The Proporta.com Protective Laptop Case is a laptop case designed for the everyday laptop/Mac user to protect their laptop in a nice, clean and simple carrying case. The faux-leather style of the case is very robust and nice to touch, and the inside is of a very high quality. This product I reviewed was the 13” version, which is designed to carry 13” laptops, the MacBook range from Apple (MacBook/13” MacBook Pro), and Netbooks.

I’d like to thank Proporta.com for sending me this product for reviewing.

Design

The design of the case is of a very high quality, with a nice green coloured faux-leather outer, with a dark grey/white stripe on the lid/back. The inside of the case is a soft fabric, with the Proporta mascot as the pattern. The bag is very personalised and I do really like the stability and structure of the bag. To touch the inside of the bag is very soft and protective, with a nice padded feel to the back and front of the bag, yet not giving off too much space with the padding material.

The lid closes and holds closed with Velcro contacts, however with certain laptops, such as my MacBook (which I use this bag for), it did see to struggle to hold, a simple fix around this is to push it closed, and lie the laptop down, with the lid/opening down, placing pressure on it and leaving it overnight, or for a day, and the bag stretches slightly and settles into the shape of the laptop.

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Protection/Reliability

Protection from the laptop case it of a sufficient quality, with some light padding for the computer inside the bag. I haven’t tested the bag in a drop test, mainly for reasons being I don’t want to damage my MacBook, but I would say if you were to drop your laptop in this bag, you might get some damage on the laptop due to it’s lack of protection.

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Conclusions

Overall, I think this is a very nice case for any laptop owner, available in Green, Red & Black, and at a cost of around £20 – £25, it’s a very high quality case, for a reasonable price. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a nice bag to put their laptop in, but I would recommend putting this bag in another bag in case of dropping it.

My Rating for the Proporta Laptop Case: 7/10

To buy the Laptop Case, Click Here. For more information on Proporta, Click Here.

Any guesses what phone I’ve got? Yes, it’s the HTC Hero, or as it’s known on UK mobile carrier T-Mobile, the T-Mobile G2 Touch. Costing me a whole £0.00 (well, £30 a month for 18 months), it’s one hell of a powerful phone, and I love it. Currently running Android 1.5, and due 2.0 in April, the phone is my first ever Android device, and I know for a fact I won’t be forking out on a iPhone anymore.

If you’re wondering, the Dock my Hero/G2 is sitting in is from Proporta.com, but ordered though Clove.co.uk as it’s actually discontinued, which is a shame as the dock is very useful. Also the phone is sporting the iconic HTC made Sense UI, and has a nice official HTC made screen protector on it, just for added protection.

Obviously I’m not going to give my phone number out, but I can tell you the phone’s quality is perfect for me, and definitely over-rules my old phone, which was a Samsung Tocco Lite.

The Universal iPod Dock from Proporta.com Is essentially an iPod Dock, which is used with the iPod/iPhone range from Apple. The Dock, which is shaped like a circle/squashed ball, and available in Black & White. The main advantages of this accessory are the base of the dock, being a heavy weight, it keeps your iPod from falling over, and also weigh’s the dock down onto the desk for more stability.

I’d like to thank Proporta.com for sending me this product for review.

Design

The design of this iPod Dock is of an eye catching design, available in both Black & White, you really do get to pick which one you like most. There are 4 Dock Adapters supplied with the Dock, which cover a wide range of the Apple iPod’s, including the iPod Touch, iPod Classic, iPod Nano & the iPhone 3G/3GS. The appearance of the dock is nice, but I would’ve preferred a more easily changeable dock adapters, or even integration with the official Apple made dock adapters.

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Usage/Stability

Using the dock from day to day is very comfortable, with an easy access to the home button, and also quite good stability for the device, it’s a very nice, easy to use dock. The only real issue I had with the dock is that the USB cable Proporta supply didn’t fit properly with the iPod plugged in, so I’ve used my own Apple branded iPod Cable, and it works perfectly.

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Conclusions

The only doubts I have about the Universal Dock from Proporta, is the USB cable supplied with the device, you can have some troubles with it, but once you fix those it’s a perfectly usable device, with many attachments for it.

My rating of the Universal Dock: 8/10

To buy the Universal Dock, Click Here. For more about Proporta.com, Click Here.

I thought I should post this video, from Sophos, showing how to avoid the recent and current Twitter Phishing Attacks:

I’ve just been watching a video on YouTube, from TNA iMPACT! showing JB (Jeremy Borash) interviewing the legendary Hulk Hogan, and this comment stood out like a soar thumb:

WWE is changing from the WRESTLING show we once loved into a steaming pile of crap.
How can you have a PPV called MITB when only 1 person gets a title shot briefcase? Are they gonna just have 1 MITB match or several?
Could it smell a little like TNA’s ‘Feast or fired’?
To hell with WWE. I’ll stick to my old WWF DVD’s. When the show was actualy good.
Hell WWF in the mid 90’s during it’s slump is better than the current ‘product’.

I couldn’t agree more with it, and thought I’d share it with you. The video can be seen Here

I must say thank you to Seesmic (@Seesmic) and StickerGiant.com (@stickergiant) for sending me these:

I’ve been surfing YouTube, as you do, and I stumbled across a nice video from Channel Five’s ‘The Gadget Show’, showing presenter Jason Bradbury testing the actual hardware from the E3 conference. Below is the video uploaded to Gadget Show’s YouTube:

To read Jason’s blog post about him Playing with Natal, Click Here.

Personally, I’m still sceptical about Natal, don’t get me wrong it seems like one hell of an invention, I’d have to see it, and use it, to believe it has a future and will push gaming to that needed, next level.

iFiles is an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch, it can be found in the App Store, for approximately £1.79. The app is a file manager for the iPhone and iPod Touch, in which you can view, edit and transfer files to your computer, and to friends. The App transfers files to and from your computer via WiFi, the app allows to also send files from the App, transfer files from iPhone to iPhone, iPod to iPod, or iPhone to iPod, and so on.

I would like to thank Imagam, Inc. For supplying a review copy of this app to review.

Design & Interface

The design of the App is very sleek, it operates easily and very smoothly. The interface is very easy, showcasing the easy to use classic iPhone menu interface, with some really nice changable themes.

The 1 thing I dislike about the design of the interface is the folder icons. It would be nice if they could change colour with the actual theme, it would be a nice addition in my view, and also keep the application more centralised to a certain colour scheme.

The other parts to the interface are based around sub menus, which drop down in a translucent black rounded box, similar to the Stacks on the Dock in Mac OS X.

The image to the left shows an example of the sub-menu. The + icon is for adding files into the application, such as a folder, a text file, from your Library (photos/videos from the camera/screen grabs), and a Voice Recording button. The icon you see next to it is the Wi-Fi button. Clicking this and you’ll get a notification display explaining that you have Wi-Fi Sharing Running, and also the IP Address/Bonjour address to connect to the device.

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Performance/Compatibility

I’ve used this App now for a few days on my iPod Touch (2nd generation), and the performance has been well above standard. The speed of the app is just right, and also the capabilities of the app are shown throughout with easy to use help menus, and also a very easy to use interface. The only times I’ve seen it struggle is when you try to send a high amount of files to the device, but that was soon fixed with a resending of the files.

The photo below to the left shows the Settings pane for the application, my information and port number have been blocked out for this review, to save privacy compromises. The Settings menu is very easy to understand and work around, this also goes for the Help menu, which is shown to the right.

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Conclusions

Overall, I love this application, it’s a very useful app to have on your device, mainly if you need to thrown a file from 1 PC to the other, or to another device. Also with iFiles, you can easily password protect your connection to and from your iPod/iPhone between your Mac/PC.

I’d happily give this app a 9/10, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice, file manager app for their device. You can buy iFiles, made by Imagam, Inc. for £1.79 from the App Store.

For more information: ifilesapp.com
To buy iFiles: Visit The App Store

Ok so I’ve cleaned the site up, it was looking terrible, so I’ve ripped out the old theme which looked gastly, and installed a gorgeous new blue/dark theme, which looks very nice, and showcases 1 of my photos, which is above! So, what’s coming soon to the site? I’m going to finish the pages, I know, taking me forever, but still, it’ll be ready very soon!

Also, you’ll notice a lot more reviews, for more on this, pop over to my “About” page for more information on my review writing and also where I write reviews for…

I’ve been using the Skullcandy INK’d earphones now for around 2 months, and the quality of the product is incredible. I paid around £9.99 for my earphones, and overall I’ve been extremely impressed with them.

- Design
The design of the Skullcandy INK’d earphones are very minimal, using a single cable from the headphone jack, to a centerpiece in the middle of the line with the skullcandy name. Then the cable splits into 2, leading to the very efficiently designed ear-buds. These seemed to be made from metal. I have the dark grey ones, so I see a dark metal outer, with a plastic black band which is actually used for bass reflex. The back of the ear-buds have the skullcandy “skull” logo, and are very small in the hand. The ear bud attachments vary in size, I personally recommend the biggest ones to hold them in your ears, and to block out all outer noise.

- Performance
I use my Skullcandy INK’d earphones with my MacBook & iPod Touch, both have a very high output for audio, and these earphones just do not give in to any pressure, volumes or strength I throw at them. I’ve had my iTunes on full volume, my MacBook on full volume and the EQ inside iTunes on +12db to really push the earphones, and they didn’t give in. This to me shows that these earphones are made to withstand the best of pressures, and are definitely reliable.

- Protection
The only thing I can recommend when using thee earphones, is that don’t get the cables tangled up. If you can, also clean the ear-buds every now & again to maintain performance.

My conclusion is, if you want performance earphones, with a nice style to them, then definitely get the Skullcandy INK’d earphones.

I just think this aught to be shared, it’d put a huge smile on my face and it’s bound to make anyone smile who’s seen an Olly Williams clip on Family Guy..

It’s been around over 1 year since I purchased my iPod Touch from Apple, and I think it’s time for a review of the fully featured entertainment iPod from the range. I have the 2nd generation iPod Touch, which is the 16gb model.

Build Quality/Structure

The iPod Touch is a very solid device, with a strong capacitive touch screen, and metal back. The glass display is a 3.5” multi-touch LED backlit display, running at 480 x 320 pixels. After around a year, the device has had no issues at all, the only downside to the back of the device is that is can be extremely scratch prone. The screen also can be a downfall to scratches, I’ve personally accidently scratched the screen twice, but thankfully the scrapes are very light and un-noticeable during operation.

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Hardware/Storage

The hardware range inside the iPod Touch is very impressive, for what is dubbed Apple’s “Pocket Computer”. The CPU is an Apple ARM11 processor (1st/2nd Gen) and a ARM Cortex-A8 (3rd Gen). The graphics are powered by a PowerVR MBX Lite (1st/2nd Gen), and a PowerVR SGX (3rd Gen). The memory of the iPod Touches are 128MB DRAM (1st/2nd Gen), and 256MB DRAM (3rd Gen). Storage for the iPod Touches is supplied via SSD based, build onto the Logic Board. The storage capacities are 8, 16 & 32GB (1st/2nd Gen), and for the 3rd Gen Apple made a 64GB version.

From my opinion the hardware can’t really be topped, however if we ever see a 4th Gen iPod Touch, I would like to see the spec’s boosted much higher than they are now.

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OS/Software Reliability

The iPod Touch uses the iPhone OS operating system, originally running from 1.1 and now currently on 3.1.3. Utilizing the hardware, the iPhone OS can run very smoothly without hardly any lagging and juttering.

All iPod Touch models come with the obvious Apps from Apple, such as Music, Photos, Videos, iTunes & App Stores, YouTube, Mail, Maps, Mobile Safari and much more from the default list of Apps. Obviously the App Store on the iPhone OS is the key to the iPod Touch’s success. For instance, I have Apps such as Tweetie 2, Facebook, Dropbox, TUAW, SimpleTask & The Sims 3, just to name a few.

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Opinions/Improvements/Thoughts

I’ve always classed my iPod Touch as not really a music device, I use my MacBook for this, but I class my iPod Touch as a social media device. With the App Store, I can have access to all my social networking accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm & so on. The only improvements I can really say for the iPod Touch are the following:

- Wireless Networking
I’d really want the iPod Touch to be able to utilize the Wireless N standard, this would be a much better standard from the Wireless G, and would enable the iPod Touches to dive deep into more advanced technology.
- Bluetooth File Transfer
Whenever I take a screenshot on my iPod Touch, which is a lot when I write up App Reviews, I have to upload them to my Dropbox, then grab them on either my MacBook or Windows Laptop machine. This can be very annoying, and I’d love the ability to swipe my files from my iPod Touch, right to my MacBook via the Bluetooth platform.

There aren’t many things I can really say about the iPod Touch, if you are looking to buy one, definitely get a case for it, and try and grab a screen protector for the screen, you’ll really benefit from them and it’ll help you protect your gadget.

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My Rating for the iPod Touch: 8/10

Overall Thoughts: The iPod Touch is a great device for every day use, but if you’re serious in spending money, and want a touch screen phone with the iPhone OS, get an iPhone.

I’m a member of Coke Zone, this scheme where you collect and enter codes from Coca Cola bottles, to win rewards and prizes from Coke Zone, and so on. Well, there’s nothing on there! I mean, ok yeah there is, but nothing that suits me.

Right now, there’s a Joby Gorillapod for 200 points, but its the original one and I need a DSLR version because I have a high zoom camera which is bigger than a compact, yadda yadda… So, I’m waiting until I have around 200 points, not long now, then going to see what I can get, then having my account removed and leaving. I don’t see the point in it anymore to be honest.

Click the image above for a full preview. This image is from a local Freecycle scheme I am a part of, I mean, a DSLR camera?! Those things cost £400+, and Photographic/Darkroom Equipment? All that’s at least £500+ at professional level! This is pathetic, and something needs to be done about it.

A very informative and interesting video to watch, showing HTC testing and putting some force onto the Google Nexus 1, during the Testing Phase before release to the public:

ThemePark Rider, a theme park related blog I have been running, has officially been taken completely offline, and will remain offline for the forceable future.

I am willing to pass on the full ownership of the themeparkrider.com domain, however the website in its entirety, including posts, and backup databases have been deleted and completely removed from online sources.

If you would like to acquire the themeparkrider.com domain, then please drop me a message via the Contact Page. If you would like me to write for your blog (of any kind), then please see the Services page for more information.

I would like to say thanks to anyone who read ThemePark Rider in its lifetime, and would like to recommend the following websites to people:

- Coaster101 – coaster101.com
- Coasterdom – coasterdom.com
- The Coaster Critic – thecoastercritic.com

Many thanks,
Adam

I’ve been hugging the bandwidth on my Internet connection today, sorry Virgin Media! I’ve downloaded issues 200-218 of MacFormat Magazine, all in digital .pdf format, so I can keep them on my external HDD for future reference. It’s nice for them to supply these to subscribers, and I recommend subscribing to anyone who’s a Mac Fan and wants to read a good well written magazine.

For more information on MacFormat, visit www.macformat.co.uk

To subscribe, visit www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/mfc/2003/

To follow MacFormat on Twitter, tweet @MacFormat

Day 5 – The Sunlight Ends, originally uploaded by @AdamJPart.

One of my favourite photos I’ve taken in January 2010.

Thanks to Fox News for this video upload, it shows Steve Jobs talking about, and showing off the impressive new Apple iPad