This is a cool little gadget, it is called the Lightspeed iHelicopter. I’m sure the little ‘i’ gives away how you control it – via an App.

You buy the Phone Controlled Helicopter from the ParamountZone website. Then you download the free app (Apple or Android) and get flying!

So is it any good?
The package arrived and I have to admit I was a tad excited. I already have one such gadget so was looking forward to trying this out. Opened the smart black box to reveal the copter and it’s contents. All very easy to open and get going via the included manual.

The helicopter itself has a nice simple but cool black and silver design. It is made of plastic, with the frame being metal. The plastic is good because Ive flown it into walls, windows, the TV and all sorts and all still seems perfect, the impact is absorbed. You do also get a few spare parts including blades should breaks occur. It also has a series of flashing lights which look wicked in a dim room. You do have the option to turn the lights off if you wish though.

How do you set it up?
To set up and get going is easy, although it will take a couple of hours to let both parts charge.

• First you charge the transmitter, via a USB cable.
• Second you charge the helicopter, via the same USB cable, but they have to be done separately.
• Third download the free app to your Android smartphone, iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad.
• Fourth slot the transmitter into the headphone socket and turn the volume to the maximum level.
• The fifth step is to get flying!

What’s it like to fly?
As with other remote controlled helicopters it does take a bit of getting used to. It takes a while just to be able to control it for 15 seconds. So I expect many hours of flying before it can be mastered. These sorts of gadgets do require a smudge of patience! However I would say I found this slightly easier to get the hang of then my other helicopter.

The controls are as simple as can be. The app works on Apple and Android devices. I haven’t tried it on my HTC but have tried it on my iPod Touch and iPad and both worked without hiccup. When you use it on the iPad it looks small, their is an option to double it’s size but the graphics lose a lot of their quality, so I stick to keeping it small as it is still easy to manage (see pic).

So in conclusion.
Currently priced at a penny shy of £30 I think this is a brilliant bit of fun. Fantastic value for money. A great gift for boys (ages 14+) who love fun gadgets to play with, and geeks who love their apps! Definitely a good gift this xmas. I rate it 9/10.

They also have other cool gadgets ideal as christmas presents at Paramountzone.

This is a photo I managed to capture mid flight, as you can see the shadows on the wall I’m sure you can guess how close it was to the wall! The office is small though in my defence!

Here are some more photos taken during the test.

Noise cancelling headphones are ideal for plane flights, train journeys or any place which can get noisy. I’ve been given a pair of ‘LINDY Active Noise Cancelling Headphones’ to test out, here are my thoughts.

For this product prices vary depending on which website you buy them from, the official Lindy.co.uk website has them for £40, and that is about what you can expect to pay elsewhere also. So they are ideal for those with a smaller budget.

First off a few spec details; 16dB active noise reduction, high output 40mm drivers, frequency range: 20 – 20000Hz and sensitivity: 104dB/mW. Ok enough of the garble, how do they perform?

First Impressions
The delivery arrived safely in a secure package, inside all is contained inside a simple box. I open it up quickly and easily to empty out the contents. Included are a few connectors, which are an in-flight adapter, 1.2m cable, and 6.3mm stereo adapter. You get a nice carry bag for when they are not being used. An AAA battery is also included.

I took the headphones out of the container and immediately noticed some parts feel a bit cheap, others feel good. The side parts are a very thin plastic and feel very cheap. When you pop open the compartment to put in the AAA battery it feels flimsy, so perhaps trying not to be replace the battery too often may be wise, but it’s a shame I have to say that! However the cushioned earpads and arch over the top of your head feel nice and soft, it is supple leather and feels good to the touch.

Although they feel slightly cheap in some parts they do come with a 2 year warranty so if anything did break within the first couple of years you can get it fixed. And at this price range it is asking too much for them to feel beautifully made or super solid. For the price overall the quality is as I’d expect.

Fit and Sound
Once on the head they feel good. Size adjustment is easy, and once you’ve found your perfect fit it stays in place nicely. I found the comfort to be very good, they put a tiny bit too much pressure on my head but they are still brand new so that may improve a bit the more they are used.

The sound quality is decent, not fantastic, but good. The bass is strong, but the clarity is slightly lacking. The sound is much improved if you have the ‘noice-cancelling’ switched on. So ensure you always have a AAA battery spare in case the one inside the headphones goes flat. Many people use official Apple earphones for use with their iPod/iPhone, if you switch to these you will notice the sound quality is slighty poorer, but it must be said the sound quality of the official Apple ones are outstanding, and they are obviously only buds and not full noise-cancelling headphones. If you did switch to this you would notice the difference, but not be overly disappointed.

The noise-cancelling works well and I recommend you have it switched on at all times whilst using them, they drown out external sounds very well.

When I took them off, and had the sound level quite high you could hear them strongly so be wary of that, you don’t want to annoy the people around you too much when wearing them!

Conclusion
In conclusion I think the ‘Lindy Active Noise Cancelling Headphones’ are good value for money. Despite some cheap plastics the sound quality is satisfactory, comfort level high, and the noise cancelling works well. So for £40 I think that is a very fair price. The reviews elsewhere on the web are also positive, including many customers over at Amazon. Nothing spectacular, but you get good value for money, and are a safe buy. 8/10.

Read more about them and other products at the Lindy website.

 
Here are a couple more photos taken during the test.

All content copyright protected. Photos owned by Digitpedia.

Like most people my car can get a bit messy, and when travelling long distance the mess grows; Sat-nav, iPod, HTC Wildfire, bags of crips, bottles of water and of course a pack of Milk Cows. I’m sure you know what I mean, so any solution is worth looking at.

I have a holder for the sat-nav, so why not the iPod/smartphone? Their are a few out their available for sale, I now have the Kensington iPhone and iPod Power Port Mount in my car. It is available from the 3 Accessories Store, at the time of writing it costs £15.00. Having used it for a few days here is my review.

Opening & Setup

It came in a simple but smart box. Easy to open and unpack (see full photos at bottom of page). Inside are some clear instructions on how to piece the mount together.

Setup is very simple. It is just a case of choosing which connector – windshield or vent – you would like to use and then it slots in the back of the cradle. Couldn’t be simpler.

Once connected you then need to fit it in your car. I drive a Ford Focus and unfortunately the shape of the vents meant I could only use the windshield option, not an issue, I simply stuck the sucker to the window and manoeuvred the arm into place. So if your vents aren’t an ideal design you can be sure of still being able to use it.

Then you need to put your device in place. On the rear of the car mount is a green button, press this and the arms either side smoothly move outwards increasing the width. Put your device in place, and then with a small amount of pressure you just push the sides in to the side of your device. The side clamps do expand up to 2.75″ so a wide variety of phones and MP3 players will fit. For my iPod Touch and HTC it was absolutely no problem.

Usage and Driving

Once in place it feels very sturdy, so you can press the buttons on the screen and fiddle without it moving around or feeling like it is going to fall out. I have the mount mainly because I have the music from my iPod Touch on in the car, and for this it works great, it is very easy to quickly skip tracks.

When driving it doesn’t rattle around or wobble, so no issues with noise or annoyance when motoring along.

Conclusion

For the flexibility it provides I think this is really good value for money. Although they promote it as a port for the iPod and iPhone the adjustable side clamps mean it will fit a wide range of smartphones and MP3 players, the vast majority in fact. It looks smart too and feels well made so fingers crossed they should last years!

Below is a photo gallery of more pictures from the test.

Got any questions about this product? You can post them below.

It is good to guard against scratches and scrapes on the screen of your smartphone. The way to do it is with a screen protector, they are low-cost and can help retain the value of your phone.

You can buy specific ones for different model phones – because of the different shape screens. I currently have a HTC Wildfire so that is my chosen screen protector, it is by Proporta and retails at £4.95 (at the time of writing).

As with all Proporta products it is smartly packaged, and inside you get short, clear instructions with images on fitting.

To fit is a simple process. In the pack you get a cloth to remove existing dirt, smudges and finger marks from your phone. Next you peel of the plastic from both sides of the protector. Then align it up to the screen and put it in place. You will normally get a few air bubbles, so included in the pack is a little piece of card to help push the bubbles out. The piece of card also had a promotional code on the back to save 20%! Nice little touch.

When fitting the kit be careful and take your time. It needs to be aligned up nicely as it will be stuck so you don’t want to be constantly peeling it off and sticking it back on as it will lose its quality. It’s best to take your time and get it spot on straight away to avoid future issues.

Once fitted this is how it looks (see image on right). As you can see the screen is still super clear and makes no difference. When you use the touchscreen it is also no difference of an experience. So in no way does the product affect your usage or looks of the HTC.

At a cost of £4.95 from the Proporta website it should prove a good investment to help the handset hold its value. Second hand buyers obviously look for phones with a screen in excellent condition, so this can help you achieve that.

Check out the gallery below for more of our photographs of the product.

All images for this gadget review owned by Digitpedia. Please excuse the slightly poor quality of the pictures.

Since buying my Apple iPod Touch at its launch in September 2010 the back of it (in all its shiny glory!) has became badly damaged. Heavily scratched and scuffed it doesn’t look in great shape. I’ve learnt the hard way a good case is a bit of a necessity.

After using a cheap eBay case – cost only a couple of quid – for a while it soon lost it’s quality, and then my dog got his teeth on it, so a new one was required. Having used the ‘Antimicrobial Silicone Case’ by Proporta for a few days now here is my review.

Proporta Antimicrobial Silicone Case Review

Packaging isn’t normally mentioned, but in this instance it deserves a mention. All Proporta products I have came across have been smartly packaged, this is no different. In a smart silver packet, well presented with details about the case. Why does this matter? To me when a company puts a lot of effort into it’s packaging it says something about them, and shows they care. It breeds confidence in what I’ve received is going to be good. Excellent first impression.

Once opened there is a clear plastic sheet which sits on the screen, and then the silicone case. The plastic sheet is a tad difficult to align perfectly but once done it sticks nicely so no need to redo it. A tad fiddly, but necessary. Then you simply have to squeeze the iPod into the actual case. Quite easy and painless to fit. All done within a minute.

The case feels good in the hand. Soft, but not so the device slips out of your hand. One of the problems I had without the case was the iPod slipping through my hand, so this solves that issue.

As for looks I think it looks good. Smart and tidy. The dashes of green colour on the rear add a needed bit of colour to avoid it being pure black. It is also available in pink, instead of green. It is not bulky either so the thin design hasn’t be lost.

I’m sure the ‘Antimicrobial’ title didn’t pass you by, but what is that all about? Well, the Antimicrobial agent guards against germs and bacteria. They claim it kills 99% of all germs. For those highly conscious of cleanliness look away now – because according to Proporta the average cellphone has 25,127 germs per square inch!

This case currently retails at £19.99 (at the time of writing) on the Proporta website so you can get cheaper cases. But I think this is good value for money as it looks better then cheaper ones, and I’m confident this will last a whole lot longer so won’t need replacing. Add in the fact it will stop a lot of scratches, meaning you should be able to sell the iPod for more when you come to sell it in the future. Overall a good product, recommended.

Gallery (all images photographed and owned by Digitpedia)

Proporta silver packaging

Back of pack

Empty case, and screen protector

Rear of silicone iPod Touch case

Apple iPod

Close up of side

Steritouch symbol

Proporta logo

Thanks for reading this original gadget review of the iPod Touch Case by Proporta. You are welcome to discuss and add your experiences, personal thoughts and expert opinions about the item in the section below.

A great way to show off lots of photos around your home is with digital photo frames. As the market has developed the choice and prices of entry level models has increased to the extent whereby you can only spend a small amount to buy one.

This product is from LightInTheBox and is available for the small price of $18.99 (approx £12 in UK at time of writing), as they are a chinese retailer it can be purchased around the world. But at such a low cost, is it really any good? Here is our review of this budget photo frame.

First off a quick look at the spec; 2.4inch LCD screen, the screen resolution is 320x240p, JPEG/BMP, requires 2x AAA batteries.

To transfer photos is simple. You attach the USB cable to the laptop and the software automatically loads. You then locate the pics from your harddrive, resize them, and then hit the transfer button. It doesn’t take very long and is easy to do.

Once you’ve got your pictures on to it simply unattach the USB cable and place the frame in the location around your house where you want it to be. Given how small it is I found it is best suited to a window sill in a small room, or on an office desk.

When you click the ‘Menu’ button in the middle of the 3 (see pic) you get the options to show the clock, set the alarm, see the calendar, choose if slideshow is on/off, alter backlight brightness, or turn the whole frame off. All very easy and simple to use.

Given the low-cost it still feels relatively solid and should last a good few years. The value for money seems to be decent, so if you are looking to get your first digital photo display this is a good place to start before trading up in the future.

One word of caution is a lot of these low budget frames use software called dpmate.exe which can have problems on some Vista systems. This isn’t specific to this product, or retailer, but in the industry as a whole which use this software. If you are unlucky though and do experience such issues there is support via various web forums, you can find them by searching.

Thanks for reading.