The best accessories for the Nokia E52 & E55 are…

The Nokia E52 and the E55 are the latest E-Series smartphones and have both been introduced to replace the popular Nokia E51. The E52 and E55 are almost identical, they both larger screens, faster processors and more memory than their predecessor, with the only difference between them being the keypad. The Nokia E52 retains the classic 1-9 numbered keypad and gains a new row of shortcut keys, where as the E55 has a brand new “half qwerty” keypad that promises faster text entry than using the standard T9 predictive texting.

To really make the most of your new E-Series smart phone, there are a number of accessories you can get. Choosing the right one accessories can be a bit of a mission as there are so many to choose from. To try and help you decide for you Ive compiled a list of 10 accessories that I’d recommend for the Nokia E52 and E55.

1. Martin Fields Screen Protector
The last thing you’re going to want to do the the screen of your new phone is scratch it. When I bought my N82 last year I managed to gouge a nice chunk out of the screen within an hour of having it, but back then I’d not really heard of screen protectors. Martin Fields are the just about the best quality screen protector you can get for your phone. They’re precision cut to size and can be removed easily and leave no residue behind. They claim that they’rere-usable too, so if it ever gets dirty, just take it off, run it under the tap and re-fit it. I tried this and found it didn’t stick too well and I ended up with a lof of dust and bubbles under the screen.

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Introducing the Bluelounge Refresh Charging Hub

If you’ve got a multiple devices that need charging on a near daily basis, then this could be the best charging solution for you. The Bluelounge Refresh is a similar concept to the Bluelounge Sanctuary that was released last year – Instead of having to use a separate charger for each of your devices, you just plug in the Refresh, and then use one of the 6 charging leads to power your phone or MP3 Player.

Available in 3 colours – Pink, Black and White, the Bluelounge Refresh will be a welcome addition to any home where there are frequent arguements over mis-placed chargers or limited free plug sockets.

There are 6 different charging leads on the Bluelounge Refresh, 2 Apple Dock connectorsfor iPhone and iPod, 1 Mini USB and 1 Micro USB. As Micro USB is becoming the standard charger for all new mobile phones it means that you’ll be able to use the Refresh for many years without worrying about it not being compatible with your next phone.

The other two leads are standard USB ports that you can use to charge any mobile phone using your existing USB data/charging cable. These charging cables can behidden underneath the base until needed leaving your Refresh charging hub looking neat and uncluttered.

The Bluelounge Refresh has been certified by Apple as ‘Made for iPod‘ & ‘Works with iPhone‘ and will work with any MP3 Players that charge using a USB connection.

The BlueLounge Refresh is due to be released on the 26th August and is available toPre-Order now in Pink, Black and White

Use a USB Swivel Adapter to Protect your 3G Dongle

I’m sure that we’ve all had moments where we’ve been disconnected from our wireless network because we’ve knocked our 3G Dongles. I know I’ve lost information when a memory stick I’ve been transferring data onto gets nudged and loses connection with my laptop. It’s getting better as dongles and memory sticks are getting smaller, but with most flash pens and USB modems still sticking out of the side of our laptops, accidents are bound to happen.

As I was reading my news feeds I noticed that Mobile Fun have just released a USB Swivel adapter – a simple little adapter that sits between your Dongle or memory stick and laptop and can be adjusted through 360 degrees so that your dongle doesn’t get in the way.

The Swivel adapter is extremely small and can easily be carried around with your laptop or netbook and are ideal if you’re frequently using your laptop where the working area around your laptop/netbook is limited (such as airplane tray tables, small coffee shop tables, etc.)

As well as helping to protect your Broadband dongles and Flash Memory pens agains accidental damage, the USB Swivel adapter can be used to make USB ports easier to access on your Desktop PC and games consoles too.

Head over to the mobile fun site for more information on the USB Swivel Adapter.

Setting up Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo mail on your Samsung Tocco

One of the questions I get asked the most at the moment is “How do I set up email on my Tocco” and although there are suggestions and a settings spread across the web, I thought I’d bring it all together into one post to make setting up your Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo email accounts on your Samsung Tocco F480, Samsung Tocco Lite or Samsung Tocco Ultra quick and easy.

Now, before I start I just want to say that these settings should work on all phones, not just the Tocco’s. You may find that they need a little tweaking depending on your network – particularly the SMTP settings. Without getting too technical on you, the SMTP server is similar to your local sorting office, you send your letters there and they then get sorted and sent on to the person you sent the email to. In an attempt to cut down on the amount of spam being sent, some mobile networks restrict the SMTP servers that you can use and in most cases force you to use their own.

So, if you set your phone up using the same SMTP server as your email provider, but find that you get an error message when you try and send a message, go back to the account settings and change the SMTP server to that of your network. Don’t panic if you don’t know what they are – I’ve listed them all for you at the end of this post.

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A Guide to Nokia Car Kits

If you were to think of a fully fitted car kit, chances are two brands will spring to mind – Nokia or Parrot. Both of these companies make some great kits, Parrot have their awesome MKi range that you can connect your phone and music player to and Nokia have just recently updated their car kit line up to add more focus on music & mapping integration and to make installation quicker and easier.

I think I’m right in saying that the most popular Nokia Car Kit ever was the CARK-91 – the one that had a cradle for the old Nokia 6110/ 6210/ 6310. Since Bluetooth arrived on the scene a few years ago, car kits have moved away from having bulky cradles that are screwed to your dashboard, to more discreet remote controls that blend into your dashboard and don’t draw attention.

When it comes to car kits, the question I’m asked the most is “Can I just change the cradle?” The answer unfortunately is no. If you’ve already got an older Nokia Car Kit installed in your car and are looking to upgrade it to work with current Nokia handsets, unless your car kit is a bluetooth one, it’s not upgradable and you’ll need to replace the whole kit. Even the microphone.

While this might sound like it’s going to be expensive, fitted car kit prices have come down in price considerably over the past few years, so replacing your kit might not cost as much as you’d think – not only that, but Nokia have changed the way that the kits connect to your vehicle, so depending on the car and stereo that you’ve got, you might be able to install it yourself. Now before you get too excited, Installing a car kit yourself isn’t that easy – even with the newer ISO Car Kits. You will still need to remove some fascia panels from your car or dashboard, remove the stereo and possible connect wires to the car power supply. I tried to install my own, got 90% of the way there and had to give in and call the professionals, so if you want an easy life (and a car that still starts) get it installed professionally. Shop around for installation though, realistically you shouldn’t need to pay much more than 50 for a standard installation and you’ll probably find that small, independent companies will be able to fit it to the same standard, but for half the price. I had my Parrot MKi9000 installed by www.myvehicle.co.uk at their workshop for about 45.

On to the Car Kits then. Nokia now offer 3 car kits, the Nokia CK-100, CK-300 and CK-600. Each one offers different levels of integration with your phone, and as the model names suggest, the higher the number the more features you get. All three have now dropped the external speaker and will now route all calls and music through your Car Stereo as standard.

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Top BlackBerry Curve 8520 Accessories

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 might be a brand new BlackBerry handset, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any accessories available for it. The 8520 Curve is the replacement for the 8300 Curve which was a great handset that packed a lot of features into a pretty small design.

The 8520 combines the features from the 8300, 8310 and 8320 into one device and as with all BlackBerry’s its great for email and messaging. The BlackBerry 8520 Curve weighs less and is slightly smaller then the 8310 Curve and has WiFi and GPS built in. It’s also the first BlackBerry handset to feature a trackpad in place of the usual trackball.

BlackBerry have kept the business users features and have also put more of a media and entertainment spin on the new 8520 Curve, so to make the most of the phone there are a few accessories that you should invest in – especially if you’ve upgraded from the 8310 as the cases & chargers for the 8520 are different.

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 Curve 8520.

1. BlackBerry 8520 Curve Swivel holster

The BlackBerry 8520 is a stylish looking phone that needs a stylish case to go with it – especially as you don’t get one in the box with the phone. This BlackBerry 8520 Curve Swivel holster is made from premium lambskin leather and has a rotating belt clip on the rear. It has a proximity sensor that can automatically change the alert tones on your 8520 Curve when ever it’s inserted or removed from the case.

View All BlackBerry 8520 Curve Cases

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A Guide to Samsung Tocco Accessories

If you’re reading this post, chances are you’ve got a Samsung Tocco, but with 3 handsets wearing the Tocco badge and all being available at the same time, it can get a bit confusing finding accessories that will work with your phone.

To try and make things a bit clearer for you, I’ve put this guide together that runs through some of the most popular accessories for the Tocco F480,Tocco Lite & Tocco Ultra. For most of these accessories you’ll find that they are available for all 3 models, but there are the odd one or two that are specific to certain handsets.

Samsung Tocco FlexiShield Skins

The back of your Samsung Tocco or Samsung Tocco Lite will start to scratch if it’s not looked after. FlexiShield Skins for the Tocco range are thicker and tougher than standard Silicone Cases and will certainly give your phone more bounce if you drop it! They have a non slip feel and cover all of the back of the handset, leaving the camera free for you to take your photos. They don’t cover the screen though, so youll need to invest in a Screen Protector if you want to prevent your screen from getting scratched. FlexiShield Skins are not available for the Tocco Ultra because of it’s sliding mechanism.

View all Samsung Tocco F480 FlexiShield Skins | View all Samsung Tocco Lite FlexiShield Skins

Martin Fields Screen Protectors

Martin Fields are an exceptionally high quality screen protector, that fit to your phone quickly and easily. They are just as easy to remove leave no residue behind and can be cleaned and re-used . They are ultra thin and dont interfere with using the touchscreen on your Tocco. Martin Fields Screen Protectors are available for the Tocco, Tocco Lite and the Tocco Ultra in single and twin packs.

View all Tocco F480 Screen Protectors | View all Tocco Lite Screen Protectors | View all Tocco Ultra Screen Protectors

Leather Flip Case

Designed specifically to protect the Samsung Tocco Lite, the flip case keeps your Tocco Lite safe whilst still looking stylish.Made with a hardened leather outer shell for increased durability and protection. The integrated solid plastic guide rails designed to hold your handset without lateral movement, whilst still allowing the handset to slide up and down for access to keys. Convenient cutouts allow full access to side buttons, sockets, charger & memory card slots without compromising protection.
The Leather Flip case is made with a hardened leather outer shell for increased durability and protection and have integrated plastic guide rails to keep your phone in place. Convenient cutouts allow full access to side buttons, sockets, charger & memory card slots without compromising protection. The Leather Flip case is available for the Tocco Lite and Tocco Ultra.The Leather Flip Case for the Tocco F480 is slightly different as it is made by Samsung. Instead of sliding your phone in, the case attaches to your Tocco F480 by replacing the back cover. The flip then comes up from the bottom of the phone to protect the screen against knocks and scrapes.

View all Samsung Tocco F480 Cases |View all Samsung Tocco Lite Cases |View all Samsung Tocco Ultra Cases

Samsung WEP-200 Bluetooth Headset

Samsung headsets have always been small and compact and the WEP-200 is no exception. It’s only 40mm long and weighs just 9 grams. It comes with a charging carry case that you can use to charge the headset even if you don’t have access to a power supply. The WEP-200 supports voice dialling, answer/end as well as call hold and mute.

Samsung SBH-650 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

The Samsung SBH-650 lets you listen to music in stereo and answer calls over a bluetooth connection. The main unit is designed to be worn around your neck or clip on to your clothes. It has music playback controls built in, so changing track is extremely quick and you dont have to touch your phone either. The SBH-650 includes a pair of earphones and will work with any standard 3.5mm headphones too. If you’re interested in finding out more about the SBH-650, you should check out our Samsung SBH-650 Review

SanDisk 8GB MicroSD HC

One of the slight downfalls of the Tocco range is that they only have a limited amount of storage, so without doubt, one of the first purchases you will need to make is a memory card. They all support cards of upto 16GB, but unless you planning on storing all of your music and photos on it an 8GB card will be more than sufficient. This 8GB memory card from Sandisk can store upto 7232 high quality photos, 1500 songs and 9 hours of video.

Parrot MiniKit Slim

The Mini Kit Slim from Parrot is a great little Bluetooth Speakerphone that you can use in the car or at home. It features text-to-speech software that will call out the callers name/number when you receive a call. The same software is used to enable voice dialling, even for phone’s that don’t have it built in. Set up is easy, as soon as the kit is paired to your phone, your address book is synchronied with the kit with out you having to do anything. The address book will update itself everytime the phone is connected too, so you don’t have to worry about remembering to update it.

Samsung Car Charger

Battery life is never great on a touch screen smartphone so a car charger is a worthwhile investment. The genuine Samsung Car charger will work in both 12v and 24v vehicles (Cars, Lorries and Trucks). There are 2 different Car Chargers though, so you’ll need to make sure you order the correct one.

Samsung Tocco F480 Car Charger |Samsung Tocco Lite Car Charger |Samsung Tocco Ultra Car Charger

Samsung Tocco Car Holders by Brodit

These are phone-specific cradles that will hold your Tocco securely in the car and have cut outs that allow you to charge your phone while it’s in the holder. They are made from a strong ABS plastic and are designed to be screwed onto your dashboard, although if you don’t fancy doing this you can use a Brodit ProClip. These are secure mounting pads that clip on to your dashboard and can be removed without causing any damage to your vehicle. ProClips provide an ideal base for fixing a Brodit holder on to.

Parrot MKi9200 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. Ive chosen the MKi9200 as the best one for the Tocco as the external screen makes it easier to navigate the 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 MKi9200 using Bluetooth or 3.5mm line in. The Mki9200 will synchronise with your phone book, and supports voice dialing. There is also a small remote that you can attach to your dash or steering wheel to control your music and calls. Regular software updates that improve compatibility with Samsung phones are available free of charge from the Parrot website.

This isn’t the full range of accessories for the Samsung Tocco, just a selection of our most popular ones. If you think that we’ve missed something, or have found an accessory that works well with the phone then let us know about it using the comments form below.

View all Samsung Tocco F480 Accessories |View all Samsung Tocco Lite Accessories |View all Samsung Tocco Ultra Accessories

TomTom for iPhone – pricing revealed?

It was announced back in March at the Apple Developers Conference, but until now further details have been very few and far between.. Until now.

We already know that the software and the car cradle will be available separately, and we’re now hearing that the car cradle will retail for around 115, but there is no news yet as to whether this includes the software or not.

UPDATE: TomTom for UK is available now in the iTunes App store for 59.99. No confirmed pricing yet on the car kit. iTunes Link.

Another image has surfaced of the iPhone TomTom Car Cradle, this time showing off a few more of it’s features:

1. EasyPort Mount from the TomTom ONE and TomTomXL
2. Built In Speaker
3. Volume Control
4. Microphone for handsfree calling
5. Mini USB Charging Connector
6. Audio Line out (for connecting to Car Stereo)

Sources are also confirming that it will work with the iPod touch too.

We’ve not yet been able to confirm any of this yet with our suppliers, and we’ll post again as soon as we know more.

On a similar note, the rumour mill is also suggesting that CoPilot Live 8 is on its way to the App Store and will be available some time next week for around 26. UPDATE: CoPilot Live 8 is available now from the AppStore – iTunes Link

Decisions decisions…60+the cost of the car kit for TomTom, 26 for CoPilot…

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