This article has been coming for awhile. The Samsung Focus Windows Phone has been my favorite Windows Phone up till now. The Samsung screens are one of the most vibrant true color screens on the mobile devices. However with every new smartphone on the market we never have enough power.

The Samsung Focus comes with a 1500 mAh battery and really does do me well on normal days. However on those long days when I start my day early in the morning and have no opportunity to charge my device I now use the extended Mugen Power battery pack. This battery pack as more then twice the capacity of the original 1500 mAh, namely 3200 mAh. In my travels to trade shows I have been using this high capacity Mugen Power battery.

Twice the power means unfortunately twice the thickness as well. The Samsung Focus is a very light weight (real weight) phone by itself and the added thickness of the Mugen Power battery still keeps it lighter compared to many other smartphones on the market. Some extended battery manufacturers, including Mugen Power, will include a new battery cover that is adjusted in thickness on just the location of the battery pack. However for the Samsung Focus Windows Phone the battery cover has added thickness over the whole length of the phone. The camera opening has been perfectly designed to close the trim perfectly. The speaker opening seems to be only to be holes, but when you look inside the cover you will notice that this has been channeled perfectly to the original speaker location in which this adds extra support to the sturdiness of the cover.

The cover does, like I said earlier, add thickness to the device, but it is still thinner, slimmer and lighter in weight compared to many other smartphones on the market.

Remo Knops reviewed the Mugen Power battery for the HTC Throphy Windows Phone earlier and has some great points why you should have this Mugen Power battery besides having long days.

You can buy the Mugen Power 3200 mAh Battery for the Samsung Focus on the Mugen Power website for the price of $99.95. It is a bit pricey, but I guarantee you that on those heavy long days or multiple days travels this Mugen Battery will serve you well.

Soon I will let you know about the extended battery for the LG Quantum Windows Phone that will just replace your battery and you can use your original battery cover. A Verizon MiFi extended battery review is coming soon as well.

During a recent trip to Spain I used a local sim card for internet access. More and more countries have prepaid options for affordable mobile internet these days. There are currently multiple options to use mobile internet also on Wifi connected hardware such as a laptop or wifi enabled tablet. Most smartphones these days have a portable hotspot option, like can be found on WebOS, Android and more recently iOS. And then there are dedicated portable 3G routers like the Novatel Mifi (reviewed by Remo) and the Huawei Pocket Wifi modem (reviewed here).

In this post I would like to take a short look at my experiences with these multiple options for mobile internet access. For this I used my Kindle3, an Android Tablet and an iPad1. As hotspot I used a Palm Pre, HTC Android phone and a Novatel Mifi. The Palm Pre allows for multiple devices to connect to it and supports Infrastructure mode. As the Kindle3 can not connect to an Ad Hoc wifi accesspoint this was needed for it to connect to the internet. Unfortunately the Pre would heat up after a while when using it actively with multiple clients. Battery life was also greatly impacted.

The build in portable hotspot for Android worked well and also allowed the Kindle3 to connect as well as multiple clients. Past experiences with other hotspot applications on Android showed that not all support multiple clients though and also function often as an Ad Hoc accesspoint preventing for example a Kindle3 to connect. Downside of the smartphone as a hotspot was again the battery life and increased heat generated by the device

The Novatel Mifi worked great offering easy access to multiple clients, it would heat up, but not to such an extent as the smartphones did. Furthermore battery life was still very reasonable, offering multiple hours of uninterrupted internet access.

Earlier this year a personal hotspot option became available on iOS but limited to the iPhone4. Not all providers seem to support it though, and extra service plans are sometimes needed to get it to work. Reviews by others seem to indicate that also this personal hotspot has quite an effect on battery life. Since most smartphones only work for about a day now with normal usage this is the greatest downside of using your phone as a wifi hotspot. You might not be able to continue using it for the rest of your day.

Based on my experiences I have decided to only use my smartphone as a personal hotspot when I need it very infrequently to offer that function. For (more) regular usage I will stick to a dedicated portable 3G router.

After buying my iPad1 last May I looked for a long time for suitable protection for it when going to the beach. I bought the original Apple iPad case as well as a hardcase shell, but neither protect against sand or a bit of water. Not that I was planning to swim with it, but with kids playing around with water it is best to have some protection in case they hit you with a super soaker during their games.

Such dust and waterproof cases have existed for pda’s or smartphones for quite some time, but none were available for larger devices. But then I noticed the Ortlieb document case during a visit to an outdoor store.

Ortlieb has a longs standing reputation for making waterproof bags, I bought my first bicycle panniers from them more then 10 years ago and they have been making those for more then 25 years now. These transparent document cases were originally designed to protect paperwork against water, but the stretchable and tear resistant material is sturdy enough to also protect tablets or ereaders.

The largest model fits the iPad1 inside a hardcase easily, it is best to press out as much air as possible before closing the bag using the roll-up closure with a Velcro strip. The touchscreen stays fully functional due to the thin but still very protective layer.

Last week I picked up the A5 sized version which is a perfect fit for a 7inch device like the Kindle3 above. The document bags have an IP64 rating, meaning that it is dust tight and can handle water being splashed against it. That is all the protection I need while at a beach or near a swimming pool.

The Nook Color from Barnes&Noble fits also nicely in the A5 bag, even with a case around it, although that makes for a tighter fit.

The Ortlieb document case is a great and very affordable solution for bringing you tablet or ereader to a beach or any other environment where you want some extra protection against sand or a bit of water. Prices are up to 20 dollars (or 20 euros in Europe) for the larger model, smaller sizes are even a bit cheaper. Great value for some piece of mind!

OtterBox announced and showed us a preview of a new series cases called the Reflex Series during CES 2011. OtterBox has been known of their amazing cases that well protect your mobile devices. Their Commuter, Impact and of course their Defender series cases have been a huge success. The Reflex series is a complete new and different design that is the slimmest and lightest, but will still give you the ultimate protection you need.

The OtterBox Reflex case is a two part case that gives you Reflex zones in the corners of your case. Within the case a cushion of air gives you the extra protection for your device when it falls, similar to a crumple zone of a car. The Reflex case is very light weight and allows you to easily remove the bottom half of the case if you want to dock the device. The bottom of the case is open enough for your speakers to give you the volume you need and allows you to connect all original and 3rd party cables. The top has a nice wide enough opening to allow the connection of most headphones. The Vibrate/Silence switch opening is also wide enough to make this function still a function. The Power and Volume buttons are covered with precise button activators.

The OtterBox Reflex series cases are available for the Apple iPhone 4 and the BlackBerry Curve 8500/9300 at a price of $44.95 on the OtterBox site.  The iPhone 4 version gives you 4 color combinations to choose from and the BlackBerry version only 2.

Video Review

Take a look at the video review how nicely the Reflex Series case is on the iPhone 4.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVgsplNVM0c

Otterbox is well known for its protective cases for a lot of devices. One of the latest additions to the Defender Series is a Defender case for the Samsung Galaxy Tab. I have used several Otterbox products before and I must admit when my device is protected by a Defender case I don’t have to worry it gets damaged or suffers any influences from outside. The Otterbox does not make your device waterproof, although a small spill can easily be survived. It protects your device from scratches, dust, bumps and shocks. I can now use the Tab in virtually any condition where I wouldn’t use it without protection. A year ago, my iPhone with a Defender case even survived a drop from 1 meter at a speed of 40 km/h when downhilling on my mountainbike. The case was damaged, but the iPhone didn’t suffer any damage.

What’s in the package ?

When you unpack the Defender case, you’ll find several parts in the box. First, there is a protective polycarbonate shell which consists of two parts. The front part of the shell contains a clear protective film which functions as a screen protector. The back part needs to be attached to the front part to enclose the Galaxy Tab completely. After that, you need to attach the silicone skin to close all the gaps. All buttons and ports are accessible via silicone plugs. This silicone skin will absorb the impact and gives a firm grip when you hold it in you hand. The final part serves both as a desk stand for the Galaxy Tab in the Defender case or as a full protector, so the screen won’t get damaged. The picture below should give you a good impression how the Defender case is constructed.

Putting it all together

In the picture series below, I will try to give you a good overview on how to attach all parts together, so your Galaxy Tab is very well protected on your next mountaineering or jungle trip. An overview of all the parts: On the left you see the front part with the protective film, than the back part, next to the back part the silicone skin and on the right the desk stand/front protector.

When you start the assembly, first you have to attach the front and back parts together. Do not forget to clean the display of the Galaxy Tab and the inside of the protective film, otherwise you’ll see the swipes or smudges on the screen behind the film. Now, click the two parts together. The best way is to start at the bottom and click it together until the top.

Now wrap the silicone skin over the shell and make sure all connectors and ports are aligned and you can operate all buttons. Your Defender case is now ready for use. Just open the port on the top if you want to connect a headphone jack or the port at the bottom to connect the sync/charge cable.

Usage and final verdict

If you use the Defender case daily your device is very well protected and you can throw it in a bag without thinking twice. Using the ports is easy too, but using the touchscreen requires some more precision.  There is an extra layer on top of the touchscreen and while operating the touchscreen in the middle works out just fine, using it at the edges requires a bit more precision and even touching a soft button once or twice to activate it happened several times to me. But these small drawbacks are nothing compared to the protection you’ll get for your Galaxy Tab ! This is the best you can get and it will last for years. It’s versatile too, because the screencover can also be used as a stand for your Tab, so you can watch a movie without holding the device !

Grab your Otterbox at the Otterbox website or check them out at a retailer like Best Buy.

Eton is a company that provides multiple solutions power by Nature as in other words Solar powered solutions. Their line of emergency equipment is officially branded for the American Red Cross. Many of their products have the option to charge the emergency radio’s with flashlights and other emergency functions using the solar panel or with a hand power crank and solar panels.

For the regular consumer they have 2 models that gives them some extra security during emergencies and power outages.

The Scorpion, a smaller, hand crack device with Digital AM/FM Radio Tuner, NOAA Weather Band, LED Flashlight, Large Solar Power Panels and a USB Cell Phone charger. However the Cell Phone USB Charger will provide enough power for small feature phones but in my experiences not for smart phones. Priced at around $45

Raptor

Coming soon will the Raptor. Eton was nice enough to send us a sample for review. The Raptor larger in size compared to the Scorpion and is missing the extra hand crank charging option. However the extra large solar panels do charge up the device fast. The Direct USB Power has been much approved in comparison with the Scorpion and it is amazing that with all the features of the Raptor you can charge your smart phones with ease to have emergency power to make your needed calls.

The Raptor was designed as a solar charger with All-Terrain Functions for long hikes and mountaineering. It takes some getting used to operating all the functions, but once you have this mastered the Raptor will be you companion on remote locations. Check out all the features below.

Features

• Monocrystal solar panel w/ solar charge indicator
• Solar powered USB cell phone charger• (5V, 500mA)
• Digital display
• Altimeter (altitude information)
• Barometer (pressure and temperature)
• Compass
• Chronograph
• AM, FM, WB digital radio tuner
• NOAA weather alert
• 10 AM / 10 FM station presets
• Digital clock w/ alarm
• IPX-4 splash proof
• Audio line input
• DC input with mini-USB plug (5V, 500mA)
• 1800mAh, rechargeable lithium ion battery
• Battery charge indicator
• Bottle opener
• Thin form factor
• Carabiner
• Includes: owner’s manual, warranty card
• Dimensions: 2.875″ x 8″ x 1.25″ (W x H x D) 73 x 203 x 32 mm (W x H x D)
• Weight: 11.3 oz. (320 g)

No word on pricing yet, but I really like the multi functionality the Raptor has as a consumer based emergency piece of equipment.

If you are not familiar with the the high grade Etymotic products yet, it is time to get to know them. Etymotic has the world most accurate noise-isolating earphones in the categories under $100 and under $200. During CES 2011 they launched a new program with ACS Custom to have custom fit molds earplugs made for just $100 using the ACS Network Audiologist. These custom molds earplugs will give superb comfort, secure fit, consistent noise isolation and of course a perfect sound.

I have been using the Hf5 earphones for a year now and never went back to any other one. The Hf3 Headset and Earphones are very similar. The Hf3 has an added audio control with microphone specially designed for the Apple mobile products like the iPhone, iPod and iPad’s. These controls let you answer your calls and control your music. I have tested these Hf3′s with the new Windows Phone 7 and Android devices, but the microphone and the Volume up/down buttons don’t work. Play and Pause will work. On my iPhone 4 it all works perfectly. If you have a Windows Phone, Android device, Zune or any other music/ media player you should get the Hf5 earphones.

The sleek design of the Hf3 (as well as the Hf5) with the 4 different possible earplugs (different in material and shape)  gives you a great in-ear fit just for your ear. The earphones don’t sit in your ear, but actually goes into your ear canal. This gives it a optimal noise isolation and a quality sound. Included in the package are:

• Headset/Earphone
• 4 different ear tips
• Manual
• Flyer on Custom Fit
• Zippered storage pouch

What I missed in the package is the special filter changing tool with an extra set of filters when you want to replace them. According to the site they should have been included.

Technical Specifications

• Frequency Response – 20 Hz – 15 kHz
• Accuracy Score – 85%
• Transducers – High-performance balanced armature
• Noise Isolation – 35-42 dB
• Impedance (@1 kHz) – 16 Ohms
• Sensitivity (@1 kHz) SPL at 0.1V – 105 dB
• Maximum Output (SPL) – 120 dB
• Accu Driver™ high performance, precision matched, balanced armature driver
• Cable – 4 ft with 3.5 mm plug -Kevlar®-reinforced cable for durability
• User Replaceable ACCU Filters™ – protects the balanced armature driver from ear wax
• Warranty – 2 years
• CUSTOM FIT Option
• Soft touch finish in 3 color options: Black, Ruby and Cobalt
• Documented highest noise isolation of any earphones or headphones on the market today
• Close-proximity high sensitivity microphone
• Apple iPhone, iPod and iPad compatible

Instructions for Use

I always had hard times of finding the right earphones for my ears. They always fell out, were uncomfortable, you name it. And I really didn’t want to be traveling with those over the ear headphones. But since I discovered the perfect solution of the Etymotic headphones it is going to be hard to replace these.

The manual and the site gives a great description how to select the right eartip and how to proper insert your earphones. Make sure to watch the video as well which will give you a great experience that I have as well.

Selecting an Eartip

The eartip that is most comfortable is the likely choice, but it MUST SEAL well in your ear. If you can easily hear others when the volume is off, you don’t have a good seal. Twist it in deeper, or choose another eartip.When changing eartips make sure the eartip fits securely on the stem of the earphone.

Proper Insertion

Important:Sound quality, full bass response and noise isolation all depend on a good eartip seal in the ear canal. View Earphone Insertion Video

• Carefully insert the earphone while pulling up and out on the back of the ear.
• Twist the earphone up into the ear canal while inserting, until outside noise is blocked out.
• 3-flange eartip: Moistening eases insertion.
• Foam eartip:Roll down or compress foam eartip before inserting. Hold the eartip in place for about 5 seconds while the foam expands to create a tight seal in the ear canal.
• Glider eartip: Simply push into ear canal.

Removal

Remove earphones slowly with a twisting motion to gradually break the seal. Do not pull on the cable to remove the earphones.

In another week I will receiving the custom ear mold plugs from ACS custom to go along with the Hf3 that Etymotic has provided me to get the best niose isolation and sound experience possible. ACS Custom products are being used by the best in the music industry like U2,Pink Floyd, BBC Symphony Orchestra, etc.

Stay tuned for an upcoming article of my experiences of getting these custom molds fitted to actually receiving them and using them instead of the already quality noise isolation ear tips. “True to the Ear”

The Etymotic Hf3 is available at the Etymotic site for $179

Specifications Huawei E5830

• Operating frequency(3G): HSUPA/HSDPA/UMTS 2100MHz
• Operating frequency(2G): GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900MHz
• Speed: HSUPA 5.76Mbps; HSDPA 7.2Mbps
• Interface: USB 2.0 high speed
• Dimensions: 95 mm × 48 mm × 13 mm
• Weight: 90g
• Receive Diversity: HSUPA/HSDPA/UMTS 2100MHz
• Micro SD card slot: Yes (Up to 32GB)
• Equalizer: Yes
• WiFi: 802.11.b/g
• Encryption: WEP, WPA, WPA2

What is in the box ?

Our review model came in a small box containing the modem, a battery, a short Mini USB cable and an abbreviated manual in the local language (Dutch in this case). An English quickstart guide can be downloaded here.  According to the manual a wall  charger is an optional deliverable accessory. Most users these days will have a similar wall charger at home already that can be used to charge it. A micro USB port would have been better though, as most mobile devices are moving to that as a standard for the future.

Huawei’s first pocket Wifi Modem has a nice form factor that fits well in the palm of your hand and distinguishes it from the competition (Novatel and D-link). The bottom part has rounded corners while the topsurface has an aluminum colored coating with sharper edges. Part of the surface is a dark screen that contains 5 area’s that can be lighted with different colored symbols. These will show the status of the device when turned on, fortunately these lights don’t burn all the time, they will only show their signal for a small time before turning of. Pressing any button on the side will briefly turn them back on again so you can review the connection status on the device.

One of the long sides of the modem contains all the available buttons, from left to right there is the Power on/off, Wifi on/off (or WPS) and Connect button.

On the bottom edge we find the miniUSB port that can be used to charge it, in addition the modem can be used in USB mode through a cable connection.

On the other long side there is a cover for the microSD slot, you don’t have to remove the back cover to insert or replace a microSD card as on some mobile phones.

The top edge of the modem contains a release latch for the back cover, giving you access to the battery and SIMcard slot.

Here we can see the insides of the E5830, the SIMcard slot is easy to access when the battery is removed. Huawei conveniently printed the default Wifi access information inside the battery compartment, this is a device unique code based on the MAC and IMEI address. A great security feature as they have chosen not to release their modems with the same default Wifi network name and password!

Compared to a Vodafone branded version of the Novatel MiFi 2353 (similarly to the one reviewed last year by Remo) we see a different formfactor, with the Huawei also being a bit smaller. The smaller and rounder forms of the E5830 make it a better fit in your pocket!

Wireless connection

The main function of the E5830 is to work as a mobile hotspot that shares a 3G connection with the wifi clients that connect to it. To setup the modem you insert your SIM card in the slot under the battery, make sure to write down the SSID and Wifikey it will use the first time. Replace the battery and the backcover and turn it on by pressing the On/Off button until the lights start to burn.

There are 5 lights present with (briefly) the following status signals.

1. the upper left one shows the SIM status: no signal (red), low signal (yellow) or good signal (green)
2. the upper right one shows the battery status: low (red), good (green)
3. the lower left with a W on it shows the wifi status: on (blue), off (no light)
4. the lower right one (not shown on photo)  has a M on it and shows the network status: 3G (blue), 2G (green)
5. there is also fifth signal light with an R on it in the middle showing the roaming status: roaming (red), no-roaming (no light)

When the modem has fully started you can connect with it using the access information located in the battery compartment. The configuration page can be found by typing in http://home.e5 or its default IP address 192.168.1.1, depending on the (mobile) client you use you will see the mobile or classical welcome page.

• Mobile client web user interface

The above screenshot shows the mobile welcome page, the standard password is “admin”.

At the page shown after logging in you can select a Quick Setup wizard, or check the current status.

There is also a link to switch to the classic, less mobile friendly layout and a warning message when you want to make the switch. The full WebUI worked fine on the current generation mobile devices I used and gives you more options to setup the Huawei E5830.

The Quick Setup wizard allows you to setup your 3G Wifi Modem while connected to it with a mobile device. A great way to configure it without having a laptop present!

Finally, the mobile formatted status screen shows you all the detailed information regarding your connection, included are network type and signal level, roaming information and SIM card status.

• Classic (full) web user interface

The classic WebUI shows a similar login page, but here you can also select first one of the available languages. In our version English as well as the local language.

In the full WebUI there is also a quick setup wizard that can be used for the initial setup of the Huawei E5830, however if you already know what you are doing when using these type of devices you can also opt to go directly to the advanced settings where you have even more control over it.

The screenshot above show the connections status screen. Here you can see the profile name that you are using and its connection setting and status.

Basic status screen gives a lot of information on both WAN and WLAN connection as well as some info regarding the device itself.

The advanced settings page contains several icons that will bring you to screens were you can alter settings related to SIM, mobile network, dial-up, dhcp and Wlan.

• System icon will allow you to Modify Password, Restore Defaults, Reboot or show the System Version.
• SIM settings icon will allow you to manage your Pin code or change Auto Validation setting.
• Mobile network icon will allow you to change Network Settings or Search for a Network.
• Wlan setting icon will allow you to change Wlan settings like security, basic setting such as SSID and a Wlan MAC filter.
• Dial-up settings icon gives you an option to change Connection (auto, on demand or manual) or Profile settings.
• DHCP settings icon allows you to change DHCP settings.

Finally the security page contains various network and security related settings. These are probably not needed by a regular user but can be used to fine-tune your portable router.

• Firewall switch icon allows you to enable or disable the firewall, and setup an IP address filter.
• Virtual server page gives you the opportunity to configure a virtual server like FTP server port mapping.
• Special applications page to configure applications over the LAn such as videoconferencing or IP phone.
• DMZ setting page to configure DMZ.
• UPnP setting icon to enable or disable uPnP.

USB connection

The most important function for the E5830 is as an portable Wifi modem, but when directly connected to Windows or OS X you can also use it as an USB modem. Once connected to a windows laptop using the provided miniUSB cable the device installs itself a removable hard drive containing the software to control the modem. This software is named Mobile Partner and gives you the options to setup a connection to a mobile network as well as a SMS client. Furthermore a microSD card present in the slot on the E5830 can be read as a removable drive on your laptop.

The above screenshot shows an overview of the desktop client software as can be installed directly through a USB connection with the modem. There are a couple different screens available in the software with the SMS interface being the most useful one. Here you can read out the messages you received and even reply to them. Very useful when you are using a SIMcard for a mobile number you also use for this type of messages. With the desktop software you can also control the 3G connection you are using through the USB cable. Most users will not buy this modem to use it for its USB connection, but it can be useful to recharge it while using it at the same time.

Hands-on experience

The Huawei E5830 performed very well, handling laptops, phones, iPad and Kindle Wifi without any connection problems. Signal strength for 3G was better than for my mobile phones, resulting in a better mobile internet experience while travelling by car or train on my mobile providers suboptimal network (in the more rural areas). One of the obvious benefits of a pocket Wifi modem is the ability to place at the optimal location like a car dashboard while driving. Battery life was acceptable with 3-4 hours of usage, when no data is used the modem will go into standby and use very little power. The power settings can be optimized for your usage in the web interface. For the real poweruser Mugen has a 3900 mAh battery on the market that will easily help you through your working day. There is some room for improvement, an SMS client for the web interface would be a useful addition. Furthermore no wireless SD card access was available on our review model (with firmware version 666.11.238.04.113sp02), this would be a valuable feature for a mobile user.

Concluding thoughts

Portable 3G routers are a great addition to the tool bag of a mobile power user. Sharing your mobile data connection with multiple devices can make you more productive while working and is also a great way to provide internet access to multiple users while relaxing. The Huawei E5380 is a fine example of the progress that has been made in mobility and a useful option for your mobile setup.

]]> http://www.mobilityminded.com/11891/huawei-e5830-3g-pocket-wifi-modem-review/feed 2 http://www.mobilityminded.com/11117/brodit-active-holder-for-htc-7-trophy http://www.mobilityminded.com/11117/brodit-active-holder-for-htc-7-trophy#comments Tue, 28 Dec 2010 21:07:55 +0000 Mark Briggeman http://www.mobilityminded.com/?p=11117

Proclip USA was kind enough to send me the new Active holder for the HTC 7 Trophy from Brodit. I am using Brodit and Proclip solutions for over ten years now and the waiting game begins at the introduction of a new phone. Most of the time, within a month there will be an active and a passive solution available for your phone ! Looking at the HTC 7 Trophy, construction might be a bit complicated because the connector is not at the bottom but on the lower left side. How did Brodit solve this ? First, let’s have a look at the contents of the package.

The package contains the Active holder with the tilt swivel attachment plate, a set of 4 screws and 4 nuts, another set of 4 screws and the mounting instructions. Mounting it to a Proclip is very easy:

First, you loosen the screw in the center of the holder so you can remove the tilt swivel attaching plate on the back. Otherwise the plate is inaccessible.

Then you place the attaching plate onto the desired position. Screw the attaching plate into place with the enclosed screws. Place the holder over the attaching plate so the screw fits in the hole in the tilt swivel. Screw a few turns on the screw, just so the thread starts to pull. Pull the holder toward you and hold it slightly tensed, in the same time tighten the screw so the holder is pulled toward the tilt swivel. Tighten the screw firm at first, then loosen it a bit so the holder is firmly in place, but still can be adjusted.

And when all this is done, gently slide the device sideways into the holder until it snaps into place.

So instead of sliding the device in from the top, now you slide in your HTC 7 Trophy from the right side until it is locked to the charging connector. The holder itself has some extra protection, so your device will not scratch or gets damaged on the back. You have to slide it in and out few times to get the hang of it, but after that it is so easy !

You can order your Brodit Active Holder for the HTC 7 Trophy (or any other Windows Phone 7 device) at Proclip USA.

In this article I would like to provide a short review of the BlueLounge CableClips, which is a great accessory that helps me to organize the spaghetti of cables we sometimes carry in our bags.

“Cable management  is essential in our modern day lives. These multi-purpose clips keep all sizes of cables tidy and untangled. For the home, office, workshop and traveling, CableClip manages your cables in a simple and fun way by keeping cables accessible and organized. Perfect for stowing away all surplus cables.”

Meet the BlueLounge CableClips in Small Medium and Large

The picture above shows you the retail package of the BlueLounge CableClips in the sizes medium (left) and small (right). The medium package consists of four cableclips, the small package of six cableclips and the large package that I haven’t reviewed yet has two large cableclips.

On the backside of the retail package you can read a brief desciption and a simple step-by-step-plan how to use the BlueLounge CableClips. Furthermore you can see some examples in the picture, just below the description on the package.

What is the difference between the CableClip sizes ?

Cables of electronic equipment vary in length and thickness. As an example compare the powercord of your notebook with the sync & charge cable of your smartphone, or the cables of your in-ear headphones.

BlueLounge has therefore developed three different sizes of the CableClips, each size aiming at a particular segment of cabletypes:

• Small, Ideal for short or thin cords such as earbud cords, small data cables and charger cords;
• Medium, Ideal for shortening or storing USB & data cords, small power cords, audio cords and phone cables;
• Large, Ideal for shortening thick or long powercords and ethernet network cables;

In order to make sure the CableClips fits your cable you definitely need to think clearly about the sizing description above. For example the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange won’t fit in a small BlueLounge CableClips, since the cable is to thick and to long.  So think first before you buy.

How it works – Using BlueLounge CableClips in Practice

1. Loop the cable around your hand or fingers to a convenient size;
2. Using you index finger, prise open one side of the CableClip and press the cables in;
3. Using you index finger, prise open the opposite side of the CableClip and press the cables in;

This step-by-step-action-plan is far more simple in practice as it looks on paper. If you have the right size CableClips for your particulare cable it is a piece of cake. You no longer need to use elestic rubber bands to keep your cables organized.

In the picture below you can see some of the examples in which I use a BlueLounge CableClips to efficiently manage the cable spaghetti.

I use the small BlueLounge CableClips for the AIAIAI Tracks on-ear headphones and the AIAIAI Y-Com in-ear headphones. Furthermore I use the small BlueLounge CableClips for the sync and charge cable of the Samsung Omnia 735.

A medium sized BlueLounge CableClips is used for the Gomadic Power Hot Sync and Charge Straight USB Cable with TipExchange, and for the cable of my TomTom Navigation system in my car. Furthermore I have a spare USB cable in my car to charge a smartphone or bleutooth headset with the SKROSS Midget carcharger.  Now the cables in my car are organized as well.

Concluding thoughts and wrap-up

Great and highly functional accessoiries don’t need to have a complex product design or a high price.

BlueLonge CableClips have a relative simple product design, and you really can’t complain about the pricepoint of $9,95 !! Especially when you buy the small or medium CableClips, you will get six or four clips for this price.

I’m happy that the time of elastic rubber bands, to organize the cables in my Crumpler BeanCounter L messenger style bag, is over. BlueLounge CableClips make everyday life a little more arranged !

Last week we received a press release regarding the Qstarz BT-Q1000XTM, a GPS receiver which can keep track of all your journeys:
The BT-Q1000XTM is designed for fully automated registration and recording of journeys. This device is designed for reporting to tax services and can also be used for fleet management. It is also easy to process and monitor expanse and mileage reimbursements now. With a few clicks, the included and easy to use software starts recording your journeys and reports it. Now you can  separate business and private journeys. This “Out of the box solution” is based on the renowned Qstarz Travel Recorder BT-Q1000XT hardware which has some unique extra features.

For business: Easy mileage records, with no subscription fees (QMileage software)

The BT-Q1000XTM helps the user to seamlessly record trip information including distance, travel time / distance and mileage – date / time – departure address / destination address (city, postcode, street).
In countries like The Netherlands, claims may be made of business mileage in a private vehicle and now you can make sure the mileage records are correct to prevent tax addition of a leased vehicle. The software can also be used for fleet management and to increase efficiency through a better understanding of past journeys. The bundled software ensures easy QMileage chart exports to various formats and is characterized by its friendly and intuitive interface.

For private journeys: Project routes in Google Earth and geotagging digital photos (QTravel software).

With the use of QTravel software, you can download the coordinates to a computer and routes are visualized in the fully integrated Google Earth. Routes can then be shared (online) with others. The software can also add GPS location information in the EXIF header of a JPEG image and save it. Photo management is now significantly simplified. Never forget the location where you took that picture.

Based on the renowned Qstarz Travel Recorder BT-Q1000XT Hardware

The proven and renowned Q1000XTM BT has a number of unparalleled features:

• Adopt MTK II latest chipset with high sensitivity -165dBm and 66-Channel tracking
• Ultra lower power consumption up to 42hrs operation
• Less than 15-Sec. A-GPS fix support: download almanac data to realize faster TTFF and positioning under warm start
• Stand-Alone travel recorder to log up to 200,000 records
• POI button design to record your point of interest immediately
• 3-level Switch for easily switch Travel Recorder to LOG or NAV (Navigation + Log) mode
• Raise beeper function to notice some status of device
• Integrate Vibration sensor to smartly manage power saving and waypoint saving
• Support Time schedule function to automatically start logging and stop logging by setting multiple time interval in specific or periodic date per requirement
• Support Speed Alarm function to prompt over speed status by beeping sound
• Update Rate 1~5Hz changeable by utility provide d (receiving 5Hz update rate only, logging only 1Hz maximum)
• G-Mouse + Bluetooth in one: wired and wireless GPS receiver
• Fast Position Fix ,Cold start 35s, Warm start 33s,Hot start 1s
• Personal/Portable Navigation (PDA, Smartphone, PC, etc.)
• QZSS, DGPS(WAAS+EGNOS+MSAS) support

Personal thoughts

I have used several Qstarz GPS devices in the past and I think they are one of the most accurate receivers around. This new Travel Recorder definitely fills the gap between mileage registration for personal/business use and mileage registration with professional (and expensive) built-in devices.

For more information click here: Link to BT-Q1000XTM productpage and if this is a must-have it is yours for about 135 euros or $ 171 (rate exchange date: 8/24/2010)

A few months ago I had a detailed look at the product design, features and practical use of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3, which I found a brilliant piece of engineering and an excellent travel companion.

In today’s article I will have a look at another great accessory that easily fits the bag of every modern nomad. It is the SKROSS Midget USB Car Charger.

“The “Midget” is a mini-format 12V USB charger suitable for cars, trucks, RV’s and boats. Great for charging mobile phones, mp3 players, GPS/navigation devices and digital cameras.”

SKROSS Midget USB Car Charger hardware design

The picture above shows you an angeled view of the SKROSS Midget USB Car Charger, in the well known World Connect branding that is also seen on the World Travel Adapter 3.

You can clearly see the USB port in the middle, with -in the picture above- a SKROSS logo below. Just above the USB port you can see a light grey circle, which is the charging LED that lights up red when you are charging a mobile electronic device.

Furthermore you can see the eye-catching gold colored contact points. The SKROSS Midget USB Car Charger has a rim on the top, that makes it easy to release it from the cirgarett charger in your car.

In the picture above you can see the SKROSS Midget USB Car Charger on the left and a normal sized USB car charger on the right. Roughly speaking is the SKROSS Midget USB Car Charger hakf the size, and it easily fits every bag.

Furthermore you can read on the SKROSS Midget USB Car Charger specification sheet:

• Input voltage: 12 volt;
• Output voltage: 5.0 +/- 0.25V;
• Output current: 1000 mA;
• 24 month warranty

Remarkably is the 1000mA output current, which distinguishes quality chargers from the cheap nade in china imitations.

Overall conclusion and wrap-up

I have been using the SKROSS Midget USB Car Charger over the past months and charged different types of mobile devices: several smartphones including the HTC HD2, HTC Snap, T-Mobile G1, HTC Tattoo, my Zune HD 32GB multimedia player, and a Jawbone Bluetooth headset.

All devices chargerd perfectly and the SKROSS Midget USB Car Charger was a perfect combination with the Gomadic Power Hot Sync and Charge Straight USB Cable with TipExchange.

A few weeks ago I spent a weekend sailing on a boat and used the SKROSS Midget USB Car Charger to keep all mobile devices charged. For my Lenovo X60 tablet notebook I used the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter, simply because this adapter has a build-in fuse !

Overall is the SKROSS Midget USB Car Charger a very compact and lightweight charger, and despite it is called midget it is a real giant in its performance and design. Especially the 1000 mA current output makes it work flawelessly with every device out there !

We just received after much anticipation the new OtterBox Commuter Case for the Apple iPad. The other case Otterbox will be having for the Apple iPad is the Defender Series. Hopefully we will be seeing this one soon for a review as well.

The hardest thing for 3rd party accessory companies is quickly release quality products. In many cases you don’t get devices in advance from manufacturers. If you get a device early on it could be a Beta model. From release of the production model to the release of a quality accessory you need to be patient. This waiting was worth for the quality that OtterBox has given us in the Apple iPad Commuter Case.

The OtterBox Apple iPad Commuter case comes nicely packaged with the signature yellow color from OtterBox

Located in the box we have:

• Commuter Series Case in two parts. Silicone shell and a Hard Plastic outer Shell
• Screen Protector
• Cleaning Cloth
• Squeegee
• Instructions – printed on the inner package

The case is a monster to get on. The extra silicone flap on the top  of the inner case, that allows you to cover up your 3.5 mm headset input, really works against you when you place the hard plastic outer shell over the soft silicone shell. The soft button cover for the power button is a little less of hassle. However,  once you have everything in place it is a perfect fit and protection for your Apple iPad.

Below are some images with the steps to get your full body OtterBox protection.

1. Apply the screen protector first using the instructions that are located under the squeegee.

Personally I don’t like the screen protectors on my devices anymore. So I haven’t applied mine.

2. Take out the inner silicone case from the outer hard plastic case

3. Place your Apple iPad into the inner silicone case, be careful not to lift up your just applied screen protector

4. Now, the hard part. Clamp over the outer hard plastic case on top of the inner silicone case. Start from sliding in the bottom part in the the Hard shell case. You might need to use a stylus/pen to keep the silicone headphone jack cover flap in place while snapping the top part over it.

5. On the back side of the cover you can remove part of the case which allows you to make a connection with your Apple USB cable or original Apple iPad Dock.

A view from the bottom of the case which shows you that the speakers aren’t blocked.

The view from the side of the device is showing you that the volume buttons are covered and work perfectly. The quick lock button in is not covered. The opening is big enough for my big fingers to allow a full functionality of this feature.

The following is the view from the top of the device showing you the covered power button and a flap covering the head phone jack. A small opening in this flap allows functionality of the microphone. That same opening has been created to you to use you headset plug to open the flap that covers the head phone jack.

Conclusion

As with all the Otterbox products. This commuter case gives you real good protection. Sanpping on the outer hard shell on top of the silicone shell takes some effort. But once it is on, you will have a top quality protection case on your Apple iPad. This case has not been designed to easily switch between cases, but was designed for the traveler among us that want their Apple iPad protected well.

We are looking forward to the Apple iPad Defender case from OtterBox in the near future.

The Apple iPad Commuter Series Case is available in Black at Otterbox for $64.95

Short Introduction

The Novatel Wireless MiFi received the GSMA Global Mobile Award for Best Mobile Connected Device at Mobile World Congress, as you can read on the Novatel Wireless website:

“Novatel Wireless, a leading provider of wireless broadband solutions, is pleased to announce that its MiFi(TM) Intelligent Mobile Hotspot has won the GSMA Global Mobile Award for Best Mobile Connected Device (non-handset). The GSMA Global Mobile Awards is the mobile industry’s leading annual award presentation that honors excellence and innovation in the mobile communications industry worldwide.”

In this article I would like to have a thorough look at the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2352, its hardware and a few different usage scenario’s. Mark Briggeman, Windows Mobile MVP, has used a Novatel Wireless MiFi during his trip to the Global MVP Summit 2010 in Seattle and his experiences are also included as part of this review.

What is in the box ?

The Novatel Wireless MiFi 2352 comes in a pretty standard sized box for a mobile device (compared to the box for example the HTC Snap). The box has some excellent graphical styling, and a great realistic picture of the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2352 which gives you a great idea of the device before you have even opened the box.

In addition to the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2352 itself you will find  a 1530 mAh battery to power the Novatel Wireless MiFi. Furthermore there is a USB – micro USB cable included to charge the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2352 via your notebook, or use it as a USB broadband modem.

There is also a wall charger included with multiple plugs. A great compliment for this approach, since the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2352 seems to be a great product for the traveling mobile professional. Finally there is a quick start guide included, when you need help to get your Novatel Wireless MiFi configured.

]]> http://www.mobilityminded.com/5618/novatel-wireless-mifi-2352-review-a-mobile-hotspot-in-your-pocket/feed 7 http://www.mobilityminded.com/7842/skross-world-travel-adapter-3-an-excellent-engineered-travel-companion http://www.mobilityminded.com/7842/skross-world-travel-adapter-3-an-excellent-engineered-travel-companion#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:30:28 +0000 Remo Knops http://www.mobilityminded.com/?p=7842

In this article I will have a detailed look at the product design, features and practical use of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3.

“The SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 – awarded for the product of the year 2010 and reddot design award 2010 – is a revolutionary adapter that is suitable for most 2-pole, 3-pole and grounded plugs of protection classes I and II; this is the safest way of plugging in your portable devices around the world. It can be used with a range of devices, [...]“

Introduction

You might remember that I reviewed the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter a few months ago, a brillaint solution for the frequent traveller, that has a Lenovo notebook.

“While almost every component of the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter is characterized with a high degree of modularity, that is clearly not the case for the cable that connects with the wall charger.”

I do understand the business decision behind this, and you have the possibility to order a spare cable with a different country specific power plug. However this probably isn’t the best solution for the frequent traveller to different countries around the globe.

Furthermore if you purchase a power adapter or charger for a smartphone it is often common to get a set with adapters, you can click on the wall charger. An example is the MaxiMobileShop 4-port USB Power Adapter Kit, that features 4 complimentary charging plugs.

After some (online) research I found a solution the perfectly fits the described gap in my travelling needs above:  the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3.

SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 hardware design

The picture above shows the right side-view of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3. The right side of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 is dominated by four sliding mechnisms that release the different country-specific charging plugs from the adapter. In the picture above you can see that the UK charging-plug is released (just for the picture).

In the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 user manual (p.11) you can read the following steps to use the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 in practice:

• Before use, move all sliders on the sides completely back into their starting positions;
• Press the unlocking button and move the slider you have selected forward until it clicks into place;
• Connect the device plug receptacle of the electrical circuit to the adapter;
• Connect the adapter to the main wall charging socket;

You can clearly see the black unlocking button in picture above from the front view of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3. Below the black unlocking button you see the destinctive SKROSS branding (which includes some Swiss proudness).

On the left in the picture you can see the sliding mechanisms, while you can also clearly see in this picture that the top-part, the so called Schuko plug, is removable. You will get a more detailed view of the Schuko plug in the upcoming pictures, however you can find the following description in the user manual:

Schuko plug for Germany, France (and other European countries). Adapter with receptacles, mainly for the UK, Switzerland, Australia, North America, Europe and Italy. Suitable for: 2pole/3pole/grounded plugs (classes I and II).

The picture above shows a view of the backside of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3. You can see the all the different country specific charging plugs are retracted in the compact design of the adapter. I would like to invite you to puzzle, and find the different integrated country specific charging plugs from the figure below.

In addition I would like to share the texts on the right side of the picture, which provide you with some helpful summary of the technical details and caution notice:

• World travel Adapter, Model: SWA3.1, Input: 100-25 VAC~, Max. loading:  10A, Integrated fuse: T 10A, Indoor use only IP20/TA40.
• Caution:  Unplug adapter and plugs when not in use! Adapter does not convert voltage!

Country specific charging plug for Italy and Switserland, cool solution

I would like to discuss some engineering cleverness here. As you can see in the picture above, the charging plug of Italy and Switserland are almost identical, except for the position of the red middle part.

When you look at the photograph above with a view the backside of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 you can see the country specific charging plugs for these countries in the bottom part of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3. The middle pin however, is integrated into a slit, so you can easily switch the middle pin from Italy-mode to Switserland-mode. For a graphical representation you should consult p.12 of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 user manual.

The picture above shows a view from the frontside of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3, where the Schuko adapter is inserted on the other main part of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3.  If you look closely you can see the “pattent protected” text in the bottom area of the Schuko adapter in the picture above.

“Remove the integrated Schuko adapter from the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 and connect it to the receptacle. Connect the device plug or charger to the Schuko adapter. You do not need the World Travel Adapter 3 itself.”

Thi is the description in the user manual how to use the Schuko adapter. In some of the previous sections I already provided a more technical description of the Schuko adapter, but it simply allows you to connect chargers or devices from other countries to connect, and plugin directly to the European wall charger sockets.

In the picture below you can see that the Schuko adapter is removed from the main part of the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3.

Awards received for the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3

You really don’t need to have an engineering degree to see that the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3, has a clever and well-thought-out design.  However in this section I would like to briefly share the awards that the SKROSS World Travel Adapter has received for the excellent design and engineering.

Plus X Award

World Connect received a Plus X Award last week for the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 from a jury of reputable experts in the field.

“SKROSS has swiftly achieved an award, the first time it took part in the most important technology contest of Europe, the Plus X Award: the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 was honoured with the highly coveted Plus X seal in the “Ease of Use” category.”

Reddot Design Award 2010

“In the “red dot award: product design 2010” the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 was awarded the “red dot” quality label for high design quality by the jury consisting of top-class experts.”

On the World Connect website you can read a little more background information, how and why this prestegious design award was received !

Pro-K Product of the year Award 2010

Last year the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 receveid the Pro-K product of the year 2010 award !

“World Connect’s innovative SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 was nominated the “Product of the Year 2010” for the category “Electrical Equipment” (and won the award). The SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 is a product of advanced Swiss design and engineering skills.”

Concluding thoughts and wrap-up

The SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3, is a great solution that perfectly fits the described gap, with regard to the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter, in my travelling needs.

However after some use it is fair to generalize a little more, since you can connect almost every device independant of the charging plug to almost every wall charging socket on the world, no matter where you are. In other words this is a must have product for the frequent traveller.

You can really feel the solid build-quality, the excellent and clever product-design, when you play with the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 for just a few minutes. These idea’s are certainly represented in the awards that were received for the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3, however compare the design for example with the product in the webstore of the ANWB (a large Dutch support organization for Dutch travellers).

Finally you should compare the value for price ratio of both the products. Given the great amount of clever engineering, safety and excellent product design and -quality in a compact formfactor I do think that the SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 pricepoint of E38,95 is a fair price (certainly if you compare with the ANWB product).

If you want to “Adapt to the World”, please head over to the World Connect webstore and order your SKROSS World Travel Adapter 3 !

We have covered WaterField products before and we were always very satisfied with their products. The new WaterField iPad Ultimate SleeveCase is no exception here either. Please read and view along about this great ultimate travel sleeve/case/bag for the just released Apple iPad.

The iPad Ultimate SleeveCase is made out of ballistic strong nylon on the outside and cushioned on the inside with high grade neoprene on one side and the other side is lined with ultrasuede to protect your screen against stratching.

The SleeveCase comes in either a horizontal or vertical orientation. The version we received has a horizontal orientation with a leather trim on the bottom.  The SleeveCase is TSA Checkpoint friendly which means you don’t have to take out your iPad out of the sleeve while going through security at the airport.

The SleeveCase has a nice big flap that is secured with velcro. Stitched on the flap is the recognizable clean logo of WaterField. On the back you have an extra sleeve to add some paper work or some skinny charging cables. However this pocket can not be closed securly, it is an open sleeve.

On each side of the flap are two metal rings which will allow you to do two things. In the first place you can add a shoulder strap to make this SleeveCase into a shoulder carrying SleeveCase/ bag. Secondly you can add a Piggyback pouch which is an extra pouch that will allow you easily to bring extra charging cables and your MIFI if you want to bring the internet on the road. The Piggyback pouch comes with your choice of the leather trim like the SleeveCase or with the Indium trim which is the other trim option for the SleeveCase as well.  Combining the strap and the piggyback will give you a real ultimate carrying travel case/bag for you Apple iPad needs.

I have a made a short video below showing you the options of the iPad Ultimate SleeveCase with leather trim, Shoulder strap and the Piggyback with leather trim.

The WaterField iPad Ultimate SleeveCase is available at  sfbags.com with the following options:

iPad Ultimate SleeveCase with lead indium trim: $55 (Horizontal or Vertical orientation)
iPad Ultimate SleeveCase with leather trim: $59 (Horizontal or Vertical orientation)

Simple Shoulder strap: $7  (more info)
Suspension Shoulder strap mini: $15 (more info)

Piggyback pouch with lead indium trim: $25
Piggyback pouch with leather trim: $27

Conclusion

I really do like the fact the the WaterField Ultimate SleeveCase is compact to fit just the Apple iPad and a little extra like a cable and a MIFI. With the great battery life on the Apple iPad you don’t need much more. The added shoulder strap makes it easy to carry with you and the added easy to attach Piggyback pouch gives you that little extra to bring along if you need to.

I have made up my mind if in the future I need some kind of bag or case for our MobilityMinded products. I have to make sure to check out the San Fransico made WaterField products first !

A few years back I switched to Gomadic accessoiries to sync and charge my Windows Phones, and other mobile devices like media players, etc. In this article I will provide an overview of one of Gomadic’s latest products, the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange.

The picture above shows you the retail package of the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange. It is a relative small package and there is no unnecessarily packaging like you see with some products.

Combined in one design – car- and home charger

On the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange productpage on the Gomadic website you can read the following product description:

“The Gomadic Car and Home 2 in 1 Combo Charger with TipExchange is the essence of an all-in-one charging solution for all your travel needs. Designed to function as a high quality Rapid Car charger via a standard DC vehicle cigarette lighter, the convenience does not end there. Two foldable AC outlet power pins easily emerge from the compact base to seamlessly convert the charger to a Rapid Wall AC charger too!”

To summarize, there are two chargers combined into one product design. The picture above clearly shows you the car charger for the cigarette lighter in your car, which is the first charging method.

The picture below shows you the second charging method. Via a set of foldable charging pins you can now use the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange as a wallcharger.

Furthermore you can see there is a nice LED included in the product design, that shows you if the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange is charging or not.

What is the Gomadic TipExchange technology ?

One of the main reasons why I switched to Gomadic accessoiries is the great modular design of their products. I didn’t want to take several sync and charging cables with me on the go. Gomadic provides a great solution, called TipExchange technology:

“Built with the convenience of Gomadic’s TipExchange, the same 2 in 1 Combo Charger can also be used to charge your other gadgets by simply switching the “tip” (additional tips sold separately). If travel is in your future, a Gomadic Combo Charger should be packed in your travel bag.

As an example you can see that the tips for the Zune HD and the HTC HD2 are included in the picture, but I also have several other tips for HTC Snap, iPod Classic 120GB and various older devices I used in the past (Samsing i600, Samsung BlackJack II).

You can check on the Gomadic website if there are cabletips for your preferred device in their broad product offering. If I buy a new device I would only have to buy a new cabletip and not a complete new cable or charger, which saves money.

Final thoughts and conclusion

I would like to start this section with a nice overview of key selling points of the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange:

“Provides a unique combination of both a rapid car charger and rapid wall charger into one light, compact design;

Supports a wide variety of AC (100-240v) and DC (12-24v) input ranges enabling worldwide application;

High output current of 1000mAh uses advanced internal circuitry to protect from power surges; overcharging and short-circuiting;

TipExchange technology (tip is included) protects investment with easy upgrades that allow users to charge multiple mobile devices with the same charger;

Cable length is 41 inches (14 cm); UL and CE certified; backed by Gomadic’s Lifetime Warranty and conforms to our high quality standards;”

In the introduction I mentioned that I switched to Gomadic sync and charge accessoiries a few years ago. The main reason for this move are the excellent TipExchange technology, that is really well designed and the product quality is of an excellent level.

I always carry a Gomadic Power Hot Sync and Charge Straight USB Cable with TipExchange in my bag, so I can sync and charge multiple devices wherever I go. Combined with one of the Gomadic Wall chargers, a great combination that delivers a high output of 1000mAh ! In the past it was sometimes a problem that specific charging devices had a limited output, with the result that your device wasn’t charged.

Despite the great product design and high quality I would like to write down a few points of improvement. At first I live in the Netherlands, so I can use the wall charger only in combination with a Skross World Travel Adapter or a similar product. I had a similar experience in the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter review, also a really well designed and high quality product.

If you remark that in the review of the MaxiMobileShop 4-port USB Power Adapter Kit there are several charging plugs included, this is certainly an area I would investigate.

Second I would personaly like to see the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger, with a USB output port, so I can use it in combination with the Gomadic Power Hot Sync and Charge Straight USB Cable with TipExchange.

Overall I think this is a good product that is really helpfull in many daily situations, and based on my experience with Gomadic products in terms of quality and design this is certainly a good choice. If you need a new wall charger or a new car charger, simply go for the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange, and get both for the price you would normally pay for just one charger.

Having a cabin in the rural area of the Catskills in NY,  I was forced to get satellite internet, since there was no availability of DSL or Cable internet. However with the huge coverage of Verizon’s 3G network I have another option for a broadband connection.

Below is a summary of the two connections I have available to me when I did my test.  I am glad I was able to test this. This test has proven to me that even 3G data connection (or 4G and LTE in the future) will be my preferred internet connection over any satellite internet service that is available.

Wild Blue Satellite Internet

Details Wild Blue Satellite Internet  Pro Package

• Pro Package $79.95/month
• 2 year plan
• Able to suspend service after first 3 months with no fees.
• Up to 1.5 Mbps download speed
• Up to 256 Kps upload speed
• limited to 17.000 Mb download per month
• limited to 5.000 Mb upload per month
• Mb left overs do roll over.
• Equipment fee is $99.95 or lease for $5.95 per month
• Shipping and Handling $24.95
• Set-up fee $149.95
• One hard wired device to Modem (need your own WiFi router for multiple connections)

Total Cost of the Wild Blue Satellite Pro Internet service: $2193 or $102 per month (with equipment purchased)

Real time test results for the Wild Blue Satellite internet using http://www.testmy.net/ with clear weather conditions. (I tested the Hughes satellite internet service at my neighbors and had very similar results.)

Download Speed 6 Mb:
Your connection is: 1224 Kbps or 1.2 Mbps
You downloaded at: 149 kB/s
You are running: 21 times faster than 56K and can download 1 megabyte in 6.87 second(s)

Upload Speed 6MB:
Your connection is: 214 Kbps or 0.2 Mbps
You uploaded at: 26 kB/s
You are running: 4 times faster than 56K and can upload 1 megabyte in 39.38 second(s)

Verizon MiFi 2200

Details Verizon MiFi 2200 package.

• Retail price $269.99 with no contract, $99.99 with 2 year contact (now extra $50 discount with online order)
• 5GB /month package at $59.99/month
• $35 activation fee.
• Month–to–month, one– or two–year minimum term required per line
• 4 hrs battery life
• Download speeds from 600 Kbps to 1.4 Mbps
• Upload speeds from 500 Kbps to 800 Kbps
• When in Mobile Broadband markets that do not yet have EV-DO Rev. A, you can expect download speeds of 400 to 700 Kbps and upload speeds of 60- to 80 Kbps
• Connect up to 5 devices to the MiFi.
• Unlimited Verizon WiFi hotspots access.

Total cost of the Verizon MiFi 2200 5Gb/month package.  $1574 or $65 per month (with equipment purchased)

Real time test results for the Verizon MiFi using http://www.testmy.net/ with clear weather conditions

Download Speed 6 Mb:
Your connection is: 1659 Kbps or 1.7 Mbps
You downloaded at: 203 kB/s
You are running: 29 times faster than 56K and can download 1 megabyte in 5.04 second(s)

Upload Speed 6MB:
Your connection is: 700 Kbps or 0.7 Mbps
You uploaded at: 85 kB/s
You are running: 12 times faster than 56K and can upload 1 megabyte in 12.05 second(s)

Conclusion

At the download speed you can see a 33% increase in speed with the Verizon MiFi over the Satellite internet service. However the big difference in the upload speed, over a 300% increase with the Verizon MiFi over the Satellite internet service. If you are a VPN user,  like I am, you will find out that working over VPN with Satellite Internet service will slow you down dramatically to aggravation of not able to browse on your external server. However with the MiFi with Verizon I had no issues browsing the folders on the VPN server and downloading my spreadsheets. Of course when a storm rolls over the mountain you will be less likely to lose internet service due to the weather blocking the good signal to your satellite.

Besides saving money with the Verizon MiFi data/internet service, you will have a much faster and reliable internet connection compared to any Satellite Internet service out there. Do you live in a rural area and want fast reliable internet and you have no access to cable or DSL, check out the Verizon Map and see if you have 3G available in you neck of the woods. I even think Verizon can run a separate campaign for the rural area’s and grab some of these satellite customers.

You know that the MobilityMinded team is always looking for the best solutions available on the market that can help mobile professionals as well as average end users.

I personally use a Lenovo X60 tablet as my primary notebook and I’m very excited to write down my thoughts, practical experiences, and views about a great product:

“The Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter can power your notebook, cell phone, MP3 player or other peripheral devices, when it is plugged into a standard AC wall outlet or the DC outlets available in automobiles and airplanes. It is Lenovo’s smallest and lightest combo power adapter yet, so it tucks easily into your carrying case for travel.”

What is in the box ?

I received the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter in a very basic cardboard-coloured box, with the information from the manufacturer like product- and serial-number. The picture above shows you an overview of the contents of the simple cardboard box.

At first there is some paper documentation included in the box of the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter.

• Important information about the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter;
• Safety information about the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter;
• A quick start guide with Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter set-up in car-, plane, and home-usage-scenario;
• A thank you note for purchasing the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter;

I would lik to emphasize that the thank you note is something you don’t see that often. However it really shows the focus on customers and customer satisfaction within Lenovo, that I can only appreciate.

Furthermore in the picture below you can see an overview of the quick start guide of the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter, that gives you a feeling about the different ways you can use the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter.

In addtion to the documentation you can see the black case for the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter (just below the Bluelink letter head). The case for the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter consists of the following hardware parts:

1. DC Output Module of Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter;
2. Dual charging cable for Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter;
3. Lenovo Powertips – Select a Lenovo Powertip for your peripheral device(s);
4. Lenovo Power Adapter;
5. Wall charger cable for Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter;
6. DC Input Cable for Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter;

In the following sections I will address each of the hardware parts in more detail, and provide some insights on the design from both an engineering and end-user perspective.

1.  DC Output Module of Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter

The first hardware part of the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter I would describe as the DC Output Module that is shown in the picture above.

On the left side of the picture you see the light grey, familiar, 20V powertip for most Lenovo Thinkpad notebooks. This Lenovo Powertip is removable, and in one of the upcoming sections I will look in more detail at this part of the hardware design.

In the middle there is a wider black part, that features the two icons:  (1) a notebook icon, and (2) a cellphone icon, suggesting that you can charge both type of devices.

The right part of the picture shows the rest of the DC Output Module cable, that is about 1.0 m. in length that gives you sufficient length to find a wall charger near you. In the picture I have wrapped up this part of the the cable with help of a velcro fastener, that is permanently attached to the cable. A simple detail like this velcro fastener shows that the Lenovo engineers have thought well about the details.

2.  Dual charging cable – Simultaniously charge your Lenovo notebook and another device

The second hardware part in the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter case is the dual charging cable, that is shown in the picture above.

If you remove the light grey, 20V powertip for most Lenovo Thinkpad notebooks from DC Output Module (described in the previous section), you can snap  the circular right part of the dual charging cable onto the DC Ouput Module to simultaniously charge your Lenovo notebook and a peripheral device !!

In the picture above you can see that the plug of the upper cable is marked with the notebook icon, so you can snap on the light grey, 20V powertip to charge your Lenovo Thinkpad notebook.

The bottom cable of the dual charging cable is marked with a small blue minus sign, and on this cable you can snap a Lenovo Powertip for almost any other device. In the picture above the L9 charging tip is attached to the cable, and has a generic usb port so I can easily attach a Gomadic straight USB cable to charge various Mobile devices.

3.  Lenovo Powertips – Select a Lenovo Powertip for your peripheral device(s)

“Select from a wide range of optional peripheral charging tips to power Lenovo or older ThinkPad notebooks, your cell phone, MP3 player or other peripheral devices.”

The picture above shows you the L9 charging tip for the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter, however there are many more Lenovo Powertips for a wide rage op perpheral devices, like cellular phones from various brands, mp3 players or even the Amazon Kindle devices.

With this brilliant modular design you can save some room in you bag or suitecase when you travel, since you just need the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter and a few Lenovo Powertips.

On a special website www.lenovopowertips.com you can shop for additional Lenovo Powertips, either by tip or by device. I hope that Lenovo can expand the portfolio of Lenovo Powertips in the future, and standards like the micro USB port on cellular phones really help in this area !!

4.  Lenovo Power Adapter – Very small and lightweight

The picture above shows you the fourth modular component of the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter set, the very small and lightweight power adapter.

In the middle of the power adapter you can see ”the special port”, which is marked with the grey bullet just like the plug of the DC Output Module of the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter. It is a no brainer that you can connect the two components, and remark the shape of this special port.

Furthermore the Lenovo Power Adapter is very thin and leightweight, especially when you compare this one to the standard power adapter of the Lenovo X60 tablet. A nice silver Lenovo logo is printed on the surface.

Finally I would like to emphasize one of the clever details of the Lenovo Power Adapter. The top and bottom surface of the Lenovo Power Adapter almost completely consist of cooling ribs to transport the heat of the Lenovo Power Adapter. If you look closely to the picture above, you can see the cooling ribs in the surface.

5.  Wall charger cable – No modular design on International Plugs

In the privous section I have discussed the Power Adapter component of the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter. The picture shows the side of the Power Adapter where you can attach the DC Output Module.

On the opposite side of the Power Adapter of the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter you can attach a cable to connect with a wall charger, which is shown in the picture above.

While almost every component of the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter is characterized with a high degree of modularity, that is clearly not the case for the cable that connects with the wall charger. Honestly I’m slightly disappointed, since the overall design and engineering are so clever.

Let me illustrate with the example of the MaxiMobileShop 4-port USB Power Adapter Kit:

“[...] you directly notice that in addition to the main power charging unit you get 4 complimentary charging plugs as well. With help of these charging plugs you can charge your mobile devices across four “electrical-different” areas:  United States of America, Great Brittain, Australia and Europe.”

The Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter is a great travel solution, but you either need to order different wall charger cables as additional service parts, or you need to use the well known Swiss World Travel Adapters.

6.  DC Input Cable – Charging in a plane or car

When I discussed the quick start guide for the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter in  the “What is in the Box section, I already mentioned two other usage environments of the modern, travelling,  mobile professional:  (1) car, and (2) airplane. On the wide black part of the cable on the left, you can see the airplane- and car icons.

The picture above shows you the DC Input Cable that keeps your Lenovo notebook and peripheral device powered in your car or on an airplane. On the bottom of the wide black part of the cable on the left, you see the grey bullet just like on the plug of the DC Output Module and the Power Adapter of the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter.

In the car- or airplane scenario you simply connect the DC Input Cable with the DC Output Module (plus the Dual Charging Cable if you like).

UPDATE:

PhillipM, one of the MobilityMinded readers, asked an excellent question about the DC Input Cable:

“Do you know if the DC adapter will work on United Airlines planes with their EmPower® DC power ports?”

As you can see in the large pdf-version of the quick start guide for the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter, there are two ways to use the DC Input Cable, depending on the power outlets in the plane.

1. Use the DC Input Cable as shown in the initial picture just above the heading of the paragraph;
2. Remove the special plug from the DC Input Cable, so the EmPower® DC plug of the DC Input Cable becomes visible;

In both the pictures above you can see that the special plug can be removed, so you can charge your Lenovo notebook and a peripheral devices directly from the EmPower® DC power ports on a plane.

Final thoughts and overall conclusion

The Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter, is a brilliant masterpiece of engineering that is a must have for every mobile professional that owns a Lenovo notebook.

To Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter is very small and lightweight, and the clever modular design helps you in almost every situation while you travel. No matter if you are in an office, hotelroom, car or airplane, you always can keep your notebook and peripheral device charged.

In the picture above you can see that I charge the Lenovo X60 tablet and the HTC HD2 Windows Phone, which means I could leave the phone charger at home. With the Lenovo Powertips I could narrow down the number of chargers while travelling even more, since I can easily charge peripheral devices of my choice with different Lenovo Powertips.

The Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter is for 95% the perfect solution to suite every modern nomad. With such a brilliant engineering team I really do hope that Lenovo will design a modular wall charger cable as well, so I can easily switch between different international plugs. This would add the last 5% of to the perfect solution for travellers.

Finally I would like to speak out a great many thanks to the Bluelink team for their excellent technical advice on this brilliant accessoiry. I could really experience why Bluelink is an authorized Business Partner of IBM for more than 12 years!

If you own a Lenovo Thinkpad or Ideapad this is simply a clever must have accessoiry and the pricepoint of €92,- is worth every penny for the value you gain from the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter !!

A few months ago I reviewed the Wi-Fi Router application on the HTC HD2, which transforms your Windows Phone into a real MiFi !! Despite it is a great application to use on the road, I do miss some (advanced) router- and security functionality.

In this article I will put the Huawei B260 3G Gateway to the test, and will have and in-depth look at both the hardware and software of this advanced travel router.  Only be looking at the box, my guess is that this product will be aimed at the more demanding professional who needs advanced routing functionality on the go. Let’s find out if there is some truth in this a-priori guess in the review below.

What is in the box of the Huawei B260 3G Gateway ?

In the picture above you can see an overview of the Huawei B260 3G Gateway box and its contents. At first there is of course the Huawei B260 3G Gateway, with on the right a stand to use the Huawei B260 3G Gateway in an upright position. You can easily click the stand and router together.

Furthermore you see in the upper left corner the power adapter unit for the Huawei 260 3G Gateway. The connector is very similar to what you often see on HP printers (at least both my HP Laserjet 1320, and HP PSC 2110 have this connector port). While this isn’t a big deal I hoped for some standardized power connector, like micro USB has become the standard power and sync port on smartphones.

Finally both a quick start guide and extensive user manual are included in the box. If you run into any problems, the user manual is well written and provides some valuable information and references. Is there anything more you would like to see included in the box ??

Hardware overview of Huawei B260 3G Gateway

I would like the start the harware overview of the Huawei B260 3G Gateway, with the bottom view of the device. The reason for this approach is obvious, because in the middle (below the silver bar) you can see the slot for your SIM card, which is critical to start the use of the Huawei B260 3G Gateway with.

The SIM slot is easy to access, and with a well balanced click you can insert to- and remove the SIM card from the Huawei B260 3G Gateway. Furthermore there is a graphical description on the router housing how to inset the SIM card.

Furthermore you can see two sets of slits on the left and on the right side of the picture above. One small vertical slit below the silver bar, and one wider horizontal slit above the silver bar. These slits are used for inserting the stand, if you would like to use the Huawei B260 3G Gateway in an upright position.

As you can see the silver bar in the middle of the side surface gives a great business finish to the Huawei B260 3G Gateway, at least that is my personal opinion. In the picture above, from the right sideview of the Huawei B260, you can see the Huawei brand engraved in the silver on the left of the router.

More on the right side you see a white insert in the silver bar, which is a panel with LED lights. This panel with LED lights gives you information about the status of both the Huawei B260 3G Gateway as well as the connection status !

The slits above the silver bar seem to be just for optional, finishing reasons. On the frontplate you can see the Huawei brand printed in black on the white housing, and a big power button in the top right corver of the face place. This button is very easy to access and find.

There is much to describe about the topview of the Huawei B260 3G Gateway. There are no buttons, connectors or ports on this surface of the device. However the left sideview with a large concentration of connectors and ports will make up for this !

In the picture above you can see a view from the left side of the Huawei B260 3G Gateway, and this is the most interesting surface from the perspective of connectors and ports.

At first you see a small black switch on the left, which can be used to switch between an internal- or external antenna. Right next to this small black switch you see the round connector for an external antenna (SMA-F). If you are in an area with minimal cellular coverage this might be a good option to go for.

One position more to the right you see the port for the power adapter, which is very similar to ports you can see on HP printers.

The second port from the right is the LAN port of the Huawei B260 3G Gateway. You can connect your notebook via an UTP cable to the router for easy configuring the router, or you can connect an external harddisk with LAN connection to the router.

The final port on the right is a RJ11 port to connect an analogue phoneset to the Huawei B260 3G Gateway. If you are working in a project team this might be a very usefull feature during meetings or conference calls. The only constraint of course is bandwidth and the strength of the cellular network.

Command and configuration shell on the Huawei B260 3G Gateway

In addition to good hardware a router needs also an easy to use but feature rich command shell. In this section I will provide a step-by-step overview and discuss the most important features of the firmware on which the Huawei B260 3G Gateway runs.

Like with almost every other router you can access the command shell by entering http://192.168.1.1 in your webbrowser. As you can see in the screenshot above a loginscreen is shown, with the remarkable fact that you can login as admin, or as a “normal” user.

If you are logged in on the command shell of the Huawei B260 3G Gateway, you can see the “frame” of the navigation menu on the left side, and the “reading pane” of the selected menu item on the right.

In the screenshot above is the item “Basic Status” selected from the navigation menu. As you can see a complete overview of the router basics is shown, like connection status, dns servers, ip adresses, etc. In addition to a normal router, for example my Linksys WRT54GS router, you can see the measurement parameters of the cellular data connection:  (1) duration, (2) received and (3) sent.

Finally you can see the basic status information of the LAN connection as well as the WLAN connection on the Huawei B260 3G Gateway.

In the screenshot above, the second item of the navigation menu is shown: “Quick Setup”. When you logon to the command shell of the Huawei B260 3G Gateway for the first time, you are redirected to this screen. The Quick Setup menu item is in fact a setup-wizard which helps you to configure the Huawei B260 3G Gateway in a simple and userfriendly way.

The third item from the navigation menu is called “connection”, and in this part of the commandshell you can set-up the cellular data connection.

In the screenshot above you can see the connection status “connected” of the connection profile Vodafone Live!. Furthermore you can see that I have set-up the PPP Connection on the Huawei B260 3G Gateway to manual. This means that I can manually control the connection, using the silver button in the middle of the screen.

It is also possible to let the Huawei B260 3G Gateway automatically connect with the cellular data network, when a connected workstation or other device “asks” for sending or receiving data. However I personally prefer to have manual control, and configured a manual PPP connection (since I live near the border and want to avoid roaming).

In the screenshot above you can see an overview of sub-menu-items within the advanced settings from the navigation menu in the Huawei B260 3G Gateway. Like the name of this navigation menu already implies, it is meant to go beyond the basics of the quick setup and do some advanced configuration.

The advanced settings menu provides an overview of seven icons:  (1) System, (2) SIM Settings, (3) Mobile Network Settings, (4) Dail-up Settings, (5) DHCP Settings, (6) Clip Settings, (7) WLAN Settings.

Via the SIM Settings icon for example, you are able to enable or disable the pincode on your SIM card. Especially if you are running the Huwaei B260 3G Gateway in the automatic connection mode, it is helpful to have the pincode on your SIM card disabled. In the Mobile Network Settings and Dail-up Settings you can change some advanced connection settings from your profile.

Within the DHCP Settings menu you can release the DHCP server and re-enable the DHCP server, similar as the normal routers. In the WLAN Settings menu, you are able to configure the WLAN security. I’ve setup a WPA2-TKIP+AES encryption, which is very similar to the set-up I do run on the Linksys WRT54GS router of my home network.

In the final menu item of the Huawei B260 3G Gateway, labelled security settings, you can manage the “real” router settings. In the overview you can see seven icons:  (1)  Firewall Switch, (2) LAN MAC Filter, (3) LAN IP Filter, (4) Virtual Servers, (5) DMZ Settings, (6) UPnP Settings, and (7) Remote Management.

With the firewall switch you can turn on/off the firewall in the software of the Huawei B260 3G Gateway. With the LAN MAC Filter and LAN IP Filter, it is possible to block unwanted devices to connect with the Huawei B260 3G Gateway. These security features are important, especially for corporate users !

With the virtual servers icon it is possible to set-up a virtual server, for example an FTP server. Or you can simply setup a scheme of routing tables for some of the applications you want to use on the road. As an example you could think about the corporate applications which can be accessed via a citrix client.

With the DMZ settings and UPnP settings you can modify a set of computer protocols. This could for example be helpful to connect your  Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation 3 to the Huwaei B260 3G Gateway.

Finally you can configure remote management for the Huawei B260 3G Gateway, if for example someone from your companies IT deparment needs to change a setting in the router. In this sub-menu from the navigation menu, you can see a lot of familiar routing  features from the normal Linksys WRT54GS router coming together.

In order to provide you an idea of both the hardware version of the Huwaei B260 3G Gateway as well as the firmware build and -version I have included the screenshot above. You can find this information via the “system icon” in the advanced settings from the navigation menu.

Bootloader version, Router software version, Modem software version:   636.11.00.07.106

Router hardware version, Modem hardware version:  WLB1TIPU

Concluding thoughts

The Huawei B260 3G Gateway is a very feature rich device, not only in terms of configurable options in the router’s firmware but also if you look at the possibility to connect external hardware like an external antenna or an analogue phoneset.

In a few bullets I would like to highlight the most important product features:

• A fully equiped wireless HSPA router;
• 3G frequency: 850/1900/2100 MHz;
• 1x LAN-port;
• Wi-Fi;
• Firewall;
• External antenna connector (SMA-F);
• Switch for int./ext. antenna;
• RJ11 connector for analogue phoneset;
• Dimensions: 158 x 105 x 27 mm;

The dimensions of the Huawei B260 3G Gateway tend a little more towards the dimensions of a normal router, however you get a lot more features -certainly in terms of security- in comparison to the Wi-Fi router application on the HTC HD2.

I would also like to address a possible cost advantage if you compare the Huawei B260 3G Gateway combined with one data subscription (which let’s a team of three employees work) versus the alternative of three Option GlobeTrotter GT MAX HSUPA modem cards for three employees each having an own data subscription.

Finally I can think of scenario’s where the Huawei B260 3G Gateway is a must have piece of hardware. If you go on sailing hollidays in the Dutch inland waterways, and having no “fixed” broadband connection, the Huawei B260 3G Gateway solves the connectivity problem for your friends and family on the boat.

A special thank you to the Capestone team, for bringing this great highly functional product to my attention !