TomTom Car Kit Hits The Apple Store

Well that didn’t take long at all. (Insert sarcasm here). TomTom has finally gotten around to releasing their  highly anticipated car kit. As you probably know the iPhone app has been out for about 2 months now. When the application was first introduced many of us thought that the car kit and the app would come out at the same time. Well I know a lot of people were surprised to find out that the application by itself was $99.99.  So to a lot of folks it seemed that TomTom was pricing themselves out of the iPhone GPS maps game. Personally I think they have, but someone is going to buy the car kit. So just recently TomTom added their car kit to the Apple store. Right now it can be had for $119.95 with free shipping. So that brings the total for the TomTom experience on your iPhone to $219.94.  Personally that is a crazy price to pay because TomTom sells 7 dedicated navigation units priced cheaper than that. The kit does give you a built in speaker, so you can listen to your music and take calls when they come in. It of course has a built GPS module that enhances the reception of the device. On a sad note for you iPod Touch and 1st Gen iPhone users, the TomTom car kit only works with the iPhone 3G/3Gs.

Video Review: Wild Charge for iPhone

Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Nice quality case, very simple to use
Cons: The case doesn’t offer any ports for the 30 pin connector
Overall: This is a really unique and interesting concept for a product, charging your iPhone without having to plug it in. It looks very nice on a desk and is super thin and flat. My biggest gripe with this Wild Charge bundle was the case, which is made of excellent silicon material, but doesn’t offer a micro or mini usb port in which to charge or sync the phone while it’s inside the case. Of course you can just remove the case and do this, but I’d like to see another version of this case made available that offers this solution. Even better would be to have a 30 pin connector port on the bottom of the case so you could still use your iPhone accessories like FM transmitters while inside the case. Even with this small issue, I still think this is a great product and worth checking out.

You can purchase these products directly from WildCharge. This bundle was $80.

iPhone 3GS Costumes

Now this is just plain awesome. 2 flat panel LCD TVs and two car batteries.

Lucky Packs Give-Away

App Preview: Star Wars Trench Run

Being a huge Star Wars fan I am extremely excited for this game to come out. No price or release date has been given. I wonder if Thumb Wars will ever get an app?

Video Review: iPevo TR-10i Speakerphone

Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Microphone, Headset, and Speaker for only $50. Recording software is really easy to use.
Cons: Speaker and Microphone suffer in comparison with the built in ones on the iMac and Macbook.
Overall: This is a nice product if you have a Mac Mini, or Mac Pro, but because the built-in microphone on the iMac and Macbook lineup is of better quality than the ones on here, I really don’t see the TR-10i having being used very much as a portable device, as it is mainly marketed.

Video Review: Trexta Merli case

Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Comes with accessory hook and earphone cord manager
Cons: No screen protector
Overall: This is a decent case for the price. It has a nice texture to it and the circle divits on the back add a better grip. I wasn’t fond of the hook that attaches to the back, but I could see some good uses that others might get out of it. I think for $19 you can’t really go wrong with this case if it’s your style.

You can purchase this case currently on sale at MyGearStore.com and if you use our promo code “buymeaniphone” you can get an additional 10% off.

Video Review: Elago S2 Stand

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Made out of durable solid aluminum material. Light weight, and small so it’s easy to take anywhere. Can be used with slim cases. Devices can be placed in both landscape or portrait mode for viewing.
Cons: The lip to hold the iPhone in place does come up a little higher than most, not too big of a deal.
Overall: Its a great product for an awesome price. Its durable, sturdy, and definitely the best stand of its kind that I’ve seen so far. If you don’t already have one, or are looking for one like it, the Elago S2 stand is one to check out!

You can purchase this product as well as find out more information by visiting the elagodesign website .

Video Review: JayBird Freedom Bluetooth Headset

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Awesome sound quality, long battery life, light weight, built-in mic to answer calls.
Cons: It doesn’t snap into the charging cradle very smoothly, comes loose easily.
Overall: I’ve tested a few stereo bluetooth headsets in the past, but the Freedoms are now my favorite pair. The sound quality is outstanding, especially for watching movies on your iPhone. I had some trouble at first finding a comfortable fit with my glasses, but now they stay on snug. The one problem I have with them is with the charging cradle. They don’t always make a connection when they are inserted into the charging cradle. I wish they didn’t require a cradle at all, it would have been nice to be able to just plug a mini USB straight into them. Even with the improvements that could be made to the cradle, I still love the Freedoms and I’m going to award them our Editors Choice Award.

You can purchase this product directly from JayBirdGear.com starting at $129.99.

App Review: SplashPhoto Mobile Albums

Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Good way to sync your photos from online services like flicker or Picasa.
Cons: No zooming and pinching options – very limited touch controls, price.
Overall: SplashPhoto is a very promising application, but in current form it is not worth the money. Multi touch controls and additional integration with original photo album has to be added to this App, then it will be an AppStore Top Selling App.

You can purchase SplashPhoto Mobile Albums for $4.99 in the App Store.