Archive for the ‘Retro’ Category

Incase Flex Wristband

Posted: November 12, 2011 by Gill Haus in Fun Tech!, iOS, Retro, Watch bands
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Using your iPod Nano as a watch is catching on. And why not? You can change the face of the watch at will and you can match your watch band to your mood with ease. Incase has entered this market with the Flex Wristband.

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We purchased this to add some sport to the Nano. While the band looks fantastic, we quickly realized that it’s made for people with smaller wrists.

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This doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to use it but it’s certainly not as comfortable as the Hex line of metal watch bands that can be adjusted.

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One other draw back is how the Nano sits in the band. With other bands, the Nano’s clip is utilized. This means that in every day use it’s rather hard to lose the Nano from the band. The Incase Flex uses a pressure design (you ‘pop’ in the Nano). This works well for light usage but a good bump on a wall when moving quickly or the right tug on the headphones could dislodge it. Nanos are light and durable but we’d rather not dropskip them too often.

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As for looks, it’s really not bad. Even with the chance of losing the Nano we’d wear this band more often if it were only slightly looser.

Moshi Moshi POP Phone – How Retro!?

Posted: June 5, 2011 by Gill Haus in dropSKIP? What???, Handsets, Retro
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While we do review quite a few high end toys (and we’re not saying that trucks are that high end, but not everyone buys those on a whim) there are some out there at a lower price point you just can’t pass on buying.  Enter the Moshi Moshi POP Phone.

Moshi Moshi POP Phone in Box

Moshi Moshi POP Phone in Box

Your eyes aren’t fooling you. It’s a retro telephone handset that fits your iPhone, iPad, cell phone, or laptop.  The advertisement at the store what I purchased it claimed it was a comfort solution.  That, and the fact that I’m a sucker for these sorts of things, clinched the deal.

Moshi Moshi POP Phone without Box

Moshi Moshi POP Phone without Box

The first test was placing a call with my iPhone.  It worked like a champ.  There is no volume control on the handset or the cable, so you’ll need to use the iPhone’s volume control, but the sound was crystal clear and the person on the other end had no difficulty understanding me.  As comfort was something that was touted as a feature for this product, I attempted my normal routine.  Sitting in front of my computer and handling email while using the handset.  Now, I wouldn’t go as far as saying this is more comfortable than an in ear Bluetooth headset, but it was certainly easier to hold on my shoulder while typing.  After 30 minutes I’m sure there will be some cramping, but it’s size does make it easier to hold in place.

Moshi Moshi POP Phone on Table

Moshi Moshi POP Phone on Table

The next test was Skype (thank you, Maria Dolar, for being our guinea pig) on my MacBook Air.  Again, the handset worked wonderfully.  The quality was great and Maria had no challenges understanding me.  I don’t have any other phones in the house at the moment, so the device testing ended there.

As for the handset itself, there is a hidden button on the inside that can be used to answer/end calls (there is only so retro you can go and not be convenient), which works well.  On the downside (and anyone that really wants to do this probably needs to buy something else) you can’t play your music on your iPhone through the handset.  I’m bummed about this only because I would love to run into someone doing this on the street, film it, and sent it to Philly D to share with the world.

In summary, for around 30 dollars you can pick up this handset and go retro.  Will it prevent cramping and increase comfort?  Maybe.  Will it add a thrill to phone/Skype calls?  Absolutely.  Would I have been able to buy this if my wife wasn’t present to explain why I don’t need “yet another gadget?”  Well, she wasn’t there. :)