By: Edward Jackson (Editor In Chief)

It’s been a while since we’ve given away some prizes here at MRT. Who could forget the epic prizes our former chief’s kind heart gave away over the years. To say her shoes are big to fill is an understatement, but I’m committed to bringing the same fun you’ve enjoyed from us over the years. That said, it’s exciting to announce this next tidbit.

Last month, Myrealitytech and TrendOy! parnered together to give away an iPad 2 and a Kindle Fire to two lucky subscribers. Well, we’re doing it again!

For those not aware, TrendOy! is newest MUST-HAVE geeky app that has the tech world buzzing. TrendOY! helps you save time by informing you of one cool new gadget each day and helping you be a more informed consumer! Who doesn’t want that? We know you don’t have the time to read through entire stories while you commute to work or have 10 minutes to catch up on news in your lunch break. We’ve made it easier to follow stories with a new editorial model that will have you stay in the loop on what’s happening in technology, gaming and entertainment categories without being overwhelmed. We’ve reviewed countless apps here at MRT, and we love TrendOy! so much, we’re willing to partner with them on yet another exciting giveaway.

Enough with the chatter. You probably want to know what the contest details are. Well, it’s gotta be the simplest we’ve ever seen as far as any contest is concerned. Click on the official contest link below and get a chance for the swanky new iPad!

http://myrealitytech.trendoy.com/ (contest will open in a new page)

We’re already very excited about TrendOy!’s useability and overall value in our busy lives. While we endure the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, might as well try and win a shiny new iPad right?

 SWEET BONUS:

Don’t forget to “LIKE” TrendOy & MRT’s official Facebook Pages! We will be selecting two lucky ”likers” on April 25, 2012 to win the newest Blackberry Smartphones! One will be selected from Trendoy’s FB page, and another from MRT’s FB page. Go on, LIKE us! You can just hit the FB icon on the right side of our pages to find us, but here’s the link to TrendOy’s FB page as well.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/TrendOY/155409274495828

By: Edward Jackson (Editor In Chief)

It’s been a while since we’ve given away some prizes here at MRT. Who could forget the epic prizes our former chief’s kind heart gave away over the years. To say her shoes are big to fill is an understatement, but I’m committed to bringing the same fun you’ve enjoyed from us over the years. That said, it’s exciting to announce this next tidbit.

Myrealitytech and TrendOy! are partnering together to give away some pretty swanky prizes.

For those not aware, TrendOy! is the up and coming geeky app that has the tech world buzzing. TrendOY! helps you save time by informing you of one cool new gadget each day and helping you be a more informed consumer! Who doesn’t want that? We know you don’t have the time to read through entire stories while you commute to work or have 10 minutes to catch up on news in your lunch break. We’ve made it easier to follow stories with a new editorial model that will have you stay in the loop on what’s happening in technology, gaming and entertainment categories without being overwhelmed. We’ve reviewed countless apps here at MRT, and we love TrendOy! so much, we’re willing to partner with them on this exciting giveaway.

Enough with the chatter. You probably want to know what the contest details are. Well, it’s gotta be the simplest we’ve ever seen as far as any contest is concerned. Click on the official contest link below and win something!

http://myrealitytech.trendoy.com/ (contest will open in a new page)

We’re already very excited about TrendOy!’s official launch on March 12. While we wait, might as well try and win a shiny new tablet right?

By: Jenna Gonzalez (Editor In Chief)

Staff Note: July 5, 2011 This contest is now closed. We’d like to offer a huge Congratulations to Eva B. (entry #48), Bessamy S. (entry #73) for winning MRT & Capulet London’s Facebook Luxury giveaway! Let us know what you picked out! We’re excited In addition, from the comments below, Jenna would like to congratulate to Carolina D. for winning her Joanne case. We’ve got lots of summer gadget prizes coming so don’t forget to like us on FB and win some prizes of your own!

Yes, we ARE giving away two gorgeous, ultra luxurious & very chic $360 Capulet London cases. Contest runs from May 30-June 30. Kindly read through the review and check out the giveaway details at the end for your chance to own one of these highly coveted items.

iPad luxury in a class all it's own with Capulet

Most of you already know the iPad 2 is one of my favorite pieces of technology and it has become such an important accessory I take wherever I go, be it the sidewalks of New York or the cafes of London or Paris. Furthermore, I’m a woman who straddles both the world of fashion (as an executive buyer) and the functional galaxy of technology (as editor in chief). With that said, I’m always looking for fashionable iPad cases that I can incorporate into whatever wardrobe I may be wearing. Since the birth of the first iPad, a lot of companies have sprung up catering to Apple’s game-changing tablet. Now that the iPad 2 sits on it’s throne, it’s no different. Even the most distinct fashion houses have devoted their unique contributions to the melding of fashion & technology.

Capulet makes housing your iPad a supermodel walk in the park.

As a fashion buyer, I’ve received & own every luxury case known to exist currently. A few such as the Louis Vuitton ($400), Vaja ($280) and Gucci ($400) made me smile, others like Chanel’s quilted case ($1,555), Hermes’ orange flap ($1,400) and Domenico Vacca’s alligator case ($3,900) made me raise an eyebrow. Regardless of what and how much, and as much of a shock as it may come to the popular majority, there is in fact a strong market for luxury cases. Trust me, I would know.

I've had it all, and dare I say no other case but Capulet will carry my Swarovski encrusted iPad 2's

As I was talking design ideas for my latest Swarovski crystal encrusted iPad 2′s with a friend from CrystalRoc in London, I came across a line of beautiful luxury iPad cases from a little known UK based company by the name of Capulet London. Capulet is a company birthed by fashion and technology, specializing in the manufacturing of high end leather tablet and laptop cases for women (and the fashion forward man). I was both bewildered by what I initially thought to be yet another iPad case maker trying to compete in the ultra exclusive high end market….and intrigued by the eye catching products at the same time. So I took the plunge and ordered three cases from their website, namely the Allison, the Marija and the Joanne. 

The beautiful microfiber & satin lined dustbags exude the finest luxury

The first thing I noticed upon the arrival of the Capulet cases was the elegance of their packaging. While they didn’t come in boxes standard to most designer products (eyebrow raised here), the cases did come housed in beautiful orange microfiber dustbags lined inside with black satin and secured with orange satin bows. Anyone who’s ever owned an expensive designer handbag knows that dustbags are a staple of luxury.

I'm informed the Allison is currently sold out

And when you touch it, hold it, show it off, you'll see why

The cases themselves (as I saw and later found out) are individually hand crafted out of the finest Tuscan leather in Andalucia, Spain. Having dealt with many a fine leather manufacturer myself, I have no doubt to this claim. The quality and craftsmanship really shows through, and the leather is buttery soft with a delicate finish exclusive only to the finest leather products (think Manolo Blahnik shoes!)

The python printed Marija is a complement magnet for all my socialite girl pals

The Allison (Green) and Marija (Python) cases have a nice sized front pocket under the the flap which stays closed by use of a magnetic clip. On the front is a small compartment that would comfortably hold small items such as a few pens, some papers or a Judith Leiber compact mirror. These glove cases will hold both generations of iPad. The compartment which is lined in the softest suede leather is big enough to accommodate an iPad with a Smart Cover on it. These cases are quite chic and sophisticated and accomplish the tricky task of doubling as a stylish clutch more so than other luxury cases.

The Marija & Allison housing both my iPad 2's

The Joanne (eggplant purple) is a much simpler case yet still fashionable. It has a single compartment for your iPad with a narrow magnetically fastened flap. Because of its relatively more affordable price, I can actually see a lot of budget & fashion conscious people attracted to this. However, I do have one gripe about this case. The leather is a bit more stiff with the top edges being exposed, so the ipad tends to slide around inside. If held upside down or dropped, it risks the exposed corners of the ipad to damage. However, it is interesting to note that this particular case is made using an eco-friendly tanning process that leaves a miniscule footprint on the environment. I really love when companies try to be more environmentally conscious. My advice: Keep this idea rolling but re-do the case.

The Joanne presents a mixed bag for me...

 As we all know, with fine quality comes an even finer price. That being said, these cases currently range from £95.00 to £240 roughly translating to $154 USD for the Joanne, to $390 USD for the Allison & Marija. These prices definitely put the Capulet London line within the luxury bracket of the Gucci’s & Prada’s.

If you're looking for the right kind of luxury to spend your extra bucks on, look no further.

It is also worth noting that Capulet London offers the same hand made luxury bags for Kindles, Galaxy Tabs, as well as 10 and 13 inch laptops. They come in a variety of styles and colors for whatever your wardrobe deems necessary. So whether it’s a conservative board meeting or a romantic dinner date, these are made for the tech-savvy fashionista that is always on the go.

Reality Grade: Speaking as a luxury crazed fashionista who loves my iPad, a resounding “A” to the Allison & Marija for the stylish clutch-like qualities and exquisite craftsmanship. A tentative “B-” to the Joanne for its good use of eco-friendly methods, but unfortunate details that expose the iPad to possible damage. The market is practically flooded with hundreds of iPad cases to suit your every need and budget. In fact, when the functional nerd side of me calls out, my $99 Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG is a heaven send…but if you happen to be anything like me, and the fashionista side of you just wants to spend the extra money on something luxurious, you can go for the obvious Gucci; The all-my-friends-have-one Louis Vuitton; Or $,1400 Hermes investment. If you ask me, Capulet has found a great median in me. Luxurious, unique, daringly new, environmentally conscious and visually striking. Dare I say it, even my iPad’s love being snuggled in them.

Giveaway Details:

MRT is happy to announce a partnership with Capulet London (a first of it’s kind here at MRT). For this particular giveaway, we will be awarding two very lucky winners with any Capulet case of their choice (Valued at $375 USD or less and to be shipped to them by our friends at Capulet). The rules are so very simple, it’s almost too easy.

1. First and foremost, you must be a Facebook fan of both MRT & Capulet London.

2. You must share (and have evidence) of sharing the article/contest link at least once on your Facebook wall.

3. Go here: Capulet London & MRT Exclusive Giveaway and simply check what exciting new gadget you think Capulet should design a case for next!

4. Posting a comment down below gets you a separate entry to win Jenna’s brand new $154 Joanne case which she still likes but doesn’t need.

That’s it. How simple is that? Two very lucky winners will be have the chance to pick out any case they want on Capulet London’s website on June 30, 2011. Best of luck! Love, Jenna. 

To check out and daydream about which case you’d like to be making your friends jealous of, go to www.capuletlondon.com

We looove the Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG. That's why we're giving away several of them to our fans!

The Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG is not a new player in the arena of iPad 2 accessories. ZAGG introduced their ZAGGmate with keyboard for the original iPad. The first iteration won the award for most innovative accessory at the CES. This new edition is not a simple copy of its sibling, but an improvement on an already great product. When you purchase the case, you receive a simple yet well presented  box. Inside, you find the keyboard case itself, a USB cable, a getting
started guide and a little silicon square that has four stubs cut into it for those who want a way of preventing their keyboard from sliding on polished surfaces. That is all nice, but I am sure that you are not reading this article to learn about the packaging.

Let’s jump right back into subject. The iPad 2 is an amazing tablet offering its users with impressive
possibilities, one of which is the ability to take notes wherever we are. The virtual keyboard on the iPad screen works well for taking short notes and browsing the internet, but what if you are a professional that uses the tablet as your main mean for taking notes and doing some work while on the move? This is where a physical keyboard becomes the one accessory we can’t live without.

Construction:

The Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG is made of an aluminium shell for the back and black plastic for the keyboard on the inside. The inside of the case has cushion lining on its inside edges to hold the iPad in place when snapped onto the case. Still on the keyboard side, there is a a rubber strip at the top and at the bottom of the keyboard. These strips serve as cushion for the iPad when it is snapped to the case too. The top strip, which is much larger than the bottom one, harbours
the Logitech name and logo.  The finish of the outside shell mimics the finish of the back of the iPad, resulting in a very polished look when using the Logitech Keyboard Case to carry our iPad around. This gives the iPad with the keyboard case a very professional yet sober look. The quality of the construct is very good. It feels robust and really well built.

When not in use, your iPad 2 conveniently fits snuggly & safely face down in the case.

The dimensions of the keyboard are those of a netbook keyboard. The lettering on the keys is large and easy to see. The layout is a QWERTY keyboard, respecting a US keyboard standard. Just above the keyboard, on the top-left side, we have the power toggle switch and a connect button right under it. Directly to the right of the buttons, there are two lights, one for the charging status and one for the  connection status. I won’t describe in length how the lights work, as it is not
something that will help people decide if the Logitech Keyboard Case is the right accessory for them.

Completely lightweight aircraft grade aluminum unibody construction!

The one and only part of the keyboard case that may feel a little weaker is the hinge that serves as the iPad’s stand in conjunction with the groove above the keyboard. This hinge is made out of hard plastic that will most likely be the first piece that will wear on the device. A metallic hinge system would have been the ultimate system, but it would have cost the company more to produce the units. The one thing ZAGG could do in that regard would be to offer users the ability to buy a replacement hinge if it breaks. I haven’t contacted ZAGG to know whether they do already have this replacement piece available, but I haven’t found any sign of it being available on their website.

Keyboard usage:

The keyboard connects via Bluetooth, a short range wireless communication technology. Upon pressing the connect button and selecting the Logitech Keyboard Case in available bluetooth devices/accessories, a pop-up window appears on the iPad screen prompting the user to enter a code displayed in the message itself followed by the enter key. This is the initial pairing sequence you have to go through only once (unless you want to use it with more than one device). The keyboard keys have a travel distance of about 2 mm. The keys are firmly in place and do not show any sign of jiggling
sideways. The keyboard keys are very quiet overall. Typing on the Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG will require a small adaptation period for any users who is not familiar with this size of keyboard.

Netbook users on the other end should feel right at home. Typing feels very natural, much more than on the iPad’s virtual keyboard. The accessory truly shines when used with applications such as Apple Pages, QuickOffice HD or Documents To Go. Aside from the regular keys found on every keyboard, the Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG offers its users a full set of function keys right at the top.  The first half presents functions such as cut, copy, paste, undo, redo. It also has a key for the iPad’s Home button function, a key for the iOS Search function, a slideshow key as well as a key to open the virtual keyboard.  On the second half of the function keys presents users with media key to start/pause music, go to next or previous track,  mute, volume down or up. There is also a key to lock/unlock the iPad’s screen.

Another really nice touch is an International Keyboard selection key at the bottom left part of the keyboard. Add to this the TAB as well as the arrow keys and you have a very complete keyboard solution. ZAGG has done an extremely good job with  the keyboard’s layout and all the function keys as the user does not need to touch the iPad’s screen for the most part of the time. The only moment where we are required to use our finger is for browsing through apps and launching them. This shows that ZAGG has put some good thoughts in their designs. In order to prevent the keyboard to start sliding with the iPad set on it, users can install the little silicone stubs included in the package. Once they are on, the keyboard becomes extremely stable on any flat surfaces. Another nice feature that a lot of people might not be aware of is the ability of the Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG to automatically put the iPad 2 to sleep, exactly like Apple’s own Smart Cover.

Ultra responsive soft touch keys turn your powerful iPad 2 into a computer powerhouse!

Compatibility with skins and protective films:

When we see the name ZAGG, we think about the InvisibleShield right away, the product that is in part the origin of the company’s success. The iPad, like the iPhone and iPod Touch, are all beautifully crafted devices that users will usually want to protect to various degrees. People usually like their mobile devices to remain small and lightweight. That is why film protectors have become so popular. One challenge people encounter when they start shopping for accessories for their iDevices is knowing if the new accessory will work with the ones already owned. The question I see the most frequently on various popular blogs and forums is if such and such case will work with such and such film protector on the device. In the case of the Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG, it is fairly simple to answer. The  iPad 2 is held its edges around, especially at the corners. If you use any film protector to cover only the screen of the iPad 2, you won’t have any
problems whatsoever. 

If you go for a full body protection such as the like the ZAGG InvisibleShield Full Body for iPad 2, you’ll still have no problems. The one exception I have found is with solutions such as the ZAGG InvisibleShield Maximum protection where the back piece will go nearly all the way to the edge between the aluminium piece and the
front glass piece. What will happen in this case is that after a few use, the Logitech Keyboard Case will start peeling the parts of the film protector that run the closest to the edges. Fortunately, there is a simple fix for this situation. All you need to do is simply cut the film protector at the corners so that there is between one and two millimetres clear from the edges. If you own and use Apple’s Smart Cover and came to like it, you will be disappointed to learn that it cannot be used in conjunction with the Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG.

Built with the same satin finish aluminum as the iPad 2, this case feels expensive & sleek.

Personal thoughts  and observations:

I have been using the Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG for over a week now in order to see how it performs. The first thing that comes to mind is how much I love this accessory and how much it helps me using my iPad 2 even more than I used to. I work as a Technological Architect and IT Consultant and I have a lot of documents and reports to write for the various projects I work on. On top of that, I have to participate to many meetings at our various clients offices. As such,
I decided to try to work without my work laptop as much as possible and rely on my iPad 2 with the Logitech Keyboard Case. The experiment has gone extremely well, enough so that I decided to write this whole article using the keyboard case with my iPad 2. One small thing I have observed that might be a glitch or an issue is that I sometimes have key strokes duplicated. This has not occurred often, so I can’t call this a bug. It could be something as simple as the sensitivity of the keyboard keys when I tap a little too hard on the keys. I will continue investigating this and will gladly post an update on the matter if the MRT team accepts me writing more for them.

Reality Grade: “A”

I would strongly recommend this accessory for any mobile professional who has a lot of notes to take and meetings to participate to. I would also strongly recommend the keyboard case to any student already owning an iPad 2. From the mazing bluetooth keyboard to the beautifully machined aluminum unibody construction, the Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG is a quality product that is well worth the asked price of $99.

Quality build, awesome features and convenient storage, this case is for the road warrior.

Giveaway Details:

Because MRT and ZAGG want you to be a cool road warrior as well, our chief Jenna Gonzalez has decided to give away 3 of these awesome $99 aluminum unibody cases!

Prizes: 3 Logitech iPad 2 Keyboard Cases by ZAGG

Entry Period: 5/24/2011 to 6/24/2011

Entry Methods: FaceBook Fans Only!

1. Get 1 entry from liking My Reality Tech on Facebook
2. Get 1 additional Entry for sharing this contest or the My Reality Tech fan page with your friends (make an additional comment letting us know you did this!)
3. Get 1 more entry by commenting down below on the comments section on why you’d like this awesome case for yourself.

With the help of our pals from ZAGG, we will be randomly drawing winners from all qualified entries on June 24, 2011. All 3 winners will be contacted via Facebook message and/or email.  What are you waiting for? Go tell everyone!

By: Tony Novoa (Contributing Editor)

Staff Note: YES, WE ARE GIVING AWAY 3 $129 JAWBONE ERA HEADSETS ON MARCH 31st. Details below. Don’t forget about our other ongoing contests and prize giveaways like the BlueAnt Q2 Bluetooth Headset and Wacom Bamboo Fun prize!  Remember that our contests are ONLY eligible to our fans & subscribers so don’t forget to sign up.  We send you a copy of each new post and giveaway announcement via email.  No more, no less, zero spam!  That’s a promise!  We’re always doing contest giveaways every month so it pays to be  on the list.

Jawbone Brings Us A New ERA

Hands Free

The Jawbone ERA In A Box

Ah… the joys of being hands free.  When speaking on your mobile handset that is.  We all know that as we’re zipping around from point A to point B in our favorite vehicle, we don’t want to be caught holding our beloved communication devices to our ears, lest we get slapped with a ticket by our protectors of the peace.  So, what to do if we want to have a conversation without holding our mobile phones?  Simple.  Don a stylish earset and chat to your heart’s content.  All while complying with the law and being safe drivers – or at least appearing so.  It seems that the simple act of talking on the phone while driving is enough to distract us and make us more prone to reckless driving.  So, you’ve been warned.

It’s A New Year

Last year, Jenna gave away a handful of her favorite 2010 Bluetooth accessory, the Jawbone ICON. But it’s a new year, and look what the folks at Jawbone just unveiled. We all know that despite the warnings, we want to be able to talk, when we want, where we want.  And how better to do that than with Jawbone’s latest Jawbone ERA Bluetooth earset.  Listing for $129.00, it may not be the cheapest headset on the market but it looks awesome and works quite well.  Jawbone is long known for it’s ever expanding line of Bluetooth headsets and the ERA is the latest in the series, following the popular ICON and Prime units.  Available in four styles, the ERA offers some stylish choices.  From the  Shadowbox (black metal), Smokescreen (brown copper), Midnight (black over a red background), and Silver Lining (silver over a white background).  We got to try to try the Silver Lining one… after all, every cloud has one and here at MRT, we celebrate optimism.

The Jawbone ERA Unboxed

So just how small is this bad boy.  Well, the ERA is small, albeit a bit taller than the ICON, measuring 2″ long, 0.6 inches wide and a tad under an inch thick. Similar to it’s ICON cousin, the ERA has a single multi-function button for answering, ending and switching between calls. By default, pressing and holding the button initiates voice dialing, but it can also trigger MyTalk apps.  To control the volume, simply press and hold the button during a call or other audio playback.  This will slowly cycle the volume up and down.  Release the button when the volume is right.  If you prefer, you can also adjust the volume directly from your phone. The only other hardware is an On/Off slider switch.  Overall, it’s a very stylish and smooth design.

A Whole Lot Of Shaking Going On

The ICON (predecessor) & ERA In The Palm Of Jenna's Hand

So what makes this different from the ICON? The ERA introduces an additional control mechanism thanks to a built-in accelerometer.  This enables using a gesture that Jawbone calls “TapTap”—a double-tap anywhere on the device’s exterior.  This mimics the basic functionality of the hardware button: you can answer, end and switch between calls with a quick tap-tap. You can also achieve the same results by shaking the headset, as long as the ERA isn’t in your ear. This is essentially a gesture Jawbone has christened “ShakeShake”, followed by a quick insertion of the Era into your ear.  This is equivalent to a TapTap or a button press.

What else can you do?  Use the accelerometer to enter Bluetooth-pairing mode by performing a quadruple shake (a double-ShakeShake).  Note  that the first time you turn on the ERA, it automatically enters pairing mode, so no shaking is necessary.

Both the Samsung Galaxy S 4G and the Verizon iPhone 4 easily paired with the ERA.  Other actions such as activating the spoken summary of your battery’s remaining talk time or redialing the most-recently called number can only be activated with a button press, instead of a shake or tap.

The Jawbone ERA... So Stylish In Jenna's Delicate Hands

While the accelerometer-based controls might seem gimmicky, they were actually easy to get used to.  Even so, the ICON’s button were easy to access or press but the flexibility was appreciated. In fact, the ERA’s tapping gesture offers several  unexpected benefits. First, if you happen to have longer hair, you’ll find that tapping is actually faster than moving your hair out of the way to find the ERA’s physical button. Second, by using a gentle tap instead of a button press, you don’t risk jostling the ERA out of your ear. Keep in mind that tapping too hard on a device that’s inserted in your ear can be loud.  The good news here is that gentle taps also work well.

Of course, with small footprints come some compromises.  For example, the ERA’s control system, such as the power switch, can be difficult to access when the device is already in your ear so you may be forced to remove the ERA in order to turn it on and off. Another item of note is that the iPhone seems to need an extra two seconds to enter Voice Control mode when triggered from the ERA.

Like the the other product lines, the ERA comes with an assortment of eartips and an earloop.  The variety allows for mixing and matching that eventually should lead to a snug, comfortable fit.  The plastic earloop is helpful for keeping the ERA extra secure in the ear.

How Much Time?

So, how long can you actually use the ERA without recharging?  Jawbone claims a battery life of 5.5 hours of talk time or up to 10 days of standby time.  This seems to be consistent with our findings as well.  Note that when you first open the box, you’ll need 30 minutes to charge the ERA 80% of the way, and another 30 minutes to top it off. The ERA charges via a micro-USB port; you can use the included AC charger or any powered USB port. There is also a very short USB-to-micro-USB cable included in the package.

Can You Hear The Quality?

Surprisingly enough, while the accelerometer is innovative and cool, the ERA’s single biggest improvement over its predecessors is its noticeably superior audio quality. The ERA actually features a true wideband speaker that’s 25 percent larger than the Icon’s without impacting the ergonomics of the earpiece.  The earnest also uses Jawbone’s NoiseAssassin® technology for both inbound and outbound audio.  This automatically adjusts volume and equalizer settings, catering them to your current audio environment.  Don’t believe it?  Welcome to NoiseAssassin… listen for yourself:

The result is that calls, music and YouTube audio all sound impressively clear with the ERA. It seems that the results are just as
good on the other end of phone calls, where people reported that they could hear well also. In fact, many callers indicated that I sounded better with the ERA than when switched to the phone’s built-in microphone.

Just like the ICON, the ERA can connect with Jawbone’s MyTalk service, which lets you add Audio Apps and DialApps. (AudioApps customize the spoken voice that announces battery-status updates and the like; DialApps replace the “hold down the main button” voice-dialing functionality with 411 services, transcribed texts and status updates, and more). New for the ERA is a Caller ID app that speaks the full names of your callers, instead of just their phone numbers. The app uses high-quality recordings of your contacts’ names whenever possible for better audio.

The ERA also successfully paired with a MacBook Pro and iPad, essentially working like a one-ear Bluetooth headphone.  You can listen to iTunes, Skype and other audio without difficulty.

The Specs

List Price: $129.99

Reality Grade: A

More information on the Jawbone ERA

We’re Giving Away 3 Jawbone ERAs!

Finally… At MyRealityTech, we like to share the goods and you like to get the goods.  So, in the spirit of generosity, we are giving away 3 Jawbone ERAs to 3 lucky subscribers!

The Rules:

We’ll keep it simple.  Tell us why the the Jawbone ERA would enjoy a spot in your ear.  You have 3 options to enter:

1) Post a comment below.

2) Comment and Like us on Facebook.

3) Follow us and Tweet about this on Twitter.

As you can see, we are giving you many chances to win.  The winners will be chosen randomly at the end of March… that’s March 31st, 2011.  Enjoy the contest and giveaway!  As always, be sure to follow @MyRealityTech on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more exclusive opportunities to win great prizes!

By: Tony Novoa (Contributing Editor)

Update: March 18, 2011 Congratulations to Renn W. Of Albany, NY for winning her very own cool Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet. Renn, we hope you can use this tablet to cultivate your creative side (send us pictures! lol). Special thanks to our friends at the Fashion Institute of Technology for recommending we try this out, and to Doug from Wacom who showed us how cool this tablet really is. To all our loyal fans and subscribers, we always have lots and lots of prizes to give away so don’t give up!

Staff Note: Don’t forget about our ongoing contests and prize giveaways like the BlueAnt Q2 Bluetooth Headset, the CES SWAG giveaway and exciting passes to exclusive events!  Remember that our contests are ONLY eligible to our fans & subscribers so don’t forget to sign up.  We send you a copy of each new post and giveaway announcement via email.  No more, no less, zero spam!  That’s a promise!  We’re always doing contest giveaways every month so it pays to be  on the list.

The Wacom Bamboo Fun - A Work Of Art To Create Great Artwork.

The Fun Begins

How exciting to be able to experience the wonder of creating true art using nothing more than an electronic pen, a smooth surface and a computer monitor.  Well… as someone who struggles to put together a set of Powerpoint slides from scratch, you can imagine my relief when my oldest daughter of 19 years expressed an interest in putting the Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet through it’s paces.  After all, she is a self proclaimed Photoshop nut with a love of digital paintings as well as an aspiring creative digital artist.  Sounds like a match made in heaven… or on earth anyway.

The Bamboo Fun With All It's Goodies Out Of The Box

Size Does Matter

I can only express amazement at what my daughter has been able to produce with her ten-year old Wacom tablet.  More often than not, the detail is so extraordinary that her creations actually look like photographs.  So, what was her impression of Wacom’s latest and greatest?  She was truly impressed and surprised at how much she was missing when she tried out the Bamboo Fun for the first time.  The difference between a 5”x4” active space to the one provided by the Bamboo Fun ( 7.5″ x 5.1″) which enables covering the entire monitor, regardless of the size, is more than worth the price difference between the Fun and its smaller brethren.  And what about the tactile experience?  Thumbs up here as well. The textured surface of the Bamboo Fun provides a true pen-on-paper feel, and although it will probably wear out the nib faster than older models, Wacom is thoughtful enough to provide extras.  With over 1,000 levels of sensitivity, the Fun tablet is perfect for digital paintings, sketches or for virtually anything else you might want to use it.

It’s In The Details

So, what exactly can you do with the Bamboo Fun?  With Multi-Touch, you can navigate, scroll and work with simple gestures and with a generous active area, you have much more room than you’d have with other touch devices like computer trackpads and mobile phones.

What about precision?  Pick up the pressure-sensitive pen to draw, sketch, edit photos and add handwritten elements to your creations.  The generous size of the Bamboo Fun gives you plenty of space for creative freedom, making it simple and comfortable to use.  As far as comfort goes, a pen tablet can help if you’ve experienced wrist pain from prolonged computer use – and in this day and age, who among us hasn’t felt that at one time or another.

Even better, the Bamboo Fun delivers equal opportunity fun.  It works with your existing desktop or laptop, PC or Mac.  Attach it to a standard USB port and set it by your keyboard.  You can even customize your Bamboo Fun experience by assigning your own shortcuts to four ExpressKeys™.

Not enough you say?  The Bamboo Fun includes many valuable goodies, including: Adobe® Photoshop® Elements, Corel® Painter™ Essentials, Nik® photographic filters, a free photo album from Shutterfly® and a free online store at CafePress®.  Not too shabby when you consider the $199.00 MSRP.

Wacom Even Provides A Cloth Loop To Tether The Pen

Key Features

• Combines the benefits of pen and Multi-Touch input into one tablet
• Use a single finger for navigation and multiple fingers for gestures
• Simple gestures make it easy to scroll, zoom, rotate, move backward or forward
• Pressure-sensitive pen tip for natural pen and brush strokes
• Battery-free, ergonomic pen with two switches
• Textured work surface for a pen-on-paper feel
• Quick access to user-defined shortcuts with four ExpressKeys™
• Attached fabric loop conveniently secures pen
• Easy USB connection
• Interactive tutorial helps you learn gestures and make the most of your Bamboo
• Included in the package with every Bamboo Fun:
  • Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 7.0 Win/6.0 Mac for editing, retouching, enhancing and sharing digital photos
  • Corel® Painter™ Essentials 4.0 (Win and Mac) for creating natural media art and turning photos into paintings
  • Nik® Color Efex™ Pro 3.0 WE3 for selectively applying lighting and photo enhancements with the pen

The Technical Details

Here’s an example of what my daughter produced:

Smile by ~creationsound on deviantART (©2011 ~creationsound)

First-Hand Summary

Design: Sleek, silver with glossy white buttons and a little cloth loop to hold the pen, the Bamboo Fun’s design is both stylish and practical.

Size: The Bamboo Fun may not be the most portable tablet on the market, but its thin design and large active space more than makes up for it.  Thus far, every computer used with the Fun regardless of monitor size (from a 1680 x 1020 widescreen to a 13” laptop screen), the active space covers the entire length of the screen.

Touch: Ok, so this isn’t an Apple Magic Trackpad, but the touch capabilities are decent enough to make it almost unnecessary to keep a mouse nearby.  However, with the pen in hand, you probably won’t need a mouse to navigate your computer.

Pen/Sensitivity: With over a thousand levels of sensitivity, the Bamboo Fun is perfect for digital artists and students alike.  Furthermore, the nib and surface of the active area have a nice texture that adds to the pencil-on-paper feel some other tablets lack.

Conclusion: With its sleek design, large active space and excellent sensitivity, we highly recommend the Wacom Bamboo Fun to anyone looking for a relatively affordable tablet that gets the job done in style.

Reality Grade: A

More details: Wacom

We’re Giving Away Fun!

As you know, we at MyRealityTech like to have fun and believe the more fun the better.  So, in the spirit of generosity, we are giving away some fun!  To be specific… one Wacom Bamboo Fun to a lucky subscriber!

The Rules:

We’ll keep this one simple.  Tell us why the Wacom Bamboo Fun would enjoy laying on your desk.  You have 3 options to enter:

1) Post a comment below.

2) Comment and Like us on Facebook.

3) Follow us and Tweet about this on Twitter.

As you can see, we are giving you many chances to win.  The winner will be chosen randomly on the Ides of March… that’s March 15th, 2011.  Enjoy the contest and giveaway!  As always, be sure to follow @MyRealityTech on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more exclusive opportunities to win great prizes!

By: Foster Scott (Contributing Editor)

Staff Note: Don’t forget about our ongoing contests and prize giveaways like the BlueAnt Q2 Bluetooth Headset, the CES SWAG giveaway and exciting passes to exclusive events!  Remember that our contests are ONLY eligible to our fans & subscribers so don’t forget to sign up.  We send you a copy of each new post and giveaway announcement via email.  No more, no less, zero spam!  That’s a promise!  We’re always doing contest giveaways every month so it pays to be  on the list.

Where’s Apple?

Having not been to a Macworld Convention since 2006, I could easily say my excitement level was high, even with CES just in my rear view mirror.  The thought of amassing a large collection of pens, buttons and SWAG equivalent to Macworld’s of the past seemed just in my reach.  I still have a small amount left over from the last time, yet it would still be nice to replenish supplies.  I know Apple had pulled out of having any booths or space at Macworld, yet I still had hope for a large turn out.

The first thing I noticed was this year’s Macworld was being held in the Moscone West Building.  The same place CTIA was held back in October and not in multiple places that included the larger convention hall as was the case in years past.  The weather was just as sunny and nice (so my deepest apologies to everyone east  of me and your storm that you can keep).  I was worried that the size and timing of Macworld being right after CES would hinder the event too much to make it enjoyable.  There were some things to get used to, but after stepping inside, it felt like you were seeing and old friend.  Sure, the good-looking older sibling had moved out, but it still had the more comfortable one-on-one feeling.  In fact, I was able to have more time with vendors I had already met at CTIA and CES and that were too busy for more than just the elevator pitch.

A Shadow Of Its Former Self

Macworld in San Francisco has never been the size or scope of CES in Las Vegas.  Still it was a large convention and it took the 3 days as a consumer to hit the booths you wanted to see and enter into the contest you wanted to win.  So to stand in the middle of the first floor in the Moscone West building and to be able to see the walls at both ends is still a little disheartening.  Worry not thought, first sights of  the booths from some old favorites like DriveSavers and Dr. Bott seemed to ease the pain from my reminiscing.  In fact, I was able to start to smell the roses as I stopped and spent some good amount of time at each of the booths.  In the past that would have been near impossible to do.  Being new to this side of the Tech world, any chance I get to learn how those I report about do their business and why is a great opportunity indeed.  Not to be rushed or filed through like a cattle line is priceless.  The biggest difference I noticed, aside from how small Macworld had become – which was like going back to your old elementary school and seeing how small everything looked – was how hard it was to get any of the good SWAG.  Brittney would have shed a tear at the lack of pens being offered, and  the ones I did snag were few and far between.  I know times are tough, but as she would have been quick to say, “Nurses need their free pens!”  Fan boys do too!

Looking around the floor at Macworld 2011 to show how small and spread out the booths were  you will clearly see each wall and how few booths were next to me in the center of the room:

Macworld spin to show size

Some New Favorites

As a member of the Press this year, the ability to sit in on some of the Featured Presentations was new to me.  They soon became some of my favorite spots from my Macworld trip this year.  One of the first was Sinbad.  He is well known as a comedian/actor (as with all entertainment, you may or may not find him funny) and he is also known as a long-time supporter of Macworld.  Here are some of the highlights of the Q&A portion of his presentation (which I personally believe is where he excels).  I did not bring my tripod so please be kind about the shaky camera work.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The other presentation I enjoyed was the one for TechGirlz “Women in Technology, making a difference”.  As a proud father of a young lady, I wanted to see how some of the leading ladies in the tech world viewed themselves and what help and information they had to offer to young ladies wanting to get into what is considered a male dominated field.  Below are just a couple of the highlights from that session lead by Shellie Hall – Consultant, Ducktype Digital.  Too bad my daughter could not have joined me for that one.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What Of The SWAG?

Now for one of the things I am sure you are really wanting to know about.  The SWAG.  Thanks to Brittney’s aggressive nature and how large CES was, along with the amount of stuff that was available, we had a more than a few CES bags to give away.  For Macworld, I was able to piece together one very nice bag (if I do say so myself) and all for one lucky winner.

Here is what is in theMRT’s Macworld 2011 SWAG Bag giveaway…

Click here to view the embedded video.

So, is MacWorld still exciting or would you rather watch paint dry?  Are you more of a Mac or a PC?  Are you as excited about the SWAG Bag giveaway as we are?  Sound off and follow Foster on Twitter for a chance to be a winner.  You know we  love to hear from you.  As always, be sure to follow @MyRealityTech on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more exclusive opportunities to win great prizes!

UPDATE: No April Fools Joke, The Macworld Swag Giveaway ends Friday April 1st so hurry and Follow.  Then sound off, it is that easy!!!

By: Foster Scott (Contributing Editor)

Staff Note: Feb 22, 2011 This contest is now closed. Congratulations to the winners below who scored one of our Dell Mini 4G Netbooks! Very special thank you to Shelby from T-Mobile who provided us with the review unit & our own Jenna for purchasing the additional units to give away. Don’t forget about our ongoing contests and very cool tech prizes. Of course, you can only find them here at MRT. -Foster

Keith B. of Trinity, FL

Kathy L. of Nashville, TN

Sean F. of Stroudsburg, PA 

Staff Note: Jan 5, 2011. To ring in the New Year. We’ve decided to couple yet another review with a stellar giveaway. That’s right. We are giving away 3 T-mobile Dell Mini 10 4G netbooks to a few lucky fans. Read on for details!

Having never owned a netbook myself & only playing with my Daughter’s Acer Aspire One (that only has Wi-Fi) while I was setting it up with parental controls, I can easily say I was very excited to get my hands on the T-Mobile Dell Mini 10 with 4G.  My laptops have always been Wi-Fi only, so the thought of checking my Twitter & FaceBook anywhere on the go was heaven.  The marketing for the Mini 10 is aimed at customers looking for “a netbook with ultraportable, fully featured internet access, so they can be productive and have fun at blazing fast speeds on the go”.  Sounds like me, so let’s dive in.

At the end I have added an Unboxing YouTube Video to help you see the Mini 10 a little better, but first things first.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 4G netbook is geared to take advantage of T-Mobile’s 4G mobile broadband network and Wi-Fi, including unlimited access to thousands of T-Mobile HotSpot Network locations Nationwide.

My house has Wi-Fi throughout, but for the sake of testing the Mini 10 I kept it on the 3G/4G setting.  I am not lucky enough to be in T-Mobile’s 4G area for my house, but i did spend time driving around to ensure I could try the 4G feature.  The 4G is built into the Mini 10 so not needing a USB stick or attachments that would stick out was nice.  At times when I drove around, I had my Daughter entertain herself with music videos from YouTube and when parked I pulled up a few shows on Netflix.

While the music selection from a teenage girl may not have been my best choice, seeing her stay focused on the videos during the long drives because the streaming kept up quite nicely was impressive.  If I found myself parked for a spell, knowing I could watch Netflix to pass the time was a tease (since I knew I would only have the Mini 10 for a short review period).  The battery life was great from the integrated six cell battery when the brightness of the screen was kept low and I easily reached the 8 hour mark.  The display is somewhat glossy so to keep the screen at a lower level, you may need to plan ahead as to where you want to sit and still see the screen outdoors, since the 4G will have you taking it many places.

On my lap, the Mini 10 did get a little on the hot side.  Setting it on a clipboard I had handy was good enough to ensure better airflow and keep it cooler, but for the car rides and couch surfing you may want a book or something.  That being said, my Daughter did not seem to mind the heat as she played with it in the car.  The keyboard is 92 percent the size of a standard laptop keyboard with keys that have a nice texture and response to the fingers with a solid feel.

For a netbook I understand the need for a smaller MousePad, but one problem I was having is when trying to move the mouse down or up.  The small size and super sensitivity had the mouse jumping around at times.  At 3 lbs, for some reason the Mini 10 felt a little heavier than I was expecting, I am guessing it is due to the weight distribution of the battery.  Later I picked up my Daughter’s Acer and while it felt the same in pounds, the Acer felt more balanced.

The built-in 1.3 MP Webcam is what you may expect to find on a netbook or notebook these days.  Personally I do not like the placement on the display for the Mini 10 (which is the same gripe I have for the Acer and many similar netbooks) as they have it right in the center.  I understand wanting the video to be centered when chatting, but every time I go to open the lid to the netbook, my fingers seem to find the webcam and thus I now have a fingerprint right on the lens.  My recommendation is to keep a mico-fiber cloth with you at all times.

Now for the specs:

Size: 10.43 x 7.72 x 1.29 inches

Weight: 3 lbs

Included battery: 6 cell 56 WHr lithium-ion battery

Standby time: 11 hours

Band (frequency): 850 MHz;900 MHz;1800 MHz;1900 MHz;UMTS/HSPA+: AWS Band  IV / 2100 / 1900 / 850

Operating System: Microsoft® Windows 7 Starter Edition

Processor: Intel® ATOM™ Processor N450 (1.66 GHz; 512 KB L2 Cache)

Memory: 1 GB DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM

Graphics: Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3150

Hard Drive: 160 GB 2.5-inch, 5400 RPM SATA

Display: 10.1-inch LED, 1024 x 600 Glossy WSGVA

Battery*: 6 cell 56 WHr lithium-ion battery Up to 8 hours Websurfing; 11 hours standby*

Ports: VGA, 3 USB 2.0 Ports, 5-in-1 Media Card Reader (SD Card Size), Headphone, Mic, Ethernet

Price: $250 with a 2 year contract. $450 without.

* Based on Dell Lab testing. Battery life varies by configuration, operating conditions and other factors. Maximum battery capacity decreases with time and use.

The video should give you a better idea on the size and look of the Dell Mini 10 from T-Mobile as well as some of the Pro’s and Con’s I could point out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pro’s: Long battery life, fast 4g speeds, ultraportable, price (because of 2 year contract), unlimited access to HotSpot locations, textured Keys and sturdy feel when typing, sturdy overall feel of netbook

Con’s: $250 but only with a 2 year contract ($450 without) , 4G only in select cities so far, super sensitive mouse pad, white color bottom may attract dirt, location of webcam when opening lid is a fingerprint magnet.

Reality Grade: While some of my gripes are more of personal dislikes, like the placement of the webcam and color of the bottom for attracting dirt, the ultraportability of the Dell Mini 10 along with the speeds while surfing the net and checking email were fantastic.  I would say if you are in the market for a netbook then you should go to T-Mobile and check out the Dell Mini 10 4G.  It’s a powerful, sleek netbook that works on so many levels.  Good thing for you this review is also a Giveaway!

Good Luck!

Giveaway Details: Like all our other giveaways, the rules are super simple. If you’re not already one of our 184,000 super-smart email subscribers, you need to be. That’s rule #1. Simply enter your email on the upper right hand side of any page (make sure to go back into your email to confirm). That’s all you need. What’s the email subscription for? Everytime we have an article or a giveaway, you get a copy on your email. That’s it. No solicitation, nothing sold, your information is 100% private. ZERO spam! Rule #2, simply comment below on why you want this little darling. Only one comment per person, per day is counted.

Additional chances: If you’re not our friend on Facebook yet, you’re totally missing out. Lots of our devoted FB friends have won awesome prizes. Simply “like” us on FB and be sure to comment on our articles and giveaways whenever you see one. Those entries count as well! Winners will be chosen randomly using all avenues by Feb 20, 2011. Got Youtube? Be our friend and comment on the video. Only one comment per person is considered, but it counts!

By: Jenna Gonzalez (Editor In Chief)

Staff Note: Dec 31, 2010 This contest is now officially closed. We would like to offer a massive congratulations to our winners below! You all have been chosen randomly based on the rules. You have 30 days to respond to the confirmation emails we sent your way. Failure to confirm & sign off on all points will result in immediate disqualification, and as such, a new winner(s) will be chosen based on the rules. We would like to thank the following wonderful peeps involved in this extravaganza. Alan, Kortney & Lauren (Sony rocks!), Todd, Joseph, James (who doesn’t like storage? haha), Rebecca, Michael E (You’re the shiniest Apple!), Michael S, and everyone else we forgot to mention. We couldn’t have done this without you so THANK YOU! To everyone who participated in good fun, we thank you as well. Don’t worry, we have lots and lots of fun giveaways each month!

Lucky Winners:

Philip K. of Baltimore, MD

David S. of Westchester, NY

Joyce W. of Atlanta, GA

Dan F. of Joliet, IL

“Sleighbells ring, are you listening? In the lane, snow is glistening. A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight. Walking in a winter wonderland”. Ahh yes, the wonderful holidays are upon us again! For some, it’s just another season, but for most of you like myself, it’s a time of magic, peace and love. Three reasons why the holidays, to me, are the most beautiful time of the year. This holiday season in particular, is a very special one for me. Not only because it’s a time to reflect on all the blessings in my life, such as my loving family & faithful friends…but also because MRT completes a full circle from the little-blog-that-could a little over a year ago, to the tour de force that it is today. Here at MRT, we’ve quickly become known for spreading a little love and cheer every now and then through our fun contests and amazing giveaways. However, this holiday season, and in celebration of our unofficial one year anniversary, I wanted to do something extra special for you, our fans. Today, it is my honor and privilege to announce the first MRT Holiday Gift Extravaganza!

People say my life is one big Christmas spectacular. Although that statement is far from the truth, if you count all the great gadgets I get to play with, the happy fans I’ve had the joy of giving prizes to, the geeky events I got to go to and the good folks I’ve met and have become friends with…then yes, I suppose you could call every day a holiday! To further celebrate our amazing year, I’ve decided to round up some of my personal favorite things from this year. Things big and small that have changed, awed, mystified, endeared, tickled and blown me away. Things that mean something to me and truly make my nerdy life a joy to live. You have all been so kind and welcoming towards MRT and myself this past year, that I’ve decided to share with you my favorite things of 2010 while taking you on a bit of a journey through my year. By sharing… I mean REALLY sharing! In the spirit of the MRT Giveaways, four very lucky fans will not only get one, two, a few or several of my favorites. No, four fans will receive EVERYTHING on my list! So without further adieu, I present to you Jenna’s Favorite Things!

64 GB Apple iPad ($699)

I'm not giving away the Crystal Roc version, but it sure is nice to look at isn't it?

Nothing, absolutely nothing in the tech world produced more buzz than the Apple iPad since the start of the year. So it only makes sense that I would choose this as my first favorite thing. As one of the few people who got this baby first, I can tell you that it has become my primary device for just about every task. In fact, I loved it so much that we gave away 14 of these earlier this year right here! Sure, a lot of competitors have popped up. Some good, some that need more work. But right now, no one can touch the ingenuity, style and awesome life-changing potential of this favorite thing of mine.

Flip Mino HD 8 GB ($299)

You can go nuts with your own personal designs

At the Mercedes Benz Spring Fashion Week in NYC, I had to be on my very best A-game. With all my designer friends in attendance and models flying down the sparkling runways, I needed a documenting gadget that was both powerful, compact and stylish. That’s where the Flip Mino HD came into play. Not only did I get to take lots of video in cool HD, but I also got to decorate it on their website with my own designs. I loved it so much, I even took it with me on my Spring trips to Japan and Brazil where it went through a lot of play!

64 GB Zune HD ($349.99)

I'm a sucker for good hardware

Also in the Spring, I went on a cross country trip to San Diego, LA, Seattle, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Houston on a whirlwind media trip. Not only did I have a grand time, but I got to meet so many cool people in the tech, fashion & broadcasting industries. But all that traveling meant lots of hours spent in transit. That’s where my Zune HD came in very handy. Although the updated iPod Touch came out a few months later (which I do love), what I really like about the Zune HD for me is the Zune Pass which gives me unlimited access to literally millions of songs that I can stream to all my Microsoft devices. What I love the most about it though… like the Flip Mino, the appearance is totally customizable. Now that’s entertainment and style rolled in one!

1 TB Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive Superspeed USB 3.0 ($159.99)

Strong, handsome and dependable. What's not to like?

When my Vivienne Tam Butterfly Netbook was stolen at a theater in North Carolina in July, I was devastated. I had a lot of documents, photos, videos, powerpoint presentations & spreadsheets that were lost forever. Having so many gadgets all at once requires a lot of file transfers from place to place. If you’re like me, you know the importance of a good external hard drive. With the Iomega Portable Hard Drive with Superspeed USB 3.0, I have a super combination of style (I have the ruby red), storage (1 Terabyte) and protection (Iomega Drop guard Xtreme & Protection Suite Software + Power Grip Band). Nowadays, you can never be too careful with your data. Even if you don’t have as many computers, I still recommend having a portable hard drive to protect your most precious documents and memories. A word of caution though…make sure it’s also pretty

HP Envy 100 e-All-in-One D410a Printer ($249.99)

This is one slick sexy, tool I don't mind stroking. Talk about an All-in-One!

Anyone who’s ever worked in an office environment can tell you some harrowing stories of horror involving the dreaded company printer. Well, when you’re constantly running around at work like I do, you’ll probably appreciate the value of a solid, reliable printer that works like a breeze… no fuss, no muss. So most printers today are multitaskers. They print, scan, copy, etc. But what I love about my HP Envy D410a isn’t all that. Nope. The sleek, low profile, compact style is great. I just love the e-print function that allows me to print anything wirelessly from any phone, even from across town! Plus did I mention it’s the worlds first pvc-free printer? You know I’m all about the eco-friendly. You should too.

ZAGGfoam ($19.99)

Only squeaky clean toys get playtime with me

Being a germ-freak isn’t a bad thing. So when you’re faced with the fact that the average cellphone contains more germs than a toilet, you really have no choice but to do the right thing. That’s why you’ll never find me anywhere without a can of my favorite gadget cleaner. The thing that sets the ZAGGfoam apart from those pesky wipes is the sheer coolness factor of the quick-drying foam covering your device. At first I was worried that it would soak my phones, but it didn’t! Just spray, wipe and watch 99.9% of bacteria & skin oils go away. Oh and since one can lasts up to 80 days, being a germ-freak doesn’t have to cost that much after all. They say cleanliness is next to godliness. In that case, this might actually be my favorite thing on the list!

Sony Cybershot TX5 ($329.99)

This bad boy works beautifully when wet

This summer, I got to enjoy my first real family vacation in four years (yes, I really work that much). Spending a whole week exploring the islands of Hawaii was truly a magical experience for all of us. We went scuba diving in Kauai, shopped at the Ala Moana in Honolulu, went pineapple picking in Wahiawa and enjoyed breathtaking views in Oahu. With such rare and precious moments with my family, I had to bring along a camera that not only captured fantastic photos, but one that fit into my backpocket as well. Although it’s not the newest Cybershot model on Sony’s list (that would currently be the TX9) The TX5 offers most of the same qualities with a little twist of genius. Yes, it’s officially waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and freezeproof! It’s sleek, stylish, powerful and resilient. That’s exactly why the TX5 is another favorite thing of mine. I did have one tiny issue with it though…why not bulletproof? lol.

Sony VAIO Gold Arabesque EA laptop ($969)

Fulfill your Arabian Nights fantasy with this stunner

The Fall Fashion season was as hectic as ever for me this year. From NY to London, Milan to Paris, the autumn fashions dazzled with metallic hues everywhere I went. In London, I had the good fortune of snagging this fabulous favorite. From their exclusive Signature Collection, Sony’s Gold Arabesque EA is a glorious display of luxurious style. With its 2.4 GHz processor, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive and Blu-Ray… combined with lovely golden textures all around, the Arabesque EA is easily the most beautiful laptop I’ve seen in a long time. If your goal is to keep a low profile in public, this attention-getter is not for you. Everywhere I go, it’s hard for people not to notice and go crazy over the stunning look on this gorgeous laptop. It truly is a fashionista must-have that looks like a million bucks! Now you can have it too!

Aliph Jawbone ICON ($99)

Ear candy never looked this sexy

October found me in San Francisco with my fellow MRT editor & friend Foster Scott for the three day CTIA event at the Moscone Center. While I was able to enjoy the exhibits with Foster, I also had the unfortunate task of being on numerous conference calls with my day job. Being someone who talks on the phone a lot, comfort, convenience, safety and style are very important to me. Which is precisely why I am absolutely in love with my Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset. With industry leading Noise Assassin, A2DP streaming technology and stunning jewelry designs (I have the Rogue & Bombshell) the Icon is a fashion workhorse truly deserving of its name.

Xbox 360 250GB Console Kinect Bundle ($400)

With Kinect, you can play any way you like

This brings me to my latest favorite thing! Although I have always confessed to being a PS3 babe, I could not deny the awesome allure of the revolutionary Kinect. When the guys at Microsoft delivered this baby to my office this month, I was literally jumping out of my Loubotins and into sneakers faster than you could say Kinect! Why? Two Words…DANCE CENTRAL. Without a controller in sight, I have since managed to dance my socks off almost every day so far. I don’t have to go into details as to what makes the Kinect so bad-ass. And while I’m not one to endorse a product just like that (especially not over my beloved PS3), I have to concede that Microsoft has literally blown ahead of the crowd with this genius little addition that has convinced, even myself, to actually buy an Xbox.

“When it snows, ain’t it thrilling? Though your nose gets a chilling. We’ll frolick and play, the Eskimo way. Walking in a winter wonderland!” So there you have it. My top 10 favorite things of 2010.

How do you win MRT’s most awesome package yet? Easy as three french hens. #1. If you’re not already one of the 170,000 super smart people who get notified via email of our insane giveaways, simply subscribe to our ZERO SPAM weekly e-newsletter via email (upper right-hand side of this page). With the coolest tech news and at least 2 giveaways going on each month, this is one email alert you’d be a fool not to have! #2. Be a fan on Facebook. #3. Comment below on what makes the holiday season special in your heart. You can comment as many times as you like. These three simple rules are all there is, and all you need to know. If you can’t follow these simple rules, then you’re disqualified. The holiday giveaway is only open to entrants 18 yrs of age and older, residing in the United States, Puerto Rico & Canada. MRT staff & those immediately related to them are not qualified to enter. We enforce a zero tolerance for cheaters, and we reserve the absolute right to disqualify any entrants we deem as such. Winners ARE responsible for choosing, arranging and paying for their own shipping fees. Winners will be announced & contacted via Twitter & Facebook oo New Years Eve (Dec 30, 2010). Special heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful people involved in this giveaway. You people rock the jingle bells out of me! Best of luck and happy Holidays from MRT!

By: Tony Novoa (Contributing Editor)

Update: Nov 1, 2010. This contest is now officially closed. Congratulations to the winners (announced below) who nabbed their very own unlocked Sony Xperia X10. We would like to thank our friends at Sony and all the fans who participated in the contest. Remember, we have lots and lots of giveaways currently up so don’t forget to enter!

Winners:

Suresh G. of Los Angeles, CA

Jason H. of  Portland, OR

Christina N. of Newark, NJ (Twitter)

Larry M. of Toronto, Canada (Facebook)

Staff Note: Oct 1, 2010. We’ve been telling you on Twitter & Facebook for the last few days. Now it’s a reality! Yes, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is officially a giveaway! All you have to do is read the review and comment down below on why you want one. It’s that simple! Please make sure to read all the way down for the rules. On October 30, 2010 we will award 2 very lucky commenters with their very own UNLOCKED Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 phone! Also, 1 very lucky Facebook Fan & 1 Twitter follower will win their very own units as well!

First and foremost, it needs to be said that as a long-time BlackBerry user I bring a different perspective to my initial exposure with an Android phone. How lucky am I that it happens to be the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10! Note: For this particular review, I used the AT&T branded Xperia X10 and not the Unlocked Global Version. I must also disclose that as my first Android device, I have no basis for comparison to any other Android device. All I can say is that I now understand why Google’s OS has so quickly captured both market and mindshare and is becoming so ubiquitous in the growingly crowded smartphone world. I have become a fast fan.

The Basics

For starters, the X10 is powered by Android OS 1.6 and doesn’t have a hardware keyboard. You interact with it via a beautiful 4-inch capacitive touchscreen and three buttons beneath the display. Powering it is Qualcomm’s fast 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, making it Sony Ericsson’s most powerful smartphoneyet. I must say that the responsiveness of this phone is also quite impressive.

Even more impressive is that the X10 is the first Sony Ericsson phone to feature Google’s OS and I’m happy to report that everything seemed to work fairly well. let’s take a look at the design shall we?

Build & Design

From a packaging perspective, the X10 comes in a small box. But don’t let that mislead you. This is one of Sony Ericsson’s largest phones to date and also one of the larger cell phones on the market. What is surprising is that despite the the size of the display, which covers almost the entire front of the handset (119x63x13 mm), it is quite comfortable to hold in one hand. The well executed trick is in the width of the phone, which is identical to the BlackBerry Storm form factor. The height is where you find the extra real estate to provide a larger, more encompassing display.

What’s In The Box?

Packaged with the phone you’ll find the basic fare:

• Battery
• Modular charger with a generous micro USB cable (60″)
• 2 GB microSD Card
• 3.5mm headset
• Quickstart Guide

The X10 has a black, sleek design flanked by curved aluminum and a plastic back cover. The overall impression is a sharp, futuristic, sexy looking device. Frankly, this is not a big surprise coming from Sony. The right side of the handset features multimedia control buttons which control the camera and MP3 player.

The plastic battery cover encompasses the entire back of the X10 and is not easy to remove. You need to use your fingernail to remove it by prying a groove at the bottom of the handset. Right next to it are lanyard holes which I guess can come in handy if you want to attach a wrist strap or hang it somehow.

All The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Goodies

The display is impressive. Providing a sharp & crisp image is a 4-inch capacitive display with 480 x 854 resolution and 64K color support that delivers good image quality and features. Not quite like Samsung’s AMOLED or Apple’s Retina display but still very sharp and vivid. No complaints here. The Android OS in version 1.6 comes with a 64K color limit, but you will soon be able to upgrade to the latest 2.1 version of the operating system which supports 16M colors. I would expect that the difference isn’t that noticeable but the more colors the better, right?

The current display has excellent contrast and adjusts according to surrounding light. The result is that images remain clear even under direct sunlight. Images may sometimes seem too bright, but this can also be adjusted in the display settings.

In terms of interaction, the screen is very sensitive; the reaction to finger touches is fast. More importantly, the screen is very precise, which facilitates the use of virtual keyboard in both the horizontal and the vertical position (full QWERTY keyboard appears on the screen in both cases). As a BlackBerry Storm user who has long struggled with its virtual keyboard, I can attest to the better and effective execution here.

Similarly, browsing through photos and contacts, web page scrolling and other actions that include moving the finger across the screen can be performed quickly and accurately. The 1 GHz Snapdragon processor definitely makes a difference. However, multi-touch is not supported (why not?????). My understanding is that it won’t be supported even if Android OS was upgraded to version 2.1 (or later) due to “hardware issues,” according to Sony Ericsson. Unlike other handsets with Google’s OS, web pages and photos can’t be zoomed in by pinching. Instead, zooming in can be performed by pressing the icons marked by the plus and minus signs that show up on the screen in certain situations. If you love the way Android works on other devices or are used to Apple’s iOS, this is clearly a disappointment and one of the biggest downsides of the phone.

Xperia X10 Main Menu

Xperia X10 In Locked Mode, Lit Buttons

Buttons

The three front buttons below the screen consistently have the same specific function. Pressing the left button activates the standard context menu, which as I understand, represents the same choices on every Android handset. Note that the list of available options changes according to the active application. Pressing the middle button always brings up the home screen, while the right one is a one-step-back button. This is not unlike the Blackberry interface – except that it typically offers a four button layout.

Something to note is that when the buttons are pressed, two small lights between them light up. Although this seems to be mostly for aesthetic reasons, it does come in handy when using the device in the dark. Despite the fact that all three buttons are clearly marked and protrude enough to be easily pressed without looking, the icons don’t light up.

The multimedia buttons located around the sides are significantly smaller, flatter and poorly marked. They have a response time delay of a few hundredths of a second, so it is helpful that photos can also be snapped by pressing the much more sensitive screen.
Finally, the top of the handset contains the power button, a micro-USB port covered with a flap and a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack. A comment about the flap… while I understand its aesthetic value, it is also woefully annoying to manipulate when it is time to charge the device. I struggled to keep the flap out of the way while connecting the charging cord.

Xperia X10 Front View, Turned Off

Xperia X10 Back View

Performance

Equipped with a smoking fast processor and big, high resolution screen, the X10 performs very nicely and responsively. The operating system and applications run quickly, zooming in and scrolling through multimedia and web pages is impressive and the overall experience is quite satisfying. Keep in mind that this smartphone currently comes with older version of Google’s operating system, Android OS 1.6. Word has it that Sony Ericsson has promised to release an OS upgrade very shortly.

As far as memory capacity goes, the handset comes with 1 GB of internal memory and an 2 GB microSD memory card, which seemed a bit light given the plethora of apps available for Android OS as well as the potential number of files that one typically wants to store these days. The good news… for those who need more memory, the device supports microSD cards of up to 16 GB.

Xperia X10 Fits Elegantly In Jenna's Delicate Hands

Call Quality/Wireless

The Xperia X10 supports all 2G and 3G bands and can therefore be easily used around the world without concern about the mobile network operator’s technology. Certainly, this is a convenience that frequent travelers will appreciate. It is important to note that the phone also supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1.

As far as call quality, I can’t characterize it as as completely satisfactory. Keep in mind that performance can probably be attributed to the shortcomings of the AT&T network. That being said, people on the other end did not sound as clear as one would want or expect and many times their voice was followed by a faint echo. I must also admit that my opportunity to test call quality was hampered by having only $25 allocated to the SIM card that came with the phone. These were quickly consumed by data usage and some missed calls. While many other handsets have a significantly louder speaker, I found it to be more than adequate. Notably, the microphone quality is very good; the caller on the other end was always heard distinctly.

As far as the address book goes, I didn’t find it to be as intuitive as it could have been. After a desired contact has been found, it takes an additional three screen touches in order to actually make a call (first for the number and then on the call icon). Although I didn’t try, my understanding is that this issue can be sidestepped by installing a better dialer, many of which are available in the Android Market.

User Interface

If I have a negative comment about the user interface, it would have to be about Sony Ericsson’s Timescape/Mediascape interface. Here’s how it works… the UI focuses on Internet communication and multimedia content stored in the phone. The Timescape application manages many types of communication: calls, SMS text messages, emails and social media applications like Facebook and Twitter. It can also be set as the home screen.

When Timescape is activated, all the messages are lined up in reverse chronological order and show a photo of the person with whom you communicated. They can be filtered according to communication type and every one of them, along with the photo, has an icon with the infinity sign that shows a complete communication history with that person.

Mediascape functions similarly, but with photos, videos and MP3s organized in reverse chronological order. Most recently used or added files come up first on the list. While I can appreciate the intent of this interface, I find it highly inefficient when dealing with large amounts of communication. That is to say, to rely on this interface would lead to potentially missing important communication which would be buried with unimportant Facebook or Twitter status updates. In order to get good utility from the phone, I relied on native applications for email, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Win this global unlocked Xperia X10 in glossy black!

This gorgeous sleek white Xperia X10 could be yours!

Web Browsing and Email

The smartphone features a fairly dated Android OS 1.6 browser, capable of rendering even complicated web pages. This is probably the one big flaw in this phone considering that it comes mightily equipped with a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor. The processor certainly allows very smooth scrolling and zooming, making web browsing a very pleasant experience. However, a phone this beautiful with Android 1.6 (while others are already up to 2.2) is simply unforgivable.

It should be noted that Flash is not supported (like Apple iPhones & iPads), but this downside is somewhat offset by a fast and simple YouTube browser. Although I did not test this, the handset includes an application suite for synchronizing various segments of MS Outlook with the handset (email, contacts, tasks, calendar). The most interesting among them is Moxier Mail, used for Exchange Server email access that doesn’t need server-side extensions since it uses the server’s Outlook Web Access interface. The standard email app can be used for POP3, IMAP and Gmail accounts.

Xperia X10 8.1MP Camera Lens

Camera

The X10 features an 8.1 megapixel camera with an LED flash. The camera software has a large feature set reminiscent of Sony Cyber-shot cameras. In addition to excellent face and smile detection, people in photos can be tagged (similar to Facebook), which can prove to be useful for subsequent sorting in Mediascape.

Daylight photo quality is above average for this class of handset, exceptionally sharp and with vivid colors. Photos taken in darker settings, however, have much duller colors and a large number of artifacts – probably due to the low light adjustment. My understanding is that some Sony Ericsson phones have much better image quality in this type of setting… and it’s a shame that the X10′s camera doesn’t do better here. Furthermore, the LED flash must be manually activated, which is another downside.

Here are some pictures taken with the phone’s camera…

Outdoors in cloudy conditions (no flash)

Indoors With Light & Flash

Battery Life

The Xperia X10 features a 1500 mAh Li-Poly battery, sufficient for about two days of normal usage. Heavy usage of Wi-Fi, multimedia and GPS functionalities reduces the autonomy drastically; the handset, under those conditions, will have to be recharged daily. This, it turns out, was my experience as I ended up extensively exercising the Wi-Fi radio due to the embarrasingly low SIM card account that came with this device (I don’t have an AT&T account so Sony sent what must have been a low capacity SIM card with the phone). Additionally, the reduced battery life can also be due to the large screen although I found the X10 to automatically lock very frequently as soon as it is not being used. Supposedly, just like other Sony Ericsson phones, ordinary calls have little impact on battery life.

Reality Grade

Building on Sony’s reputation for beautiful hardware, the Xperia X10 is an excellent Sony Ericsson mobile phone that is stylish and wonderful to look at. It could perhaps even be considered Sony’s best to date. It cannot, however, be considered the best Android-based phone on the market due to its fairly dated Android 1.6 OS (Sony says it should be upgradeable to 2.1 later this year). If Internet communication such as social networking and multimedia capabilities are features you primarily look for in a mobile phone, you will be more than satisfied. However, if you want other functions, such as multi-touch, you may want to look elsewhere. Overall, the Xperia X10′s speed and notable screen can satisfy many, but with other more inviting phones out there, even a $99 subsidized price with a 2 year AT&T Plan won’t make this one a standout. In fairness, it needs to be said that this phone has enjoyed excellent user feedback.

Pros:

• Highly responsive 4-inch touchscreen (480×854 pixels)
• Nice higher-end camera (8.1 MP with LED flash)
• Good overall performance
• Very attractive build
• Quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G support

Cons:

• No multi-touch (not even with an OS upgrade!)
• No Flash support for web browsing (yet)
• Voice quality could be better (could be due to AT&T’s service though)
• Innovative Timescape and Mediascape user interface – not really practical for efficient communication

List Price: $99 with a 2 year contract from AT&T, 499.99 without a plan (unlocked price is also around $499.99)

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