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MOBILE EXTRAS
INTRO
Computerise your handset's address book, make
and take calls whilst driving and assemble your own phone holder -- just some
of this month's wild, wacky and sometimes even useful cell phone accessories
COPY
FONE BOOK PLUS
Most cell phones can store scores of names
and phone numbers yet a surprisingly large number of users rarely get beyond a
dozen or so entries. In a lot of instances it has nothing to do with the size
of the phone owner's social circle or number of business contacts, and
everything to do with the effort of entering the information into the phone in
the first place. It can be a very tedious business, even on phones with
user-friendly displays and menu systems, and then there's the problem of changing
or editing data. On many handset it is nigh on impossible without recourse to
the instruction book -- when did you last see yours?
Fone Book Plus from Paragon Software makes
phone-book set-up and management a breeze by taking it out of the hands of the
phone's keypad and putting it on to your PC or laptop. Fone Book downloads the
contents of the phone's memory onto the PC, or you can start from scratch and
create an address book on your PC, then upload it to the phone. The master
address file created on the PC can import and export information to other
applications, such as Microsoft Word, and it can be used to set up E-mail and
fax entries on MS Exchange. Paragon has also produced a SMS messaging program,
called FoneNote that can be used in conjunction with Fone Book. This is not
included in the supplied software however; a trial version -- limited to 25
uses -- can be downloaded from their Internet web site (see below).
The package includes two 3.5-inch floppies
containing the programs, and a serial communications cable, tailored to suit
the phone being used. Installation follows normal Windows 95 conventions and an
icon is placed on the desktop, for easy access. When Fone Book is opened it
asks the user if they want to create an entry, however the first step should be
to set up the comms link. This is easy, simply select the make and model of
your phone from the list; the software automatically tests the line then reads and
displays your phone's internal and SIMM card memories.
A word of warning. The list of phone drivers covers models made by
Ericsson, Nokia and Philips, plus a sprinkling of handsets from other
manufacturers but there are many, many gaps. Only one Sony phone was listed,
nothing from Motorola and none of the secondary brands. Paragon say they're
continually updating the list but we recommend that you check with them first,
that your phone is covered, before you part with the plastic!
Our sample had no problems hooking up to a
Nokia 2110 test phone and we managed to read and update the onboard address book
and SIMM memories without any fuss. The facility to export a phone list to a
word processor, where it can be printed out is handy too. Some of the menus
could have been a little more intuitive but overall it is well-presented and
easy to use, certainly a darn sight easier than struggling with the keypad on
your phone. If you would like to make more of one of your phone's most useful
features, Fone Book is well worth trying.
THE FACTS
Typical Price £30
Features PC-based
cell phone address book manager
Min. sys. req 486 or higher, Windows 95 or NT
To fit mostly Ericsson, Nokia and Philips
phones
Contact Paragon
Software, (01635) 524909,
http://www.paragonsoftware.com/download
WHAT CELLPHONE VERDICT 88%
TAG ORIGINAL TWIN PACK
TAG
(it stands for The Accessory Group -- nothing to do with watchmakers
with similar sounding names…), have correctly reasoned that first and most
useful accessories most new cell phone owners buy are a case, and a car charger
cord. That's the thinking behind the Twin Pack, which is now available for most
phones sold in the UK.
The package we've been looking at is intended
for the Ericsson 688. The case is made from leather with elasticated sides, to
accommodate fatter heavy-duty batteries. Quality of manufacture is good and all
of the holes and windows line up. The phone is held in place with a
Velcro-fastening flap on the underside. The case is lined inside, to protect
the phone and there's a steel belt-clip on the back.
It's a similar story with the car charger
cord. The design is straightforward if not a little basic with the
microchip-controlled charger circuitry built into a cigarette lighter plug. On
the rear there's a single red LED, that shows power is connected and the
battery is charging. A full charge typically takes around 30 to 40 minutes,
depending on the phone and battery capacity.
Both products are quite well made and on
their own would probably cost a little more than the £25 being asked for the
Twin Pack. However what you're really paying for is convenience, if you've just
brought a new phone, and can't be bothered to shop around for accessories, look
out for this sensibly-priced one-stop solution.
THE FACTS
Typical Price £25
Features includes
in-car charger and leather case
To fit most popular makes
Contact The
Accessory Group, telephone (0990) 388355
WHAT CELLPHONE VERDICT 85%
HAMA QUICK CHANGE SYSTEM, HANDS-FREE CAR KIT
Weird! There's no other way to describe this
hands-free car kit from Hama… The concept is straightforward enough, it's a DIY
design, that can be quickly installed and removed but that's where the
similarity with the dozen or more kits on the market begins and ends.
We'd better begin with the price, which at
£100 is quite a lot for a 'simple' hands-free kit, more so when you consider
that it doesn't come with any sort of holder or cradle for the phone, that's
extra (Hama recommend their 'Passive Base Unit'). The design is very unusual;
the main component is a small U-shaped module, called the 'Diskus' electronic
box. It has a hole in the middle for a round mounting pin, that screws or
sticks to the car's dashboard or centre console using a pad of double sided
sticky tape. This allows the system to be quickly dismounted, and fitted into
another vehicle, for example, though you will need a second mounting clip.
All of the other parts plug into the Diskus. There
are two curly leads; one goes to a hinged cigarette lighter plug with a green
power-on LED indicator. The other one goes to a microphone module and plug that
fits into the phone's accessory connector socket. There's another LED indicator
on the microphone module and a switch that toggles between loudspeaker and
normal hand-held operation, when you want the call to be private. An aerial
coupler emerges from the phone accessory plug; this clips to the phone antenna
or plugs into an aerial socket, depending on the type of phone. A lead with an
in-line FME aerial socket comes out of the plug that fits into the Diskus box.
The really odd bit is the supplied loudspeaker;
it's contained in a curvy case that plugs into the sides of the Diskus. It's a peculiar
arrangement, and fiddly to fit, but the strange thing is the loudspeaker
literally 'dangles' from the electronic box. It looks as though it should be
adjustable, so it could be tilted to point in the driver's direction, but it
doesn't, it just hangs there, and bounces up and down, when you drive over a
bump in the road. At other times it simply rattles. An optional dash mountable
speaker is also available and we suspect this will be a much better bet for
most users.
The loudspeaker, though small, is quite
shrill and penetrating; unfortunately it's let down by the microphone on the
connecting lead, which on our sample was sensitive but not very directional. Unless
it was fairly close to the driver -- difficult unless the cradle is mounted on
top of the dashboard -- background noises compete with wanted sounds, prompting
a lot of callers to ask the user to speak up, or shout, to make themselves
heard.
The designers have tried just a little too
hard to be different. It's a smart and eye-catching product, and the basic
concept -- a quick-fit mounting system -- is a good idea, the trouble is, rival
systems, are just as easy to install and the performance of this unit is really
nothing to write home about. The biggest problem, though, is the price, and
with several similar kits on the market selling for less than £60, it's going
to take more than fancy cosmetics to sell this outfit.
THE FACTS
Typical Price £100
Features hands-free
car kit with flexible mount, aerial coupler and privacy function
To fit most popular makes and models
Contact Hama
UK, telephone (01256) 374700
WHAT CELLPHONE VERDICT 73%
AUTOHOUSE UNIVERSAL MOBILE PHONE HOLDER
A phone holder for less than three quid! What's the catch? The catch is you have to
assemble it yourself, and as an added bonus you get to find out how just strong
your fingers and fingernails are… The holder is designed to hang on the car
door; it comes with a mounting clip that fits down the gap between the door and
the window
The holder is formed from a thin sheet of
black polypropylene. That's the incredibly tough plastic that can be folded
repeatedly, without ever breaking. The sheet has cutouts and holes, and
pre-scored fold-lines. The trick is to get four tabs through slots in the fold
lines, it looks easy but believe us, it's not. The tabs have to go all the way
through, to fully engage, and this requires a fair amount of strength, and it's
murder on fingernails. If the tabs are not fully through the thing springs
apart and you have to start all over again. It's the sort of job that needs
three hands at least, plus a lot of patience.
Once you got the tabs to stay put the next
job is to fit the mounting clip. This also takes ages, until you get the hang
of it. The end result is not what you'd call pretty, in fact it looks a touch tacky,
in a cheap and cheerful sort of way, a bit like it's made from thin cardboard,
but it is surprisingly strong, and polypropylene is just about indestructible!
It works well enough, though having the phone mounted on the door takes a bit
of getting used to. It's not a natural position for the driver and it can get
in the way. It's also long way from the cigarette lighter socket, so it would
be difficult to use it with a car power cord or hands-free kit.
MBC Innovations who market the holder tell us
they're working on an 'Executive' version, made out of leather, that should be
with us later in the year. MBC also say they can be printed to order (bulk
quantities only), and it would certainly make an interesting promotional item
but do bear in mind that it is only a holder, not a substitute for a proper
hands-free car kit. If the phone rings when you're driving, pull over!
THE FACTS
Typical Price £2.79
(ex P&P)
Features self-assembly
polypropylene phone holder and door window kit
To fit most makes and models
Contact MBC
Innovations, telephone 0181-351 6456
WHAT CELLPHONE VERDICT 83%
THAMESMEAD TELEPHONE AND VDU WIPES
We must have some of the cleanest, healthiest
phones in captivity here at What Cellphone. They smell lemony fresh too, after
getting the once over from these cleanup wipes from Thamesmead Ltd. They're
packed in tubs of 150 and soaked in a cocktail of chemicals that clean,
sterilise and disperse static charge, so they're pretty good at sprucing up
your VDU as well. The cleaning action is impressive, it cuts through the gunge
that accumulates around a handset's buttons, and it did a bang-up job on greasy
slime that coats heavily used keys on computer keyboard. We'll have to take its
anti-bacterial properties as read, though any bugs would have to be pretty
tough to survive the smell which is strong, though not unpleasant.
THE FACTS
Typical Price £3.50
Features anti
bactericidal and anti-static cleaner wipes
To fit any dirty phone
Contact Thamesmead
Ltd., telephone 0171-639 0348
WHAT CELLPHONE VERDICT 87%
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Ó R. Maybury 1998 1106
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