Accessories

Choose Your Charger Well – A Guide to Cell Phone Chargers

Leave a comment

Phone chargers are everywhere. Let’s discuss some details. It’s quite possible you have in your possession a varied assortment of battery chargers – cords, plugs, power strips, USB cables, HDMI cables, A/V cables, phone chargers, ebook chargers, charger adapters, and whole bunch of cords with pins sticking out of them. Further complicating the matter is losing the ones you use the most. “Do I have a backup? Does this work with my device?” is what you’ll ask yourself, and you’ll grab the first thing that fits in two sockets.

But is it an optimal choice? Just because it works doesn’t mean that it works. You could be waiting an inordinate amount of time to charge your phone because you found a cable that is compatible with both your phone and an electrical outlet, or maybe just a USB port. So what should you look for in your charger, and should you opt for another?

I’ve recently been thinking about this after losing my phone charger on vacation. I bought a cheap USB charger at a CVS around the corner from my hotel, and I’ve been too lazy to buy a new charger.* What I’ve noticed is a much slower charge time. So what makes the difference?

The first thing to make sure of is that your generic charger is the connector type is compatible with your phone. Phone connections are not standardized, and many use a different connection, Apple included.

Secondly, know your voltage and amperage. Simply put, voltage is what pulls energy into the device. If the voltage is too high, you could blow out your devices because by overloading the circuits. For mobile phones and other mobile devices like the Kindle that charge with USB, the voltage is typically 5V. A laptop charger might be as high as 20V or 25V. You can usually find the voltage your device needs on the device itself, on the battery, or on the manufacturer’s web site.

As for amperage: amps are the current that’s supplied to your device. Amps are usually listed on your power supply as 2.7A or 1A, for example. This regulates how much power flows through from the power supply to the cell phone or tablet. The amperage listed on your power supply needs to match or exceed the amperage required by your device.

The major concern when searching for a cell phone cable or adapter is to make sure the connector matches your phone. For modern cell phones, the other critical specifications are nearly always the same. To avoid problems, always look for cables and adapters which state that they are for your brand and (if possible) model of phone.

Uncategorized

Carriers Conspiring to Block Smartphone Theft Technology?

Leave a comment

With the rising number of smartphone thefts has come a wave of new technologies that can help prevent or mitigate losses from theft. That is, if your carrier will let it. On Tuesday, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent letters to top executives of AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular inquiring into their recent decision to prevent Samsung from featuring a “kill switch” in carrier-approved smartphones. A remote kill switch could disable a stolen phone, rendering it worthless to thieves looking to sell it on the black market.

Why would the wireless carriers decide to block a technology that prevents smartphone theft? One of the possible notions Schneiderman now is looking into whether the nation’s phone companies are rejecting a potential solution to phone theft because it will cut into sales of phone insurance.

The top four wireless carriers will gain about $7.8 billion this year in insurance premiums from their customers, according to an estimate by Warranty Week, an industry trade publication. Asurion, a phone insurance company that pays the wireless carriers for each policy they sell, made an estimated $98 million in profit in 2010, according to Businessweek. Phone insurance plans normally cost between $7 and $11 per month, and require consumers to pay deductibles as high as $200 for a replacement phone.

These same carriers are blocking not just a hard “kill switch” but also software solutions which can actually track a lost or stolen smartphone. Absolute Software markets itself as “Absolute Software specializes in technology and services for the management and security of mobile computers, netbooks, and smartphones,” and has recovered more than 30,000 devices — mostly laptops and PCs — over the last two decades in more than 104 countries.

However their efforts to extend their service to smartphones has been thwarted by the very carriers that have nixed the kill switch. Executives said they had planned to embed their software, which can also disable stolen phones, in all new Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets this year. But wireless carriers, which decide which features are embedded in the devices they sell, have rejected the technology, according to Absolute Software executives.

But while top law enforcement officials have demanded that phone manufacturers create a kill switch to reduce phone robberies, Absolute Software executives say they would prefer their customers don’t use the feature. That’s because killing the phone prevents them from gathering crucial evidence that could help them recover the device.

“Once you kill the phone, you kiss $600 goodbye,” Clapham said.

For $30 a year, Absolute Software can erase sensitive data on the phone, activate a kill switch that renders the handset inoperable, or attempt to recover a stolen device. The company does not yet guarantee that it will replace the stolen phone if it can’t retrieve it.

“The carriers blocked us,” said Ward Clapham, vice president of investigations at Absolute Software.

As for Schneiderman, he has opened the official discussion into these matters, publicly stating: “If carriers are colluding to prevent theft-deterrent features from being pre-installed on devices as means to sell more insurance products, they are doing so at the expense of public safety and putting their customers in danger.”

Accessories, wifi

Devolo dLAN 500 WiFi Network Kit review

Leave a comment

From the tech site TechRadarPro comes a great review of a WiFi Network kit, for homes with spotty reception in parts of the house. From the article:

The problem is, not many people know what powerline networking is, or how it can help them improve their wireless connectivity throughout their house. Devolo’s response to this is to rid the box the Devolo dLAN 500 WiFi Network Kit comes in, along with any marketing materials, of confusing jargon that means little to the majority of people.

Instead, there are big, bold promises of easily improving the reach of your network and internet connection – both wired and wireless – throughout your house. Time will tell if this marketing push will pay off, but we can still check out the product itself to see if it delivers on these promises.

The Devolo dLAN 500 WiFi Network Kit we tested came with three adapters, which we feel is about the right amount if you want to make sure you have a good spread of Wi-Fi throughout the house.

Read more about the WiFi Network Kit at the review, here.

Accessories

Top Sites for iPhone and iPad Wallpaper

Leave a comment

Nowadays it seems that everyone has an iPhone or an iPad. Even finding others who have them in different colors isn’t unique any more. The only way to individualize your devices is to change the view on the inside. iPhone wallpaper can make your smartphone your own, and make it distinguishable from your sibling or your significant other. And while there are many different options on the web, we’ve decided to select a few of our favorite sites for iPhone wallpaper and other digital art.

 

1. Abduzeedo – Abduzeedo is a graphic design blog that’s got it all – various artistic collections, designs, interviews, daily inspiration, and, of course, wallpaper. In fact, it just celebrated its 7th anniversary of “Wallpaper of the Week”, its weekly focus on one particular artist’s work. There are pages and pages to choose from; however, if you don’t like any of them, Abduzeedo will help you make your own, with a free online tutorial found on the site. It’s got tutorials for Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, Pixelmator, and some case studies from other blog readers.

iphone wallpaper
Abduzeedo’s site even shows you what the wallpaper will look like on your iPhone.

 

2. The Fox Is Black – Like Abduzeedo, The Fox Is Black is a blog by and for designers, showcasing their favorite graphic design works, also with a weekly wallpaper from a profiled artist. The amount of creative styles should satisfy anyone looking to spice up their personalized phone art collection.

 

3. deviantART – On its website, deviantART boasts that they are the world’s largest online art community, “proudly showing 273 million pieces of art from over 29 million registered artists and art appreciators”. That’s a lot of art, and its wallpaper collection isn’t anything to sneeze at, with 24 different categories of art to choose from — anything from politics to people, and from minimalist to macabre.

 

4. I Love Typography – We’re adding this because we actually do love typography, sad as that may be to some of you. You’ll find some minimalist font styles that are definitely not the common wallpaper.

 

5. Poolga – This well-organized site offers illustrated wallpapers for iPhone retina displays, the new iPhone 5, iPad and iPad retina. The wallpapers are contributed by graphic artists and illustrators.

 

6. TSeventy – A sister site to Poolga, this features photographs instead of illustrations, sorted for iPhone, iPhone 4 and iPad.

7. iPhone Retina 5 Wallpaper – Wallpapers on this site are categorized and tagged for easy search. A wallpaper rating system allows you to see all of the top-rated wallpapers and download those as well. As a bonus feature, you can preview what the wallpaper would look like on the lock screen and home screen of your iPhone 5.

Accessories

Power Strip, Wifi Keep You Connected

Leave a comment

A new device will be allow you to control all your smart devices with just one. Engadget explains:

If you couldn’t tell by its name alone, the Smart Power Strip’s a card-carrying member of the ‘internet of things’ or, for those of you without jargon translators, ‘connected devices.’ The current Kickstarter project (and recent Insert Coin semifinalist) is nearing the final throes of its funding goal and to sweeten the pot for potential backers, its creators have announced SmartThings compatibility. We know… that’s a lot of ‘smart’ being thrown around. Allow us to explain. SmartThings is essentially a remote-controlled WiFi hub that monitors and governs all of the (wait for it) smart things, like the thermostat or lighting, around your house. The Smart Power Strip does just the same, granting users access to plugged in objects via a smartphone app. It’s easy to see why the two would want to link up in an happily ever internetted world. But buyer beware: you’ll have to specifically elect to receive a SmartThings compatible Smart Power Strip when you back the project, otherwise you’re in for a plain ‘ol intelligent power strip. How very common, we know.

We’ll be looking into this as it develops.

Uncategorized

Trader Joe’s: iFixYouri’s New Neighbor in Palm Beach Gardens

Leave a comment

The iFixYouri store in Palm Beach Gardens is about to get a welcome new neighbor in the PGA Plaza in which it resides: Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s is one of the most coveted supermarket franchises in the country; so much so the city of West Palm Beach made a video last year asking city officials, business leaders and residents “What would you trade for Trader Joe’s?”. Ultimately Trader Joe’s decided on Palm Beach Gardens, and our little shopping shopping center, originally built in the 1970s on the corner of PGA Boulevard and Prosperity Farms Road, which had a Winn-Dixie in it for many years, and now features other big businesses like JP Morgan Chase Bank, SunTrust Bank, Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, Dunkin Donuts, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Subway, and of course, iFixYouri.

The California-based grocer operates nearly 400 stores in 35 states. It opened its first three Florida stores — in Naples, Sarasota and Gainesville — last year. The first South Florida store is slated to open this year in Miami-Dade County’s Pinecrest neighborhood. Another Trader Joe’s is scheduled to open in Winter Park in Central Florida next year.

Trader Joe’s, in business since the 1950s, has such a large and loyal following that customers familiar with the brand have launched campaigns to lure stores into their neighborhoods.

Eric Jablin, Palm Beach Gardens’ vice mayor, said that during the past 15 years he’s written letters to Trader Joe’s asking them to come to the Sunshine State, and Palm Beach Gardens in particular.

We at iFixYouri are excited to have the type of company that Trader Joe’s is nearby, and not just for its produce or “Two-Buck Chuck.” It brings an aspect of forward thinking product to our area, and we couldn’t be happier about it.

So, to Trader Joe’s – welcome to Palm Beach Gardens! iFixYouri looks forward to your smoothies.

 

Accessories

Best Cases & Screen Protectors for Mobile Devices

Leave a comment

Just because we repair mobile devices doesn’t mean we want you to break them. And with all of the new devices that have recently been released, from the iPhones 5S and 5C to the new iPad Air to some of the Android devices, we’ve comprised a list of some of the best screen protectors on the market.

iPhone 5 Series

Spigen SGP iPhone 5S / 5C / 5 GLAS.tR Nano Slim Glass Screen Protector

This is an iPhone 5S screen protector that is made of tempered glass. That means impressive resilience against all manner of scratches, while also giving limited resistance to drops and knocks – something you won’t get from a plain plastic screen protector. Glass screen protectors are also easier to apply, with little chance of air getting trapped beneath such a flat surface.

Draco Design Aluminium Bumper for iPhone 5S

The Luxury Gold edition of the Draco Design Aluminium Bumper has a first-rate look and feel for the iPhone 5S. The case is made from precision-milled aircraft-aluminum which is light and strong, ensuring good protection for your iPhone without adding a lot of weight. The curves of the bumper also make it easier to hold onto it.

Complete Protection Kit for iPhone 5/5S from Booq

The Complete Protection Kit for iPhone 5/5s from Booq, includes an ultra thin snap-on case and a tempered glass screen protector. The kit comes with a polycarbonate scratch resistant black or clear case. It also includes a tempered glass screen protector, a microfiber cleaning cloth, and two optional adhesive home button covers.

Ye!! Energy Pocket for Lightning iPhones and iPads

The Ye!! Energy Pocket is a 6,000 mAh portable charger for Lightning devices, which includes the iPhone 5, the iPad 4, the 5th generation iPod Touch and the iPad Mini series. The Energy Pocket is a good middle ground between size and capacity, offering sufficient power to recharge an iPhone about three times over. That’s an incredible increase in longevity, and should allow you to go three or four days without needing to recharge from a wall outlet.

iPad Air and Mini

Armorz has announced a new screen protector for the iPad Air and iPad Mini, made from Corning’s Gorilla Glass. Corning’s durable panels are used in many of the best smartphones in the world, thanks to their ability to withstand a considerable amount of abuse. Armorz new Stealth Extreme R uses a super-thin, 0.4mm piece of tempered Gorilla Glass, ready to add an extra layer of protection to your device. The glass protector sticks to the screen using a strong silicon adhesive and has rounded corners and a tapered edge for maximum comfort and minimum effect on the look of your tablet.

Android

The Otterbox Defender

The Otterbox Defender is one of the best rugged Galaxy Note 3 cases because of its durable material and multi-layer build. The inner layer is made of polycarbonate while the outer is made of synthetic rubber slipcover with a belt-clip and built-in screen protector. The Defender does not only covers the phone body, but it also covers all phone ports and jacks, buttons and camera to guard it from dust and debris. In a nutshell, Otterbox Defender is considered one of the best protective covers for your Galaxy Note 3 against all kind of impacts, scratches, dust, and smudge. The case is available in Black, Grey, Blue, and Purple.

Uncategorized

Review: The iPad Air

Leave a comment

A few weeks ago, Apple released its newest product, the iPad Air, and as the name implies, it is the lightest iPad to date, weighing in at one pound, or less than a loaf of bread. It’s got new design features, a more compact frame, and better, faster hardware. We’re going to go over the salient points in more detail, to see if the iPad Air is worth the price tag (more on that in a bit).

The iPad Air has a smooth back design, thinner bezel and more attractive speakers at the bottom of the phone, and comes in two colors — Space Gray and Silver.  It also has machined buttons that don’t feel loose when shaking, bringing up the premium feel to the device.

iPad Air
The iPad 3 (left) next to the newer, thinner, and lighter iPad Air.

As for the interior, it holds Apple’s A7 chip, just as the iPhones 5C and 5S carry, bringing with it 64-bit processing power, enabling it to work seamlessly with the new iOS 7, maximizing its power potential. It also allows for battery saving techniques to keep your tablet going even longer in day-to-day use. It’s also got a 9.7-inch retina display, which features over 3.1 million pixels — a million more than an HDTV, as the Apple site boasts.

As for that price tag . . . it’s really not bad at all. Consider that the WiFi-only models range from $499 to $799 ($499 for the 16GB, $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64GB, and $799 for 128GB), while the WiFi + Cellular models range from $629 to $929 for the same memory. Factor in that there’s a lot of useful software added into the stock purchase, and you’re looking at a reasonable price for a sleek and functional machine.

A few things the Air doesn’t have — it doesn’t come with the TouchID that was so prominently touted during the release of the iPhone 5S. Why? I haven’t read of a sufficient reason, other than people speculating that Apple will release it with the next model, as it has sometimes done with new technology.

The Air doesn’t come with a keyboard either (like the rest of the iPads) but there are some cool accessories you can purchase that will add the keyboard to it, for those who prefer the laptop-style addition to tablets. Belkin were the first to release iPad Air extras – including covers and keyboards.

The Qode Ultimate Keyboard Case leads the brand’s parade of new accessories, and sports a black or silver aluminum body and an impressive 264 hours of active battery life for $130. Alternatively, there’s the Qode ThinType Keyboard Case for $100 with 79 hours of battery life.For $80 there is the Qode Slim Style keyboard case – in black, red, topaz, purple and sorbet. They are all available to pre-order today, but are not available yet.

Ultimately, is the iPad Air worth it? Yes. The 128 GB is a step above other Android tablets, and with the A7 chip, the retina display, and the cell phone capability, the iPad Air is still is in a class of its own.

Smartphone, Tablet and Computer Repairs and News