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MOBILE EXTRAS
STANDFIRST
Get a buzz, keep your hands free, protect
your brain and play along with the Bash Street Kids…. It can only be this
month’s round up of cellphone weird, wacky and wonderful cellphone accessories
COPY
SILENT CATCHER KEYRING,
Have you noticed that when your mobile phone
is close to a radio, from time to you’ll hear a burst of low-pitched bleeps?
That’s your phone keeping in touch with the local cell site, or logging on to
another site, if you’re on the move. Silent Catcher harnesses the same effect
-- whereby a nearby receiver picks up signals emitted by your phone. It’s a
small key ring sized device that gently vibrates whenever you receive an
incoming call, so you can switch off the phone’s ringer, and not disturb
others.
Inside the key fob there’s a small receiver
circuit, tuned to GSM cellphone frequencies, that activates a tiny motor with a
weight on the rotating shaft. A long-life lithium battery powers it and there
are two sensitivity settings. The ‘lo’ position is used when the phone is no
more than a foot or so from the Silent Catcher, the ‘hi’ position works up to
three feet away. The only other control is a small button, to cancel the alert.
It works really well; vibrations travel
easily through several layers of clothing. Occasionally went off for no good
reason. Initially we suspected it was being triggered by other, nearby
cellphones, though throughout our tests we never heard any other ringers. Maybe
they were using silent ringers as well? Using the lo sensitivity setting didn’t
seem to affect the number of false alarms, so it may well have been some other
kind of transmission. Nevertheless, they were rare enough not to be a big
problem, and it doesn’t take long to recognise a genuine call as it has the
characteristic brrrm – brrrm pattern.
The really good thing about Silent Catcher is
that it works with any GSM phone, so it not a problem when you change or
upgrade your mobile. It’s also cheaper than most dedicated vibrating call
alerts, and if you clip it on your key ring you won’t forget it, when you want
to be discreet and stay in touch.
THE FACTS
Typical Price £20
Features silent
vibrating call alert, two sensitivity settings
To fit all GSM phones
Contact The
Link mobile phone shops
WHAT CELLPHONE VERDICT 85%
ALL-IN-1 HANDS-FREE CAR KIT
There really is no excuse for driving whilst
using your mobile phone. Apart from anything else it’s illegal, you risk
causing an accident and if caught, the penalties can be severe. It’s not as
though they’re expensive any more, or difficult to fit. Take this one from
Kondor for example, it costs £30, and that’s a lot less than a prang, or a
fine, or worse!
The All-In-1 is a clever design; it plugs
into the car’s cigar lighter socket. The plug is attached to a small
amplifier/speaker module, it’s hinged, and can turn through 270 degrees, so the
speaker can be easily positioned to face the driver. That’s just as well
because it is quite small, and not terribly loud, though the volume sufficient
for most family saloons. The sound is quite tinny too but that doesn’t matter
too much with speech. In any event there’s also provision for an optional
earphone or external speaker, which can be placed closer to the driving
position. On the base of the module there are three sockets, the largest is an
US-style phone socket, used by the curly lead that plugs into the accessory
socket on the base of the phone. Our sample was designed to be used with Nokia
8110 models; variants are available for most other popular makes and type of
mobile phone. The other two sockets, (mini and sub-min jacks) are for the
aforementioned external speaker, and a microphone, which is supplied.
The mike cable is a couple of metres long, so
it should be possible to route it behind the dash and up to the sun-visor on
most cars; it comes with a clip, to hold it in place. On the side of the module
there’s a tiny volume control, and on the front there’s a single green LED, to
show the power is on, and the phone battery is being charged. Incidentally, the
kit works on a 12 to 24 volt DC supply, so it can also be used in trucks and
vans, as well as cars.
Previous encounters with this kind of car kit
have reduced our expectations, when it comes to audio volume and quality, but
we have to admit this one’s not half bad. True, it’s not going to win any
prizes but speech is quite crisp, not terribly loud, but there’s always the
option to add an external speaker. The microphone is reasonably directional.
Callers reported fairly good sound quality – they can tell it’s hands-free but
at least you’re understandable -- with reasonably low levels of background
noise.
The big plus points are simplicity of
installation and price, it works quite well too. So next time you’re trying to
change gear, steer and hold a conversation all at the same time think how much
easier, and less dangerous it would be with one of these.
THE FACTS
Typical Price £30
Features plug-in
hands free car kit with external microphone and rotating neck
To fit most popular makes and models
Contact Kondor
Ltd., telephone (01425) 474444
WHAT CELLPHONE VERDICT 85%
TALKMAN COMBO 300
Owner of Ericsson 200 and 300 series phones
pay attention; this one’s for you. It’s a combined hands-free kit and a
vibrating call alert, in one small neat package. This is a great idea if you
want to keep your calls personal, and not bother others. It comes in two parts,
a small module that clips onto the base of the phone, and a combined
earphone/microphone. The base module looks pretty much like a standard Ericsson
adaptor, with a small jack socket on the side for the ear/mic cable but inside
there’s a miniature vibrator, that buzzes in time with the ringer.
It’s just over 1cm thick, and weighs next to
nothing, so it doesn’t add much to the bulk of the phone, though you’ll
probably find it won’t fit into a standard carry case any longer. A pair of
spring-loaded grippers on the side clip onto notches on the underside of the
phone, and a row of contacts mate with the phone’s accessory connector. Set up
is simple, just turn down the ringer volume and that’s all there is to it.
Ericsson phones automatically switch over to the external microphone and
earphone.
The vibrator isn’t exactly silent; it makes a
fairly high-pitched buzzing sound, though it’s barely audible from inside a
jacket pocket. The level of vibration is quite high, enough to make itself felt
in suit or trouser pocket. Audio quality in the earphone is good and loud
enough to be able to hold a conversation in a busy office, or in a car. It
might be a little difficult to hear in the street though, against the hubbub of
traffic. The microphone is around 15 cm downstream from the earphone putting it
fairly close tot he user’s mouth so it picks up speech without any difficulty.
Audio quality at the other end is reported to be clear and intelligible.
There’s a sliding clip on the lead, to stop it moving around.
Combining two such useful features in one
accessory is a great idea, and the price is fair. Well worth considering if you
have a suitable Ericsson phone, it’s just a shame that it’s not available for
other makes and models of phone.
THE FACTS
Typical Price £40
Features combined
hands-free kit and vibrating call alert
To fit Ericsson 200/300 series
Contact Digital
Images, telephone 0171-636 7127
WHAT CELLPHONE VERDICT 88%
RADIATION FREE LEATHER CASE
The debate over whether or not cellular
telephones emit dangerously high levels of ionising radiation continues to
surface in the media from time to time. It’s not an argument we’re about to
enter into here. Suffice it to say that the evidence on both sides is
inconclusive but if you are worried there are steps you can take to mitigate
the risk. In recent months several phone manufacturers have cottoned onto
public concern, developing phones that, it is claimed, redirect the electromagnetic
radiation away from the user’s head. A number of accessory companies have also
launched cases that incorporate protective shielding. One of the latest
arrivals is this one from Cell-Kit.
From the outside it looks pretty much like
any other carry case. It has a leather finish, with a large transparent window
at the front, for the keypad and display. Our sample, designed to fit a
Motorola Flare, was very well made, with neat stitching and piping around the
edges, the top flap is held in place by a Velcro strip. On the back there’s a
strong spring steel belt clip and a detachable wrist strap. The sides are
elasticated, so it can accommodate phones with larger high capacity battery
packs, the inside is lined, with no protrusions or rough edges to scratch your
phone.
The shielding is made from materials
developed in Japan, that the manufacturers claim will reduce emissions by over
99%. There are some poorly translated explanations on the back of the
packaging, and a warning on the front that says ‘Electomagnetic Waves of
Cellular phone invade your brain’… The gist of it seems to be that it uses a
polyester fabric, impregnated with copper-nickel conductor, that is impervious
to mobile phone operating frequencies in the 800MHz to 1.5GHz range. This
includes the transparent panel on the front, and if you look closely, though a
magnifying glass, it’s just possible to make out a fine mesh pattern.
Testing its efficacy proved to be rather
difficult. We considered strapping a phone to someone’s head for several
months, calling them up a lot, subjecting them to regular brain scans and
intelligence tests but no one volunteered. But seriously, until there’s clearer
scientific evidence, one way or another, it’s very difficult to make meaningful
judgements. In the end we took the easy way out and sought to establish whether
or not the case impaired the phone’s performance.
We decided the best way to do that is use the
phone in a marginal signal area, with and without the case, to see if it makes
a difference. The short answer is that it does, but not by much. We noticed a
slight drop in signal level with the phone in the case. It was just enough to
increase line echo and on one occasion, drop the line, however in a good signal
area the case had no noticeable effect.
There is a very small drop in phone
performance, though our tests indicate it’s only a problem when the signal is
already weak. This does suggest that there is a shielding effect, though
clearly most of the radiation is still being emitted through the antenna and
since this is no more than a centimetre or two from the user’s head, it’s still
being absorbed by the old grey matter. We cannot say if this represents a
worthwhile reduction or lessening of risk, but if you are worried, every little
helps. The case is well made, and not dramatically dearer than a plain leather
case, so if you want to hedge your bets, give it a try.
THE FACTS
Typical Price £25
Features claims
to reduce harmful emissions by more than 99%
To fit most makes and types
Contact Cell-Kit,
telephone (01323) 731100
WHAT CELLPHONE VERDICT 83%
PHONEY OF THE MONTH
THE BASH STREET KIDS PHONE GAME
Nokia is being pretty smug about their new
high-tech game-playing cellphone, but here’s one that doesn’t need batteries,
there are no monthly call charges and it costs less than £2.00. Beano fans will
love it. Open the flip at the front and there’s a water-powered hoop-la game.
Pressing the buttons squirts a load of little rings that you have to manoeuvre
onto a couple of hooks. Very challenging! On the back there’s a ball game, with
a spring-loaded trigger on the side, to ping the balls. Terrific fun and a
great way to while away those long boring meetings…
THE FACTS
Typical Price £1.99
Features mini
pin-ball and hoop-la games
To fit most pocket money budgets
Contact your
local toy ‘n novelty store
WHAT CELLPHONE VERDICT 80%
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Ó R. Maybury 1998 1302
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