App Review: WorldCard Mobile

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Very accurate information transfer, automatically puts contact info into address book, NO need to have a companies servers translate then send information back to you like some cheaper apps.
Cons: When using with the 3G you need extremely good lighting conditions, has trouble reading “creative” cards with funky colors or clear cards.
Overall: WorldCard Mobile Business Card Scanner and Reader is a high quality reader that is priced in the middle of the pack for these business card readers.  The only thing more annoying than entering contact information is having a card reader spit back inaccurate information but WorldCard mobile has been spot on for me right from the start.  This app has already been a huge time saver and is well worth the regular price of $9.99 (on sale for $5.99 through 12/31/09).  

Click here to be directed to the iTunes page or click here to be brought to the Penpower Inc. website to check out other great products.

Video Review: Mophie Hip Holster 6000 for the Juice Pack

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Perfect fit for your Mophie Juice Pack or Juice Pack Air battery cases
Cons: The clip doesn’t rotate
Overall: If you’re like me, you like to have your iPhone on your hip and not in your pockets. If that’s the case for you and you also happen to own a Mophie Juice Pack or Juice Pack Air, then you need to buy this holster. It’s very nice quality and is the perfect companion for a perfect backup battery.

You can buy this product directly from Mophie for $29.95

Video Review: Incipio Honu Case

This is a video review by our Monthly Guest Reviewer Doug D. (aka MrDoubleD50)

Review: Monsoon Multimedia HAVA Titanium HD WiFi

Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Allows you full access to your DVR and cable box at your home. Also includes USB Dongle for WiFi
Cons: Doesn’t currently work with Mac, setup is a little tricky.
Overall: If you’re always away from home and want the ability to access your recorded shows on your DVR or just watch TV on your iPhone or PC laptop, then you need to check out this piece of hardware. Don’t call it a Sling Box, cause this unit blows the Sling Box away. One of the biggest features that trumps the Sling is the ability for multiple people to be viewing live TV from different devices. So if I want to watch a basketball game in my office on my computer, my wife could also be watching live TV on her iPhone from another room in the house or any place where there is WiFi.

You can purchase this unit from the HAVA website for $249.95.

App Review: iLambo

Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros:: User friendly interface with over 600+ images. Viewable in both landscape or portrait mode.
Cons: In my opinion an app like this should be free. It’s a very user specific app. Almost all of these images can be found through search engines over the internet, free.
Overall: If you’re a die hard “Lambo” fan then this application might just interest you as having all these photos in one location can be convenient, otherwise I’d just Google it.

You can purchase iLambo for $.99 from the app store.  Click here to be brought to the app store page.

App Review: TomTom US & Canada

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Looks and feels just like a stand alone portable TomTom unit, simple and easy to use, clean user interface that is detailed yet uncluttered, text to speech, super cool looking lane assist.
Cons: Unless you find it on sale, it is an expensive app. The POI icons on the map are in black and white and not color so they seem like an afterthought. Text to speech only active on certain voices.
Overall: The TomTom GPS app for the iPhone looks amazingly similar to stand alone GPS units, so much so that sometimes I forgot it was on my iPhone. The accuracy was right on target and there were plenty of options to give you flexibility to program via points amongst others but not so many features that you actually need a users manual to figure them out.  This is the perfect app for the tech savvy mobile user as well as the user who simply wants their phone and GPS app to work.  TomTom is such a user friendly app I am awarding it my Editor’s Choice Award.

To learn more about this and other GPS apps see my article in the Winter 2010 issue of “iPhone Life Magazine” you can subscribe by clicking here and being directed to their website.

As of this writing (December 20, 2009) TomTom US version was on sale for $49.99 until December 28, 2009, the regular price is $99.99 while the US & Canada Version is on sale for $69.99 regular price $99.99.

You can learn more about TomTom from their website by clicking here and if you click here you will be directed to the TomTom US & Canada page in iTunes.

CaseCrown Polycarbonate Executive Frame Case

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Very well put together, and super inexpensive.
Cons: It’s tough to pull apart the first few times, but that’s probably a good thing.
Overall: I was very impressed with this case especially with the price being so low. But I was pleasantly surprised at the quality, they could have easily sold it for $30-$35 if they wanted to but they’ve kept it affordable and I think this case is better than some of the other case companies out there that sell their products at high prices like Case-Mate for example. If you haven’t checked out CaseCrown’s cases you need to do so. I liked this case so much that we’ve decided to award it our Editors’ Choice award.

You can purchase this product from CaseCrown’s website for only $12.21.

App Review: Essentials of Magic

This is a review by our Monthly Guest Reviewer Doug D. (MrDoubled50)

You can purchase this app in the App Store for $1.99, but it’s currently on sale for $.99.

Video Review: Cygnett Baseball Speaker

Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Small, compact, inexpensive, variety of colors, lanyard included, rechargeable, 3 hours of battery life.
Cons: Even with the speaker open the bass is a little weak
Overall: The Cygnett Baseball is a good little speaker if you are looking for an inexpensive speaker that is quite portable for those situations where you just need some tunes.  Great for at work or maybe a tailgate just to have some music around.  These are available from a few different retailers but could be difficult to find at times.  I found them on Frys.com for $14.99.

Video Review: PowerMat Receivers

Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Great that these receivers are available for many different phones from Apple to Blackberry
Cons: Some designs are better than others and many of the receiving ports are too large
Overall: A very nice wireless charging system and the ability to get device specific chargers is great. Although the price does vary by device type.

PowerMat Receivers can be purchased at the PowerMat.com for $ 29-39