Category: Technology

I love my iPhone 5 a lot!  Having convinced several friends to purchase the phone is one real proof how I adore iPhone 5.  Whenever I like something, I really show my fondness to the world.  However, the iPhone 5 is not perfect.  Its battery can be easily drained especially if you use LTE connection most of the time.  That is why I’m constantly looking for battery cases.

This week, I discovered Boostcase Hybrid Battery for iPhone 5.  It looks good and what surprised me about this accessory is its endless possibility of attaching several other accessories to the case.  It makes me wanna get the other Boostcase products so I can make the most out of Boostcase Hybrid Battery.

When you’re at the gadget accessory store, you can take a peek at the box to see how the Boostcase Hybrid Battery will look like.  One thing I immediately noticed is the number of dots lining at the back of the case.  I also noticed the simplicity of Boostcase hybrid battery design.  No matter if you’re a man or a woman, you can be comfortable using the case.

What’s inside the box

Inside the box, you can see four items:

Slim Fitting Snap-on Case – truly slim case that fits the iPhone perfectly and protects it.
2200 mAH Detachable Extended Battery Sleeve – an attachable battery that charges the phone and give 100% more power to the iPhone 5 battery.
3″ Micro USB Cable – use to recharge the battery sleeve.
Boostcase Manual – a small manual you can refer for any information about the boostcase hybrid battery

Technical Specifications:

Battery type:            2200 mAH rechargeable Lithium Polymer
Snap case weight: 17 grams
Battery weight:       79 grams

Installation & Detachment

Installation:

1) Insert iPhone 5 into the slim-fitting snap case
2) Slide battery sleeve into the snap case by matching four points of battery with the holes in the case.
3) Slide battery upward until the lightning connector is fully inserted into the iPhone

Detachment:

1) Press down on battery until it slides downward.
2) At this point, lightning connector will be disconnected from the iPhone as well as the four points of battery from the holes.
3) Pull battery outward away from case.

Features

• Slim case provides everyday protection for the iPhone 5

The Boostcase snap-on case is so slim that it doesn’t add much thickness to the iPhone 5.  It’s made of rubber which makes it an effective protective covering and gives a good grip on the iPhone.

• Beautiful functional design

I love how BoostCase incorporated the design of both the case and the battery sleeve which turns out to be great-looking.  It’s also quite obvious how good the quality of the case is just by looking at it.  I had several questions already from friends on where I bought it.

BoostCase Hybrid battery covers the entire phone exposing only functional buttons of the iPhone.  It gives maximum protection of the phone and I really love the smooth texture of the entire case.

• 2200MAH Battery adds up to 100% more power for iPhone 5

The most important function of BoostCase Hyrbid Battery Case is that it can prolong iPhone 5’s battery life to twice as much. It packs a 2,200mAh battery which has enough power for people like me who uses the iPhone heavily everyday.

• Battery Level indicator and on/off button

When Boostcase battery is connected to iPhone, the power will be switched automatically on by default.  You can manually turn the battery power on/off by pressing and holding down the on/off button for 2-3 seconds.

To know the battery level of the battery pack, you can refer to the on/off button because it has LED light surrounding it which shows the power level of the battery — Green for 70-100%, Yellow for 30-70%, red for 1-30% and no color for totally 0% power.

The boostcase battery also indicates the power while recharging — flashing red for 0-30%, flashing yellow for 30-70%, flashing green for 70-99% and solid green for fully charged at 100%.  Recharging time usually takes around 3 hours.

• Allows the user to add all kinds of accessories to the case

The tiny dots along the backside of the BoostCase snap-on case has a purpose.  It allows us to attach to the case various accessories such as credit card holder, clutch wallet, fold wallet, kickstand, hand strap and other stuff Boostcase can think of!  I love this feature and it definitely will make us appreciate this case more.

Overall, I like the Boostcase Hybrid Battery for the iPhone 5.  However, there is one thing that I dislike about it –> it’s extremely hard to remove the snap case from the iPhone 5.  I know the purpose of protecting the iPhone and fitting it perfectly caused this hardship but boy, I hope Boostcase thought about it considering there are people like me who like to swap cases a lot.

That said, I’m keeping the Boostcase hybrid battery and will definitely be the one that I will use everyday from now on.  I’m actually thinking about what accessories to get to match my black Boostcase snap-on case.  The purse would look nice 🙂

Boostcase Hybrid Battery for iPhone 5 costs Php 3,950.  With that price, you can get a case, extra power for your iPhone 5 and numerous options for the accessory.  In addition, you can choose among so many colors available which can fit any personality.

I had my MacBook Pro 13″ for several months now.  However, it took me some time to find the perfect case for my beloved laptop.  Now, I finally found the case and I loved it!  When I went to the store, I was looking for the red color case.  They didn’t have it in stock so I ended up getting a purple one.  I said to myself that if I’m getting satin, might as well get purple as it’s most known when it comes to velvet/satin.

The product is called Speck SeeThru Satin and it’s engineered specifically to fit onto the unibody MacBook Pro.  I remember distinctively that I used a Speck SeeThru case on my old MacBook Pro 15″.  That case though is different because it was glossy and a bit slippery on the hand.  The Speck SeeThru Satin case which I got yesterday was a complete upgrade and improvement compared to Speck SeeThru.  I guess the difference is with the material used on the exterior of the case particularly the rubberized coating.  Speck SeeThru Satin is such a high-quality case with an elegant and soft feel.

When you see the case on display, go on and touch the case to feel and understand why it’s a must-case for your MacBook Pro.

The Speck SeeThru Satin includes two pieces of hard polycarbonate plastic with an added soft-touch rubberized exterior coating.  The silky feel is the most wonderful feature of the case.  I actually notice myself caressing my MacBook Pro every now and then 😛

Of course, the SeeThru Satin design blended well with MacBook Pro’s minimalistic design.  There are available cases for aluminum unibody MacBook Pro 13″ and 15″ including the ones with Thunderbolt port.

I started with the bottom case and I noticed two things:

• Ventilation slot that works perfectly with the MacBook Pro’s internal ventilation process to keep the gadget cool and safe.
• Rubberized feet to cover the black rubber pads on the MacBook Pro.

The front case, on the other hand, is a work of art.

Its translucent coating enables the Apple logo to show through the top.  The Speck SeeThru Satin case is supposedly 30% thinner than the old version of the case.  I appreciate the thinness plus how the case holds everything together with the very small clips on the edges.

The design of the SeeThru Satin is spot on.  I do not need to remove the case whenever I need to access any of the keys, sensors, ports, plugs or buttons.  I can open and close my MacBook Pro just like how I do it without the case.  All features of the MacBook Pro are accessible.

I really love how the Speck SeeThru Satin was put together.  Everything just works!

Putting the Speck SeeThru Satin case is like giving the MacBook Pro a makeover.  I appreciate that it has a lot of color options that would match ones’ personality.

I can go on and on about its benefits… If there’s one word I can say about the case, it would be beautiful!

The Speck SeeThru Satin for MacBook Pro 13″ costs about  Php 2,450.  While the price may set you aback, that feeling will diminish quickly when you start using the case.  The form-fitting factor and the soft-touch hard shell are so great that it will be so hard to resist not getting one for your Mac laptop 🙂

If I remember correctly, it was around 2003 when I discovered Crumpler.  I was so in love with Crumpler bags!  Crumpler products are so beautifully-designed, so unique and definitely, so hip and cool!

Ever since that time, I started collecting Crumpler bags and accessories.  As of today, I think I have about 7 products — a luggage, messenger bags, laptop bags and a camera accessory.

If you love Crumpler just like me, then you will definitely like the news that I’m going to share today… Crumpler Philippines has a Crumpler Seedy-Splatter Sale happening from March 15 to May 31, 2013!

Here’s how it works:

Whenever you buy Php 2,000 worth of Crumpler Products in a single receipt, you will get 50% off on Seedy and Splatter series Crumpler bags!

Yes, the cute messenger bags seen below:

Are you interested or want to know more about the promotion?  Then follow Crumpler Philippines on both Twitter and Facebook.

You can avail of this cool promo at all Crumpler Stores in the Philippines:

• Bonifacio High Street
• SM Megamall
• Trinoma
• Robinsons Magnolia
• Shangri-La Plaza Mall

Looks can be really deceiving.  When I saw the packaging of Inner Exile Slim Fit Case for the iPhone 5, it didn’t strike me as a good case.  I was even surprised when I saw the price.  Why will such a simple looking case cost Php 1,200??? :O

Then I tried it out… Then I liked it… Then I loved it more… Then I appreciated it more and more… Then I started raving about it… Then I kept using it… Then I didn’t remove it from my iPhone 5 for two weeks now…  my verdict?  Pretty obvious, isn’t it?

Specifications

• Size & Weight
• Height: 126 mm
• Width: 61 mm
• Depth: 9 mm
• Weight: 12 grams
• Material: PC
• Applicable: iPhone 5
• Price: Php 1,200

There are five reasons why I love the Inner Exile Mono Slim Fit Case for my iPhone 5:

• Straightforward

As soon as you remove the case from its packaging, you already know how to install it on your phone.  It’s that straightforward.  You don’t need a manual to even learn how to make the case function for you.  It’s that simple but yet it grows on you.

• Easily Accessible

With Inner Exile Mono case, you can access all buttons and ports easily.

Considering the amount of space given to the side ports, it makes it easy for you to remove the case from the iPhone.  This is important as I tend to use my new iPhone 5 camera accessory a lot.  That camera accessory needs me to remove the case in order to make it function.

• Ultra Slim Fit Design

This is the only case I tried out wherein I don’t feel that my iPhone 5 is actually wearing a case.

Would you imagine this innerexile mono slim fit case is only 1 millimeter thin?  It’s made of soft plastic which is really lightweight.  So it’s very convenient to bring around because it can fit our pocket and it’s easy to hold on too!

• Stripe Design

Innerexile pays tribute to Apple by making their mono slim case with stripe design.  All three available colors (black, white & transparent) have that stripe design which matches the iPhone 5.  I, however, chose transparent because it matches closely the original iPhone 5 look.

• Elegant Style

Our fingers lie on the side of the iPhone whenever we hold it.  With matte finish, we don’t see much fingerprint or smears on the case.  That alone made the case look so elegant and not cheap.

Innerexile Mono Slim Fit Case for the iPhone 5 is another good case to add to your collection especially if you want to preserve the beautiful design of the iPhone.  Plus, even with its minimalist design, you still have an elegant and unique case.  The difference is with the touch and feel.  Try it out at the accessory store and you will discover why it’s recommendable!

I have been enjoying LTE speeds for over a month now.  Thanks to Smart’s iPhone 5 LTE promo, postpaid subscribers of iPhone Plans 999 & 2499 and Unli Data Plans 1500, 2000 & 3000 can automatically use Smart LTE for free until April 30, 2013.

Yes, I’m one of those lucky ones!  I’m enjoying every minute of it!  How can you not enjoy speeds like 30MBps?  It wasn’t even possible before but it’s already a reality right now!  Thanks to technology and thanks to Smart for making it possible!

I always smile whenever I see 3G connection move automatically to LTE!  The first thing I always do is a speed test.  In fact, one of my favorite applications now on my iPhone is Speedtest!  I made some tests over the past few weeks and I will share that at the end of this post.

For now, let me talk a bit about Smart’s iPhone 5 LTE promo.  I’ve been getting several questions from friends and I think you might have those questions in mind too.  So let me share some information based on what I got from social media and from what I experienced so far.

What is LTE?

Long Term Evolution (LTE) is the latest standard in the mobile network technology tree that produced the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies.

source: smart.com.ph

How to activate LTE on your iPhone 5?

1. Update your iOS version to 6.1 by going to your iPhone settings application, go to General –> Software Update –> Download and Install.
2. Activate LTE by opening up iPhone settings application, go to General –> Cellular –> Enable LTE

How does LTE compare to 3G connection?

Subscribers of Smart iPhone 5 postpaid plans with unlimited data can get download speeds up to twenty times faster than the usual 3G connection on their device.

Where can we access Smart LTE and how extensive is the coverage?

Enjoy blazing internet speed in over 500 locations nationwide and over 700 partner establishments.  Smart is continuously expanding so expect more to come.  List of Smart LTE coverage and locations can be found here.

Who gets to avail the Smart iPhone 5 LTE promo?

Smart iPhone 5 users on iPhone Plans 999 & 2499 and Unlidata Plans 1500, 2000, & 3000 can automatically use Smart LTE for free until April 30, 2013.

What happens after April 30?

Smart will be observing data usage behavior of its subscribers during the promo period to determine future plans and pricing.  No details yet as of the moment.

How about iPhone 5 units that has been bought from other countries or sources?

You will need to bring it to Smart to check if the handset can be included in provisioning.  It’s important to note that the band frequency should be compatible with Smart’s band.

As promised, a series of Speed Tests over the past few weeks using a Smart-powered SIM on an iPhone 5. I’m a very satisfied user! 😀

• Sugarleaf – G/F Medicard Lifestyle Center, 51 Paseo de Roxas corner Sen. Gil Puyat Ave Urdaneta, Makati Philippines

• Army Navy – 74 Jupiter Street, Bgy. Bel-Air, Makati City, Philippines

• Johnny Rockets – G/F Eastwood Mall Veranda, E Rodriguez Jr Ave., Bagumbayan, Quezon City, Philippines

• Smart Jump Center SM Megamall

• Wrong Ramen – Burgos Circle, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, Philippines