Review: iFrogz Luxe Original Case

Last time I was in Portland for work, one of my co-workers had an iFrogz Luxe Original case on his iPhone 4S that he had picked up at the AT&T store during a closeout of cases. Up until then I hadn't been using a case for my iPhone. Since I run fairly often, I put my iPhone in an armband holder and having a case on it would make it hard to fit in. Furthermore, most cases are difficult to get off and I didn't want to have to go through that everyday.

The iFrogz case, however, was different. It is a two piece design with a button that makes it easy to slip the pieces apart and remove the case. I was almost instantly sold on it. I started my quest to find the case for as little as possible and while I wanted the all black case, I ended up with the blue/black version that I got off eBay.

I've been using the case for about 6 weeks now and it looks like it protects the phone (prior to this, I managed to scratch the back of the phone which the case would have prevented). It is easy to remove to go running and also when I need to slip it into my car mount for navigation. There isn't a whole lot to say about a case; this case isn't bulky and gives a nice feel to the phone. The only downside is that since it is metal, it seems to interfere with the compass on the phone. I have to remove the case to use star gazing apps or the compass app.

Pros

• Inexpensive.
• Provides adequate protection to the sides and back.
• Doesn't look too ugly.
• Doesn't add much bulk,
• Easy to remove.

Cons

• May interfere with compass functions.

Summary

If you're the kind of person that wants a lightweight case for his iPhone, the iFrogz Luxe Original case is worth a look. I don't know how well it will hold up in the long run, but the price is right and at a minimum, it will protect the back and sides of my iPhone.

Facebook app ruined design

This past week, we launched a major update to an app where we got to start over from scratch with a new design and a completely new code base. While I never encourage a developer to read reviews on the App Store (the reviews are sometimes written by clueless people who have an axe to grind; some are legitimate gripes).

A number of the reviews said that they liked the old design better than the new design. The old design had a grid layout using the Three20 library that Facebook open sourced and uses in their app. This grid layout is not used in any Apple app and is pretty much against all the design guidelines from Apple. In addition, our old design used page curls and a very strange navigation paradigm that made sense to no one that has ever used other iOS apps. Our new design follows Apple guidelines as close as possible, uses standard navigation, standard buttons, etc.

I think that many people are so used to poorly designed apps that they take them as standard, so when an app comes along that more closely resembles Apple guidelines, they think it is ugly and works poorly. It is kind of sad that people can't see the difference between ugly, hard to use apps and elegant apps. Apple spent a significant amount of time coming up with design guidelines and making an SDK that allows developers to follow the guidelines.

I'll make it my mission to educate users one at a time on what apps are well designed and which ones aren't.

Review: Vitamix 5200 - Overpriced Blender

Over a year ago, my wife started bugging me about getting a Vitamix 5200 blender. She said someone she knew had one and couldn't stop raving about it. So, I indulged her and bought a Vitamix from cost a year ago last December.

If you have never heard of Vitamix, the machines are used by major chains such as Jamba Juice. They are supposedly commercial grade blenders. At the price they charge, they sure had better be!

My wife started using it like crazy to make smoothies and using it to prepare dinners. She went as far as putting chicken in it to make chicken enchiladas! There seemed to be no end to the uses for the machine. What struck us as the best thing about the blenders is that it could blend frozen strawberries and everything we threw at it, it chopped up without a problem.

Fast forward a year. Over the past year, we started using it less, but then in order for my wife to get all the nutrients into my son (he's a very picky eater), my wife started making him smoothies every morning. Now all 3 of us have smoothies every morning; banana, strawberry, rice drink (and some other good stuff).

The Vitamix makes it quite easy to blend the frozen strawberries and blend up the smoothie. One of the things I hated about blenders is how hard they are to clean. The instructions for the Vitamix say to rinse it out, fill it half way with water and put in 2 drops of liquid dishwasher soap. Then run it for 30 seconds at full speed. This works fabulously and cleanup is super easy.

So while this blender will set you back a bit of change, if you like to have fresh smoothies and hate fighting a blender that can't chop up frozen ingredients, then the Vitamix is a perfect choice.

Pros

• Chops frozen fruit without a problem.
• Super easy to clean.
• Durable.
• Versitle.

Cons

• Very expensive.
• Dry container isn't very useful for us.

Summary

The investment in the Vitamax has really started to pay off as it is helping get our son to eat his fruit and get his nutrients. In addition, it is making it easier for my wife and me to get more fruit in our diets. So much so that we're going through 5 pounds of frozen strawberries and 2 bunches of bananas a week! I'm quite pleased with the purchase and would do it over again.

On the surface the Vitamax looks like a very overpriced blender; however, it is a tool that I believe will stick around our kitchen for years to come.

Review: Logitech h800 Wireless Headset

In the past 6 months, I've started to spend a lot of time on the phone for work, so having a comfortable way to listen (mostly) to the calls has become quite important. I've tried various earbuds and a few Bluetooth headsets, but haven't quite been satisfied. Since I use the second line of my Ooma
for work, I have to use a Bluetooth headset (I used earbuds for my iPhone). The problem with this arrangement is that the headset has to have a physical mute button; this is a button that many manufacturers are leaving off their devices as they rely on the phone's mute capability. So my quest began in December to find a Bluetooth headset that had a mute button.

Somehow I stumbled across the Logitech h800 wireless headset. I purchased it locally in case I didn't like it. This headset looks bulky, but is quite comfortable and has been performing well when connected over Bluetooth to my Ooma and also when connected via the included dongle to my Mac for Skype calls.

I've setup many, many hours on the phone with the headset and have found the voice quality very good and the headset is comfortable. While the headset has been working quite well, there are a few disappointments with it. First off, it is cheaply made. For an $80 device, it is all plastic and the controls sometimes feel like they are going to break. Second off, it can't connect simultaneously to multiple Bluetooth devices. (You can pair it with multiple Bluetooth devices, but the first device that connects gets to use it.) I'd really like to be able to pair it to my iPhone as well as my Ooma. Third, it can't connect to Bluetooth and the Mac at the same time. I'd love to be able to wear them all day long and have it automatically switch between Bluetooth calls and Skype calls (as well as listening to music).

Pros

• Lightweight
• Comfortable
• Decent sound quality
• Allows pairing with multiple Bluetooth devices
• Works with the Mac
• Physical mute button

Cons

• Cheap construction
• No multipoint Bluetooth for connecting multiple devices at once
• Can't connect Bluetooth and to the desktop at the same time
• Expensive

Summary

For my purposes, the Logitech h800 wireless headset is a life saver. Using earbuds or other types of headsets just have not been comfortable for me. With the physical mute button, I can easily keep working and then tap it to chime in on calls. The voice quality has been more than acceptable and I have been quite pleased with the headset. If you work from home and are on a lot of calls, I'd definitely consider buying these. I've had them since December and they seem to be holding up. Time will tell how long they last.