Posts Tagged mobile phones
Pelican i1015 Smart Phone Case
It wasn’t until my friend dropped her phone into Lake Union that I came up with a great use case for Pelican’s i1015 iPhone case. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the case, nope, it’s sturdy, waterproof box with a headphone jack, a carabiner, and slots that I suppose you could run a belt through. You put your phone in voice control mode, plug in your headphones, and seal the case around the phone. Now, your phone is protected from weather, falls, being smashed in your pack, whatever. All good. I was just having a crisis of imagination around what scenario I would need this level of protection for my phone. Then my friend dropped her phone into the lake. “Oh, that’s it!”
The Pelican i1015 Smart Phone case offers serious protection for your phone when you’re worried about the elements. If you’re doing a dusty road trip or going boating for the day or you’re heading to the beach, this will keep your phone clean, dry, and from getting trampled on by beach volleyball hotties. My headsets have a “activate voice control” button on them, so I was able to use the phone without taking it out of the case — but just so it’s clear, no, you can’t access the touch screen controls (controls of any kind that aren’t voice activated) when the phone is in the case.
A couple of possibilities… you’re a mad snowboarder who takes some falls. The case will keep your phone from getting crushed in your pack or pocket. You’re going boating and you need to have your phone on deck but there’s spray and you want to keep it dry. You’ve got your tunes while horseback riding. (Cue America’s “Horse with No Name.) Actually, it might be kind of cool if you’re doing voice memos of your crazy outdoor adventure… you’ve got your headsets on and you’re recording, meanwhile, you’re in a squall. You’re soaked but your phone is totally dry.
I’m curious. You tell me, why don’t you? What are you doing that needs mad protection for your phone? And if you’re that person, you can get your Pelican i1015 Smart Phone Case either from Pelican or from Amazon for just over 20 USD. Or check prices at Backcountry.com
Turns out John put this thing to the Ultimate Torture Test. See the results here.
Posted by Pam in Adventure Gear, Business Gear on April 15th, 2011
Keeping in Touch: Sony Ericsson Walkman Phone and Bluetooth Stereo Headphones
After owning the portable music market for years with Walkman cassette and CD players, along came the Apple iPod to topple Sony’s domination. Now, Sony Ericsson tries to regain some of its mojo with a media-friendly cell phone and wireless stereo headphones.
The Sony Ericsson W760i is billed as a Walkman phone, positioned somewhere between barebones cellular sets and feature-packed smartphones. If you don’t need all the capabilities of a Blackberry or iPhone or HTC device to stay in touch while you’re on the road, this phone offers features that deserve a serious look.
The W760i handles the basics extremely well. In my hands-on testing, call quality was excellent. The slim, lightweight slider design hides the keypad when not in use. Battery life is respectable, easily lasting two or three days of normal use.
Diving into the features, built-in applications let travelers track appointments and keep up with contacts. Mobile e-mail setup is easy for accounts such as Yahoo!, AOL, Windows Live and major Internet service providers. Some models of the phone allow instant (push) e-mail from Exchange servers. But curiously, the Exchange application is left out of AT&T’s version of mobile e-mail.
You can play your favorite MP3 tunes from an optional memory card (up to 4 GB is supported) and the phone also has a built-in FM radio. For an added cost, more music is available from subscription services such as Napster and eMusic. And MusicID will help identify the title and artist of tunes you don’t know.
With high-speed 3G data, the built-in web browser handles mobile sites and cellular video surprisingly well. The browser even does a credible job on websites not optimized for mobile devices. The screen is not a touch screen, but I found it easy to navigate through the menus with the keys, even when clicking on links and filling in forms.
A built-in camera will record video and 3.2-megapixel still images for sending back those vacation pictures. The unlocked version of the phone will operate with GSM carriers worldwide, which should also be of interest to travelers.
This phone was one of the first to include a shake control, letting you shake or tilt it to advance to the next music track or control some games. The screen auto rotates when the phone is turned sideways. Travelers will also appreciate the flight mode, so applications can be used on airplanes with the phone radio turned off.
There’s also a built-in GPS. But if you want to use it for guided navigation, you’ll pay a monthly fee. My preference is for other GPS apps that are free or involve a one-time cost, such as Garmin Mobile XT which I recently reviewed.
That brings up one of the limitations of this Walkman phone. The operating system means doing without the wide range of applications available for other phones running Windows Mobile, Apple or Android.
A useful companion to the Walkman phone is Sony Ericsson’s HBH-IS800 Wireless Stereo Headphones. Since they are stereo, the two earbuds help block out the roar in crowded airports and other noisy locations. Conversations were understandable on both ends. Several people I called heard a faint static noise in the background.
For listening to music, the bluetooth headphones were not as crisp and clear as wired earbud and microphone combinations such as the V-Moda Vibe II. But the bluetooth headset would be convenient for music listening if you’re moving around a room or taking a jog.
The list price for the wireless stereo headphones is $179.99. The street price for the unlocked phone (if you don’t want to be tied to a specific carrier or contract) is around $250. Currently, AT&T is almost giving it away with a rebate and two-year contract.
Some of the more-demanding, hardcore business travelers—or music lovers who need more than 4 GB of storage—will want more than what this phone has to offer. But overall, the Sony Ericsson W760i Walkman phone has a lot of built-in features that should meet the needs of many road warriors.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on October 5th, 2009
