Phone Skins: Totally PETA Approved

I’m a woman. Ok, you knew that already. How about, I’m a fickle woman. (My husband, whom I have lovingly named HHH, can verify that fact!) I change my mind about things at the drop of the hat. I will love a scent one day, then I can’t stand it a month later. I’ll  see a pair of knee socks that I just have to skate every roller derby bout in for the entire season, then tragically, I’ll no longer feel their magic. The same could be said of my tech devices. New laptops coming out? Gotta put one on my spring shopping list. Netbooks are the new craze? I had one of those bad boys ASAP. New cool phone coming out? I’m on it. Well, almost on it. I just haven’t won the lottery yet so I can heavily invest in Apple products. Still, I love my phones that I’ve had. I’ve gone through a few in the past and one thing I have to say is…..

Phone cases ain’t cheap, Yo!

I’ve had all sorts of phone cases: glittery cases, rubber shock-absorbing cases, plain cases. I even had a “Psych” phone case! Even after having had all those phone cases I just didn’t like any of them. Oh they were cool and they served the purpose of making my phone singularly identifiable out of all the other phones casually tossed on to the rink wall at derby practice, but none of them ever really felt like …… well,….. me. I’m individual, singular, like the song says, I gotta be me! I rolled along for a few more months till I happened onto a Web site completely by accident, a Web site called Skinit.

So, I’m looking for a design that says, Blondefabulous, but I’m just not seeing something I really feel awesome about. I kept scrolling through pretty swirls and beautiful photos, still not satisfied with what was there. Then… I saw it! Right next to the “Browse our designs” buton there was a “Create your own” button. Holy crap! I could design my own skin for my phone! COOOOOOOOOOL! I click on the button, follow the instructions, and Bob’s your Uncle I had my first skin designed exclusively for me. From there I filled out the shipping information and everything was a go. And what did I choose for my first skin?

Oh yes, I picked one of my roller derby shots from my first season skating. It was totally cool. I couldn’t wait till my new skin arrived. Once it did, (I chose standard shipping, so it took about a week.) I followed the easy directions and applied the skin to the back of my phone. The skin package also came with two stickers for the front of my phone too. I picked a plain, matching color that matched my team colors. Even if I couldn’t figure out how to apply the Skin from the directions they sent, the “What is a Skin” page has a handy video to help with that. It’s great!

Verizon Wireless iPhone 4 is here! (Almost)

AT&T has been the exclusive authorized wireless carrier of Apple’s iPhone since day 1, but that is all about to change. Verizon Wireless will now offer pre-orders for the iPhone 4 as one of its authorized phones starting February 3, 2011 for existing Verizon Wireless customers then open up the orders to new customers starting February 10, 2011. The number of iPhones be allotted to Verizon Wireless for this no-longer-a-monopoly is not being divulged.
Read between the lines and anticipate that the iPhone 4 will sell out quickly from Verizon, that perhaps only existing customers will be able to snatch up the devices, and that you might have to wait a very long time to receive them.

And then if everything turns out hunky dory and everyone who wants one is able to order and receive an iPhone 4 is a reasonable time frame then we can all be happy! That could happen! (It could.)

The cost of a Verizon iPhone 4 with a new 2-year contract and data pak is $199 for the 16 GB model and $299 for the 32 GB model.

One very important difference between AT&T and Verizon is GSM (AT&T) vs. CDMA (Verizon). With GSM you can carry on a phone call while you use the data portion of your phone. So, for example, if you are on the phone with a client you can look something up in email or on the web while you keep the call going. With CDMA you would have to tell your client you’ll call them right back, hang up, look up the info, then call them back to communicate the info. This is, unfortunately, the main reason why if you want to switch from AT&T to Verizon you can’t just activate your AT&T iPhone 4 on the Verizon network, and will need to buy a Verizon iPhone 4.

So, why exactly would you buy the Verizon iPhone 4 instead of the AT&T version? A few reasons:

• you strongly dislike AT&T for [insert your reason here, perhaps most likely because your phone calls drop every 3 seconds]
• your area has better Verizon coverage than it does AT&T coverage
• you’ve always been a Verizon customer and now the iPhone 4 is coming to Verizon!
• you enjoy change

One cool feature that deserves more than a bullet and that Verizon is hoping will attract new and existing customers is that their version of the iPhone 4 is able to be used as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 5 other devices. This will slow down your iPhone 4 while you have the feature enabled, but this might make long car rides with family, friends, or co-workers much more pleasant.

The Verizon iPhone 4 will use the 3G network instead of 4G, but hopefully the iPhone 5 that is scheduled for a July 2011 release will catch up to 4G. Verizon has started rolling out 4G network for other phones in their line to help existing and new customers not be plagued by the slowdown that the iPhone 4‘s addition will undoubtedly contribute to, but 3G is *sad panda* news for those itching to snap up the current batch of Verizon iPhone 4 phones.

For more information about the Verizon iPhone 4 visit Verizon‘s Existing Customers page or their New Customers page, whichever is applicable to you. To view purchase information about the Verizon iPhone 4 visit their It begins page.

For less awkward reading I used Verizon in place of Verizon Wireless throughout this post. In all instances Verizon Wireless is meant in place of Verizon.

Image credit: Verizon Wireless

I call my Droid X “Wookiee Monster”

For St. Nicholas Day in 2009 I bought my boyfriend the Motorola Droid. I was instantly jealous of his ability to do super cool stuff with his new phone, but it’s his phone, so I played with it a total of maybe 5 times. Fast forward to Christmas in July 2010, my birthday! My boyfriend drove me to the Queens Center Mall, we went to the Verizon Wireless store where he bought me the Droid X for my birthday present. He then asked me to name my Droid X, because that’s what we do with our gadgets, and I of course settled on the “Star Wars meets Sesame Street” inspired name of Wookiee Monster.

Included with the phone at purchase were the following items:

• Standard Lithium Ion Battery
• 16 GB microSD memory card pre-installed
• Wall/USB Charger
• Getting Started Brochure
• Product Safety & Warranty Brochure
• 1-Year Manufacturer’s Warranty

We additionally purchased the full warranty insurance for $6.00 per month, a car charger that has the capability to charge two Droids at once (both the Droid and the Droid X), a 3-pack of anti-glare screen protectors for $14.99, the black graphite cover for $24.99, and we upgraded to the Family Plan so we would save money on being a two Droid household who never really uses the phone minutes but uses the Internet and texting capabilities A LOT.

The features I love most about the Droid X:

The screen size is HUGE at 4.3″ and the resolution is spectacular. Because of the larger screen size and improved touchscreen technology, the Droid X no longer has a physical keyboard, it only has a touchscreen keyboard. You can use the built-in Swype technology to type entire words by swiping your finger across the on-screen keyboard to each letter in a word then lift your finger off the keyboard only after you have typed each word. The Droid X is an HD phone so it takes amaaaaazing HD videos and also displays HD video. An HDMI output is available on the phone, and the cable is sold separately but is reasonably priced at $24.99.

Wanna read a book? Download the Barnes and Noble NOOK app or the Amazon Kindle app and read your ebooks. Yup, really!

Droid X’s Camera And Flash Are Built Into The Back

The photo quality on the Droid X is pretty spectacular because of the 8 megapixel camera. Also, the Droid X offers the ability to turn off the flash, have the flash always on, or to allow for auto-flash, something the original Droid did not (flash was ALWAYS on). Also, use an on-screen button to push *or* a physical button on the side of the Droid X for taking photos. Once you take the photo you can Share it via text, email, or social media sites.

The USB charger cable actually comes apart from the power brick and allows you to connect your Droid X directly to your computer. You just have to let the Droid X act as a USB storage device for the computer then you can drag and drop all of your files from your Droid X to your computer. SLICK!

With the newest Froyo 2.2 OS software update for Droid X the Gallery is much improved for viewing photos and videos you take with the phone. It now offers a rolodex-type feature for scrolling through photos. The photos and video are organized by day week, month, and year. When viewing a photo you can press two fingers on the photo and rotate your fingers to rotate the photo as many degrees as you like (it will auto-snap to the nearest 90 degree angle). You can also Share photos from within the Gallery.

The Android Market app has a ton of free and fee apps for you to add to your phone. If you can think of it then it’s probably in there. Even Angry Birds is now offered for the Droid X. No FarmVille yet, but it’s rumored to be in the works.

Use an app from the Market to sync iTunes to your Droid X. Current recommendations are iSyncr by JRTStudio ($2.99) and Easy Phone Tunes by Media Mushroom (Free). Also, doubleTwist for Mac or PC is available for free as the computer-side link to your Droid X.


doubleTwist Allows You To Synch iTunes To Your Droid X

I live in New York City where Verizon coverage is pretty incredible. I’ve experienced dropped calls, but in 100% of the cases it was the person on the other end admitting that they dropped it losing signal or losing battery. Your mileage may vary. Definitely check Verizon coverage in your area before making this major purchase!

The Droid X whizzes around the network at 3G with very few noticeable delays. If you’re in a spot that isn’t offering 3G join it to a trusted wireless access point so you can continue your Internet-dependent activities with ease. You can also turn your it into an Internet hotspot for up to five other devices that need Internet access in a pinch. Caveat: This slows down your Droid X‘s browsing and Internet functionality because part of your bandwidth is being used by other devices. Don’t cancel your home Internet access just because there’s a Droid X in the house!

The things that aren’t so awesome about the Droid X:

• The phone call volume is too low for me. To combat this I put calls on speakerphone or use earbuds. Purchase Verizon’s for $29.99 or use your favorite earbuds from your other gadgets! (I’m a Skullcandy girl.)
• The phone is slim, but it’s larger vertically and horizontally than the Droid, so it’s a little awkward to carry around in your pocket.
• The Droid X has no front cover so make sure to purchase a screen protector so the screen doesn’t get scratched up. My set of three screen protectors was $14.99.
• Typing words is great on the Droid X, but it has a steep learning curve. Make sure to train your Droid X to learn new-to-it words that you type.
• Motorola teamed up with the now bankrupt Blockbuster instead of Netflix for the Droid X’s default movie rental app. I blame Apple TV.
• Download AppKiller for free (with ads) from the Market so that when an application isn’t responding correctly you can just pop over to AppKiller and unload the problematic app from memory then launch it again by going back into the app.
• I never would have bought the Droid X for myself because it has a hefty price tag, contract or not. With no contract that baby retails for $569.99, but if you combine it with a 2-year Verizon Wireless contract the price drops to $299.99 plus a $100.00 mail-in rebate, bringing the price of the phone down to $199.99.

All in all, I love my Droid X. The good outweighs anything negative about this phone. Yes, it’s a lot of money for a phone, but it’s a smartphone! It does anything you need it to do, short of cook your dinner, work out for you, pick up your kids, and go to work. And I wouldn’t trade my Wookiee Monster for anything… except maybe that Droid R2-D2. (I’m kidding, Wookiee Monster! <3)

To purchase your own Motorola Droid X visit Amazon, Motorola, or Verizon Wireless.

iAdore iFrogz

Greetings and salutations and all of that funky jazz.  I’m Jill.  I’m very excited to be joining the Buy-Her review team and I’m looking forward to sharing my opinion on a plethora of products.  When I’m not out shopping for new gadgets to quench my geek thirst, I can be found blogging here.  I can also be found rambling nonsensical tids and bits on Twitter.

Now that you know who I am, I’d like to tell you about one of my favorite things.  It’s no secret that the iPhone 4 is the phone to have right now.  I happen to be an Apple fanatic.  I have an iMac, a Mini Mac, iPod Touch 64gb and now the iPhone 4. I treasure my Apple products and I like to make certain that they’re well protected.  This is where iFrogz hops into the picture.  Before my iPhone 4 was ever delivered, I had my iFrogz Luxe Lean Case purchased.  Do you know how difficult it is to look at an empty phone case every day for 14 days while you’re waiting for it’s companion to be shipped? It’s excruciating!  That’s not the point of this review though.  My point is, and I do have one, the iFrogz Luxe Lean Case is perfect.  It’s very sleek and stylish.  I love the smoothness of the case and the fact that it almost has a satin-like feel to it.  It slides easily into the pocket of my jeans and doesn’t get hung up or caught by the fabric.

With the iFrogz case, I feel as though my phone has the ultimate protection.  I went as far as to buy a second silicone case that fits over the Luxe Lean case.  It gives me a double layer of protection for my iPhone.  I’ve dropped my phone once (why yes, yes I did just about have a coronary when this happened) and my phone was perfectly alright.  With any other phone that I’ve dropped,  I’ve always ended up with a scratch or a ding.  iFrogz protected my iPhone as though it were a newborn baby.  Who doesn’t want that kind of protection?

The iFrogz case allows access to all ports, sensors and buttons.  Even with the extra silicone guard over the Luxe Lean Case, I have no issue plugging the phone into the charger.  As I stated above, I also have the iPod Touch.  Up until recently, I had another brand name case on my iPod.  Each time I wanted to charge it, I had to take the case off because I didn’t get a proper fit between the charger and the iPod.  I have since outfitted my iPod with an iFrogz Swerve case specifically made for the iPod Touch 2G and 3G.  There have been no issues with the charger fitting into the iPod and I love the way the case looks and protects my iPod Touch.

I find the iFrogz products to be beyond reasonable in price in comparison to the amount of protection that they provide your device.  The case for my iPhone 4 lists for $24.99 and the case for my iPod Touch 3G lists for 29.99.  I purchased my phone case in my local AT&T store and I purchased the iPod case online direct from the iFrogz website.  Shipping was speedy, accurate and hassle free.

So there you have it.  The iFrogz line provides protection for your device at a price that is more than comparable.  The designs are sleek and eye catching as well as functional.  So take my word for it…if you’ve ordered your iPhone 4 and have to wait for delivery, kill a little time and pick out an iFrogz case to welcome your new baby to the family! You’ll be glad you did.

5 Holiday Gifts For iPhone Junkies

Chances are, you have at least one person on your holiday list who is an iPhone junky.

You can tell they’re an iPhone junky because you know what kind of freaking cell phone they have. They don’t call you.  They “call you on their iPhone.”  They don’t lose their phone or their cell.  They lose their iPhone – except they don’t, of course, because iPhone users are rarely far enough away from their iPhones to lose it.

Shopping for an iPhone junky can be difficult, because they already have the whole world in the palm of their hand.  Just ask them.  But, there is something that iPhone users love even more than their iPhones: stuff to go with their iPhone.

5 Holiday Gift Ideas For People With iPhones

1. iHome Docking Station and Clock Radio

I did a review of the iHome Docking Station and Clock Radio back in September.  I still love it.  I’ve since run into several readers of this site who have added it to their own wish lists because a good speaker system and iPhone compatible alarm clock is hard to come by.

The problem with most “iPhone docking stations” like this is that they are  made for iPods, not iPhones, and so you have to put your phone in airplane mode to use it, or endure the annoying buzz of interference.  This system is compatible with every single iPhone, way back to the first generation (what I had until about 24 hours ag).

The iHome docking station lets you play music over the speakers with impressive sound quality.  It also lets you wake to and fall asleep to specific playlists.  On top of that, it’s a great alarm clock that allows you to set two separate alarms and designated an alarm for a 1, 5 or 7 day schedule (no more accidentally waking up early on Saturday or forgetting to reset the alarm for Monday morning!).

The iHome iP9BR Clock Radio for iPod is $81.88 right now on Amazon. ($79 if you get it in silver.)  Buy it here.

2.  Mophie Juice Pack Case – Rechargeable iPhone battery

This is something I don’t have and want desperately.

The biggest downfall of the iPhone is that the battery isn’t removeable, so heavy users can’t buy extra batteries to keep charged.  The Juice Pack addresses that problem by giving you a fully rechargeable battery that doubles as an iPhone case.

Like I said, I don’t have this and have never used it.  But reviews online as well as reviews from people I know who have this product say that it doubles the battery life of your iPhone.

You can charge the case and the iPhone simultaneously and switch the case’s power source on and off to decide if you want to save your extra battery life for later.

The juice pack will add a little bulk to the iPhone – more than a simple silicone case – but the extra power you get is worth it for someone who uses their phone constantly.

Amazon offers a variety of colors for the juice pack that will fit the iPhone first generation, 3G and 3Gs.  Click here to see the full range.

3.  Bluetooth Stereo Headset

Another “don’t have, want badly” product for me. I’ve been looking forever for a headset that works for music and phone conversations, and isn’t plagued with reviews about a short product lifespan.

This looks to be the answer I’ve been looking for.

The Sony DRBT160AS Bluetooth Stereo Headset is perfect for iPhone users who like to run or workout regularly.  This headset gives you the ability to listen to music and take a call (although obviously not at the same time).  Headsets that do both can be difficult to find for the iPhone.

The “behind the head” design is ideal runners and the wireless aspect makes it perfect for just about anyone.  It’s also going to provide much higher sound quality than the stock ear buds that come standard with iPhones.

The Sony DRBT160AS Bluetooth Stereo Headset is $81.95 on Amazon. That’s more than $40 off what they’re charging at the Apple store for the same product. Buy it here.

4. iPhone Armband

Speaking of people who run – an armband case is pretty much a necessity if you’re the type of person who works out while listening to music on your iPhone.  Otherwise you end up trying to shove your iPhone down the back of your pants.

Trust me on this – not. comfortable.  Also not comfortable?  Having to dig down the back of your pants to retrieve your slipping iPhone while you’re in the middle of a packed gym.

Ahem.

ANYway, the Tuneband from Grantwood Technology uses a silicone case to secure the iPhone in place.  The case has a screen protector, but still allows you to access all of the ports and camera.  The band itself is stretchy velcro to fit most arm sizes.

Another fun fact: it comes in lots of pretty colors!  (Oh, and navy or clear if, for some odd reason, you’re not into pretty.)

The Tuneband is designed for the 3G and 3GS iPhone models.

(Hint – it’s cheap and a great stocking stuffer idea.  Jared.)

The Tuneband Armband with Silicone Skin and Screen Protector is just $16.99 at Amazon. Buy it here. (in pink, if you’re my husband.)

5.  Go Groove FlexPod: iPhone FM Transmitter and Car Mount System

This?  Is a freaking awesome device.

You plug the device into your car’s cigarette lighter (or power source if you have a newer, snobbier car) and put your iPhone into the cradle.  Your phone is now charging.  Yay.

BUT, more than that, the FM transmitter lets you play your music from your iPod through your car stereo’s speakers.  For those of you unfamiliar with the idea of an FM transmitter – it works good.  You should have it.

For those of you who know what I’m talking about – this is one of the more advanced models of FM transmitters and seems to have a strong locking system that makes it easier to find (and keep) stations available to play your music.

Added bonus: it turns your car into a bluetooth device for phone calls.  When a phone call comes in while you’re listening to music, the music fades and the call options come up on the screen.  Accept the call and you’ll hear the voice via your car’s speakers.  End the call and you go back to the music you were listening to.

The Flexpod (that’s the official name of this thingie) also has a USB port so you can charge other USB powered devices through it.

The entire iPhone cradle is held up on a flexible gooseneck device so you can hold your iPhone steady at multiple angles.

You can watch a video on how the entire thing works here.

The Go Groove FlexPod Car Mount System is $34.99 on Amazon. Buy it here.

Bluetooth for your car, not your ear. Also? Why they make owner’s manuals.

I’m a good daughter. I call my mom almost every single day. It was important when I moved that we found a way to maintain the closeness in our relationship.

That means I wake her up at about 7:00am her time nearly every morning so that I can talk to her on my drive to work.

Because I’m a good daughter.

I am also, I have been told, a terrible driver.  I tend to disagree with that assessment (despite evidence to the contrary), but I do try to limit my distractions while driving to smoking, listening to music and pondering the meaning of life.

I tell you all that to tell you that I almost always use some type of bluetooth device while driving.  Because I am nothing if not succinct.

I’ve been using a Motorola Bluetooth Headset ever since my husband got it for Christmas a couple years ago.  It pairs easily with my phone and the sound quality is fine.  It does what it’s supposed to do.  I’d been asked to try other bluetooth headset models recently and have found that the Motorola was still my favorite.

A representative from Parrot.com contacted me recently and asked me to review their portable Bluetooth hands free kit.

My first thought was what the hell is a portable Bluetooth hands free kit?

I’d only ever used the headset version before.  You know, the little thing that sticks in your ear that makes people think you’re talking to yourself.  I didn’t even know portable Bluetooth hands free kits existed.

And yet, it seems, they do.

But what the hell are they?

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