If you are like me and road trips with your kids is a nightmare or is like a ticking time bomb waiting for one to set it off and you have access to an iPad then maybe you need to look at Cynett’s CarGoholder for your iPad, I recently tried this over the New Year when we took a trip up to Guilderton here in Western Australia, it is about an hour a half from home so took the opportunity to try the CarGo for my 4 year old, loaded up the iPad with Cars 2 and hit the road.

The trip was great the youngest and most volatile of my three kids was entertained thanks to the CarGo and Jaybird Sportsband 2 Bluetooth headset , he was in heaven.  My Wife was really thankful.

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Over Christmas I was sent  Cygnett’s Lavish Multi-View Folio Case for my iPad 2 to have a look at, I love the look of the case, very sleek and business like. Here are the specs of the case from Cygnett’s website. Both my wife and I used the case on my iPad 2 over the last few weeks we both liked the fit and how it worked, just was light and comfortable . Read more after the break.

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With more and more people looking at buying Tablets, be it an Apple iPad 2 , Motorola Xoom or even the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 (yes you can get them in Australia now…) as their main internet/ media device. So can Tablets be as good or even better than a Notebook? I believe so and you can make it even easier with Cygnett’s new Platform, this simple yet elegant designed stand could make the staunch supporter of the Notebook think twice about possibly moving to the Tablet side.

I received my review unit of the Platform and have been using it over the Christmas / New Year break and must say the Platform is great, currently have it beside my bed and charge my iPad 2 on it and even use it with Nightstand app as a clock.

Universal Stand
Lightweight and elegant in its simplistic design, the Platform streamlines your desktop and maximises your tablet experience.
Providing hands-free access to your tablet in portrait or landscape view, it is ideal for use at the home or office. Rubber-covered brackets and a non-slip rubber cradle hold your tablet securely, while the rubber-slip mat at the base guarantees firm grip on most surfaces.

Courtesy of www.cygnett.com

The Cygnett Platform

Cygnett Platform + iPad 2

Charging

Using Skype

(Note: photo above is of my iPad 2 with Skype default image, to give a guide only) I love to Skype my family back in New Zealand and the iPad is great I mainly have it portrait mode but landscape works well also and with the Platform stand it gives me just the right height and stability, stops me from moving around a lot.

Out Come

Would I recommend one? Yes!, Would I buy one? Yes!

Why? Well it is simple and that is the key to it. The overall design and materials are simple yet VERY functional. Just picture using your iPad 2 with a Bluetooth keyboard or even your Android Tablet with a Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse, so many options with this simple stand.

Currently Cygnett’s website states that it is “COMING SOON” so keep visiting here => http://au.cygnett.com/ipad/tablet-ipad-stand.html for more information and possible costs.

Recently this year I purchased an iPad 2, replacing my original iPad which i gave to my Wife Lisa. Both are now covered with a bit of OtterBox TLC namely OtterBox’s Defender case. There are quite a bit of a difference in the two cases other than colour of course. With the iPad 2 being loads thinner than its older counter part, and the introduction of the camera with the iPad 2 also has influenced a rethink of the Defender Case. Here are is my review on these two great looking cases…

THE CASE

At a glance the cases standout with style, clean lines, smooth finishing’s and over all just looks awesome.

iPad 2 case is a lot lighter than the iPad 1st Gen, Both look very smart and my wife and daughter love the hot pink…

Both have the great soft smooth feel this gives me a further feel of security and over all comfort…

INSTALLATION

For me the installation was pretty straight forward, I found that the plastic inner case clicked in very well and felt secure, please find below an installation video courtesy of OtterBox…

1) Plastic case added to the underneath of the iPad, 2) Back view of the Plastic case, 3) Silicon case just added…

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Please note the iPad 2 is on the left and iPad 2 is on the right…

Volumes keys and mute/ rotate lock button are similarly placed, with tabs covering them stopping possible dust, material or sweat…

The iPad 2 cover for the headphone jack is a lot larger that the iPad 1 and I found that the iPad 2 cover did not fit all the time as it seemed to bulge upwards where as the iPad 1’s cover fits perfectly all the time, this wasn’t a deal breaker but it could prove to be more problematic… 

The power button on the iPad 2 is placed further back compared to the iPad 1, as with the iPad 2 now sporting a Camera this also has a cut out giving full access…

Charging port has full access, however with the iPad 2 it is a silicone cover where as the iPad 1 case it is a full plastic cover that slides off (see below photo’s), the iPad 2 case is easier as it just lifts up and then can be placed down very fast and easy…

As stated above the iPad 2 case has a small silicon tab which is actually part of a larger silicon tab, for me this was loads better than the iPad 1 case, as you had to keep on taking the plastic cover off to charge and then when finished place it back on if you remembered where you put it…

The iPad 2 has a larger speaker section than the iPad 1 this can be either a pro – gives more sound etc. or a con – another open area for sweat or material/ dust…

 CASE FEATURES

I thought it would be easier to just add OtterBox’s iPad 2 features video than list everything, enjoy…

OUTCOME!!

Do I really have to state the obvious, if you want REALLY protection for your new iOS devices or even that Android device then I personally recommend OtterBox, for me the reasons are in the cases themselves. They give…

1) Great Protection

2) Volume keys are covered

3) Charging port covered

4) Use of dual case protection

5) Looks great, feels secure.

So with these points, maybe you should look at OtterBox to cover your next Mobile devices, head over to www.otterbox.com to find a case today…

For Info on the iPad 1 Case shown in this review visit here

For info on the iPad 2 Case shown in this review visit here

We’re finally getting a chance to play with one of Verizon’s LTE hotspots here at Mobilitysite, so today we bring you a quick review of the Samsung SCH-LC11 LTE hotspot!

Hardware

The Samsung LTE hotspot is a cute little device. It’s very, very small, very light, and pretty good looking. The device sports a plain black soft-touch paint. The top of the device has all of the requisite branding (Samsung, Verizon, 4G LTE), along with a small power button, and 4G/3G/WiFi status lights. Along the side is a microUSB port tucked behind a sliding plastic cover.

The power button is a little too easy to press for us, so be careful when putting the Samsung hotspot away as you might just press the power button by mistake. The button also doubles as a battery indicator. The 4G and 3G lights simply show what network you’re connected to, along with signal strength (green/orange/red). The WiFi status light is green when in standby, and blue when connected – with flashing blue (a little obnoxious) when there is activity.

Connection Issues

Unfortunately, the Samsung LTE hotspot has been plagued with issues since its launch. When we first received the device, we had no issues connection WiFi devices to it while in an area without LTE coverage. Once we moved to an area of LTE coverage though, we lost the ability to hold any WiFi connections. Our test machine, a 15” mid 2009 MacBook Pro, would connect to the hotspot and then disconnect a few seconds later. This same issue occurred with our iPhone 4. Obviously this is a maddening issue which made the device useless to use when in an LTE area.

Thankfully, Samsung recently released a firmware update that seems to have resolved all of our LTE connection issues. Our MacBook Pro had no issues making a WiFi connection and keeping it. We also did not experience any of the infamous random LTE drops that many users report.

Speed

3G speeds were what we expected – around 1Mb down and 500Kb up. But obviously you wouldn’t buy an LTE hotspot just to be using 3G…

Unfortunately, 4G LTE speeds were really disappointing. We tested out Verizon’s latest network about 20 minutes outside of Baltimore, in an area blanketed with LTE coverage. The Samsung hotspot’s 4G status light was always green, indicating good coverage. Below are a few speedtests run from our aforementioned MacBook Pro.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1507953053.png
http://www.speedtest.net/result/1507954380.png
http://www.speedtest.net/result/1507956048.png

As you can see, this isn’t exactly the 20+Mb speeds most people seem to get while using Verizon’s LTE network. Certainly the speeds are good, but not mind blowing. In fact, we saw speeds in excess of 10Mb on Clear’s WiMAX network in the same locations.

Battery Life

Verizon says the Samsung LTE hotspot can get around 4 hours of use, which we would agree with. But don’t expect much more out of it. Thankfully, there are aftermarket extended batteries available for purchase, which would probably help out tremendously in the battery life department.

Conclusion

We had high hopes for Verizon’s 4G LTE network, but came away unimpressed. Combine the relatively slow speeds with the numerous issues we had at first with the Samsung hotspot, and the overall experience was pretty poor.

Along with the new 99xx, RIM recently released an updated Torch, and a rebranded Storm – the Torch 9850. Is RIM’s third attempt at an all touch device a winner? Read on to hear our thoughts!

Hardware

The Torch 9850 is RIM’s third all touch BlackBerry, following the original Storm, and the Storm 2. Where the two previous Storms had a special “clicky” screen, which RIM dubbed SurePress, the newest Storm, err, Torch features a standard capacitive display. The screen is a gorgeous one with a resolution of 800×480 at 3.7”. It’s very bright and very vivid – as are most BlackBerry screens nowadays. The entire device has a very nice look to it, save for the comically large physical buttons right below the display. We really wish RIM had forgone shipping the device with physical buttons – they really do ruin the “waterfall” look RIM was going  for.

As with the other BlackBerry OS 7 devices, the Torch 9850 features a 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU, 768MB RAM, and 4GB of built-in storage. A 16GB microSD card is also included. The Torch is also a worldphone, packing in the standard CDMA radio along with a GSM radio. Keep in mind that you won’t get 3G on AT&T here in the US with an unlocked unit (you could grab a 9860 from our polar bear riding friends up North). The Torch was fast and smooth, as with all of the other OS 7 devices. The speed and screen were especially nice when using the newly revamped, and finally competitive, web browser.

Overall we found the Torch to be a great looking device, but the physical buttons below the display really bothered us. Maybe next go round RIM will go entirely touch.

Software

As with all of RIM’s other new devices, the Torch features OS 7, which was originally billed as a refresh of OS 6 – and that’s exactly what it is. The new browser is very nice, as is the overall look and speed of the OS. But as we’ve said previously, the spinning clock of misfortune is still showing up far, far too often (read: it should never show up), and managing apps is still a nightmare.

The Torch 9850 and OS 7 also feature RIM’s third attempt at a usable software keyboard. Thankfully RIM is making progress and we were able to type on the Torch without too much frustration. Unfortunately, the experience is still not on par with the likes of Android, Windows Phone 7, or iOS. They keys are very small, the prediction software is very poor, and there’s no feedback whatsoever when pressing keys (haptic or sound).

Battery Life

The Torch 9850 features a relatively small 1230mAh battery. Like the other OS 7 devices, it’s clear a very fast processor and new OS is taking a toll on the legendary BlackBerry battery life. While we could easily power through a day with the Torch, getting through a second day would be close to impossible. We imagine that most everyone that would classify themselves as a BlackBerry power user should grab a backup battery no matter which OS 7 device they choose.

Call quality, signal, etc.

As with any Verizon device (and Sprint, in this case), calls were crisp and clear. We did not have any calls drop, even in low signal areas. Data speeds were adequate, but we stuck to WiFi most of the time. Signal level was iffy at times, with the Torch often dropping down numerous bars while being held – but this isn’t anything new for us, as we’ve seen all of the BlackBerrys in recent history do the same.

Conclusion

RIM’s third attempt at an all touch device is a reasonably good one. The Torch 9850 is good looking (except for those pesky hardware buttons below the display), light, fast, and has a gorgeous display. Unfortunately, the OS 7 keyboard is still quite poor, and the overall OS is still far behind the competition. At the end of the day, Storm diehards will find the 9850 to be a reasonably sound upgrade. But for those on other platforms, we can’t think of any reason why the Torch 9850 would tempt you to become a BlackBerry user.

Santa Monica, CA – November 8, 2011 – Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) is delivering the perfect new companion for kids just in time for the holiday season – Wappy Dog, has hit shelves today! Developed by SEGA TOYS, Wappy Dog combines virtual and physical pet companionship, including both an electronic toy dog and a Nintendo DS videogame which communicates with one another via sound to create an unprecedented interactive experience.

“Wappy Dog is groundbreaking,” said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. “With the arrival of Wappy, the idea that videogames are a separate experience from toys is forever changed. Now, we have a future ahead which brings together the virtual and physical world, in a fun-filled and family friendly pet pastime.”

Players raise Wappy through five distinct age phases, from playful puppy to full-grown pooch; the dog’s voice, songs, and behavior all change to match its maturation level. Each pet provides a personal, customizable experience including stickers that come bundled free with the game and the ability to choose digital accessories and color options. Unlike real dogs, Wappy’s needs and thoughts never have to be a mystery—the game will translate more than 350 dynamic barked responses!

A highly portable pet, kids on the move can enter “Travel Mode,” allowing them to care for Wappy’s needs only with their Nintendo DS. Additionally, in-game toys, grooming, and environments provide even more ways to interact with the pup when not spending time with Wappy at home.  When they return, switching back to the default “Home Mode” will automatically sync up the physical toy with all growth Wappy made while they were away. In “Home Mode”, Wappy will react by cheering, crying, or wagging its tail based on the player’s performance in competitive, cooperative, and supportive virtual mini-games. Across both modes, the player can nurture, train, and play with Wappy, which will affect development of mood, skills, and even personality.

Wappy Dog is available now on Nintendo DS™ for $49.99. This game is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. For more information, please visit www.WappyDog.com.

About Sega Toys Co., Ltd.

Sega Toys Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. and a toy company of design, manufacture, marketing and selling of edutainment toys, character licensed toys and interactive electronics products including POO-CHI™, Beena™, O-CHA KEN™(Tea Dog), idog™, Brain Trainer™, HOME STAR™, Grand Pianist, BAKUGAN™ and Jewelpet™. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in Tokyo, Japan. More information about SegaToys can be found at www.segatoys.co.jp.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Activision Publishing maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

My OtterBox family has now grown, with the arrival of my Commuter Case for my New HTC Sensation. For those that have followed my OtterBox reviews over the past few years all know how much I like these cases and how much protection they can give you device. I can talk from experience, I had the Defender case on my HTC HD2 and I dropped the handset from the plastic holster while running to the train, not a scratch, dent or crack on the HD2, my wife Lisa was very happy about that, all she could see was me having to buy another phone… For me OtterBox doesn’t just speak protection it also exudes style, sophistication and great design. 

THE CASE

The Commuter case combines two stage protection with a Silicon casing that wraps around your device and an added plastic case that gives further strength and a very firm feel. 

INSTALATION

By far this case has been the easiest case to put on out of all the case I currently own.

The Silicon case wraps around the Sensation….

The Plastic Cover just clips on very easily around the Silicon case, feels very firm…

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Volume Controls are covered by the Silicon case give further protection	Microphone is also opened..
The Charger ports is also Covered…	You have full access to the Charger port…
Power button (top) and headphone jack (bottom)…	The Power button is covered by the Silicon casing and the headphone jack has a cover that opens to give full access…
I love the back of the case, it follows the contour of the Sensation, looks very smart…	Close up of the Camera, flash and Speaker…

OUT COME

I must admit that I found the HTC Sensation OtterBox Commuter Case just worked, it looks great, adds just the right amount of weight and bulk for me to make the Sensation still feel like a phone and not a brick and it was still very stylish. As I stated at the opening of my review how much I like OtterBox well here is my Total OtterBox Family, pretty much all of my devices have a bit of OtterBox TLC.

From top left to right: iPad 2 – Defender Case; iPad 1 – Defender; Dell Streak – Commuter Case; HTC Sensation – Commuter Case; HTC Legend – Commuter Case & iPhone 3G – Commuter Lime Green Case.

For more info visit www.otterbox.com to find a case for your new device, stay tuned for my next review – OtterBox Defender case for iPad 2…(with iPad 1 Pink/Black Defender Case)

This week I got my hands on PDair’s Leather Flip Type case for the HTC Sensation, I have been really surprised of late with the style, workmanship and thought gone into some of the Leather cases on the Market today. With the PDair case it brings an added bonus of a belt clip.

Photo courtesy of www.pdair.com

The Case first Up

Out of the box the case looks great, just waiting for the Sensation…

Case fully open, showing the slots the handset will slide into and the credit card slots…

The Case in Action

Close up of Case open showing clips that the Sensation slides into…	Left side of the case, showing full access to charger port…
Right side of the case…	Bottom of the case, you can see the clip attachment…
Top of the case, access to power button, when either open or closed  have full access to headphone jack…	Case closes with magnetic clip…
Credit card slots for easy access to SmartRider card or EFTPOS cards…	Speaker slots…
Bottom cut out…	Close up of magnetic clip…

The Belt Clip

One thing this case has going for it, is the Belt case, here in Perth we have some very hot summers and if you place you phone in your pocket you have a higher chance of getting sweat on to your device this then could lead to Liquid Ingression, to combat this you either have to get a belt case, now most of these you have to have the phone naked (no cases!) this can lead to “Butter Fingers Syndrome” which can cause serious physical damage to your device, the other option is to use PDair’s Leather belt case option. The case clips securely to the provided  belt clip as seen above and below images, the case swings freely and for the time I used it found no issues with it – Used on the Train and walking to work and home.

Photo courtesy of www.pdair.com

Out Come

I was very pleased with this case, as one of the only belt clip cases that I have found recently for the HTC Sensation that looks good and has a great price US $29.99, this would suit most people, however with the nice style and belt clip option the suave business person would be a good contender, for more information visit PDair here

Photo courtesy of www.pdair.com

Awhile back I completed a review of Tuff-Luv cases for my iPad and Dell Streak, since then I have bought the HTC Sensation. I wanted to see what Tuff-Luv had to offer for this great phone and I wasn’t disappointed. I was sent the ‘Faux’ Leather In-Genius Case Cover.

This black leather case envelops the Sensation front and back giving a great overall protection. I normally don’t use a leather case as I have found most are soft leather cases do not really offer  that much protection from drops etc, just possible scratches. Until I got my hands on the Tuff-Luv In-Genius case, read more below to find out how this case is different from other leather cases I have used. I’ve been using the case now for over 2 weeks and here are my findings and thoughts on this case.

PROTECTION

For me and I think most you, we all want to protect our devices from knocks and bumps, to this end we must have a case that offers the best protection and yet still be functional for every day use. The bottom part of the In-Genius Case is a sold leather material, which gives you -  * Better Protection * More solid feel * Better Grip

STYLE

As I stated above I look at Protection as my main case point when looking at cases for my Device, but I think Style would have to play a very close second, no use having great protection but you don’t want anyone to see the massive brick of a case. The In-Genius case for me brings both aspects that I look for in to one great little package. It has class and sophistication that any astute business person would like, yet the every day bloke still could feel comfortable using it.

USAGE

The Sensation fits easily into the In-Genius case and feels very snug.

The Volume keys are full open and accessible.

Micro USB Charger port is open also allowing charging with the case on, Tuff-Luv do recommend that the case is removed when charging as the handset can heat up when charging and may over heat with the case on.

When the front cover is open, you have access to the Power button and headphone jack.

Camera (Flash) and Speaker have cut outs and look very stylish.

The Front cover has a soft lining and two slots for credit cards, Train Smart Rider card. The In-Genius case is In-Genius as the top tab pulls up and reveals the top card by pushing it out. (See iPhone 4 You Tube video below.) For those that do not want to have a wallet, cards, phone and all the other stuff then the In-Genius case is a great option as you can have your Smart Rider (Perth Train service) or your NFC Visa/ MasterCard in the case and just swipe to ride or buy. Photo curtsy of www.tuff-luv.com

OUTCOME

Just like the Dell Streak Case I really enjoyed using this case I found that it was very easy to use and fitted my dress pants and jeans very easily, the only thing that I would liked to have seen would either been a holster or belt clip option, other than that I recommend this case for the HTC Sensation, for more information on this case or to buy your next Tuff-Luv case, maybe even for your new iPhone 4S… *WINK*.. then head over to www.tuff-luv.com .

Photos curtsy of www.tuff-luv.com

YOUTUBE IN-GENIUS REVIEW

The iPhone 4S is coming! And with the biggest pre-order to date, there will be a whole herd of people looking for new cases and accessories for their precious new investment. Luckily, Cygnett has you covered!

From the newly announced Ripple to the sleek UrbanShield to the highly durable WorkMate Pro, Cyngett’s wide variety of cases compatible for the iPhone 4S will make sure your new phone is scratch free for years to come.

For a list of the Cygnett cases that work for the iPhone 4S, Cygnett has provided you with a case compatibility chart so you don’t have to stress out to make sure it fits. Go ahead and download the chart here or check out all the cases at www.cygnett.com.

NEW YORK, NY – October 4, 2011 – On the heels of Apple’s announcement today, leading accessory maker Cygnett announced today the launch of their all new iPhone 4S case line-up. Among the new products are the Ripple, FlexiGel and SecondSkin II.

These complement the broad range of Cygnett products that already fit both the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4. Cygnett now has a total number of 34 case SKUs (18 case designs) for iPhone 4S in the US.

“iPhone owners have come to know their phones as extensions of their personal style and it’s our goal to accentuate that through the variety of designs we offer,” said Sophie Swann, Marketing Director of Cygnett.

Cygnett’s new lineup retails from $14.99 to $16.99:

	Ripple – Textured Flexi-Case Making its debut on the iPhone 4S, the Ripple ensures all-over scratch-resistant and impact-resistant protection for your iPhone. The wave-like surface design feels good in your hand and immediately differentiates your iPhone in a tactile way. Made of TPU, known as one of the toughest protective materials on the planet, the Ripple features raised edges that protect the touchscreen and corners. The Ripple is available in Black and Blue for a MSRP of $16.99.
	FlexiGel – Flexible High-Protection Case Scratch-resistant and impact-resistant, the classic FlexiGel offers all-over protection for your iPhone, no matter the occasion. Durable yet flexible, the sturdy TPU hugs the contours of your phone for premium protection, while the raised edges shield the touchscreen in case your phone falls screen-down on a flat surface. The FlexiGel is available in Black, Purple, and Pink for a MSRP of $14.99.
	SecondSkin II – Soft Silicone Case This hugely popular case for iPhone 4 is making its smooth transition to the iPhone 4S.This soft slim-fitting case is the essential choice for iPhone protection. Moulded to fit your iPhone like a glove, the SecondSkin II is soft to the touch. It’s flexible and lightweight, yet tough on protection. Raised side edges protect the touchscreen. The SecondSkin II is available in Black for a MSRP of $14.99.

For a range of retail and online outlets in the US, visit http://www.cygnett.com/pages/where_to_buy_us.htm. For more information on Cygnett and their new iPhone 4S line, please visit http://www.cygnett.com.

Cygnett is exhibiting at 2012 International CES in Las Vegas from 10-13 January 2012 (booth 5611, North Hall, iLounge Pavilion) for the first time ever, where it is expected that the company will unveil an additional range of new products.

About Cygnett
Founded by siblings Tim, Sophie and Amie Swann, Cygnett is an Australian business success story that started in 2003 in a single room above a local pub.

Today, Cygnett has grown to become Australia’s premier designer of innovative and stylish accessories for tablets, smartphones and MP3 players, including Apple products such as the iPad, iPhone and iPod, as well as smartphones from Blackberry and HTC. The company’s reach extends throughout the globe where it is receiving international recognition as one of the industry’s top players.
With offices on four continents and products in more than 40,000 retail outlets and 36 countries worldwide, Cygnett’s success has been built largely on its ability to design and deliver innovative and unique products that tap into what consumers want – protection, fashion and function.

OtterBox is known for making some of the most heavy duty and durable cases on the market to protect your delicate products. But if you’re someone who doesn’t want extreme bulk and are looking for a more slim, yet more protective case for your iPhone, OtterBox hasn’t forgotten about you. Does the Commuter Series case stand up to the tests? Should this be your next case? Or should you pass on it and not look back? Read on for our full review of  the OtterBox Commuter Series case for the Apple iPhone 4!

Packaging

First let’s start off with what OtterBox gives you. The iconic black and yellow packaging showcases the Commuter, which in this case is the white and black variant, but also available in a handful of different color variations. When you take the Commuter out of the packing you flip open the back and included are a screen protector, screen wipe and an installation card to make sure you get all the bubbles out of the screen protector.

Design

Now with that aside, we can look at the case itself. The Commuter is actually made up of two separate pieces. The inside piece is of a black silicone which then is wrapped on the outside with a harder plastic piece covering most of the back with cutouts for the camera and LED flash, volume rocker and volume keys, along with a circular cutout to make sure the iconic Apple logo is still on display. Now mind you, it did take a little bit to get the plastic casing wrapped around the silicone case and have it fit how it was supposed to at first. The attached pieces for the ports caused a little trouble when putting it on and taking it off. The slim, yet protective design of the OtterBox Commuter is very well designed. The flow between the silicone and plastic cases feels very nice in the hand and adds very little bulk compared to other protective cases.

Accessibility

Because the Commuter covers all open buttons on the iPhone, it can be a hassle getting to some. We had no problems getting to the volume rocker to flick it up and down. It also gives ample room for the Verizon model that has the volume rocker slightly lowered down. The volume buttons being covered also offered no hassle; same goes for the 3.5mm headphone jack. We did think that it was a little harder to press the power button on and off compared to no case on. We also noticed no difference in pictures and flash with the case being on and off, so there is no interference from the circular cutouts. The biggest gripe we have with the silicone case covering the ports is the USB charging port. There is very minimal room to peel back the silicone piece, but once you peel it back and has the charger inserted, there seemed to be no problems with taking it out of the port afterwards.

Protection

The OtterBox Commuter has a slim profile, but that doesn’t take away the protection that it gives you. The silicone case is raised around the whole iPhone screen and is held in place by the plastic back casing on the center of both sides, as well as the top and bottom. On the back, the circular cutout on the Apple logo is raised so no hard surface will be in contact with the back glass. The camera is also well down inside of the case and does not allow any surface scratches to occur.

Pros

• Gives protection all around, even for volume buttons, headphone jack and charging port
• Doesn’t add much extra weight to the device
• Minimal bulk added for protection offered

Cons

• Unprotected silicone gets loose
• Back plastic piece bends out of place easily
• Power/Sleep button is harder to press with the case on

Wrap-up

The OtterBox Commuter Series case is very well designed and well executed. The slim profile gives you minimal bulk for the protection that it adds to your device and looks good doing so. If you’re in the market for a new case to your iPhone 4 and need the protection and don’t want an extremely heavy case, we can absolutely recommend the OtterBox Commuter. It can be purchased on the OtterBox website for $34.95 and is available in eight different color variants.

While companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft have been pumping out new devices with modern features, RIM has been lagging behind. They’ve been saying that they’re bringing QNX to BlackBerry smartphones, but time is ticking away for the Canadian phone manufacturer. RIM responded to this with three new devices running their new OS, BlackBerry 7: the Bold 99xx, Torch 9850/9860, and the Torch 9810.

We have been using the Bold 9930 as our daily driver for the last few weeks, and we’re here with our full impressions of the device. Is it enough to hold RIM over until the QNX transition? Keep reading to find out.

Hardware

First, a little history on the “Bold” branding: when RIM launched the original Bold 9000 a few years ago, it was commonly called the flagship BlackBerry – it was a rather large device, but in return, you got a rather large display, and an incredible keyboard. When RIM launched the 9700, and later, the 9780, quite a few people disliked the smaller design, and wanted the original 9000 design back. But of course, RIM improved the design along the way. The 9900 series is the thinnest BlackBerry yet, and features an aluminum (no really, it’s not plastic!) ring around the side. It feels amazing in hand.

Well, RIM listened, and the 9930 is the 9000, but modernized and improved. On the front, there’s a 2.8-inch, 640 x 480 resolution display, which is also a touchscreen. No, it’s not the clicky SurePress screen, it’s a proper, non-clicking touchscreen. The display is fantastic, pictures and text rendered crisply. 640 x 480 in 2011 doesn’t sound exciting, but it actually looks pretty good – and that’s because the pixels are being squeezed into a 2.8-inch display.

If RIM does one thing right, it’d definitely be keyboards. Easily. And the 9930 isn’t any different. The keyboard on the 9930 is glorious. The keys are just the right size — big enough so you can type comfortably, but not too big so you get lost when you’re typing. The keys are also angled out from the middle of the keyboard, making keys easy to find.

If you’re a fan of good keyboards, the 9930 won’t disappoint. Above the keyboard, RIM threw in navigation buttons – Call, Menu, Back, End – with a trackpad placed in the middle, just like every other recent BlackBerry. A nice upgrade with the trackpad is an awesome backlight outline of it.

On the left side of the 9930, you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a microUSB port for charging and sync. On the opposite side, there’s a mute button sandwiched between volume buttons, along with a programmable convenience key that defaults to Camera. On the top, you’ll find the sleep button.

On the back, you’ll find the 5MP camera (no auto-focus) + flash, along with a smudge-prone battery door that houses the NFC antenna, which unfortunately, isn’t enabled on the Verizon 9930 (at least with the stock OS).

Overall, the 9900 series is a very sound improvement over the original Bold 9000. Hardware wise, this is most certainly the very best BlackBerry to date.

Software

The Bold 9900 series, along with new Torches, ship with BlackBerry OS 7. While originally slated to be an update to OS 6, RIM decided to ship OS 7 as an entirely new OS, which will only run on new hardware. Unfortunately, there’s not tons changed from OS 6, besides a new browser that finally feels competitive. What OS 7 does bring, mostly because of the much improved CPU clock speeds on the new BlackBerry lineup, is some very smooth OS operation. Moving between home screen panels is buttery smooth, as well as zooming and scrolling in the browser.

The spinning clock of misfortune, which BlackBerry users are all too familiar with, is still very much a part of the OS 7 experience unfortunately. Installing apps is still a huge performance killer, as is using the browser in the background. App installation still requires device reboots far too often as well. But thankfully boot speed is much, much improved over any previous BlackBerry devices.

So, while OS 7 is a solid improvement over OS 6, we are still left waiting for the elusive QNX powered BlackBerry. Hopefully it comes soon, because we can’t imagine even the latest crop of BlackBerrys to do much for RIM’s slow bleed out.

Battery Life

With this being a BlackBerry review, you’re probably expecting us to report multi-day usage without issue. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case with the new Bold 9900 series. RIM had to cut battery capacity in order to keep the slim form factor, and combined with the new CPU, the Bold was only able to get us through about one day of use. We imagine heavy users may have an issue getting through the night, but certainly a full business day is possible. So, for the very first time, we might recommend picking up a spare battery if you choose to go with a Bold 99xx device.

Call quality, signal, etc.

Our 9930 review unit was on Verizon’s fabulous 3G network, which means solid call quality, solid data speeds, and superb coverage. Calls were crisp and never choppy, and we certainly never dropped any calls. Signal level was iffy at times, with the Bold often dropping down numerous bars while being held – but this isn’t anything new for us, as we’ve seen all of the BlackBerrys in recent history do the same.

Conclusion

The Bold 9930 is an absolutely stellar BlackBerry, probably the very best one made to date. Those who are accustomed to the OS will find it a pleasure to use, with the touchscreen adding a pretty nifty way to interact with the OS and apps that was previously limited by the trackpad. But for those who are expecting a killer smartphone experience with apps galore, you won’t find it here with OS 7. RIM still has a very long way to go before they are completely competitive in the consumer smartphone space, and even their grip on the business market is slipping.

Additional reporting by CR H.

Verizon has been working with notebook manufacturers to provide notebooks with integrated with data. Now that Verizon has launched their 4G LTE network, notebooks with integrated LTE data are arriving in stores. We’ve got the first Verizon LTE notebook, the HP Pavilion dm1-3010nr, and we’ve compiled our full review below!

Specifications

Before we talk about the actual hardware, let’s go over the specs. Powering the HP Pavilion is a 1.6GHz AMD E-350 dual-core processor with VISION technology, with 2GB of RAM, which can be upgraded to a generous 8GB. For the display, there’s a fantastic 11.6-inch “HD BrightView” LED display, sporting a 1366 x 768 resolution. For storing your files, the notebook ships with a 320GB, 7200rpm hard drive.

In terms of connectivity, the Pavilion dm1 supports Verizon’s demonically-fast 4G LTE network, and it can fall back on their 3G network if needed. It also connects to Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth devices, if you roll that way. Powering all of this is a 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery, and HP rates the Pavilion dm1 for up to 9.5 hours of usage.

Ports and Slots

HP outfitted the Pavilion dm1 with a decent amount of I/O. On the left side of the notebook, there’s one USB 2.0 port, an HDMI port, indicator lights for power and activity, a large vent for heat dissipation, and a port for the 65W AC adapter.

On the opposite side, there’s an SD/MMC slot, a headphone jack, two more USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, and finally, hidden behind a clever, but impossible to close plastic door, an Ethernet port for those who prefer fast and solid connectivity.

Hardware

The HP Pavilion dm1 is definitely a good-looking notebook. We wouldn’t say it’s head-turning, drool-worthy gorgeous, but just good-looking. Since it’s built by HP (obviously), it looks like every other HP notebook out there, just in a smaller form factor.

The lid of the notebook is embossed with a subtle, elegant pattern, along with the HP logo. Unfortunately, it’s a fingerprint magnet, and it also happens to be incredibly difficult to wipe off all the fingerprints.

Flipping open the lid reveals the 11.6-inch, 1366 x 768 resolution, LED display. The display is quite fantastic, and we don’t have many complaints after using the display for the last few weeks. Viewing angles on the display were decent, but not as great, say, an IPS display.

HP went with a chiclet-style keyboard here, and it’s pretty fantastic. It’s also a pretty standard layout, without any funky or weird keys anywhere. The keyboard itself is quite large, travel and and feedback is fantastic, and we were typing away at full speed right away. The trackpad, on the other hand, is a complete disaster. It’s a relatively small trackpad made out of plastic, with two buttons and a trackpad on/off button. The trackpad would randomly select things, whether it be text, or items. It was incredibly annoying, especially when working with documents.

Performance

Performance on the Pavilion was…a mixed bag. With standard usage (a few Chrome tabs, TweetDeck, and few IM chats), performance wasn’t a problem. When you start throwing more applciations into the mix, you’ll definitely feel the need to add more RAM.

On the retail packaging, HP/Verizon tout the notebook as an “Entertainment PC”. YouTube worked well for 360p/480p, and even 720p, but once you flipped the switch on 1080p, the computer struggled to keep up with the video. Interestingly, when we streamed an episode of “24” in SD quality from Netfix, it was a complete disaster. The video was completely unwatchable. It was choppy (not a connection problem, we were using Verizon’s LTE network), even without any other applications or tasks running.

One thing we noticed immediately about the Pavilion dm1 was how loud the fan is. Even when performing basic tasks, like browsing to Google, the fan was noticeable running in the back, and once we fired up something that uses Flash, the fana spun loudly in full force.

Software

The Pavilion ships with Windows 7 Home Premium, with quite a bit of bloatware – some (pretty cool) HP software, and a fewc shortcuts. Here’s the full list: Blio (eReader), eBay, HP Download Store, HP Music, HP Navigator, HP Fences, HP Support Assistant, My Verizon, Norton Internet Security, and Play HP Games. We prefer our computers with a clean install of the OS, but that’s not difficult to fix.

4G LTE

So the selling feature here is definitely the 4G LTE integration. Speeds haven’t slowed down since we first reviewed it – 11Mbps down, 7Mbps up. We were able to stream 720p videos without needing to wait for buffering. Fast, fast, fast – just the way we like it.

Battery Life

HP is claiming 9.5 hours of battery life with the included 6-cell battery. We weren’t able to get 9.5 hours, but battery life was pretty darn close to HP’s claim. We were able to use the notebook, connected to LTE, doing everyday tasks (couple Chrome tabs, TweetDeck, IM conversations, a few YouTube videos) for an entire day without needing to plug in. We could definitely see ourselves taking the notebook out for an entire workday without needing to bring the power adapter along for the ride, which is fantastic.

Conclusion

Final thoughts on the HP Pavilion dm1? Well, if you’re always on the go, and you’re looking with a notebook with blistering fast data built in, the Pavilion dm1 is definitely the way to go. Just remember to bring a mouse with you, because that trackpad will drive you absolutely insane.

We reviewed the Motorola Xoom back in March, and it was the first device to run a tablet-optimized version of Android, known as Android 3.0 “Honeycomb”. At the time of the writing, it was a 3G-only tablet, with the 4G LTE hardware upgrade “coming soon”.

Fast forward four months, and the Xoom still doesn’t have the LTE upgrade (it’s coming in a few weeks!), but there’s a new kid on the block: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and yes, it’s running on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. We have been using one for the last few weeks, so keep reading for the full review!

Hardware

While the LTE version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is new, the Wi-Fi verison of the same tablet has been available for a while. Yes, it’s still rocking the insanely thin profile at 8.6mm, with the same 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 resolution display.

The hardware buttons have changed a bit in the LTE verison, and it’s definitely an improvement. The left side now houses the power and volume buttons, along a pair of speakers – one on the left side, and one on the right.

On the top, you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack, along with a slot for the LTE SIM card. On the bottom, Samsung decided to use their proprietary port for charging/sync.

In terms of cameras, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is fitted out with two – a 2MP front-facing camera for video chat, and a 3MP shooter on the back, for the times you decide it’s a good idea to take a picture with your tablet.

On the front, there’s a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 resolution display. While it’s not a Super AMOLED Plus display, colors looked fantastic, viewing angles worked out nicely. Above the display, there’s the previously mentioned front-facing camera.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1’s hardware is nothing short of amazing. The display is great, the dual-core Tegra 2 processor paired with 1GB of RAM makes for fast and speedy performance, and seriously – we’d say this is the finest piece of hardware to ever come out of Samsung’s labs. At 8.6mm thin and 1.24 pounds, it’s incredibly thin and light, and we didn’t encounter any fatigue when using the tablet for extended periods of time. Again, Samsung – great job with the hardware.

Software

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 ships with Android 3.1 “Honeycomb”. As of right now, Samsung hasn’t added many customizations to the device – they added a custom keyboard, and a tweaked Camera app. However, Samsung just pushed out an update to the Wi-Fi Galaxy Tab 10.1s, and the update is packing some TouchWiz UX elements. We haven’t been able to test it out ourselves yet, but we’ve heard it’s actually pretty nice. That said, our 4G LTE Galaxy Tab 10.1 hasn’t alerted us of any updates, so we’re still waiting on that end.

One of improvements made in 3.1 is the ability to resize widgets on your homescreen. We saw this in Motorola’s custom UI, and we’re glad to see it on Honeycomb. It definitely makes using some of the widgets a much better experience.

4G LTE

We reviewed Verizon’s blazing fast 4G LTE network earlier this year, and we came away impressed with the incredible speeds. Fast forward six months, and the speeds haven’t slowed down. We were able to get 11Mbps down, and around 6Mbps up in our testing.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 suffers from random signal drops of LTE and 3G. We’d be using the device on LTE for a while, and while sitting in the exact same spot, it’d drop to 3G, and then we’d lose signal all together. It happened quite often, and a reboot always fixed the issue.

Battery Life

Battery life on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been pretty fantastic. Even while connected to LTE, we were able to get through a day with medium usage (some browsing, emails, Twitter, a few videos) without too many issues.

Conclusion

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE is quite remarkable. The hardware sets the new standard for Android tablets, and if you’re a fan of Honeycomb, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 delivers on that as well. Bottom line, if you’re looking for solid Android tablet running on one of the fastest’s mobile networks around, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G LTE won’t disappoint.

We’ve said this many times in the past – protecting your electronics is always important. We’ve spent a week with some pretty fantastic cases from id America, and we’re here with our thoughts!

Gasket for iPhone 4

Gasket for iPhone 4 is a brushed aluminum case for the iPhone 4, and the unique design is immediately noticeable. As the name suggests, it’s inspired by the head gasket, found in high-performance cars. There’s no doubt – the design is really unique, and I personally think it looks fantastic.

In terms of cutouts for ports and buttons, we didn’t encounter any issues with the Gasket. There’s a large cutouts for everything – one cutout for your volume buttons and vibrate switch, one cutout for your headphone jack and power button, and one cutout for your speakers and 30-pin dock connector. Have a Verizon iPhone? Not a problem. The Gasket works with both AT&T and Verizon iPhones.

If you’re a fan of cars, you’ll definitely enjoy the design of the Gasket. Something that’s important to note is that the Gasket is a rather minimal case. It’s definitely not a deal breaker, but if you drop your phone a lot, it’s something to consider.

So, that’s the Gasket for iPhone 4. We love the design, and we’re pretty sure everyone will love it as well. If you don’t drop your phone a lot and you’re looking to turn heads with your phone, the Gasket is definitely the case for you.

You can pick up the Gasket for $29.99 right here.

Skyline for iPhone 4

The Skyline for iPhone 4 is completely different from the Gasket. The Skyline is made out of a specially stiffened thermoplastic polyurethane. Even with heavy usage, the case didn’t get looser, and we’re pretty satisfied with that. In terms of design, the Skyline has a nice perforated design on the back, and that’s about it.

There’s a large cutout for the volume buttons and vibrate switch – yes, the Skyline also works with both the Verizon and AT&T iPhones. There’s a cutout for the headphone jack/secondary mic, and they added a plastic button on top of the power button, which we like very much. On the bottom, there’s a large cutout for the speaker and 30-pin dock connector.

The Skyline is a form-fitting case, but it still offers a decent amount of scratch and drop protection. The lay-on-the-table design is always good to see, and the case ships with screen shields for the front AND the back.

So that’s the Skyline for iPhone 4. The perforated design is elegant but subtle, and it offers solid protection without adding that much bulk.

You can pick the Skyline up for $24.99 right here.

DryIce for iPhone 4

And finally, we’re going to take a look at the DryIce for iPhone 4. The DryIce is a hard shell case that’s finished with a matte texture. The DryIce is constructed with a form-fitting plastic, and it features a two-piece design.

To install the DryIce on your iPhone, place the back of the iPhone onto the back piece, then snap the top piece in. Simple. Unfortunately, it’s extremely difficult to remove the case. Incredibly difficult. A few minutes of trying (and slightly damaged case) later, we finally figured it out – sliding your fingernail along the connection points (starting from the bottom) does the trick. Again, it’s unnecessarily difficult to remove, and it’s extremely frustrating.

In terms of the cutouts, id America knocked it out of the park with this one. Like most of the cases out there, there’s one cutout for your volume buttons/vibrate switch, two cutouts for your headphone jack/power button, and one large cutout for the speakers and 30-pin dock connector. Unlike most cases, they reduced the width of the back piece so when you’re adjusting the volume, or hitting the power button, there isn’t a piece of plastic cutting into your fingers. It’s the little things.

A big concern with plastic cases is watermarking. Since the DryIce’s back plate has a matte finish, watermarking isn’t as obvious, unless you really squeeze the case against the phone.

So that’s the DryIce for iPhone 4. We were initially frustrated about how difficult it is to remove the case, but after we got the hang of that, we really loved the case. In fact, it’s probably our personal favorite among the three.

You can pick up the DryIce for $19.99 right here.

Use your sleek new iPad 2 worry-free with the new protective SmartSound case from Cygnett. The new elegant, frosted case is available at select US retailers.

The SmartSound case is designed to work in tandem with Apple’s Smart Cover, flawlessly interacting with its magnetic detachable cover and automatic sleep/wake function. With SmartSound and Apple Smart Cover working together, the front, back and sides of your iPad 2 will always be fully protected.

With built-in audio-boosting abilities, the SmartSound iPad 2 case offers more than just great protection. The unique SoundScoop boosts the volume from your iPad 2 and directs the audio towards you, producing louder, clearer and brighter sound. The SmartSound results in a volume increase of up to 10 dB – doubling the perceived volume of the iPad 2.

Cygnett’s SmartSound case for the iPad 2 is $39.99 MSRP and comes in Black and White. For more information on Cygnett and the SmartSound case, please visit http://www.cygnett.com/.

The HTC EVO 3D. It’s the new flagship from Sprint. It’s packing a serious punch, with a dual-core processor, a qHD display with glasses-free 3D, two 5MP cameras capable of 3D capture, and Sense 3.0. We’ve been using one for a solid week or so, and we’re here with the full review!

Hardware

At first glance, you’ll notice that the EVO 3D retains a lot of the styling cues from the original EVO 4G. On the front, you’ll find the 4.3-inch qHD (960 x 540) display that’s capable of displaying 3D content, four touch sensitive controls with the familiar EVO-style silver circles around them, and a front-facing camera for self-portrait and video chat.

On the left, there’s a microUSB port for charging and sync. On the opposite side, there’s a large volume rocker, a large camera button, and a 2D/3D switch for the camera. While we really appreciate the humongous camera button, it sticks out from the rest of the phone, making the phone slightly awkward to hold at times. The aforementioned camera button also seemed rather loose which allowed it to rattle around a bit.

On the top, you’ve got the power button and the 3.5mm headphone jack, and the opposite side houses the slot for opening the battery door. The battery door is pretty flimsy, and bends far more than were comfortable with when being yanked off of the device. With that said, the battery door has a nice texture and design to it, which makes for a high class device.

On the back, there’s two 5MP cameras, and dual flashes, along with HTC and 3D branding.

At 5 inches tall, 2.6 inches wide, and 0.47 inches thick, the EVO 3D isn’t the thinnest phone around. It’s definitely not a deal-breaker, considering it’s packing a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM, but it’s something to think about.

Overall, we found the EVO 3D’s hardware to be pretty fantastic. The qHD screen is fantastic, the dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM makes this thing fly, and the build quality is solid.

Software

The HTC EVO 3D runs Android 2.3.3 “Gingerbread” with Sense 3.0, which is feat in and of itself given other phones are still launching with Android 2.2 Froyo builds.

Sense 3.0 is HTC’s custom UI that runs on top of “Gingerbread”. This new version of Sense adds a lot of eye candy (seriously, it’s everywhere), and some cool tweaks that improve usability.

The lockscreen on Sense 3.0 is gorgeous and functional. HTC lets you customize the lockscreen completely — you can add four of your favorite apps to launch directly from the lockscreen, and you can choose between a few other HTC built widgets to display: Photo album, Friend Stream, Weather, Stocks, and Clock.

While eye candy is fantastic most of the time, we’re not fans of what HTC did to the homescreen on Sense 3.0. Scrolling between the homescreens now has a 3D “cube” effect, and when you scroll quickly, it starts hyper-scrolling with a carousel UI. Again – it looks pretty, but there’s absolutely no functionality here. We found ourselves watching the homescreen scroll and scroll super fast in circles quite often, simply because we swiped across the screen too fast.

While for the most part our time with the EVO 3D was without bugs, we would be lying if we said the latest version of Sense was an entirely smooth and polished experience. Thankfully we didn’t run into any deal breaking level issues, but there were plenty of small annoyances with Sense 3.0. We randomly saw HTC’s SMS app mark messages as unread after they had been viewed, HTC widgets (and Google widgets) randomly would not load, and the app drawer loved to continue showing icons of deleted apps.

With that said, we do think Sense 3.0 is a huge improvement from previous generations of Sense. While the eye candy can definitely be over the top at times, HTC still adds enough useful features to Android that we won’t knock them for continuing to use Sense.

3D

The EVO 3D is fitted with two 5MP cameras – capable of shooting 3D pictures and 3D HD video – and a qHD display capable of displaying 3D content. We’ll admit it – we approached the EVO 3D skeptically. We’re not huge believers of 3D, but we were definitely interested in seeing how HTC implemented it.

Let’s start with the cameras – as we mentioned, they’re two 5MP units, and they’re capable of shooting 3D images, 3D videos at 720p HD, 2D images, and 2D videos at 1080p HD. Need to switch between 2D and 3D? Simple. Just flip the switch next to the camera button, and you’re ready to go!

Pictures taken in 3D were okay, but not great. While the 3D pictures and video produced were of a high enough quality so as not to create eyestrain or headaches, there was still a very noticeable grain and blur to the images/videos.

The great part of the EVO 3D? You’re able to view your 3D content directly on the phone. The display stays in 2D for the most part, until you select a 3D picture, video, or movie. There’s a two second delay in switching, but that’s not a problem. Viewing 3D was…interesting. There’s a certain angle that you need to find when viewing 3D, and finding it can be difficult at times. A big problem with 3D (in general, not EVO 3D-specific) is fatigue and strain on the eyes. We were able to watch an hour and a half of “The Green Hornet” in 3D without noticeable strain on eyes before the battery completely died on us.

After spending some time with the 3D capabilities of the EVO 3D, we’re not sure 3D is really that important yet. It still feels like a gimmick. A really nicely implemented gimmick, if we had compliment it.

Battery Life

The HTC EVO 3D ships with a massive 1750mAH battery. Using the 3D capabilities of the EVO 3D definitely drains the battery – with the EVO charged at 90%, we were able to watch one hour and thirty minutes of “The Green Hornet” in 3D before the battery died. Fortunately, without heavy usage of 3D, we were able to pull through a day of medium-heavy usage without any issues.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt – the EVO 3D is a fantastic device. The 1.2Ghz dual-core processor is blazing fast, the hardware is exceptional, and while Sense 3.0 is a little over the top, it’s definitely usable. The thing is, we’re not sure how important 3D is right now. It definitely feels like a gimmick, but if you’re into 3D, and you’re sure you’ll appreciate viewing your media in 3D, then the HTC EVO 3D is definitely worth your money. Thankfully, HTC doesn’t shove the EVO 3D’s third dimensional capabilities in your face. Combine that with the EVO 3D’s specs, and you’re looking at yet another fantastic Android device on Sprint.