kcjh's world

Unboxing of a Three (3) Huawei D100 Router

2008-10-23T13:59:00.003+01:00

Not a massive fan of 'unboxing' videos, but thought some of you might be interested! So here it is - the Three (3) Huawei D100 Router - leaving it's box! :) I'm gonna do a full review of this bad boy soon! Oh - also - it DOESN'T have a battery (from what I gather). Enjoy!

An afternoon at the park!

2008-10-18T15:16:00.002+01:00

Gotta love going to the park!

FAIL : Chelmsford Three Store (in Superdrug)

2008-10-15T10:35:00.003+01:00

Following the news on Mobile Industry Review regarding 3 now selling their Modem Router I decided to pop into their little store in Chelmsford High Street - within the Superdrug.

I had to wait about 10 mins - they guy was selling a contact to some fella who could JUST speak English. He'd been in the UK for 1 week - and wanted a contract. The guy went through the motions and as his credit in the UK was non existant - he had to pay £100 deposit. Obviously as the guy had no idea of English - it made pretty painful viewing watching this be explained.

ANYWAY.

The Three guy finally acknowledges me, while the other customer is trying to remember his PIN number.

The conversation goes a bit like this..

Me - Hi! Do you have any of the Three Wireless Broadband Routers in stock?
Three Guy - *Looks VERY puzzled* - No, we don't sell wireless bluetooth sir - sorry for the wait by the way.

Right - two things - Three - train your staff at this branch better - give them some idea of upcoming products! Secondly - regardless of what I asked for, isn't ALL bluetooth wireless????

Think i'll buy online.

i like - mobileindustryreview.com

2008-10-13T23:03:00.002+01:00

Not written one of these for a while - but I really do love Mobile Industry Review. Brilliant site for those in - or indeed (like me!) interested in the Mobile Industry, headed up by Ewan MacLeod and his team of fantastic writers - it is a great website. The commenting system on each story brings together loads of great and friendly people and there is a fantastic community. Amazingly enough I was nominated for a 'Best Reader' award in this year's MIR Award Show - didn't realise i'd made that much of an impact! Check it out!

O2's 'Unlimited' Data Bolt On - The story continues..

2008-10-13T11:49:00.006+01:00

Further to my post here with regards to getting a semi threatening SMS for using too much data - I get home at the weekend to find a letter from them. Again saying they had sent me a text with regards to high usage. They haven't.

The letter says that i've been either a) Doing video/audio streaming and or using VOIP - well I can't even if I wanted to - the O2 3G is so painfully slow where I am, not the dark side of the moon, Chelmsford, Essex. b) Using my SIM in a modem - again - there is no point - see part a. c) I can't remember the exact turn of phrase, but basically i'm trying to bring the O2 data network crashing down.

Can't say I'm doing any of the above, the letter basically says if I carry on doing what I'm not doing my data will be cut off until my next bill. To be honest, if they do that I shall be taking my business elsewhere. I've been with them for 4 years now, it's been mildly pain free, but I don't take kindly to being threatened, or accused of things I haven't done.

Cunts.

11102008029

2008-10-11T12:45:00.001+01:00

Ahh Tea!

O2 - Don't scare me like that!!

2008-10-10T16:13:00.002+01:00

Was doing a brief shop around Sainsburys when I got an SMS through from O2. It said -

'O2 : Due to your daily data usage being extremely high following our previous warning'

And that was it! Admittedly I was a little bit concerned (I *might* hammer my O2 Data a *leetle* bit too hard), but i've never had ANY warning from them. At the same time my emoze wouldn't connect, leading me to think my data had been cut off.

I drove home picturing the strongly worded conversation i'd be having with O2's Customer Service Dept. When I got home and I logged on to my laptop, I receieved another SMS from O2 -

'O2 : Due to an administrative error you may have been contacted again regarding data usage. Please accept our sincere apologies if this error has affected you.'

Emoze is working again, so I assume all is dandy.. my god - I did panic for a moment though!

Nokia Care? No I don't think they do...

2008-10-09T11:02:00.004+01:00

.. if they did they'd have more bloody staff on the phones!

As you know - I love my phone - and I use Nokia Maps a lot. Obviously with Nokia Maps youhave to buy a licence to use the Voice Navigation. Which is fine. You can do this by SMS, Credit Card etc. I use the SMS option, as I don't want to faff with my credit card, I just want it to work. For some reason, I seem to have been sent far too multiple premium rate SMS's - which has elevated my bill, not massively, but enough.

A look around Nokia.co.uk yeilded nothing. So I spotted a number for 'Nokia Care' - sounds all warm and fuzzy doesn't it? Not really? I get through quickly, to a simple menu, no option to speak to a human being, just.. well some vague options. I pick one of them, straight away, a human answers.. Fantastic! I explain my problem, and his response is a rather curt 'You'll have to speak to someone technical'. I start to say 'Okay, that's fine...' and the phone cuts to some hold music, seemed very rude to me!

Then I wait...

and do some more waiting..

After 30 mins of waiting, i'm cross, I hang up. There is no indication as to queue times, or a 'call me back' system. NOTHING.

Nokia Care my ARSE!

More on this soon.

Virus / Malware thing on Facebook

2008-10-09T10:51:00.005+01:00

Would seem an increasing amount of people are getting this nasty virus / malware thing that sends messages to your friends via Facebook, trying to infect them too. The messages are similar to those below :-

Subject :- I saw you tehre. oh. youu're colo. I likke yoou.
Message :- COOOOOOL!! : http://google.com.br/search?q=trick.film.welt&btnI

Subject :- It was a god idea batrhoom
Message :- HA HA HA: http://www.new.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=75466804794&topic=38304

Subject :- Private videeo with you and your friend. Who postd it?
See ASAP! : http://altnetseattle.googlegroups.com/web/hYzRMZ.htmletcccc

Best way to remove it is to go to MalwareBytes.Org, download, install, and run their free anti-malware software, and once it's cleared your PC - change your password on Facebook!

Hope this helps someone!

Crikey.. it's been a while.

2008-10-05T20:38:00.003+01:00

Not blogged for a very long time. My feet really haven't hit the ground at all! :) I've been just so bloody busy! The business - kcjh design - has started off well, really well. Just closed the books on month one and i've done fantastically! I've been flitting lots between Chelmsford, and Tooting Broadway. My free time and Em's course at ARU have let me do what i've wanted to do and actually do more of the 'Dad bit', it's been nice taking G to and from school.

I'm really proud of how G is, she seems so happy and settled these days - probably helps *I'M* happy and settled! She is a little sponge to everything around her, words, expressions, phrases, emotions, it is incredible really just how much she remembers!

So it's all good in the hood really. Just wish there were more hours in the day!

Removing O2's Image Compression on Mobile Web - Handy for iPhone users!

2008-08-20T09:27:00.005+01:00

Anyone who uses O2's data might have noticed they, by default like to compress images for you. This obviously means you use less data, BUT it also means on the iPhone, and high end smartphones, the quality or them can look very shoddy indeed. Especially if you are using your phone as an access point on your laptop!

This, thankfully is easily fixed, all you need to do is go into you access point settings. On my N95 this is Tools > Settings > Connection > Access Points > 02 Mobile Web. Scroll down and alter the 'User name' to 'bypass' (obviously without the '). On the iPhone I think it is Settings > General > Network > Cellular Data Network. Next time you connect you'll see all the images as intended. Not a jot of compression in site! SWEET!

Things to do in Chelmsford when you're dead....... Well not dead, just setting up a business.

2008-07-29T17:52:00.001+01:00

So much to do, so little time. This is a mental note of stuff I need to do.

*Do the website
*Sort out the stationary
*Register with Inland Revenue etc
*Bank Account
*Sort out software for laptop
*Full business plan and financial forecast

Thankfully I don't need to go grovelling to the bank for money. I'll add stuff while I think of it.

Nokia N95 - A year on

2008-07-25T08:13:00.002+01:00

Those who know me, will know I'm glued to my phone, my Nokia N95 which I've owned for a year now. With good reason too. Take now for example, my train is leaving Liverpool Street, I'm sat with my stereo A2DP bluetooth headset, listening to music wirelessly, I'm blogging on here, having my email pushed to me. All with one device! I could take a photo if I wanted, or look up where I an on Google Maps too. Oh and as I write I've got a text, a quick application switch lets me read it.

You get my point - that is pretty impressive for a device that is smaller than cigarette box! It has change the way I work, and play totally. I have no need for my iPod now. I use iTunes Agent to sync with iTunes. I use the fantastic 5 MP camera to take photographs. My trusty old Kodak C340 has hardly been out with me the past year simply because the Nokia gives better results. I used to run TomTom on my old Nokia N70 which was okay, but I needed an external bluetooth GPS and to be honest the bluetooth on the N70 was SHOCKING. That has obviously been superseded by the brilliant Nokia Maps and the built in GPS. Nokia Maps and the built in GPS came under a lot of fire when the N95 was first released. It wasn't great to be honest - but the advent of firmware upgrades and also the lovely Nokia Maps 2 really has given me a perfect all in one solution.

Last night for example, I arrived at Liverpool Street Tube Station to find they had shut it - not sure why. I knew that Bank was a short walking distance, so I went outside, fired up Nokia Maps, found Bank Tube Station and it led me right up to it. No fuss or drama, and I continued my journey.

I guess the only real stumbling block of the phone, in my opinion is the Web Browser, don't get me wrong, it is GOOD. But when using something like Opera Mini - I find the experience better, it feels more like a true web 'experience' rather than a trimmed down 'mobile web' one. Opera Mini isn't perfect, but I feel it is just a little bit more 'swish' than the default S60 effort.

Oh and from a more technical point of view it does need just a leetle bit more RAM - I've found if I've got a lot running, and say, the phone rings, sometimes everything will just close down. Which is a little bit annoying! The battery life is moaned about a lot, but I never find it an issue, I charge it at night - and will top it up sometimes in the office. On the whole I've never run out of charge, and considering I use a lot of 3G (Push Email is on all the time, plus I do a LOT of browsing!) and have my Bluetooth on for a few hours each day, it seems fine.

The sad thing is that I don't think Nokia are evolving the N Series as quickly as they should - the new Nokia N96 looks great, but isn't technically much different to the N95. Samsung, who are relative new comers to the Symbian OS have just announced the INNOV8 (i8510) which looks like the phone the N96 should have been, better camera both in terms of mega pixels and facilities, more RAM, bigger battery, and it looks very sexy! I hope the N Series does evolve soon, my upgrade is in 6 months time and I would love another Nokia - just not sure if the N96 will cut it for me.

i like - Spinvox

2008-07-24T11:15:00.003+01:00

I've never been a fan of voicemail, I usually get a message saying i've got one, and then forget to actually listen to it. I'd seen Spinvox mentioned on a few sites - like SMS Text News and not really 'got' what it was. In a bored moment at work I decided to investigate - and boy i'm glad I did!

Spinvox is a replacement voicemail service, people leave messages, as usual, and you can listen to them, as usual. The unsual aspect is what makes Spinvox AMAZING. The Spinvox computers listen to the message and transcribe it into a text message - with scary accuracy.

Here is a message I got last night from my mate Jules :-

'"Hi Surie(?), it's only me. Just phoning up really just to see what was going on. Anyway I'll try and catch you tomorrow sometime. See you later. Bye." - spoken through SpinVox <*08>'

Obviously it didn't pick up Jules saying 'Sweetie' - i'll let it off - Jules does sound 'speshal' at times ;) but still thats pretty fooking amazing. My sceptical boss even tested it out by speaking French - and it even understood that!

Obviously, it does cost, but in my opinion - it's worth EVERY penny!

Public transport - not bad at all!

2008-07-23T08:38:00.001+01:00

As a rule I try to avoid public transport, I prefer to drive, but my two months of travelling on National Express and the Tube have been on the whole, stress free! Not suffered any major delays, not been late to work or ever held up more than about ten minutes. Oyster cards are amazing, so simple to use, and keep it fairly cheap. Lets hope Boris rolls them out across mainline services!

The end of an era..

2008-07-23T08:29:00.000+01:00

So, the deed is done, i've handed my notice in at Bridon. It will be five years this October since I joined, the longest job i've ever had. Amazing really, it doesn't feel that long at all. Still it's changed massively since i've joined, the place is pretty unrecognisable, Incredible to think *I* was actually part of a most of those changes, it's nice to leave your mark somewhere.

So yeah, my dream of running my own business is slowly coming true. A lot needs to be done still, but at last, i'm on the road to doing it.

Fingers crossed I can still keep Bridon as a client, we shall see. I'm feeling very, hmm, reflective, I guess, but i'm feeling confident in myself. Which is unheard of for me! I know i'm good at what I do, i've still got lots to learn, but, i'm on my way. Thank fuck for that eh? :)

Oh yeah, keep an eye on kcjh design.

Musings from the train..

2008-07-18T17:25:00.000+01:00

*Flathead by the Fratellis is amazing.
*Madonna is past it.
*I prefer blondes.
*Can't believe its nearly been a year since Gale died.
*The woman in front of me is cute, but doing very very odd exercises with her head and neck.. Strange.
*Can people in wheelchairs do wheelies? - might have to ask the textperts that one!
*I'm horny.
*Can't decide what to have for tea.
*Need a lay in!
*Whatever happened to Gomez?
*Who reads my blog? Aside from ex's and randoms...

That's all for now.

Closure

2008-07-09T21:42:00.002+01:00

Hmm - its a funny phrase - very American, and new age. But I guess I am understanding it now. You can't really have new chapters in your life without another one closing. You can't, as one door closes, stand staring at it hoping it will open again. You have to move on to doors new, and I have today confirmed to myself this has well and truly been done. With the eve of Georgia's fifth birthday approaching i've felt nostalgic, aside from the fact shes five, it feels some of her past has become lost along the way. I've had mental breakdowns, depression and a whole host of nasties, and things are, well - patchy - and thanks to my silly urge to have all my photos digital, and the fact i'm shocking at organising - i've lost some pictures along the way.

So

I've pooled together pretty much every resource I have to hand to get images of Georgia from the past, and its working. The unfortunate thing is having to deal with the past, I was dreading sifting through pictures with J in them, but - really - it's been fine. I don't have any desire for her any more, any feelings of upset, I just sorta think.... 'meh - yeah it was fine while it lasted, yeah we were happy - it just wasn't meant to be'. Which is somewhere I never imagined i'd be. But then - my life has changed a lot since then.

I'm no longer a slave to the motorway, 160 miles a day is fucking hard. G is, well - just adorable, she's 4 (nearly 5!) and has her moments, but she's soooo good. Work ain't great, but I have proper plans afoot for that. I'm with someone who is talented, and vibrant, who I bounce off with so well, and I feel totally at ease with, she dotes on Georgia, she makes me smile, and she gives back the warmth and feelings I give to her. It's all good!!

Last year G, frankly, when she was me didn't have the greatest of birthdays - I was broke, I was mentally destroyed, and I could hardly look after her. Fast forward 12 months, i'm prepared, i'm content, and yeah, I am still broke, i've saved hard to give G the birthday I feel I should have given her last year.

So... the J file is closed.

'Contact David Shaw' - Yeah like FUCK I will...

2008-06-19T13:20:00.002+01:00

I had a text message today on my phone from '-' - no number just '-' And it says..

'Could Mr (My Name) please contact Mr David Shaw URGENTLY on 01256 306796. Quoting Ref No (Ref No)'

A quick Google reveals its probably CARS - some shoddy looking Debt Collection Agency. From all accounts it looks like they are nasty pieces of work. Hmm might give them a bell for fun...

Muse - New Born

2008-05-18T23:33:00.003+01:00

Being used in the latest Oxfam advert. Fricking brilliant song!

Photography

2008-05-12T12:20:00.003+01:00

I'll let the preddy photos speak for themselves.. :)

By jove! I've only gone and done it!!

2008-04-29T10:51:00.003+01:00

I have forfilled my holy trinity.. patience, perseverance and endurance! By being less of a lazy cunt, and more motivated I have scored free gym menmbership for the next free months! Hurrah! I joined Cannons under the PruHealth scheme back in October. The scheme is faily straight forwards. If you go to the gym twice a week, for three months, you get the following three months free, and so on, meaning, in effect, if you're dedicated, you can have Gym Membership free for life! You do obviously pay a premium for the Health Insurance, but being a fairly healthy non smoker (ahem!), its about £26 a month. Also means I can take little lady swimming each week in a lovely top notch pool, that isn't filled with little scrotes.

YAY me!

Yay - A little bit of fame!

2008-04-07T23:12:00.002+01:00

I've had shout outs on BBC Radio One before now, mostly on Zane Lowe's show, and also was on the Rob DJ Monday Night Pub Quiz on Chris Moyle's show a few years ago. I've never actually managed to get the audio from one before, so I decided to text in to the Scott Mills Show with Nihal, last Wednesday (2nd April) and try my luck... this tiny clip, is the result!

Click here!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-04-03T23:10:00.002+01:00

Just had a lovely birthday - on the train now.. Full report at the weekend i should imagine! W00t! X

review - Nokia CP-191 Leather Holder for Nokia 95-1

2008-03-29T21:01:00.004Z

I do love my Nokia 95 very much, its like my 3rd arm, and I'd be lost without it. It's spent most of its shortish life in my jeans pocket, rattling around with my keys, my loose change, my lighter and the various crap I hold. Possibly not the best place for a £400 ish phone!

I did used to have an overlay to protect the screen, which it did, but as i didn't lay it too well, it was kinda bubbled at the top, so it never looked great. Also made the screen display a little dull too, so in anticipation of receiving my CP-191 I pulled the sucker off.

The CP-191 arrived in a Nokia blister pack, initial impressions were good, it felt very sturdy, nice quality letter with the familiar 'Nokia' logo stamped stylishly on the front. It can be open and closed with the strong Velcro fastener and the inside is lined with a very soft felt like material and has a little tag proudly stating 'Original Nokia Enhancement'.

The phone is held in place with a plastic 'hook' that holds onto the back of the phone. This leaves the slider free to move in either direction. Access to the buttons on the side of the phone is kept free at all times. The same can't be said about the MicroSD card door, you have to remove the phone from the holder to take the memory card out. The connections on the base of the phone and the power button at the top are easily accessed too. There is a circular cut out on the back of the case for the camera and lens cover too. Photos could in theory be taken without even opening the case (would be a little pointless as you couldn't view the screen :) )

The phone is held very tightly, and I can't see it slipping out, without some great force. So far so good eh? Well yeah.. but i guess this holders' Achilles heel is in USING the phone. Howso? Its easy enough to get the phone out, and send a text, browse the web etc. with the case on. But how about speak on the phone? You sort of have to fold over the cover behind the phone, which is a bit of a faff, and is a bit cumbersome. Also when you take a photo, you have to open the case and have the front flap sort of hanging down, which is not a good look.

Also a problem is when you move into the car, not many car holders could hold the phone in a holder, and even if they could, you'd either have to have the holder shut (stopping you from seeing the phones display), or have the front flapping around again.

I really am in two minds about this holder, it is great at protecting the phone, its good for using the phone for texting, browsing, etc. But when you actually need to make a call, or put it in the car, it all starts to suck. I suppose you could take it out of the holder, but I guess that runs the risk of loosening the tight grip of plastic clips that hold it in.

I would recommend this holder, but its certainly not as swish and elegant as the N95 itself!

Avast' Me 'Earties! Being a pirate ROCKS!!!

2008-03-27T16:47:00.006Z

Saturday was Matt's 25th Birthday, a house party followed by a trip to Chicago's in town was the plan - with all of us in Fancy Dress! There were rules, Disney, Cartoon, Comic and Animation Characters were permitted. I decided to go as 'Captain Jack Sparrow' off of 'Pirates of the Carribean'. I hired a costume from Jems - bargain for £20! It looked great, but I needed a wig, bandana to complete the look. Thankfully the 'Party Meister' had a combined Jack Sparrow-esque wig and bandana - SWEET! Felt very odd having long hair, was also a teeny bit concerned a stray spark from a cigarette could turn my head into an inferno in seconds! :)

The night of the party arrived, and I was really impressed with everyone's efforts, we all looked fucking cool! Ange looked fantastic as Peter Pan, Donna made a killer Dorothy (can't remember Dorothy having such a small dress!), Ellie looked great as Noddy, and kudos to the birthday boy for daring to don tights and be Wolverine!

I got lots of lovely comments about how cool my costume was, which was nice. I certainly attracted lots of attention during the evening, passers-by doing double takes as I stood outside getting some air. Also lots of random drunks on the way and in Chicagos shouting 'CAPTAIN JACK!!' - least they knew who I was trying to be. Also seemed to be lots of random (mostly older - and VERY drunk) women in Chicagos trying to borrow my hat.

Still good night was had by all - some photos below!

i like - Cinnamon Dolce Latte

2008-03-24T12:59:00.005Z

Those who know me well will know I hate coffee or any coffee based thing with a passion. But Starbuck's Cinnamon Dolce Latte is amazing, i wish i could actually make it at home! Hmmm..

N95 - 1 : v.21.0.016 Firmware is Go!!!

2008-03-18T23:05:00.002Z

Well - to those who have visited their local Nokia Service Centre or been naughty and found a cracked copy of Pheonix to flash it themselves..

But anyway, it SHOULD be out for everyone else very soon. I flashed my phone last night with ease through Pheonix and it all seems to be very good. Just a few little observations..

- They have fixed the bug that occured when you had lots of songs on your memory card and you tried to change ringtone / messagetone and the the list of tones was empty.

- The Gallery seems faster and smoother

- YouTube work! YAY! Although i still think the quality through EmTube is better.

- Still not fixed the dreaded call list bug (where every icon is shown as a 'mobile', even if they aren't)

I'll post more when i've discovered it!

Ooooh me likey!! A Wireless Access point for my Lappy wherever I go!

2008-03-18T00:12:00.003Z

Thanks to the lovely people at JoikuSpot they have made a sweet big of software for the Nokia N-Series. It creates a sorta 'virtual' wireless access point on your phone, which your laptop can connect to. This in turn uses the HSPDA / 3G connection on your phone to connect to the internet. Best thing is Joiku is FREE! So you can have totally wireless internet access anywhere you can get a mobile signal - so thanks to my now unlimited (*cough* 200Mb) data tariff I can be more geeky than before :D

i like - geocaching !

2008-03-14T22:58:00.004Z

Something i've only just really started getting into is geocaching. Best described by Wikipedia as :-

'Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook and "treasure," usually toys or trinkets of little value. Today, well over 540,000 geocaches are registered on various websites devoted to the pastime. Geocaches are currently placed in over 100 countries around the world and on all seven continents, including Antarctica.[1]'

Its a nice, simple and cheap way of getting your sorry arse out and about and a great little past time for me and the little one. I've never seen her walk so far in the strong winds, and all in the pursuit of some 'treasure'! I got some software for my Nokia N95 from this site - its totally free and works so well. You can search for 'caches' and use the software to guide you right up to it. It will also allow you to read clues to locate it and also track the location on a cool little 'radar' like display. I've got an account set up on Geocaching.com to track our finds and also the software on the phone allows you to instantly mark a cache as 'found' when you've found it which will update your account - sweet!

Try it!

G on the hunt for a cache

Test post from my mobile...

2008-03-13T22:29:00.001Z

10 print 'hello world'
20 goto 10
run
hello worldhello worldhello worldhello worldhello worldhello worldhello worldhello worldhello worldhello worldhello worldhello worldhello worldhello worldhello worldhello world

Ahhh! Memories!!

2008-03-12T10:25:00.004Z

Stumbled across this cool little website. All about 'The Haunted House' that used to be at Alton Towers before it was converted to Duel.

Its nice having a trip down memory lane!

i like - the doll set tones

2008-03-09T08:07:00.007Z

Every so often, for no real reason I plan to post random stuff I like - anything from bands, to bars. First up is the Doll Set Tones!

The Doll Set Tones are a four piece indie / rock band from the sleepy village of Maldon, Essex. Known mostly for its Sea Salt and Mud! The band consists of :-

Lee Warren Probert - Lead Vocal and Rhythm Guitar
Keith Jackson - Lead Guitar
Ross Fifield - Backing Vocals and Bass
James Bacon -Percussion

Playing all their own material, and with catchy infectious lyrics and music they have built up a large and loyal fan base. You'll often see familar faces at their gigs singing along. Last year the band played at the Redbourn Festival alongside Feeder and also toured with Wheatus. The band have just released the EP - 'Lucky 13' and are working on the album 'Pirates'.

Check out their MySpace Page.
Check out their Facebook Page.

review - i-Tech BlueBAND Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

2008-03-08T20:55:00.006Z

With the death of my iPod - RIP iPod Mini - I was stuck listening to nothing at the gym, which made the whole experience depressing to say the least. Rather than lining Apple's pockets by upgrading to a new iPod I decided to get a bit technological. My beloved Nokia N95 has a fairly decent Music Player as standard, and supports Stereo Bluetooth the answer seemed obvious.

I looked online and searched around and the name that cropped up a few times was i-Tech BlueBAND, I found one of the cheapest places in the UK to be MobileFun - a steal at £19.95. Seeing as I'd also lost my old Motorola headset the decision seemed to be made for me! The headset arrived next day from MobileFun and in the box there was :-

1 x i-Tech BlueBAND Bluetooth Stereo Headphones
1 x Mains Adaptor
1 x Instruction Manual

Charging the headset takes a few hours, for a advertised 7.5 hours of listening to music/making calls or 150 hours of standby. The LED is red whilst it charges and turns a cool blue colour when the charge is complete. Pairing with the phone was painless, much the same as you would any headset. I did have a small bit of difficultly to start with, for some strange reason it would connect to my phone, and then when I tried to play music, or make a call it would automatically disconnect. Slightly worried i may have a faulty unit I restarted my phone, and found the problem corrected itself. Phew!

The headphones themselves hook over the ear, much like sports headphones do, with the band going around the back of the head/neck, rather than over the top like other headphones. So the weight (which to be honest is pretty minimal) is on your ears. It does feel a little strange to start with wearing them, but they are very comfy, the foam pads don't press hard too hard on the ears. I've worn them whilst at the gym and they stay firmly put whilst running or going for it on the cross-trainer, no fear of them slipping off!

On the right ear you have all the controls, volume up and down, and the standard 'multi function' button, which can be used to redial, pick up and end calls, and activate voice dialling (if your phone allows). Would have been nice to have controls for the music player, but hey, you can't have it all (well not for £19!).

Each ear pad folds in, allowing them to be that little bit smaller for storage or carrying around. They aren't the smallest, even when folded, but not too bad!

Listening to music on these was a LOT better than I ever expected, its so very clear and crisp, beautiful reproduction. No high end, but certainly not shabby at all. Amazing considering there are no wires! I've not really tested the distance fully, but I've still maintained a connection to my phone from about 5-10 metres away depending on conditions. Mostly the phone is either in my pocket, or sat on the car seat so its not really an issue.

Using it for making calls provides the same sort of clarity, and for the person you're calling they can enjoy your dulcet tones with little background noise.

Battery life, seems pretty much as what it says on the tin, I've used mine for a week with a few gym visits, a lot of calls, and even more standby time, without even needing a recharge! Which is handy as one of the down sides is that i-Tech DON'T do Car Chargers for these, seems a little crazy to me, as these headsets would primarily be used in the car. Still thanks to the long battery life you get enough time to get home to your wall charger! Which, incidentally, treat with care, as i-Tech don't do replacement ones.

So in conclusion, these headphones are fantastic. Blindly good sound reproduction, good battery life, simple use, lightweight and comfy to wear. I cannot recommend them enough!

Here are the tech-specs :-

Bluetooth Specification v1.2 class 2.
Rechargeable 280 mAh Li-polymer Battery.
Talk Time: Up to 7.5 hours.
Music Playing Time: Up to 7.5 hours.
Standby Time: Up to 150 hours.
Nominal Charging Time: 3 hours.
Dimensions: 90 x 80 x 119 mm.
Weight: 67.6 grams.

BUY THEM!

hello and welcome

2008-03-08T20:12:00.003Z

ooh! my first ever post into this blog - it's so 'citing! it will mostly be a place where I post random stuff, thoughts, reviews, pictures and ramblings! i'll post stuff live from my phone too - cos' i'm a little bit geeky like that :)

enjoy!