Mobile Phone Reviews

Apple is no stranger to leaks, rumors and the like along with pretty much every other tech company. More specifically, when the time comes for a product refresh the Internet is sent into a frenzy with rumors and leaks galore. The latest leak for us to take a look at focuses on the forthcoming iPod [...]

Apple has been setting the smartphone market on fire each year since 2007 with a new release of the iPhone. While many consumers were initially disappointed by the iPhone 4S the device managed to sell like hotcakes with the same being expected for the next generation device. Commonly referred to as the iPhone 5, this device is [...]

Google has been struggling with their tablet hardware partners to compete with Apple’s iPad. High prices coupled with less than perfect software (before ICS, anyways) has had many wondering if we will ever see an Android tablet scathe the iPad’s near flawless track record. Then along came the Kindle Fire which features a 7-inch display, [...]

The Sony CMT-CX5 is a wall-mountable audio system that adopts the Dynamic Sound Generator X-tra (DSGX) that delivers a clear, crisp sound that can be enjoyed via a number of audio inputs. This music player features a DAB/DAB+/FM radio, a CD player, a USB connectivity, and a built-in iPhone dock. Available in black or white, the Sony CMT-CX5 will be launched in August 2011 for £220 ($355). [Geeky Gadgets]

The folks out at Chinavasion, who have sent us a lot of great gear, sent out one of their Mini Digital Microscopes for iPhone 4, and the end result is a deeply unexpected one. It’s a strange little device, but if you have an iPhone and like getting a better look at stuff, well, you’re going to be abundantly satisfied.

Chinavasion’s Mini Digital Microscope for iPhone 4 offers up, very simply, a microscope with an included frame, so it can attach easily to your iPhone 4′s camera aperture. From there, you’ll be able to open up a whole new look on things with its 60x magnification. Plus, you’ll even have a couple bonus options in the form of a pair of LED lights, as well as one extra light that shows in ultraviolet, as well as a sliding focus.

Admittedly, it’s a bit of a niche product. Okay, it’s a lot of a niche product. But if you ever wanted to use your iPhone for an up-close view of things, illuminated in your choice of light spectra, well, this is exactly what you’re after.

The device is mostly mechanical, so the learning curve isn’t exactly what you’d call steep. Flipping a switch one way gets you light, the other way gets you UV light, and parking it in the center shuts the whole thing down. Slide the whole thing in and out for changes in focus. It’s almost too simple to screw up, really, and it works reasonably well.

The question is, though, are you going to want a 60x microscope for your iPhone? It’s not going to work with any other phone–not even other devices–so you’ll be out in the cold with Android devices. But still, even if you don’t want the microscope, it’s actually still worthwhile as a surprisingly bright light, as well as an ultraviolet light, which is great for retail store owners who want to check for counterfeit bills. This light turned my wallet into an odyssey of exploration.

And here’s the great news–whether or not you have to have this or you’d just like to have it, Chinavasion’s going to make you a great offer for it. How great? How’s $10.78 worth of great?  Yeah, pretty great, isn’t it? Getting an ultra-small flashlight with UV light capability for $10.78 is no small deal in its own right.

So while the Mini Digital Microscope for iPhone 4 may not be for everybody, there’s plenty of value here, and plenty to like.

The Good

Variety of uses

Simple to use

Inexpensive

The Bad

Very niche

Only fully works with an iPhone 4

Score 8 / 10

Apple’s iOS is widely regarded as one of the best mobile platforms in the industry but it’s definitely not perfect by any means. In fact, at various times the community comes forth with a new security exploit that could potentially allow malicious users to take control of any given iOS powered device. On the flip side of things, these exploits have also been used to jailbreak devices as is the case with the latest release of JailBreakMe.com.

Well, while the jailbreak is easy thanks to the exploit it does have some users worried that they are going to get their data stolen. Luckily, rumors have just surfaced today that say Apple is hard at work looking to push out the latest iOS 4.3.4 update. However, don’t be expecting any groundbreaking features with this release as according to the updates all iOS 4.3.4 will do is patch the PDF exploit effectively breaking the latest jailbreak in the process.

In other words, if your device is currently jailbroken I’d wait off on installing iOS 4.3.4 when it is released.

Word has it that Apple will release the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 in October 2011. According to Digitimes, Taiwan-based companies included in the supply chain for iPhone 5 and iPad 3 have already begun to prepare materials for the production of the two gadgets. These gadgets are likely to make their debuts in September and to hit the market in October. Stay tuned for more updates. [Digitimes]

In the current market Apple’s iPhone is one of the most popular smartphones. Much of this success has been attributed to the fact that the device essentially popularized the full touchscreen form factor and not the mention the fact that the iOS App Store is one of the largest mobile application depots in the game today.

While this has largely become the norm it’s quite the feat for Apple to have accomplished. As you may or may not know throughout the first 3 iterations of the iPhone AT&T was the only carrier here in the United States that actually offered the device. Now a days the device has found its way onto Verizon but compared to devices like the Galaxy S just two carriers is still a minuscule amount.

However, it seems that while the iPhone is offered domestically only on Verizon and AT&T these carriers are not the only ones that consumers are using the device on. In fact, it was just reported that over 1 million users are currently using an iPhone on T-Mobile’s network. This, of course, is due to the fact that T-Mobile features a network similar to AT&T’s allowing consumers to unlock an iPhone and pop a T-Mobile SIM card into said unlocked phone

Unfortunately at this point it doesn’t mean much but perhaps these numbers will further pike Apple’s interest in officially bringing an iPhone to the T-Mobile network. Would this be something you are interested in or can you make do with Verizon or AT&T’s network?

Elecom today introduced a new external battery charger for the Apple iPhone 4 and Samsung Galaxy S. Available in 4700mAh and 3000mAh capacities, these external battery chargers have been released in the Japanese market. The 4700mAh version is priced at 8,400 Yen ($104), while the 3000mAh model retails for 7,000 Yen ($87). [Akihabara]

The folks out at the Max Borges Agency have sent a lot of great stuff out our way over the last few months, and this time they’re going to send us a product so strange and so impressive that it started out as an April Fool’s joke.  We’re talking about the iCade, and it’s both bizarre and impressive.

The iCade, basically, is a painted structure of what I guess is plywood, which also holds not only an iPad (you’ll need to supply that, of course), but also the controls that you see pictured below. You’ll set the tablet in the cradle, which can then connect via Bluetooth to the iPad, and then can serve to control the games in front of you.

In fact, this is geared toward one specific game, or game package, that we’ve already covered: the Atari pack. And indeed, this was built for an Atari line of games. It looks like a cabinet that might well have hosted some of the greats: Burgertime, Centipede, any of those might well fit. And now, this cabinet lets you get all the greatest retro-style thrills. The controls work fairly well, and you get a full variety of buttons here. In fact, it feels just like a round of Street Fighter 2 back in the days of the old style arcade.

The question will be, of course, is if you will be willing to shell out the $99.99 that the folks out at ThinkGeek want to get for one of these. It’s an exciting piece of hardware, sure, but is it worth it to accomplish one purpose, and that one not very useful at that?

Still though, if you want a truly authentic gaming experience on the small and the comparatively cheap, then you’ve got it right here in the iCade.

The Good

Provides authenticity in the extreme

Controls work well

The Bad

Only serves one purpose

Score 8 / 10