Dork Adore » iPhone

Waterproof your smart phone with the Aqua Phone Case

Tamsin Worrad — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:04:33 +0000

Apparently, rapper Wretch 32 recently lost all his lyrics for his new album when he dropped his phone in the bath.

‘I now know to back up my phone regularly’ he said.

I have another option for him in the form of this smart phone waterproof case from Gizoo.

The Aqua phone case protects your iPhone or Blackberry from water, whilst you carry on using it as normal. Gizoo suggests this is useful for taking photos underwater, or when you’re at the pool on holiday. However, I was excited for the much more mundane reason that it meant I could play Words with Friends in the bath.

Gizoo kindly sent me over a case to test out. You can see how I got on after the jump.

Waterproof or washout?

Initially, I was terrified. Put my beloved phone in the bath? Deliberately? Even with the case it seemed a bit wrong. I was very apprehensive, so I approached the situation with a several stage experiment, like the scientist I am.

Firstly, I tested the case on its own. A piece of absorbent paper is included in the case for this very purpose and after opening & closing the case once to make sure I was doing it right, I threw the case in the bath.

On removing the case, no water had leaked through into the paper. So far so good. Now it was time to get brave. I put my phone in, checked the seals and ran the tap over the case.

Praying fervently that my beloved iPhone would be ok, I dried off the case to avoid any water transfer and opened it up. Hurrah, it worked! Now more confident in the cases abilities, I decided to get really brave. I submerged my iPhone into the sink full of water.

Heart racing, I took it out, dried it off and opened it up. It was bone dry, much to my relief. I tested the functionality of the touch pad underwater and this was fine too which means that you can use your phone as a handy underwater camera if wanted. The case fits pretty much all smart phones out there right now.

It’s available at £19.95 from Gizoo.

It might go against all your instincts to expose such expensive pieces of technology to water but trust me on this one, it works.

In the interests of honesty this case was provided to me free of charge by the good people of Gizoo, but the opinions remain all my own.

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Video Funsies: When Siri met Furby

Emma Cossey — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:30:12 +0000

We’ve all been waiting for this, haven’t we? Maybe we didn’t know it, but now it’s happened it seems like the universe was created for this very moment: iPhone’s Siri has been introduced to the granddaddy of interactive toys, Furby.

Now, we’re intrigued by Siri and we have mildly irritating memories of Furby.

But who’s better? FIGHT!

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Smart Gloves for Smart Phones

Tamsin Worrad — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:21:50 +0000

Smartphones have become almost ubiquitous over the last couple of years. Even my mother has a touch screen phone, although she hasn’t quite grasped typing on it: she still sends me messages saying things like ‘Crime home soon’.

I think then that I can speak with confidence when I say that we’ve nearly all of us experienced the pain of cold hands whilst trying to type a message at a bus stop or walking to walk in the winter; touch screens just don’t work with your fingers covered.

But worry not! There’s a solution to this problem in the form of these Smart Gloves for Smart Phone from Gizoo. I gave them a test drive for the benefit of you lucky Dork Adore readers.

Listen carefully, here comes the science bit.

You see, the way a smart phone knows what you want it do is via the electrical current travelling from your fingers to the screen. A layer of capacitive material under the screen monitors the change in charge depending on where your finger is touching the phone.

But when you’re wearing gloves they act as an insulator, effectively blocking the electrical current and stopping the phone responding to your touch. The Smart Gloves get over this hurdle using conductive material woven into the tips of of your main screen-surfing fingers so that the current can still pass through and allow the touch screen to function.

I was initially worried about this conductive yarn, assuming it would be irritating to the fingers or scratchy like wire wool, but I was happily proven wrong. The gloves are comfortable and warm. I was genuinely excited when I tried them out with my iPhone and realised that they worked as well as my bare hands, even when it came to typing a text (though unfortunately they did nothing to help my terrible spelling).

It’s no exaggeration when I say that owning these gloves is going to change my life. I get horribly cold hands and I’m also horribly addicted to Twitter, but now I can stand at a bus stop and tell the internet all about it! I’ve already wowed colleagues and family with them; I can definitely see them popping up in a few people’s Christmas stockings. The gloves are compatible with all smart phone and are available at Gizoo for £7.99.

In the interests of honesty these gloves were provided to me free of charge by the good people of Gizoo, but the opinions remain all my own.

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App Reviews: StumbleUpon, Fruit Ninja, Wave Launcher, Katango, Walkit

Katie — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:19:00 +0000

This week, we’ve got iPhone, iPad and Android app reviews for your, courtesy of the wondrous team at Frackulous.

Here’s a quick over-view of what you can expect:

StumbleUpon for the iPad. A great way to suck up the precious hours of your life, the StumbleUpon app will give you instant access to pictures of animals doing adorable things. If you don’t already use the toolbar on your browser, we highly recommend it (unless you have a dissertation to finish). StumbleUpon at the App Store.
Wave Launcher gives you more control over how you use your Android. It’s a “must-have” app, according to Susi. Wave Launcher at the Android Market.
Katango is a super-complex and clever Facebook contacts service, that groups your friends, family and miscellaneous randoms into different Google+ style groups. Katango at the App Store.
The WalkIt app for the iPhone comes from the kindly people over at WalkIt, who have helped many of us to discover the efficiency of using legs for commuting with instead of tubes. WalkIt at the App Store.
Fruit Ninja is a classic game for your iPhone. Simple, but addictive. Fruit Ninja at the App Store.

Check out all the reviews overleaf:

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Essential Gadgets: Masterplug USB and mains charger

Emma Cossey — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:00:00 +0000

One of the most annoying aspects about technology is the sheer number of cables, USB wires and chargers needed to keep on top of everything. When I’ve run out of USB ports on my laptop and my iPhone has hit 2%, there’s usually a scramble around the house to find a free charge point.

But then I came across this glossy black plug adaptor that allows me to charge my laptop at the same time as two other USB products (which covers all your Apple products). Just pop your USB connectors in the top, and plug your laptop in as normal.

Additionally, the MASTERPLUG Surge Protected Adaptor with USB is equipped with a power surge protector, so you can avoid harmful voltage spikes.

It might not be the most exciting gadget you’ll ever buy, but it’ll certainly be one of the most useful (particularly if you’re packing light for a holiday).

I picked it up for around £6 from Sainsburys, but you can also get it from Dixons and PC World.

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App review omnibus: Remember names and autotune yourself

Katie — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 09:47:00 +0000

Our friends over at app review show, Frackulous, have put together their latest app omnibus, which we present here for your viewing pleasure.

This week, we’ve got better iPhone video from FiLMiC Pro, cheap places to stay from Airbnb, Songify’s autotune funsies, the death of the guide book, and the chance to become a better friend with What’s My Name on Android.

Apple Store

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Dork Review: Morf, the domestic goddess of apps

Emma Cossey — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 08:10:21 +0000

This week, I’ve been testing out an iPhone app to help me with the cleaning. Stick with me here people, it’s not quite as dull as it sounds.

Morf is an app that helps you clean your Stuff using everyday household items.

Morf tells you how to:

Remove a broken lightbulb….with a potato
Get rid of rust….with an onion
Remove splinters…with Sellotape
Deter deer from your house…with a white sheet (always useful.)

Essentially it’s an app full of unusual ways to get things done, using stuff that’s already sitting in your cupboards. This means you use fewer chemical products, making it wonderfully eco-friendly. Plus, you get to involve potatoes in your life in a more enriched and meaningful way.

You can scroll through the wheel of products to see what can be done about an issue, use the search section, add your own Morf to the database or share a top tip on Twitter or Facebook.

It’s like a mobile version of How Clean Is Your House. Without the annoying Kim and Aggy aspect.

The Morf app is £1.79 to download, and works on the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad.

Have you ever deterred deer from your house? Share your tips!

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Five things we love this week

Emma Cossey — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:37:20 +0000

This week, we’ve been bowled over by an adorable iPad app, geeked out on Google+, protected our gadgets with some quirky cases, got excited about a certain magical film and created our own infographics.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore

This is possibly the loveliest app I’ve ever downloaded on my iPad. It’s an interactive ebook based on an award-winning short film, and follows Mr Morris Lessmore as he falls into a world of flying books. If you’re a fan of Pixar shorts, you’ll adore this. Download it now and you’ll have one more thing to distract the kids with when the summer holidays kick in.

Here’s a little peek at what it has to offer:

Google+
Half of team Dork are now on Google+, after Rebecca and Wez’s excellent post about it last weekend. I’m particularly excited about the option to share content within certain circles, even if it does leave me the paranoia that I’m going to either a) post all my personal information to the wrong people or b) turn schizophrenic.

Case Mate
Case Mate sent me some great cases this week for my iPhone and iPad, including this Monsta Case (£12.99, Amazon) for my iPhone. They also sent me a lightweight cover for my iPad (£37.99, Amazon), which doubles up as a stand for watching video/lazy surfing.

Harry Potter

Obviously. The world and their mum are off to see the final Harry Potter movie this weekend. I’m hugely excited about seeing it after reading Anna’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – Dork Review. This has also led to us testing out the Kymera Magic Wand, which we’ll be reviewing for the blog next week.

Making our own Infographics

This week, we’ve wasted a fair amount of time making our own infographics. Visual.ly has the tools to help you make your own infographic based on your Twitter usage, and pit it against another user if you wish. In the future, you should be able to make your own infographics quite easily using the system too.

Here’s the Dork Adore infographic:

What things have you loved this week?

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High End Bling For iPhones and iPads from Camaél Diamonds

Joely Black — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:00:22 +0000

Solid Gold iPhone from Camaél Diamonds

This is for the geek who has – pretty much literally – everything. Need the perfect gift for somebody you love and have the cash to spend? These are probably the ultimate high-end geek gifts.

Forget lasering a name onto the back of the iPhone — what about encrusting the handset with diamonds?

Camaél Diamonds are launching a line of handmade geek essentials including iPhones, iPads, Blackberrys and iPods. Each one is made to order by experts and provide private consultations as part of the personalisation service.

If you can manage the mind-boggling prices, you can choose from items such as a diamond edition Blackberry Bold 9700 (£18,000), a solid gold iPod (£14,999) or even a solid gold iPad (£89,999).

Gold editions come in either white, rose, or yellow solid gold and the diamonds are highest clarity VVS to flawless stones, all of which the company guarantees are ethically sourced.

Now, while I can’t afford these by any stretch of my imagination (let alone my bank account), I’m not sure I’m keen on the idea of carting around such an expensive trophy myself: I’d want to hire somebody just to look out for it, knowing my tendency to drop my iPhone at the worst possible moment.

Mind you, if you can afford a gold iPad, you can probably afford to hire a full-time carer for it.

They definitely look a lot better than the cheap alternative: covering your iPhone in cheap plastic fake diamonds or cubic zirconia. Personally, I prefer my gadgets as they are (I’m a gadget puritan, yes), but if it’s your taste, then these definitely are the ultimate in high tech bling.

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Pizza Express, Paypal and the app that pays for dinner

Tamsin Worrad — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:18:06 +0000

I hate waiting for the bill in restaurants. If I know I’ve got to be somewhere after my meal I find my blood pressure rising as I watch waiters take their time over other customers. How dare they! Don’t they know I’ve got somewhere to be?!

Thankfully, Pizza Express is leading the revolution in the way bills are paid with the launch of an app that could see all my woes disappear.

Launched yesterday, the app not only allows you to find and book a restaurant but to settle your bill via Paypal without involving the waiters at all.

You can even integrate the numerous vouchers and special offers with your payment (let’s face it, who goes to Pizza Express without a voucher code these days?). Very simply, you enter the 12-digit code on your bill into the app, add any voucher codes or special offers that you have and press pay. The till gets notification that you’ve paid and you get a confirmation email.

I’m genuinely excited about this app and what it could mean for the dining industry. I predict we’ll see many other dining establishments rushing to produce their own versions. So many brands have released seemingly pointless apps that add nothing of value.

Pizza Express CEO Mark Angela says “We knew there was no point just launching an app for the sake of it, so we waited until we had a system that could genuinely improve our customers’ experience of eating out at PizzaExpress.” Quite.

The only downside I can foresee is the lack of 3G signal in some venues making it difficult to use; my local branch has absolutely no signal whatsoever when inside. How about rolling out wi-fi in the restaurants next? The App is also currently only available to iPhone users, with Android and other platforms hopefully being rolled out soon. Other than that, I’m excited to try it out. Any excuse to eat more pizza.

So tell us, will you be using this app?

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Dork Adore » iPhone

Waterproof your smart phone with the Aqua Phone Case

Waterproof or washout?

More stories like this

Video Funsies: When Siri met Furby

More stories like this

Smart Gloves for Smart Phones

Listen carefully, here comes the science bit.

More stories like this

App Reviews: StumbleUpon, Fruit Ninja, Wave Launcher, Katango, Walkit

More stories like this

Essential Gadgets: Masterplug USB and mains charger

More stories like this

App review omnibus: Remember names and autotune yourself

More stories like this

Dork Review: Morf, the domestic goddess of apps

More stories like this

Five things we love this week

More stories like this

High End Bling For iPhones and iPads from Camaél Diamonds

More stories like this

Pizza Express, Paypal and the app that pays for dinner

So tell us, will you be using this app?

More stories like this