Getting the right Parrot Car Kit

If you frequently use your phone in the car, for music or calls, a Car Kit is an accessory worth investing in. A car kit will probably be the most expensive accessory purchase you can make for your phone, so it’s worth spending some time looking at what’s available, reading reviews and making sure that the kit you’re about to buy does everything you need it to and most importantly that it’s likely to work with your future phones too.

If you’re looking to buy a car kit, then a Parrot Car Kit is the way to go. Over the last few years, Parrot have grown from a relatively unheard of company to one that produces excellent car kits that even the big names in mobiles, such as Nokia, can’t compete with.

Parrot Car Kits come in two options, fitted and portable. Fitted car kits are hard wired into your car (normally through the stereo) and portable car kits clip on to your sun visor and rely on an internal battery for power.

This post will run through each of the current Parrot Car Kits and highlight some of their Pro’s and Con’s to help you decide on which Parrot Car Kit you should go for.

Portable Parrot Car Kits

Parrot MINIKIT SLIM Bluetooth Car Kit

If you don’t want to go to the expense of having a fully fitted kit, then the Parrot MiniKit slim is a great choice – regardless of whether you have a smart phone or a standard feature phone.  The Parrot MiniKit Slim has all the basic features of the fitted kits, but without support for streaming music. It will automatically synchronise with your phone book, allowing you to dial a contact just by saying their name. You don’t have to mess around recording voice tags as the Text to Speech software will automatically match your voice print to a name in your phone book.

The kit is designed to be mounted on your sun visor and controls are kept to a minimum – two dedicated buttons to answer/end calls and a dial to increase the volume and navigate the system menus.

Battery life on the MiniKit Slim is excellent, offering up to 20 days of standby time and 15 hours of talk time.

Parrot MINIKIT Smart

The MiniKit Smart is the latest plug and play Parrot Car Kit. It’s been designed purely for larger smartphones, so standard sized handsets won’t really work all that well with it. Instead of clipping to your sunvisor, the MiniKit slim uses a suction pad to fix to your windscreen and combines a holder and handsfree kit. It’s receiving mixed reviews as it’s designed to hold your phone in landscape mode – perfect for sat nav, but not all smart phones can be used in landscape mode for calling and accessing the phonebook (mainly iPhones).

Feature wise it has everything that the MiniKit Slim has, as well as support for music streaming – although the mono speaker won’t really do your songs justice. Controls are just as simple as they are on the MiniKit Slim, but if you’re using it in portrait mode they can be a bit fiddly. The MiniKit Smart uses advanced noise reduction and a reasonably powerful (for a car kit) 2w speaker to make sure instructions are heard, but if I’m being totally honest, for the price, you’d be better off either paying the extra £10 for the Parrot MKi9000 or choosing the Jabra Cruiser and a dedicated Car Holder.

Installed Parrot Car Kits

Parrot CK3100 Advanced Bluetooth Car Kit

The Parrot CK3100 has been around for a long time now, but it’s still a firm favourite, particularly among fleet managers. In terms of features it’s pretty simple – handsfree calling with voice dial and phone book synchronisation. It has a clear LCD display that shows you the name/number of callers and allows you to scroll through your address book without having to touch your phone. Installation is pretty straight forward as the CK3100 connects using the standard ISO connections on the back of your car radio – although not all cars use ISO, so make sure you check before you buy as you may well need some additional cables.

As with all of the Parrot Car Kits, the CK3100 doesn’t use an external speaker in the passenger footwell, instead, all audio is routed through your car stereo speakers. This gives you much more control over volume levels and callers are much clearer and easier to understand.

Parrot MKi9000 Bluetooth Car Kit

The MKi range of car kits are all based around the same basic model – the MKi9000, the only difference is the screen that ships with the kit. In the case of the MKi9000 there is no screen, but that doesn’t hamper it’s performance, especially if you’re using it with a large screen smartphone. In fact, the MKi9000 is our top selling Parrot Car Kit.

The main difference between the MKi range of kits and the CK3100 are their music capabilities. In addition to being able to handle calls, the MKi kits do a brilliant job of streaming music from your phone, MP3 player or USB flash drive through your existing Car Stereo. Controlling the Car Kit is done through a small remote that can either stick to your dashboard or attach to your steering wheel.

Each MKi kit has a connectivity cable that has a 3.5mm line in, USB port and Apple Dock connector. This allows you to connect pretty much any audio source to the kit and enjoy the sound through your car stereo. If you connect an iPod or iPhone using the Dock connector you can also use the remote to control your music playback. Every Parrot Car Kit is easily updated. Frequent software updates are available free of charge from the Parrot website and will often improve compatibility/usability.

The Parrot MKi9000 has phonebook synchronisation and advanced speech recognition built in. This allows the MKi9000 to automatically retrieve all your contacts from your phone and transfer them to it’s own internal memory. Pressing the Answer key on the remote will activate the voice dialling and you just say the name of who you want to call. No messing around recording voice tags, just say thej name and it’ll dial the number.

If you do have an iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4, you have two options when it comes to voice dialling. You can either use the voice features of the MKi9000, or you can use the Voice Control features built into the iPhone by disabling phonebook synchronisation in the Bluetooth settings on your iPhone. I’ve chosen to use the Voice Control features on the phone purely because it allows voice control of the iPod app as well as calling. Instead of fiddling with the remote, I can just hit the answer button and say “play” and it will start playing music back – either over a bluetooth connection or through the Dock Connector. Voice Control on iPhone even allows you to tell the phone to play a particular album, playlist or artist, so if you have an iPhone and decide on a Parrot MKi Car Kit, I’d strongly recommend turning off phonebook sync.

Parrot MKi9100 Bluetooth Car Kit

There are very few differences between the MKi9000 and the MKi9100, other than the display screen. If you use a standard feature phone like the Nokia 6700 or choose not to have a car holder then this will be a much better choice. The high contrast LCD screen will show you the name and number of the caller, allows you to see the contacts in your phone book as well as see the settings for the car kit – you can still access all these on the MKi9000, but with out the screen all your options are read out to you.

If the idea of a screen sitting on your dashboard makes you nervous, don’t worry, it’s detachable and can be taken with you when you leave the car. In terms of features and usability, it’s very similar to the CK3100, but with music support. The MKi9100 is still worth choosing even if you don’t plan on using it for music. The £25 difference in price is minimal when you take into account the extra features that you get – easy software updates, removable screen and better phonebook sync & voice dialling.

Parrot MKi9200 Bluetooth Car Kit

The MKi9200 is significantly different to the MKi9100 and MKi9000. Most obvious is of course the screen. It comes with a 2.4 inch colour screen that will not only show names and numbers of callers, but also their photo and during music playback, album art is displayed (if present on your phone). The screen also has an SD card reader built into it. This means that instead of storing your music on your phone or USB stick, you can put all your music on an SD card (max 32GB) and have it in the car permanently.

Controlling the car kit is done using the same remote that comes with the other two kits, but with the bigger display, navigating the menu’s is a little bit quicker and easier. If you have use your smart phone or an iPod as your music source in the car then you may not need the extra features that you get with the MKi9200 as the MKi9000 will be more than adequate.

Parrot Unika Steering Wheel Interface for MKi Car Kits

The Unika isn’t a car kit, but a rather clever accessory that works with the MKi range of car kits to fully integrate it into your car. It allows your existing steering wheel stereo controls to operate the car kit and completely eliminates the need for the remote control. Installation is a little fiddlier, so we’d recommend having it fitted by a professional installer. You don’t need to have dedicated telephone controls on your steering wheel, as the Unika will use a combination of key presses to activate the kit. In a Ford Focus for example, pressing ‘Rewind’ then ‘Forward’ will start music playback, pressing the SRC button will answer calls and confirm menu choices and a double press of the SRC button will activate voice dialling.

To check compatibility with your car, head over to the Parrot Unika Support Pages and enter details of your Car and Parrot Car Kit.

Parrot Head Units

Head Unit Car Kits haven’t ever proven to be all that popular, even though the idea behind them makes perfect sense. Installation is so much easier than fitting a regular kit, not only because of the reduced wiring, but the fact that you don’t have to find space behind your dashboard to hide the control box. Parrot currently only have the RKi8400 available, and the newly announced Parrot Asteroid should be available very soon.

Parrot RKi8400 Bluetooth Car Kit

It was launched at the same time as the MKi range of kits, but the RKi8400 isn’t proving as popular as Parrot would have hoped – although that’s probably due to most cars now having a non standard sized radio in them, rather than poor performance. The RKi8400 is essentially the same as the Parrot MKi9200, as it has the same 2.4inch colour screen, multiple ways to connect your iPod, MP3 player or USB stick and an SD Card Reader. The front of the stereo pops off, not only for security reasons, but also to expose a storage area where you can leave your iPod or MP3 player connected.

As with the MKi Kits the RKi8400 will synchronise with your phone to give you access to your phone book and voice dialling, as well as having a full keypad on the head unit itself. The replacement for the RKI8400 has just been announced, but no launch date has been given yet. The basic idea is the same, but the Parrot Asteroid will be running the Android operating system in an attempt to make media management even easier. We’ll post more details on the Asteroid as we get them.

If you’ve got any questions about any of the kits mentioned here, feel free to ask them in the comments below. Mobile Fun offer the full range and you can get more details on any of them on the Parrot Car Kits pages.

Review: Nokia BH-505 Bluetooth Headphones

Like a lot of you, I’ve been waiting quite a while to get my hands on a set of the Nokia BH-505 Bluetooth Headphones, Nokia’s latest Stereo Bluetooth Headset.

Now that I’ve finally managed to grab hold of a pair, I thought I’d put them through their paces. Are the Nokia BH-505′s any good? Read on to find out.

In the Box

One of the first things you notice after you’ve struggled to remove them from the packaging, is that they’re actually quite small and extremely thin. The way they’re packaged makes it look like you don’t get much with them, but to be fair you only need a charger and spare ear gels, so that’s exactly what you get.

Box Contents:

• Nokia BH-505 Bluetooth Headphones
• Nokia AC-3X Mains Charger
• 5 spare pairs of differently sized ear gels.

Features

Nokia have never really done much with stereo bluetooth accessories. They’ve released a few bluetooth headphones and bluetooth speakers over the years, but they’ve never been anything special compared to those offered by Motorola, Jabra and Sony Ericsson. The Nokia BH-505 look as though that’s set to change. They look fantastic and they’re easy to use. Feature-wise, the  BH-505′s have limited multipoint support, track controls, volume controls and NFC (Near Field Communication) for easy pairing.

Multipoint is becoming more and more of a standard feature on bluetooth headphones, so it’s a little surprising to see that Nokia haven’t fully supported it on the BH-505. You can use them with two devices at the same time, but only one device can connect for calls and one for music. Your phone is the obvious choice for calls, but for music, you can connect it to your iPod touch, PC or Mac, PS3 or another phone – although the second phone will be for music only, you won’t be able to answer calls from it

I don’t think this will be too much of an issue though. Nokia are clearly aiming this headset at social/sports users rather than business users that are likely to carry two phones around with them.

Design

The Nokia BH-505 looks to me like a slimmer, cleaner looking version of the Motorola S9 HD. They use a similar headband style that wraps around the back of your head.

The Motorola S9 HD’s are fairly bulky and the controls are quite fiddly to use as they are small and touch sensitive. The Nokia BH-505 has 2 simple buttons that add to the visual appeal of the headset and make using it a pleasure.

The headset is designed to be water/sweatproof so all sensitive parts of the headset are hidden away. The power button, LED lights and charging port are all discretely positioned and unless you know where to look for them you won’t find them.

The only thing that I found annoying was the plastic cover over the charging socket. It only peels back a few millimetres which makes it a little fiddly to get the standard 2.5mm charging pin into. The BH-505 has an IP rating of IP54 for splash and sweat resistance and is the only stereo bluetooth headset that I’ve seen to have an IP rating.

Controls & Set Up

Some people get scared away from Bluetooth Headphones, thinking that they’re difficult to use or set up. While this may have been true for early models, it certainly isn’t the case for the Nokia BH-505. Pairing is painless, the first time the headset is turned on it puts itself into pairing mode, all you do is search for bluetooth devices and enter the passkey 0000, if asked.

When tested with iPhone 4, the phone provided the passkey without asking me for it, completing the whole process in around 20 seconds.  If your phone supports NFC (highly unlikely at the moment, but all Nokia smartphones will by next year) pairing is as simple as activating NFC on your phone and tapping the phone against the headband on the headset.

As mentioned, the controls are kept to a minimum on the BH-505. The on/off button is located on the inside of the headband, answer/end is on the right earpiece and play/pause is on the left earpiece.

If you forget which way round they are, each button has a raised symbol on them so you can feel which is which.

The answer/end button activates voice dialling and last number redial and if you’re an iPhone user you’ll be pleased to know that pressing and holding the answer key will also activate voice control on iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4.

The only other controls on the headset are 2 small sliders – one on each ear. These sliders push up to increase the volume or fast forward, and push down to decrease the volume or skip back a track. They do the job they’re supposed to, but are a little on the small side and it’s easy for your fingers to slip off them.

Audio Quality

Nokia accessories have always been pretty good when it comes to audio quality. The BH-505′s won’t blow you away with crystal clear sound, but for listening to MP3′s off your phone and taking phone calls they are more than adequate. Avid music fans are probably better off sticking with wired headphones, but for casual users that enjoy listening to their music on the bus on the way to work or while you’re down working out at the gym, you’ll find the audio quality is excellent.

Unlike some bluetooth headphones, the BH-505′s have volume control built in. This means that when you turn the volume up, it’s the headphones doing the work and not the phone. This may not seem like a big deal, but it’s the only way to change the volume level if you’re listening to your music from an iPhone or iPod touch as the bluetooth restrictions on these devices prevents volume control from working.

Why Choose

The Nokia BH-505 is a great headset for anyone who takes part in physical activities or that just enjoys listening to music without the hassle of wires. It’s not overly expensive and the sound quality is impressive for something so slim. It’s easy to use and set up and will work brilliantly with just about every bluetooth enabled phone out there – even the iPhone.

Also Consider

If the Nokia BH-505 aren’t quite what you’re looking for you might want to take a look at these other Bluetooth Headphones.

• Motorola S9-HD Stereo Bluetooth Headphones
• Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset
• Jabra Halo Bluetooth Headphones

My Rating

Introducing the HTC Desire Media Link

HTC are having a great time at the moment. It seems like every handset they launch is a winner, with the HTC Desire and HTC Desire HD proving to be incredibly popular.

Both versions of the Desire are great for both taking and looking at photos, recording videos and watching movies, but what if you want to watch your content on your HDTV at home?

The traditional way of doing it would be to transfer your media to your Mac/PC and then burn your video to dvd to play it back, but that’s such a long winded and slow process no-one really bothers.

Thankfully though, technology has moved on and HTC have brought out their tiny Media Link DLNA adapter that allows you to stream music, pictures and videos from your phone to your TV wirelessly. What’s more, as DNLA is a fairly common standard, it will also work with most other brands of phone that support DLNA as well as a number of laptops and cameras, although compatibility will vary from device to device.

If you’ve never come across the term DLNA before, you might want to have a quick look at our post on What Is DLNA? as this explains what it is and why you’ll want it!

In a way, the Media link adapter is similar to the latest Apple TV. It allows you to play content from around your house or from your phone, without having to mess around with plugging your gadgets into your TV. Simply power it up, connect it via HDMI to your TV and away you go. There’s no support for streaming from websites, not yet anyway, but as the HTC Media Link is running Android it might appear in a future update.

The HTC Media link connects quickly and easily to your existing wireless network, and all the set up is done through your PC. All you need to know is the name of your network and the password and you’ll be up and running in less than 5 minutes. All you need to do then is make sure your phone is on the same network, launch the Connected Media app, find the photos, videos or music you want to play back and hit play. Your content will then be displayed on the screen.

Engadget recently reviewed the HTC Media Link, here’s a quick video from them testing it out with the HTC Desire Z.

You can read their full review of the Media Link on the Engadget site. For more details, head over to the HTC Media Link product page.

Angry Birds iPhone Case now in Stock

If you’ve got an iPhone, you’ll no doubt have heard about Angry Birds – the addictive and frustrating game that’s all about destroying pigs to get your eggs back.

It was one of the most popular apps of 2010, and it’s popularity has lead to a range of Angry Birds toys and accessories hitting the shelves.

If you’re mad about Angry Birds, you’ll want to get your hands on one of these fantastic new Angry Birds iPhone 4 covers. They’re ultra thin, leave all the ports accessible on your phone and will protect the back and sides from scuffs and scratches – but most importantly, they feature your favourite characters from the game - Red Bird, Pig King and Yellow Bird.

A Dock for your Desire…

The Desire is a great smartphone, but it needs great content on it in order for you to really enjoy it and get the most out of it. You can transfer all your photo’s, music and video’s to it using the cable that it came with the phone, but let’s face it, a USB cable doesn’t do much to show off your fancy new phone.

If you want everyone in the office to see your new toy as they walk past, or just be able to disconnect your phone quickly and easily without fiddling around with cables, you’re going to need a Desire Dock or Desire Desktop chargers.

There are a few available, so I thought I’d take a look at some of our most popular ones to see how they compare.

1. HTC Desire Desktop Charging Cradle

This is a quick and easy way to charge your phone while keeping it up to date with your latest music downloads, TV Shows and Photo’s. It connects to a spare USB port on your PC or laptop and can be used with a USB Mains adapter to turn it into a stand alone charging dock. It has a blue LED indicator that lights up when your phone is charging.

2. HTC Desire Dual Desktop Charging Cradle

This is essentially the same as the dock shown above, but with the addition of a built in battery charger. This makes it the perfect choice for anyone who has a spare battery for their Desire as it means you can charge both batteries at the same time, instead of having to charge one, remove it from the phone, replace it with the dead one and then start the charge cycle all over again.

3. Deluxe HTC Desire Desktop Charging Cradle

The Deluxe Charging Cradle is the most popular style of cradle . It looks excellent and has a hi-gloss finish. Behind the phone is a lift up cover that houses an additional battery charger so that you can charge a spare battery at the same time.

4. Smart Stand – HTC Desire

While the Smart Stand won’t charge or sync your Desire, it’s still a great way to watch videos or flick through your photo’s while you’re at your desk and is the only custom stand for the HTC Desire that will hold your phone in landscape mode. If you want to sync content to your phone, you’ll need to use a Micro USB cable. The Smart Stand has a sprung clip at the top that holds your phone securely in place and a weighted base that stops it from falling over.

5. Desk Genie Non-Slip Charging Desk Stand

The Desk Genie is a great all round Desk Stand, but has received a mixed response in the office when it comes to the Desire. The coating on the Desire doesn’t stick all that well to the Desk Genie, so unless you’ve got a case or cover fitted to your  Desire, you might struggle to keep it in place. On the bright side though,  the Desk Genie includes a charging cable for your phone and also doubles up as a memory card reader.

There are a number of other HTC Desire Desktop chargers available, but these are the the most popular ones at the moment. Head over to the main site to check out the full range of HTC Desire Docks.

More Desire Docks are due in the coming weeks and I’ll update this post as and when they become available.

Guide to iPhone Bike Mounts

The iPhone is great for internet, email and phone calls, and now thanks to a number of apps in the App Store, it’s also great when you’re out and about. Since Apple added GPS to the phone, the number of location based apps has grown quickly – especially those that track your location when you’re out walking or cycling.

If you enjoy venturing out on your bike and like to track where you’ve been, how fast you’re going or just find your way home again there are a number of Apps that will help you. One of the most popular amongst cyclists is MotionX GPS, a handy app that lets you track your route, record the distance travelled and monitor your speed. I’ll cover more of these apps in a future post.

If you’ve got one of these apps, you can leave it running in your pocket while you’re cycling, but this can often be uncomfortable and there’s always the risk that your phone could fall out.

The best way to use these kind of apps is to use an iPhone Bike Mount. These are secure cradles for your iPhone that clamp onto the handlebar of your bike, making it easier and safer to use.

I’ve had a number of enquiries recently as to which is the best iPhone Bike mount, so I’ve put this guide together that runs through some of the best iPhone Bike Mounts available.

Dahon BioLogic Bike Mount

The Dahon BioLogic Mount looks like it’s going to be an extremely popular option for bike enthusiasts. The mount incorporates a waterproof case that allows you to use your iPhone even in light showers. It has cut outs for your headphones and charger that have rubber covers to prevent liquid getting in.

You might think having access to the charger while it’s attached to your bike is a little unusual, but it’s actually a great feature as it means you can use external batteries or chargers such as the Freeloader Globetrotter to keep your iPhone charged – even when using GPS applications that really suck the power out of your phone. The BioLogic mount is bolted on to your handlebars and has a quick release button that makes removing the case from your phone quick and easy.

Ram Mounts for iPhone

Ram Mounts are one of the most talked about brands of iPhone Mount. Instead of using a bolt to clamp it to your handle bars, it uses zip-ties. The base of the holder has a rubber coating to prevent it from slipping and spinning round. It’s designed to hold your phone securely in portrait mode and has a sprung clip to keep your iPhone in place.

iPhone Bike Mount

The iPhone Bike Mount is a simple, no frills holder for your iPhone. It fastens securely to your handlebars without the need for any special tools. It has a tilting base plate that also rotates, allowing you to use your phone in either portrait or landscape mode, although the cradle is designed primarily for landscape use.

Arkon iPhone Bike Mount

We launched a wide range of Arkon mounts earlier this year and they’re all proving to be extremely popular. Their latest iPhone holder is this bike mount. It has a clamp that is bolted together for a secure fix and a fully adjustable cradle. It can be rotated and tilted to ensure good visibility and has 5 arms to hold your iPhone in place – 2 at the bottom, 2 at the sides and a spring clip at the top.

Krusell Bike Mount

The Krusell Bike Mount on it’s own isn’t enough to attach your iPhone to your bike. In order for it to work you’ll need to make sure that your phone is in a case such as the Krusell Classic or Krusell Orbit Flex. Both Cases offer great protection for your iPhone, but personally I’d opt for the Krusell Classic. It covers all of your phone, so will give it some protection against the elements, and the clear plastic window on the front doesn’t get in the way of using your phone.

The Krusell Bike Mount bolts on to the handle bars of your bike, then the Multidapt clip on the back of the case slides into the mount and is held in place. You can lock the orientation of the phone, but it’s a bit fiddly and involves pushing the clip further into the holder. Customer reviews are all good, but the general feeling is that it can be a bit fiddly to remove your phone from the holder.

Stabilo Bike Mount with Cradles

This is probably the most flexible bike mount that we offer, and by flexible I don’t mean bendy! It’s adjustable in a number of ways and has an extendible arm – although I’m not sure you’d ever need it. You can adjust the angle of the mount at the base and behind the cradle. It secures to your bike using a clamp and allen keys, so if it comes loose while you’re out and about you won’t be able to tighten it.

It doesn’t come with a phone cradle – you’ll need to buy these separately and you have a few to choose from. Personally I’d opt for the tall iPhone Cradle. This has a long support that will help keep your iPhone secure regardless of whether you’re using it in landscape or portrait mode. If you’re only planning on using it in portrait mode, then the shorter iPhone Cradle will do the job nicely.

GoRide Bike Mount for iPhone

The GoRide Bike Mount fixes to your bike in a similar way to the Ram Mount, but instead of having a rigid holder, it has a detachable case for your iPhone. This means that you can leave the case on your phone all the time, and quickly dock/remove it from the holder. Unlike the Ram Mount, this holder can be used in both portrait and landscape modes.

If you’ve seen any other types of iPhone Bike mount that you think do a great job, let us know using the comments form below.

How to protect the screen of your HTC Desire

The most important part of any phone is the screen, damage it or break it and it renders your phone pretty much useless – especially if it’s a touch screen handset like the HTC Desire.

There are a number of ways to protect your phone – Cases for the Desire will give your phone more bounce if you drop it and will help preserve the finish of the phone, but not all of them look after the screen as well as they could. For that reason a Screen Protector is an essential accessory for the HTC Desire, but not all Screen Protectors are the same. To give you an idea on the differences between them, and to help you decide on the right one, here’s a quick guide to HTC Desire Screen Protectors.

HTC Desire Screen Protector

These high quality screen protectors are made by HTC for the Desire, so as you’d expect they fit the phone perfectly. They are probably the best fit to the screen of your phone and don’t interfere with the operation of the capacitive touch screen. You get two included in the pack, although they last a long time and you may not need the second one for several months.

InvisibleSHIELD Screen Protector – HTC Desire

InvisibleSHIELD have often featured in my recommended accessories for phones as they offer exceptional protection for such a thin film. With the HTC Desire you’ve got two choices, you can either opt for a screen protector, or a fully body phone protector. As the names suggest, the screen protector just covers the screen, where as the full body protector covers the whole of the phone.

The film is less than 1mm thin and protects your phone against scratches and scrapes. It can be removed easily and leaves no sticky marks on your phone.

Martin Fields Screen Protector for the HTC Desire

Martin Fields are the market leaders in high quality screen protectors. They’re slightly thicker than those from HTC or MFX and do an excellent job of protecting your screen. They don’t interfere with the use of the screen and it doesn’t distort colours. Martin Fields Screen Protectors are available individually or in a twin pack.

MFX 12 in 1 Screen Protector Pack

Unlike the other protectors listed here, the MFX 12 in 1 pack isn’t designed specifically for the HTC Desire. Instead, it consists of 12 different sized sheets that you can cut to size and use on numerous devices – everything from Sat Navs to MP3 players to your mobile phone. The reason that I chose to include this in with the Desire ones, is that it has a couple of different protectors in there too – namely a mirrored screen protector and a privacy screen protector.

The Mirrored screen protector turns the screen of your phone into a mirror when the display is off, and the privacy screen protector restricts the viewing angle of the screen so that only those looking straight at the screen can see it – anyone trying to read the screen of your phone over your shoulder won’t be able to see anything.

If you want to see the what difference a screen protector will make to how clear your screen is to read, then take a look at my guide to choosing the best screen protector.

More screen protectors should be arriving over the course of the next few weeks and I’ll add more to this post as and when they arrive. Once you’ve sorted the screen protector for your Desire you’ll want to sort yourself out with a HTC Desire case. Not sure what you want? Read our blog post on the top 10 Desire Cases.

Review: Ten of the Best HTC Desire Cases

The HTC Desire is an awesome phone. It’s fast, responsive, has a great screen and it looks gorgeous. It’s so good in fact that I’m tempted to switch to the Desire from my iPhone 3G.

The Desire looks great – our test handset was the black/grey version and has a soft touch finish, but I doubt it will stay looking this good for long. The finish looks like it will scratch quite easily, so you’re going to need a case for it. As the Desire is almost identical to the Nexus One, most Nexus One Cases will fit, but a couple of subtle changes to the keypad and bottom of the screen mean that not all of them will fit.

The HTC Desire Cases listed below have all been tried and tested with a working phone and we’ve found them to do a great job of protecting your phone.

1. Noreve Tradition A Leather Case for HTC Desire

A luxury phone deserves a luxury case, and you don’t get much more luxurious than a Noreve Case. What I love about them the most is the way that they hold your Desire securely without having to slide it into a stitched pocket that interferes with the light sensors and blocks the edges of the screen. The Noreve case looks excellent, is made from high quality leather and is surprisingly slim once it’s on your phone.

2. FlexiShield Skin For The HTC Desire

If you want to keep your Desire safe, without adding any extra bulk to your phone then this is the kind of case you need. Flexishield skins are thin, flexible gel cases that cover the back, side and corners of your phone and protect it against scratches and scrapes. They leave all the vital parts of your Desire (such as the camera, headphone port, charging port) fully accessible and can be removed quickly and easily if needed. They don’t cover the screen though, so you’ll need to invest in a HTC Desire Screen Protector.

3. HTC Desire Carry Pouch

If you prefer to put your phone away somewhere safe when it’s not in use, then a carry pouch will suit you down to the ground. This case is made specifically for the HTC Desire & Nexus one and holds your phone securely when it’s not in use. It has a soft lining that helps to keep your screen free from fingerprints and will protect your phone well in the event that you drop it. The case has a stitched in belt loop on the back that you can use to attach the case securely to your belt or bag.

It’s still early days for cases for the HTC Desire and more cases should be arriving daily. As they do I’ll update this page with any cases that I think work really well with the HTC Desire. Head over to the main Mobile Fun site to see the full range of HTC Desire Cases and HTC Desire Covers.

[UPDATE: 22/04/2010]
Since writing this post Mobile Fun have had a number of other cases arrive that all deserve a mention, so here are a few more recommended cases for the HTC Desire.

4. Flip Case – HTC Desire

Simple and effective, the flip case protects your Desire against knocks and scrapes. A built in belt clip lets you secure it to your bag or belt, and an open top means you can use your headphones while the case is closed.

5. HTC PO S491 Desire Standard Leather Pouch – White

Depending on which retailer you got your phone from, you may have got a case in the box with your phone. If you didn’t, or you’ve lost it, this is the original HTC Desire leather pouch that’s included as standard. It’s a simple slip pouch that protects your Desire against minor knocks and bumps.

6. HTC PO S491 Desire Standard Leather Pouch – Black

This case is the same as the one above, only in black leather rather than white. You can use your headphones with your phone in the case as the top is open.

7. Tuff-Luv Napa Leather Case For HTC Desire

Another Flip Case, but this time from Tuff-Luv. Unlike the flip case at the top of the list, your Desire isn’t held in place using a stitched pocket. Instead, two padded runners hold your phone securely, while leaving your screen and keypad fully accessible. The flip is hinged at the top of the phone and has a cut out that allows you to use the headphones while the phone is in the case.

8. HTC Desire Pull Case – PO S520

If you like the idea of a pouch for your Desire but don’t want to wrestle with your phone every time you want to take it out of the case, then this is what you need. It’s a slim case that has a built in strap that, when pulled, gently raises your phone out of the case making it much easier to get to your phone when it rings.

9. Sena Ultra Slim Pouch For HTC Desire

The Sena Ultra Slim Pouch is a form fitting case for your Desire. It doesn’t feature a pull tab like the HTC case, but is made from a soft leather that folds easily, allowing you to push the bottom of the case upwards to remove your phone.

10. PDair Vertical Leather Pouch Case For HTC Desire

PDair are one of the most popular brands of case Mobile Fun sell. They’re made from a high quality leather and are lightly padded to give your Desire as much protection as possible. Each PDair vertical pouch has finger cut outs on the sides for easy removal of your phone, and a sprung belt clip on the back.

Choosing the Right Cradle for your HTC Desire

Whether you’re sat at your desk or spend all day in the car, the easiest and most accessible place to keep your HTC Desire is in a Cradle. As well as holding your phone securely, most cradles can charge your phone and synchronise your contacts, photo’s music and videos.

There are two types of cradle available for the Desire, Desk Cradles and Car Cradles. To give you a better idea on what’s available, here are some of our top selling HTC Desire Cradles. More are expected in the next few weeks and we’ll update this post with any new ones as and when they arrive.

HTC Desire Desk Cradles

Desk Cradles provide an easy and convenient way to charge and sync your phone.

HTC Desire Desktop Charging Cradle

This is a simple and effective desktop sync and charge cradle for the HTC Desire. Simply plug it into a spare USB port on your PC or Laptop and place your phone in it to start charging. The phone will sync with your contacts, photo’s and video’s as soon as it’s docked, or you can manually sync it using the HTC Sync application if you’re using Windows.

If you’re using a Mac and you want to sync your music from iTunes, you’ll need to install some extra software. Our blog post on syncing your phone with iTunes talks you through what you need to do.

HTC Desire Dual Desktop Charging Cradle

If you’re a power user and have to carry a spare battery around with you in order to make it through the day, then this is the cradle for you. Not only will it keep your HTC Desire charged while you’re at your desk, it will also charge a second battery. If you’re already using two batteries, I’m sure you agree that it’s really quite a challenge to keep both batteries charged and ready to use.

HTC Desire Car Cradles

Car Cradles for the HTC Desire don’t do quite as much as their desktop counterparts, but that doesn’t make them any less necessary. They’re the only way that you can safely and legally use your phone in the car and as the HTC Desire now has free turn-by-turn Sat Nav built in to it, you’re going to want to have your phone easily accessible.

HTC Desire Car Pack

The HTC Desire Car Pack is the most popular in car holder for the HTC Desire. It features a sturdy, adjustable arm with a moulded cradle that’s been created especially for the Desire. It rotates quickly and easily from portrait to landscape mode making it a great choice for all Sat Nav users.

If you’ve used Sat Nav on your Desire already you’ll have noticed that it’s quite a drain on the battery, so for that reason, the HTC Desire Car Pack also includes a HTC CC C200 Car Charger

Brodit Passive Holder With Tilt Swivel – HTC Desire

If you don’t want a holder that sticks to your windscreen or doesn’t obscure your view of the road, then you’d be better off with a Brodit Holder. These are strong ABS plastic holders that are moulded specifically for the HTC Desire. They have a tilting/rotating base that allows you to easily adjust the cradle to a suitable position while your driving, and switch between portrait and landscape mode.

Brodit Holders are designed to be screwed to your dashboard, but as most people are reluctant to do that, Brodit have also introduced ProClips. These are plastic brackets that clip on to your dashboard without damaging it and provide a firm base for you to screw the Brodit Holder on to. Brodit Active Holders are also available – these are exactly the same items, but have a car charger built in to them.

It’s still early days for HTC Desire Accessories and the range is still growing. Hopefully we’ll see a HTC branded desk cradle and car cradle make an appearance in the coming weeks, If we do, I’ll update this post with details.

Review: HTC HD2 Car Upgrade Kit CU-S400

The HD2 Car Upgrade Kit has got to be one of the most eagerly awaited accessories of 2010 so far and I managed to get my hands on one when they arrived into stock this morning. I had to be quick though as they sold out in record time. So, is it worth the hype? Read on to find out.

A HD2 Car Holder is a must have item – especially if you use your HD2 for Sat Nav. I’ve already covered some of the best ways to use the HD2 in your car in my post on Using your HTC HD2 in the car, but considering how long these took to arrive I couldn’t resist trying one out.

Features

There aren’t really that many features that you can build in to a car holder, but HTC have managed to squeeze in a couple of nice touches. The first is that the holder incorporates a detachable charging cable. This isn’t anything new, as there are a number of holders for phones that accomodate charging cables, but what’s special with this one is that you plug the charger into the base of the holder, rather than the phone. The charge is then carried through to a charging port built into the base of the cradle.

This is a welcome addition as it means you can rotate the holder without worrying about whether there’s enough spare cable to turn the phone fully or it constantly falling out of your phone.

Another unique feature of the Cu-S400 is that when you dock your phone in the cradle it automatically switches the phone to the Navipanel – a shortcut screen that’s designed to give you quick access to all the apps you’re likely to need when driving, and hiding those that you won’t, or that could be a distraction – My only slight issue here is that Navipanel is only in landscape mode, so you can’t use the phone in portrait mode unless you exit the Navipanel App.

Design

As with others that I’ve tested, there’s not that much to say about the CU-S400, after all a car holder is a car holder, but this is one of the most stylish I’ve seen. Unlike others, there is no bulky flexible arm or loose plastic cradle, It’s solid, sturdy and relatively easy to attach to your windscreen as it has a twist-to-lock base. The metal arm of the CU S400 adds a bit of style to an accessory that is traditionally pretty dull.

Removing your phone looks like it would be quite tricky, but it’s not – just pull the phone forwards and it will come out of the holder. You don’t need to worry about damaging the charging connector on as it’s on a flexible base that moves with the phone. The charger that’s included is the standard HTC CC C200 Car Charger, and is in two parts, a USB charger and Micro USB charging cable. Oddly, the cable has it’s own suction holder attached to it and I’ve not managed to figure out what it’s for.

In The Box

No surprises here really, included with the Car Upgrade Kit is the CU-S400 Holder, CC C200 Car Charger and a self adhesive disk for those of you who want to attach it to your dashboard rather than your windscreen.

Why Buy

The CU-S400 is by far the smartest looking car holder available for the HTC HD2, It’s a compact design that holds the oversized HD2 well and the fact that you don’t have to fiddle around connecting the charger every time you dock your phone makes it even better.

We Like: Perfect fit to the phone and it looks great

We Don’t like: Hefty price tag may put people off

My Rating: 8/10