Type Top Bluetooth Mini Keyboard Case for the iPhone 4

Hello again and I cannot believe that another week has literally flown by! I don't know about you lot but doesn't Xmas seem an age ago?

Today I am going to do another product review for an item that seems to becoming ever more popular. The item in question is the,

Type Top Bluetooth Mini Keyboard Case for the iPhone 4.

The Type Top Case

The Type Top Case (abbreviated lol!) is a leather case that comes with a removable mini, bluetooth keyboard and is available from this blogs sponsor, MobileFun and is competatively priced at £29.95. It is only available in black. It fills the gap in the market for those of us who still like the feel of a traditional keyboard, particularly when composing long emails or notes etc.

What's in the box?

The product consists of the case, the keyboard, a USB to mini USB lead for charging the keyboard, a screen protector and a set of simple instructions.
The Type Top is a flip style, leather case which is very well made and will certainly protect your phone from minor impacts and scratches. It is purpose designed for the iPhone 4.
The case is fitted with a built in stand and a magnetic fastener, the stand is really handy for the times when you are sat at a desk. When not in use it simply folds away and is secured at the rear of the case magnetically.

The case showing the stand and camera cut out

The case has a good size cut out for the camera and flash and is also well designed, allowing easy access to the iPhones controls.

Easy access to the volume and silence controls

The iPhone is fitted to the case by gently pushing it into a snap fitting. As always I recommend you fit the device button side first and, when fitting your device into the case, take care as it is an extremely snug fit. There is definately no danger of the iPhone falling out of this case!
One note of caution when removing your iPhone, do so by gently prizing one side of the snap fitting away from the device. It took me a little while to find the easiest way of removing the iPhone due to the snug fitting!

The bluetooth keyboard is only 11.4cm in length and weighs in at a tiny 45g. It is easily fitted into the case by sliding it into its frame.
The keyboard has a built in rechargeable battery so draws no power from your iPhone. The battery lasts 100 hours between charges which is more than ample.

How does it perform?

The bluetooth keyboard is a little gem. The buttons are rubberised and have a lovely, tactile feel to them. They may look a little small but even my "manly" sized fingers can cope easily!



Keyboard

It is full QWERTY with additional, multimedia buttons so music playback and watching videos is a breeze. The keyboard is charged using the USB to mini USB lead that is provided. It has a small on/off switch and also an auto off function which is very handy. It takes about 3 hours to fully charge from fully discharged.
The case is a little bulky, as one would expect, but all in all the user experience is surprisingly good with the keyboard performing flawlessly.
For those of you who would prefer a different style, the Type Top is also available in QWERTZ  (German) or AZERTY (French).
The integral stand is a great idea when sat at the desk typing or watching a video, it just shows how much thought has been put into this case.


Stand in use

Overall

The Type Top Bluetooth Mini Keyboard Case does exactly what it says on the tin and does it well. For the price, it should make a welcome addition to anyone's case collection.

I give this case a blistering 9/10!

Andy

App of the week-Where to?

Hello again. I hope you are all well and having a good week whatever you are doing.

In the past I have done App reviews, hopefully you find them useful. The Apple App store has in excess of 250k Apps available for download so choosing a decent one can be a real headache. I will only preview ones that I like personally and here is an App that has caught my eye.

Today I want to introduce you to Where to? , an App produced by Future Tap and available for download for £1.79. 



Where To?

What is Where To?

Where To? is a travel and information app although it is stored under navigation in the App store.

What does it do?

Where to? will help you find any sort of service from hotels to fishmongers! It provides the name, address, telephone number, map and route to it from your location. It currently has in excess of 2k of stored services and also includes a search feature should you want to find something really obscure! Now this app sounds like it could be really confusing but that is not the case. It functions and looks brilliant.

Key feature.

Search.

Where To? searches from this excellent wheel type icon.

search page

Highlight the "categories" tab and it will bring up this screen, each of the 11 icons is a sub menu. For example I am looking for dog kennels so I click on the "services" spanner which brings up a list of different types of service, all listed alphabetically. You can also do a direct search by highlighting the magnifying glass icon top left and typing in "Kennels" in the search box if you prefer.

I scroll down to "kennels",

"services" sub menu

and click on "Kennels".

Kennels listing

This brings up the Kennels listing and starts with those closest to your location.
I have decided to look at the first in the list so click on Debdale Grange,

details page

This page tells me that Debdale Grange is 2.4 miles, "as the crow flies",  from my current location and provides all the relevant details. At this point you can choose to add the Kennels to your iPhone phonebook, share on Facebook, Twitter or send the details by text or email. You can also look at a map, or ask for directions. You can also use the phone number from this page by clicking on it.

I have decided I want to see where it is on the map so I click on the "Open in Maps" tab which brings up a Google Earth map and shows where the Kennels are,

map screen

I now select "directions" which brings up a route map.

route map

The "route map" tells me it will take 10 minutes to reach the destination by car, I'm not fit enough to walk there lol!

If I click on start it will take me to the navigation screen,

navigation screen

I can now follow the directions which are very detailed. You can also scroll through the entire journey using the arrow icons at the top of the screen and it will bring up screens like this,

route screen

route screen

Because "Where To?" uses Google Earth you can even view your final destination!

final destination!

As you can see, "Where To?" provides all the details you could possibly wish for, I even defy my Mother In Law to get lost whilst using this brilliant app!

"Where To?" also has a Virtual Reality setting, ideal for finding stores in a busy shopping centre. This is purchasable "in app" for only 59 pence.

Overall

"Where To" is a well designed, well thought out app that is really interesting to use. It gives you invaluable information, lets face it, it costs less than half a pint of lager! Two phone calls to directory enquiries and you have covered your costs.

I have used it a few times now, without fault.

This is a brilliant travel companion and for the price, can you really afford not to have it?

I give "Where To?" a thoroughly deserved 9/10.

Andy

Item review - Flexishield Wave case for the iPhone 4

Hello again on what is a really nice, almost spring like afternoon! It wont be long until we have the light nights and warm days and I for one cannot wait!

Today's post is a review of another case. The amount of new cases coming onto the market is amazing and I am really grateful to Natalie and the guys at MobileFun.co.uk for providing me with some to review. Hopefully these reviews will help as a guide to the better ones out there, but I also appreciate that cases are very much a matter of personal taste.

Today's case on review is the,

Flexishield Wave case for the iPhone 4.



Flexishield Wave case


This case is a cracker and is available from MobileFun.co.uk for the amazing price of £9.99.

What's in the box?

Unlike many manufacturers who provide a goody bag, this case comes on it's own. For the price I cannot complain and read on because this is probably one of the best, value for money, cases currently available.

Description.

The Flexishield Wave is very stylish in design and is made of two materials. The clear part is made of a very sturdy polycarbonate whilst the rest is made of a gel like silicon rubber. This silicon is extremely grippy and has a very nice feel to it. I cannot foresee anyone dropping their iPhone through losing their grip. Flexishield have even provided a pitted grip area to both sides which makes dropping the device even less likely!

The Flexishield Wave has well designed cut outs for the iPhones buttons and ports and is slim enough that using a third party set of earphones will not cause any problems. The camera and flash cutout will cause no problems when taking pictures.

Base of the iPhone showing 30 pin dock connector plug

Volume controls and silent switch

Camera and flash cutout

Using the Flexishield Wave case.

If, like me, you use a screen protector then you need to take your time when installing your iPhone as I found that the case did cause a little bubbling around the edges of the protector. This wasn't a big issue for me but I did install my device with care.
I always fit my iPhone "button side" first as I find this the easiest way. Once fitted I spent a minute making sure that the edges of the case were all fitting correctly.
The iPhone is certainly very snug once in the case, there is no fear of the device falling out!

You may have noticed that I use a 30 pin connector plug which is available, for very little cost, from that famous, online retailer! These plugs prevent dust and such like from getting into the iPhone, I also use a 3.5mm audio jack plug for the same reason.

From the pictures you will see that the case really does show the iPhone off well. The clear section has a really nice design to it and people often ask what case it is when I use it.

The Flexishield Wave case provides a certain amount of "lay on the table" design which is always a welcome feature. For those who don't know what "lay on the table" means, it means that the case has a slight "lip" to the front which raises the screen from the table and prevents it from getting scratched.

"lay on the table" design

As I have mentioned, the case has a really nice, grippy feel to it. It certainly feels nice in the hand. The materials used will provide a reasonable amount of protection to the iPhone, the case also feels very durable.

Overall.

I really like the Flexishield Wave case. It is certainly very attractive and sets the iPhone off really well. Not only is it stylish, it is also a protective case. Whilst not in the league of some of the "ballistic" style cases, with normal use your iPhone will be well protected.
For £9.99 I was not expecting much and I was pleasantly surprised. Hats off to Flexishield for this one!

I give the case 4.5/5.

Just a reminder guys. If you want to see a seriously good collection of iPhone 4 cases then click on the highlighted link.

Andy

Item review-Cellular Line Retractable Car Charger

Good morning one and all. I hope I find you all fit and well and looking forward to whatever challenges await this year!
In this post I intend to ease myself back into writing by reviewing a simple yet great item which possibly has the longest name! The item in question is the,

Cellular Line Retractable Car Charger

Cellular Line Retractable Car Charger



In car chargers are, in my opinion, an essential item these days particularly for anyone who is a heavy iPhone user. There is nothing worse than getting halfway through the day only to find your device is nearly out of charge. The Cellular Line Retractable Car Charger is available from MobileFun.co.uk and is priced at £10.18.

What's in the box?

Straight out of the box

The Cellular Line Retractable car charger comes nicely packaged and other than the charger, it comes with a set of user instructions. However the device is so simple to use these instructions should not be required!

What makes this charger so different from all the others?

Now most of us that have used in car chargers will know that they can be a real nuisance when not in use. The cable invariably tangles with the contents of the vehicles glove box, or wherever else it is stored. This is where this charger stands out as the charging lead is retractable at the touch of a button thus making it a lot easier to store between uses. 

In addition to the retractable lead, this charger can be used in either 12v or 24v sockets so this covers most, if not all vehicles. It is also has auto shut down thus turning itself off once your device is fully charged.

The lead partially extended

The charger in use.

To use, one simply plugs it into the vehicles electrical socket. Then pull the lead to the required length, plug into your iPhone or iPod. Once connected the LED shines bright blue.
Once your device is fully charged, simply unplug and then press the charger button located next to the LED light. The lead will retract very quickly so my advice is to hold it as you press the button thus allowing the lead to retract slowly and preventing any damage to the charger or your fingers!

Overall impressions.

The Cellular Line Retractable Car Charger is made of a sturdy plastic. It is stylish and very well constructed and with normal use, should last for years.
It stands out from other chargers due to the retractable charging lead, which is a brilliant feature.
Overall I would give this item 5/5.

For those of you who use, have access to the HTC Wildfire, why not check out this link for a great range of chargers for your device.

HTC Wildfire Chargers

Andy

I'm back!

Hello all and a very happy, if somewhat belated New Year!

I have been absent for about 6 weeks and there is a story behind it so read on lol!

Last December I was due to go into Hospital for surgery on my neck. For a few weeks prior to this I had felt really grotty and a week before my hospital stay I went down with the flu. No not "man flu" but the pucker version! My GP sent me home and for a week I was in a different world and it was not a pleasant place to be!

Fortunately I was well enough to go from my "death bed" at home to a hospital bed at the Oxford Radcliffe Infirmary, well if you call that fortunate lol! This was for surgery to remove a disc from my neck and various bits of bone that were pinching my spinal chord! This is in relation to an accident I had in 1998 and was the second time I have had this particular op. I have shrunk by about 3 inches due to losing most of the discs in my neck!

I went in on 23rd December, yes how lucky was I!, and was released on 24th in time for Xmas. However my Xmas was spent sleeping off the anaesthetic and feeling rather grim.
The recovery for this operation takes time and it is only really today that I have felt well enough to sit at my PC. Six weeks worth of emails to sort out has had me swearing a fair bit!

Anyway enough about me. I hope you all had a great Xmas and were lucky in the "gifts received" department.

I shall be back posting regularly again, if any of you have items you would like me to consider etc then please let me know.