Bye for now

Sorry to say that due to work commitments, freelancing and my other web sites I doubt I will find the time to continue to update this blog. My posts have been sporadic at best recently and I guess the time has come to not promise more articles and news.

The E61 has proved to be a fantastic device with a huge battery life, fantastic stability and is easily in my top three of mobile devices used (have used more than 50:))

Having said that, I am now moving to a Palm 680 and this is the main reason for stopping the blog. Despite the terrible battery life I suspect I really do need a phone with a large amount of 3rd party applications and prefer it this way.

Thanks to those of you who contributed to this blog and who knows, I may be back with Symbian soon…

Aluminium Case for Nokia E61

The PDair Aluminium Case looks quite nice considering it is a metal design. Most metal cases look awful but I like the fact that this one is black and it seems to complement the silver E61 well.

Thin, Lightweight and strong.
With transparent plastic protection.
Removable 360 degrees belt clip included.
Anodized aircraft-grade aluminium prevents from scratches.
Neoprene inner lining for extra protection and shock absorber.
Easy access to all buttons and features.
High tensil strength aluminium.
Cutouts give easy access to all handheld features.
Easy to install.

vaja classic E61 case

Got load of money? Worried about style more than aything else? Neither of those apply to me but the vaja classic E61 case may well be a good choice and starting at $60 is not too expensive.

- Screen protector- Access to Pop-Port connector, infrared port and charger socket.- Cutout for volume keys & voice recorder button- Access to Power/ Profiles button- Access to Email LED Indicator- Speaker mesh protector- Optional personalization- Choose the clip system- Choose the colors- Size: 2,81″ x 4,65″ x 1,04″ 7,13 x 11,82 x 2,63 cm - Fits: Nokia E61.

Eugenia has written an excellent review of this product here- “The Vitelino case can optionally come with a belt clip or just with the rivet pin so you can use your own belt clip. It requires a bit of force to fit the E61 all the way in the case, but you only do that once and it makes the device secure inside its case.

The Vitelino case comes with a plastic screen protector which is very effective and it blocks glare. It does not distort the screen image, even if the plastic protection itself is a bit distorted…”

E61 Crystal Case Review

Last week Brando sent me a Crystal Case for the Nokia E61 to test and it got me to thinking about Smart Phones and cases. I used to carry my traditional style PDAs in cases all day and every day and they became a required part of my set up. Each case had to have spaces for credit cards etc. and thus no wallet was needed either.

When I received my Treo 650 that all changed and the thought of carrying it in a case was alien to me. Hon earth can I put a smart phone in a case and still use it practically for phone and PDA use throughout a working day? The problem is that a certain level of protection is required as well and this we are left with cases that fit snugly to the device, allow all of the features to be used and also let the design of the device show through.

I had a Crystal Case for the Treo and to this day it is the only one I use on a regular basis because it offers a certain level of protection whilst keeping the phone dimensions roughly the same and allowing that lovely modern Treo design with the gorgeous antenna showing (the lovely and gorgeous bits were a joke by the way).

Take a look at the Nokia E61 image on the left- it is a pointless photo for this review because you cannot tell that the phone is even in a case and that’s the beauty of this product. It fits the E61 absolutely perfectly and even on the back it is moulded to the slight centre drop down of the E61. Having no touch screen is an advantage for this case because no flip up part is required. Without this the case itself is a lot more solid than for example the Treo variant. Access to all functions is good but some have mentioned that the QWERTY keys nearest the edge of the case are more difficult to press- I do agree with this and it takes some getting used to but in my view it is not a big hinderance as I can still type at good speeds with the case on (this review is written on the E61).

The front and back part of the cases clip together very firmly and at no time have they come apart in my testing. The majority of damage done to PDAs is usually from minor scratched and dinks when dropped- this case may not save the device from a big fall but in my view it will stop 90% of the normal damage caused to a phone through day to day use. It’s fair to say that the case itself is quite scratchable and will suffer from the odd mark but beter that than your £200 device suffering the consequences. At least I can now put my phone in my pocket without worrying- that was one thing I would not do with the Nokia until now.

It is $14.00 which is excellent value (especially considering the state of the US$ at the moment) and I for one view this as the best accessory I have for my Nokia at this time. If you own another device take a look around the Brando site because there are cases available for various models.

Available from Brando for $14.00. Pros: great value, looks superb on the phone itself, design quality. Cons: can get scratched easily.

Universal European made Executive Tower PDA Mount / PDA Holder

Thankfully the E61 appears to be one device that does not fall over at even a sniff of Sat Nav (unlike the Treo…) so it is advisable to have a decent holder for it when travelling.

The Universal European made Executive Tower PDA Mount / PDA Holder is my cradle of choice and it works well with the Nokia, leaving room for charging and also having a firm grip on the sides.

A friend of mine who also works on PDA247 had a crash in his car a few months ago and it was basically a write off. Guess what, the cradle was still stuck to his windscreen- that says a lot about it. Well worth £24.95.

“Looking for vibration free mount solution for your PDA? This excellent, versatile European made Executive Tower Mount is perfect answer. Looking to use your PDA in car for Satellite Navigations? The Executive Tower Holder has screw tightened swivel head that rotates 360 degrees so that it can holder your PDA in vertical or in horizontal position. Extendible arm allows for perfect and optimum viewing position. Once you have the perfect setting, all you have to do is tighten the screws and freeze the setting. This Universal Holder uses patented ratchet system and is made to last, unlike some cheaper holders. The suction mount is one of the strongest available in the market today, if not the strongest and it comes with a Self-Adhesive disc so that it can be mounted on top of the dashboard or on windshield. You’ve spent hundreds on your PDA, so why spend money on cheap PDA holder s that may last few months? These holders are guaranteed for 12 months.”