slide out qwerty keyboard without taking it out of the case. There is a secure belt clip on the back, and a strong magnetic catch to keep the case closed. The inside of the case has a microfibre lining that helps to keep your N97 Mini clean and fingerprint free.

Nokia N97 Mini Carry Case - CP390
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Tags: Nokia N97 Mini batteries, Nokia N97 Mini battery, Nokia N97 Mini Bluetooth Headsets, Nokia N97 Mini Car Charger, Nokia N97 Mini Car Kit, Nokia N97 Mini Car Kits, Nokia N97 Mini Case, Nokia N97 Mini Cases, Nokia N97 Mini Charger, Nokia N97 Mini Cover, Nokia N97 Mini Covers, Nokia N97 Mini Desk Charger, Nokia N97 Mini Desk Stand, Nokia N97 Mini Hands Free Kits, Nokia N97 Mini Memory Card, Nokia N97 Mini Pouch, Nokia N97 Mini Pouches, Nokia N97 Mini Screen Protector, Nokia N97 Mini Screen Protectors, Nokia N97 Mini Skin, Nokia N97 Mini Skins,
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Monday, November 9th, 2009
The Parrot MKi range of Car Kits are still the best car kits on the market. They’re fully compatible with just about every handset out there and no other Bluetooth Car Kit can come close to them on the number of features. With them being this great, you’d think that it’s not possible to make them much better, but Parrot have raised the bar again and introduced the Parrot Unika to further enhance the MKi Car Kits and allow you to fully control them using the controls already fitted to your steering wheel.

Parrot Unika integrates your Parrot MKi Car Kit with your Steering Wheel Controls
As standard the MKi car kits include a wireless remote control that will let you answer and end calls, activate voice dialling, control music playback and adjust the volume of calls and music which is great, but finding somewhere to mount the remote in car can be a little bit tricky.

Parrot Remote can be mounted on steering wheel
The MKi Car kits come with a couple of mounting options for the remote control – an adjustable strap that lets you attach it to your steering wheel or an adhesive plate that you can stick to the dash of your car. Both of these mounting options are good, but you can’t beat the stereo controls built into the steering wheel of your car. I’ve had the MKi9000 in my car for about a year now and I still try to adjust the volume with the stereo controls instead of the Parrot Remote.
Since the launch of the MKi series last year, the technical team at Parrot have been working hard to fully integrate the kits into cars and have just released the Unika – an additional control box that allows you to connect the Mki & RKi Car Kits to the stereo controls on your steering wheel, completely eliminating the need to use the remote control.
The Unika can be fitted to most vehicles, and if you’ve already got an MKi car kit fitted you can retro-fit one to your car without too much hassle. If you’re technically minded you should be able to fit it yourself, although you will probably need to remove some parts of your dashboard, so we’d recommend getting a professional to fit it for you.

Unika is compatible with Vauxhall, BMW, Ford & Honda Steering Wheel controls
Once installed, the Unika will use the the buttons on your steering wheel to control the kit instead of the remote control. The buttons that you use for each function will vary depending on your vehicle, and you don’t need to have any phone buttons on the steering wheel as the Unika will ‘re-map’ the functions of the steering wheel controls when connected to your phone or iPod. When you’re phones’ not connected you’ll be able to use the controls to operate your radio or CD player as normal.
You can check to see if your car is compatible and find out which buttons perform which function in your car on the Parrot Unika Support Site.
The Parrot Unika is available now for just £89.99*.
Price correct at the time of writing this post and is subject to change. Please see the product page for the latest pricing information.
Tags: mki9000 steering wheel adapter, mki9000 steering wheel controls, mki9100 steering wheel adapter, mki9100 steering wheel controls, mki9200 steering wheel adapter, mki9200 steering wheel controls, parrot k-bus, parrot mki steering wheel adapter, parrot mki steering wheel interface, parrot multican, parrot steering wheel adapter, parrot unika,
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Friday, November 6th, 2009
The BlackBerry Storm was a big hit for BlackBerry last year and they’re hoping to do even better with their latest touch screen handset – the BlackBerry Storm2. Visually it looks very similar to the original Storm but RIM have made a number of changes to it’s design. The charging port has moved, the screen improved and the buttons under the screen have also changed. If you’re upgrading from the original Storm, some of your accessories will still work, but most cases, covers and desktop chargers won’t.
To help you make the right choice in deciding on accessories for your new smart phone, we’ve compiled our list of top 10 accessories for the BlackBerry Storm2.
1. BlackBerry Storm2 Chrome Charging Pod
With this, you have a great way of showing off your new phone at home or in the office while charging the battery. It can be connected to a mains charger, or to your computer using a USB cable and charges the battery using two small charging pads on the back of your phone so there is no need to mess around with cables. Simply sit your Storm2 in the pod to start charging.

BlackBerry Storm2 Chrome Desktop Charging Pod
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