Case Mate Gelli case for iPhone 4 Review

Note: The unit for this review was purchased by this writer, and was not provided by Case Mate.

I have been meaning to purchase a case for my iPhone 4 ever since I bought it months back. Then, I got the Zagg Invisible Shield which I thought was good enough and so decided to prolong the purchase of a case. Recently, however, the back shield started to peel off and my 1 year old nephew decided it didn’t look good that way and tore it off the phone. Alarm bells rang inside my head and I knew it was time for that case again. After rummaging through the various brands and case models, I zeroed in on one which I thought would be just perfect for my budget. Case Mate’s Gelli case was my pick, and after playing with it for a few days, I am pretty happy with the purchase.

The Gelli Case is available in a variety of colors, such as Pink, Blue, Tomato Red, Grey, and Clear. Of course, I went for the latter. I would just look odd carrying a tomato red phone in my hands. The case is made of thermoplastic polyurethanes which, Wikipedia tells me, is resistant to oil, grease and abrasion. Case Mate claims it’s lighter, softer and more resilient than silicone and rubber cases. Having a general dislike for anything silicone (unless it’s used in other places *wink*), this description sounded just about right for my needs.

The Gelli Case has a fashion kick to it as well. The Clear version has a soft white checkered design, though the colorful versions feature a ‘bubbles’ pattern. Thankfully, the pattern material is inside the case, so it does not interfere while holding the case. The case is slim and does not add to the weight or height of the device, and the smooth finish makes it easy to slip in and out of the pocket. The thermoplastic feels great in the hands and gives solid grip-ability to the phone; however, due to the ‘plastic’ nature of the material, it might get slightly slippery in wet hands.

The case completely engulfs the phone, with just about perfect cuts for all the ports. However, I must say that if use headphones with a fatter base of the 3.5mm jack, it might just not fit. I also found the lock and volume buttons indistinguishable. They are slightly dented but not enough if you are fumbling in the dark or using it without looking. The volume buttons also needs an extra bit of push due to the thickness added. Another complaint I have with the case is that the lip surrounding the connectivity port is slightly loose and I fear it might twist and loose shape after some time. Of course, it is the effect of the cut required, but it could have been hardened a bit.

Also, oddly, and somewhat amusingly actually, I have found that a lot of dust gathers around the cuts of the case. For example, today I found the camera area brimming in tiny dust particles, and they weren’t getting cleaned away because that part of the phone was not touching any surface! This is an added bit of unexpected trouble that I would have to deal with as well.

In conclusion, I would say the Gelli Case was a decent investment for AED 55. It might not protect my phone from major crashes but it offers a sleek and compact design that I cannot compromise on. There are a few minor quibbles but they not showstoppers to overlook the quality for price that it offers.

Top 5 iPhone 4 Apps of Jan 2011

As the iTunes AppStore keeps on expanding and people download billions of applications, I think it’s time to suggest you guys some of highlight apps that come out within the recent month. The best part? They’re all free!

Starting things off with inClass, this is one of those really intuitive diary apps that you wish you had when you were in university. Of course, those of our listeners who’re still attending schools and uni should download this app without hesitation, but even those of us who have an incredibly busy schedule should try this out. Check out our full review to see what makes inClass such and essential time-keeping app.

iPhone 4 App of the Week – Beluga Messenger

Life’s always more fun in a pack of friends that are dear to you, to be able to share your daily triumphs, trials & tribulations with them can be rewarding. If we’ve learned anything from the great groups of our times such as the X-Men, dirty dozen and the goonies,  is that it’s all about packs of likeminded eccentrics and weirdoes sharing a common purpose in life on the hush hush in hopes of not being ridiculed or becoming social pariahs. Synchronicity on the move, that’s exactly what Beluga Messenger delivers, a forum for groups on the go.

Only having discovered this app less than two weeks ago it is now a permanent fixture in my niche circle of friends who are big on tech, games, cars, all things shiny with an LED screen and prefer animated Japanese girls over real women, and have body pillows in their possession. This a new fad picking up global steam due to the large number of man child’s out there refusing to part with their escapism thus ending up spooning with one every night. they come in an array of pillow cases of all your favorite anime/video game/sci-fi characters ranging from bubblegum pink hair gun wielding buxom beauties to the more bizarre alienesque looking blue haired demi-gods with fangs & crimson eyes but no Disney Princesses for all intensive legal purposes. In their defense even some celebs such as James Franco happen to cuddle up to one every night, a merry bunch indeed they are.

So to finally find an app that binds our daily social feeds within this particular circle of “friends” that I’d steer away from having much interaction with on Facebook that has your colleagues, sane friends, real women and family members is a God send.

We can post links, pics and write lengthy messages with no word limit. It also allows me to track the whereabouts of members within a Pod which constantly updates as they contribute to it. The layout is simple & clean, each Pod you start can have different members under it. You can add/remove/invite (email, SMS, FB, Twitter) them as you please. You can title your pods, attach a pic for significance and add an event, date, location to it as well. Under the Maps tab you’ll be able to see where exactly all contributing members happen to be and this data constantly updates as a member moves around the city, this comes in extremely handy when you’re organizing an event such as a birthday, wedding, baby shower, or simply catching a movie at a mall, and would like to know where each member is if you need to delegate a task.

It’s a perfect companion to clubs & associations, be it the book club, nature watch, motoring enthusiasts of all manner, neighborhood watch, school projects even if you’re planning a mini coup on an island (think LOST) or peaceful protest rally; this is your app.

One scenario I see this coming in extremely handy is while holidaying in a foreign city and needing to keep a brace of your loved ones whereabouts; whether you all happen to be catching different modes of transport to your hotel, or moving about in smaller pockets to different sightseeing locales. A massive flea market where everyone has split up to do their own shopping but is constantly aware of what the other is on the lookout for, and if happen to chance into a better bargain at a different stall, can notify the member of a better deal to scoot over by using the map.

It’s a mix of an instant messenger and a location based app such as Foursquare, Gowalla and Kickball. It’s fast, reliable and never crashes; you get instant push notifications the nanosecond someone posts to it. When using the app you really get a sense of a global quality medium such as Facebook or Twitter, knowing in the back of your head that a massive server sitting in an undisclosed location is tending to your Pods. I thought Whatsapp was better and faster, but this will surprise you with its blistering speed.

Brainchild of Ben, Lucy and Jonathan, former staff of Google and Microsoft who were collectively responsible for much of the development of Gmail chat, Google news, Google docs and Msn explorer; so you know you have experts steering the course of this app. Even the icon which sports a friendly white whale which is indicative that soon the app will have a global presence, and the term Beluga will not conjure up images of caviar or the marine animal it’s named after.

This app, which is currently available for the iPhone & Android smartphones, is soon hopping to be multi-platform & will one day be available on a Sourberry and Nokia.

There was a study done recently suggesting that all these bubbling social media apps will be squat like flies and only a notable handful will remain. Well I can assure you a day will come when you’ll hear this while on a ferry ride, not from the mouth of crazy Ahab (a.k.a. Captain) but from one of your own loony bin friends while peering into the water, breaking the early-morning silence of huddled commuters to work “There she blows!–there she blows! A hump like a snow-hill it is Beluga!”

My other eight hours

Eight hours of my life are spent sleeping and the other eight hours are spent at work. That leaves me with about eight hours of my life left for myself. These I call my other eight hours.

Call me old but I still fondly remember a time when my other eight hours would be time to myself where I could put all my work away and do the more important things in life – spend time with the family, go for a walk or read a book.

Over the years though, the lines between these hours have blurred a bit and the separation between work time and playtime has become less apparent. It isn’t just me though, it’s a similar trend with most people these days. Think about it… how much time do you spend now at work checking your Facebook messages? And on the flipside, how much time do you spend at home looking at your work emails? How much time have you spent playing minesweeper in the office? And how much time have you spent on conference calls from home?

Are mobile phones to blame for this? Or is it the Internet? Or is it just that we now have a much looser definition of time and when to do things?

Productivity gurus will tell you that it’s very important to separate these things. For instance, the biggest problem with people who work from home is that their mind often cannot separate entertainment areas with work areas. For example, if you work from home, you’ll be more prone to slack off and watch the telly than if you were in an office environment.

So then are we less productive if we mix work and play? Probably. You’ll have to excuse me now though; those mines are not going to sweep themselves.

Cisco Flips over to Qatar

Press release:
Cisco has introduced to the Qatari market the Flip Video camcorders with the launch of Flip Ultra HD and Flip Mino HD through its Qatar partner, Techno Blue. Both models put the power of video into consumers’ pockets and enable them to instantly capture and easily share personal video anywhere, at any time.

Speaking at the launch event in Qatar, Mohammad Meraj Hoda, Managing Director Emerging Markets, Cisco Consumer Products said Qatar is a key market for Cisco Consumer Products said: “Flip’s shoot-and-share capabilities are an ideal way for its youthful and growing Internet population to share experiences and stay in touch. We are confident that the Flip will prove to be a popular lifestyle accessory for consumers across the region.”

All Flip Video camcorders are pre-installed with FlipShare, the breakthrough software that enables users to easily organise, edit and share their videos. Consumers can plug the camcorder’s signature flip-out USB arm into any Mac or PC to access FlipShare’s simple drag-and-drop interface for easy video sharing via email or direct upload to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other popular video sharing sites.

The new Flip MinoHD one hour and two hour camcorders are small, sleek and stylish with enhanced HD video quality. The new MinoHD camcorders feature built-in image stabilisation, so users can capture clear and steady video all the time.

The Flip Ultra HD has succeeded in setting a new standard for convenient and affordable video capture. The model provides up to two hours of recording capacity, a bright two-inch screen for easy viewing even in direct sunlight, and an innovative AAA rechargeable battery pack in the HD model that can be conveniently recharged through the camera’s built-in USB arm.

Samsung Q4 revenue and income up, profit slides

Samsung has published their Q4 2010 earning, and although revenue and income has seen a bump from previous year, the profit bar missed the expected consensus.

The company posted a Q4 revenue of 41.87 trillion Korean won, up 7% from the same quarter in 2009. The net income was up 13% year-over-year to 3.42 trillion won. The profit, however, fell 12% year-over-year to 3.01 trillion won.

Samsung’s mobile division saw better days which reported a record profit of 1.44 trillion won in the fourth quarter, up 38% year-over-year. The company shipped 80.7 million cell phones in the same quarter. Full year shipments reached 280 million units, up from 23% in 2009.

More information in the press release below.

Press release:
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced revenues of 41.87 trillion Korean won on a consolidated basis for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2010, a 7-percent increase year-on-year. For the quarter, the company posted consolidated net income of 3.42 trillion won, a 13-percent increase year-on-year. Consolidated operating profit for the quarter was 3.01 trillion won.

In its earnings guidance disclosed on January 7, Samsung estimated fourth-quarter consolidated revenues would reach approximately 41 trillion won with an operating profit of 3 trillion won.

The fourth quarter results brought Samsung’s full year 2010 revenue to an all-time high of 154.63 trillion won, up 13-percent from last year. Net income reached a record high of 16.15 trillion won, up 65 percent compared with the previous year, while operating profit was 17.30 trillion won, also a record.

Samsung’s performance in the fourth quarter continued to be driven by memory semiconductors and strong sales of its cutting-edge smartphones. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, however, profit margins decreased primarily due to weakening pricing for memory semiconductors and LCD panels, as well as price competition in the TV market.

“Despite the difficult business environment including reduced IT demand caused by the economic slowdown, we achieved record-high results both in terms of sales and operating profit in 2010,” said Robert Yi, Vice President and Head of Samsung Electronics’ Investor Relations Team. “However, considering overall business conditions, unlike 2010, we expect the traditional earnings pattern of a weak first half, with a strong second half to return in 2011.”

Samsung expected price competition to intensify in the consumer electronics, IT and mobile device markets in 2011, while major components prices are also forecast to decline. To offset pressures stemming from adverse market conditions, Samsung will focus on the cost competitiveness of its memory semiconductor portfolio, reducing marketing expenses and increasing shipments of high-end smartphones and tablet devices.

Samsung said the forecast continued appreciation of the Korean won during 2011 could have a negative impact on earnings, but the company’s diversified foreign exchange mix would limit the effect of movements in particular currencies.

Google brings ‘Instant Previews’ to iOS

Folks over at 9to5Mac are reporting that Google has been rolling out their desktop-like search feature called ‘Instant Preview’ for Apple devices.

Instant Preview lets you sample a website without actually loading it, saving you time and bandwidth, especially on smartphones. Search results are accompanied by a magnifying glass which you can tap to pop-up a preview of the website. You can flick through the entire search results, much like Google images but for websites, in a native Safari-like tab interface.

Google has yet to announce the feature for smartphones, so this could be an early or limited rollout. Although, some users have been using this feature for many days now. As expected, the feature has not yet reached the shores of UAE, but it should popup (see what i did there?) anytime soon.

Source: 9to5Mac.

Netgear CEO takes pot shots at Apple, Microsoft

Well, there, someone is in a bad mood. CEO of router manufacturing company Netgear has lashed out against Apple, calling its ecosystem of products ‘closed’.

In an interview with Sydney Morning Herald, CEO Patrick Lo said that Apple’s “closed and proprietary products” will soon be overtaken by open-end alternatives like Google Android. ”Ultimately a closed system just can’t go that far … If they continue to close it and let Android continue to creep up then it’s pretty difficult as I see it,” he said.

Lo compared the Apple vs Google Android battle with Betamax vs VHS video format war, or Mac vs. Windows, were the more open platform won more market share. He said the industry had “seen this movie play several times”.

“Right now the closed platform has been successful for Apple because they’ve been so far ahead as thought leaders because of Steve Jobs,” said Lo.

“Eventually they’ve got to find a way to open up iTunes without giving too much away on their revenue generation model.”

Lo also said that they only reason Apple weighted support for HTML5 instead of Flash was because of Job’s ego. What’s the reason for him to trash Flash? There’s no reason other than ego,” he said.

“Once Steve Jobs goes away, which is probably not far away, then Apple will have to make a strategic decision on whether to open up the platform,” said Lo.

“Ultimately a closed system just can’t go that far … If they continue to close it and let Android continue to creep up then it’s pretty difficult as I see it.”

Microsoft wasn’t spared either, with Lo predicting “game over” for the Redmond giant and their Windows Phone 7  platform. He did not elaborate why, though. Maybe for kicks and giggles?

Source: Sydney Morning Herald.

ASUS ENGTX560 Ti DirectCU II TOP

The ASUS ENGTX 560 Ti Direct CU II TOP has been factory overclocked to 900 Mhz in order to provide excellent performance for gaming enthusiasts looking for a satisfying Direct X 11 experience. Like any GTX 560 Ti, this card is equiped with the GF114 chip for extra performance and extra PolyMorph and raster engines for a faster rate of tessellation. With the 822 MHz model priced at $250, and and the 900 MHz priced at $270, the factory overclocked version is a serious competition to other GTX 560 Ti cards on the market. However, the stock GPU clock of 900 MHz is merely a starting point for any overclocker that is willing to take this video card to its limit. As the Direct CU designation implies, this card is designed with an extremely efficient cooling system and equipped with high quality capacitors in order to withstand extremely high voltages. In fact, according to ASUS, the card was able to achieve a GPU clock of 1349 MHz with the use of liquid nitrogen. With these factors in
mind, the testing of overclocking capabilities as well as overall performance seem to carry promising results. However, only the data after rigorous tests will prove this card to be worthy, so let’s get to it.

http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=2000&pageID=10145

MSI N560GTX-Ti GeForce Video Card

History always repeats itself, and NVIDIA is hoping for a repeat performance with their new GTX 560 Ti video card. With performance per mm2 and per watt numbers that put the first Fermi chips to shame, the GTX 460 deserves all the success it has enjoyed. Now, they’ve applied the same tweaks to the GF104 GPU that brought the high-end Fermi cards back from the dead, and we have the new GF114 in place to do battle in the upper mid-market. MSI is also repeating the same steps they used with the GTX 460 to capture the interest of graphics overclocking enthusiasts. Their Twin Frozr II design offered a massive upgrade in performance compared to the stock cooling scheme, and it helped achieve a world record of 1.0 GHz on air cooling for the GTX 460. Fast forward six months and MSI has launched an upgraded GTX 560 Ti video card at the same time that the reference design is hitting the market. The MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC model offers up a modest 7! % factory overclock, but I’m guessing there’s more where that came from. Benchmark Reviews takes full advantage of MSI’s hardware upgrade, as we explore the full potential of NVIDIA’s latest midrange marvel on our test bed.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=689&Itemid=72

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