Archive for December, 2011

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Ford Drives Social Media With Badges

Friday, December 9th, 2011

From their participation with bloggers to their Fiesta YouTube promotions, Ford has long been social media savvy, so it’s not surprising to see the auto giant trying something new on Facebook.

Ford Social Badges

OK, badges aren’t new. Foursquare lead the charge with them long ago. But this is the first major implementation I’ve seen on Facebook. For days, I’ve been seeing ads on the right hand side of Facebook pages, each with a different badge, prompting me to go get my own. I don’t own a Ford, but I decided to see what all the fuss was about anyway.

Why Badges

The image above, found on the Ford Facebook Page gives us a hint about what Ford is up to here. Ford is trying to promote their new Ford Social site in a pretty creative way. One way that things online often become viral is that they speak to your passion. Many Ford owners are passionate about their cars, so why not create a way for them to express it socially, right? A Facebook user sees the ad (or a badge on a friend’s update), creates their own badge, and shares it on their own stream or elsewhere. In the end, Ford directs you to check out their Ford Social site, where you can share stories or ideas and really just interact more with the company on a friendlier level.

When I reviewed the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid Ford gave me a couple years back, I didn’t buy one because of the cost at that time, but I really loved a lot of the tech in that car. If I had a Ford Badge, it would have to be the Tech Geek one. Do you have a Ford? What badge would you pick?

Posted in Automotive, Communication, web | 7 Comments »

The Nokia Lumia 800 Attracts Gamers

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

The Nokia Lumia is designed to attract new fans to the Windows Phone ecosystem, and one of its key targets is gamers.

700-nokia-lumia-800_black

2011 has been the year when smartphone gamers have been able to pick from a wide selection of large-screened devices to make it easier to play games in greater detail in sharp focus. As a Windows Phone, the Nokia Lumia also has greater integration with Microsoft products; Xbox Live support makes it easier for gamers to pick up a game on their console and then their phone, or to check their status remotely when away from their Xbox.

Two of the most popular games so far for the device are Jet Car Stunts and Burn the Rope.

Jet car Stunts comes with 3D graphics, perfectly utilizing the AMOLED screen with 800 x 480 pixels and the ClearBlack technology reducing reflection glare. With a fast 1.4 GHz processor and 512 MB of memory, the device is more than capable of keeping gameplay speedy.

The 3D graphic accelerator is put to good use as well in Jet Car Stunts. With colourful tracks, which increase in difficulty the more your progress riders jump through hoops, leap over divides and ramps using 3D graphics to enhance gameplay and the experience. The handset is held like a steering wheel so users tips and turn to navigate the tracks. To speed up or slow down there are large buttons on the screen that only needs users to move their thumbs while playing. The game is available at the Windows Phone Marketplace for $2.99

Burn The Rope again utilizes the Lumia’s fast processor to incorporate movement of the device into gameplay. The aim of the game is to set fire to a rope and then twist and turn the phone to guide the flame until the rope has burnt away. The flame has to be directed upwards so while it may sound simple the phone needs to be tilted to make sure the flame is heading the right way, or it will burn out. The path of the flame gets faster and more intricate as users pass through the different levels. The game is available from the Marketplace for $2.99.

The speedy processor and screen resolution, along with the 3D capability means the Lumia 800 has a real potential for the gaming market. The new device marks the first delivered in the new partnership between Nokia and Microsoft, suggesting a desire to make a greater splash in the smartphone market. Whereas the App Store and the Android marketplace have made a big splash in encouraging gamers to turn off their console and instead play on their smartphone, Windows Phone has not had a similar appeal. Some critics blame this on a limited number of apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace but it could be more to do with a focus on the Xbox as one of the main Microsoft gadgets on the market. The interactivity and integration between the Nokia and the Xbox suggests this is definitely a target market for the Windows Phone. Their existing dominance in the gaming market, and the appeal they already garner amongst gaming fans, suggests Apple and Android may well be looking over their shoulder.

Simon writes on behalf of Best Mobile Contracts, the UK’s leading mobile phone comparison website, where you can find the cheapest mobile phone contracts for the new Nokia Lumia.

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Posted in Communication, Gaming | 4 Comments »

The Callet Lets You Leave Your Wallet Behind And Protect Your Phone

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

I have a wallet filled with stuff. It’s packed full with probably 7 cards, some business cards, a ton of receipts, insurance information, a couple coupons, and sometimes actual money – but usually not. Of all these things, I usually only use a couple cards, so having a The Callet seemed like a pretty good idea.

Callet

What is The Callet?

The Callet is the love child of a wallet and a phone case. It protects your phone like many phone cases, but it includes a feature that you don’t see in other phone cases. On the back of this case, there are two pockets for credit cards and the like. The idea is to provide the convenience of an iPhone case with features that replace the most basic need of the common wallet. I mentioned above that I don’t usually have cash in my wallet, and I think that may be more and more common in a society where we’re all in the habit of using credit or reaching for our debit card.

The Callet is available in pink, blue, black, and white for most iPhone and Blackberry devices. It’s also cheaper than a lot of iPhone cases I’ve reviewed, coming in at $19.95

My Wallet-Free Week

OK, ok. I actually carried my wallet, too, but I spent a week with this case around my phone and mostly ignored my wallet. In that time, I noticed a few things.

The Callet mostly nailed it with the two primary functions it was created for. It kept my phone protected and it served as a wallet. The unique feature as a wallet was perfect for holding my debit card and driver’s license, one in each card pocket. I did try to squeeze two cards into one of the card pockets and they fit, but it was a really tight fit. When I was out, I adjusted pretty quickly to pulling out my phone rather than my wallet to pay the bill at restaurants we went to. There was no problem at all with the intended features of this case.

While The Callet handled the basics well, it leaves room for at least one thing I’d like to see. Some people carry cash at all times or at least most of the time. The Callet leaves these people to find their own solution for cash. Now, I’m not sure I want my cash visible on the back of my phone every time I make a call in public, but the option might be nice. I would have also liked space for a third card, but this case had to be a little thick for two cards as it is, so perhaps they were right to stop there.

Conclusions

In the end, I switched back to my old case. The Callet is great, but I often have my phone out in a restaurant in case a server goes down and having my ID and debit card in there makes me more nervous about someone swiping it. That may just be me, though. In general, it does what it should and for about 20 bucks, the price is just right. I would pay more for a hard case, though.

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Posted in Communication, reviews | 4 Comments »

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