Mobile Network Comparison

Now that the iPhone 5C has been out for a while, accessory makers have had a chance to tweak and perfect all of their companions for Apple’s new device. Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been testing and trialling the whole gamut of smartphone accessories, from battery packs to music docks and Bluetooth headsets to ultra-hardy cases. Now we’ve made our assessment on everything we’ve tried and so, in a bid to make your buying decision is as easy as possible, we’ve narrowed it down to the very best five accessories currently available. Read on for more…

Morphie Juice Pack PowerStation Pro

Was £104.99 Now only £85.48

As everyone who owns a smart phone knows, battery life leaves a lot to be desired it’s especially compared to the dumbphones were used to not so long ago. The iPhone 5C is no different – even though it packs an impressive amount of battery life for such a high-performance handset, anyone who has experienced going out for drinks after work on a Friday night and not getting home until the early hours of the morning, will be familiar with running out of mobile phone power when you need it the most (e.g., getting a hottie’s number or finding out the night bus times).

It’s not always practical to carry around charging cable to top up your phone the out and about and it doesn’t matter how good your iPhone 5C is – it’s completely useless when it won’t even turn on-again any more…

This is where the Morphie Juice Pack PowerStation Pro comes in. Morphie have been pioneers in producing additional battery packs for iPhones and this is one of their flagship products. It features rugged metal construction as well as an additional 6000 mAh of battery power to ensure that your iPhone will keep chugging on for days and days. Even better, it has an output of over 2 amps meaning it will recharge your phone as fast as possible. It is also impact and splash resistant.

It may be expensive, but this is a high-end product and should be able to recharge your iPhone 5C to full capacity at least twice meaning it’s perfect for a long weekend away. It can also charge standard USB devices from its meaning it’s quite versatile. From experience, we know that this product can be an absolute lifesaver is worth taking with you everywhere you go.

 

AZATOM Home Hub

Was £79.99 Now only £54.99

The AZATOM Home Hub is a stylish looking black and chrome dock that comes with the new lightning connector which means it can interface seamlessly with the iPhone 5C as well as the iPhone 5S and the latest iPads and iPods. It features 30W of clear stereo sound including dedicated bass drivers and adjustable EQ. It’s perfect for a bedside music system as it also features an alarm clock and built-in radio.

The build quality is excellent for the price and we’re really impressed at how good the sound was for such a small item. You don’y need to worry if you have other devices that don’t have the lightning connector as it also can play back music wirelessly over bluetooth. This makes it perfect for households where not everyone is using iPhones as even Android devices can pair with this speaker system. Remember that buying a lightning cable Apple will set you back at least £15 alone – it’s just a little bit more to get this full featured dock.

Overall, we loves this item. It has classic and stylish British design, packs a great punch without sacrificing sound quality and is incredible value compared to the competition.

 

SPIGEN SGP Tough Armour Case

Only £14.99

This stylish-looking case is designed to perfectly fit the iPhone 5C. It is made out of a combination of thermoplastic polyurethane and polycarbonate for unparalleled protection. The black version looks great but there are also beautiful looking two-tone coloured options to go with whichever vibrant iPhone 5C you chosen.

The SPIGEN SGP Tough Armour Case does its job well protecting your phone and still lets you use all the features such as the headphone jack, external speaker and the camera. Unlike some other cases, there’s no issue with the cutout interfering with the flash and reflecting back into the lens.

The case has an air cushion shock absorber built-in and is well worth the money to keep your phone safe.

 

Anker Anti-Glare Screen Protector

Was £15.99 Now only £3.99

The iPhone 5C may come with the super protective Gorilla Glass which resists scratches and chips, but it’s still not bullet-proof. Nothing could be worse than unsightly damage your new expensive smart phone, and broken screens is an increasingly common issue.

In fact, the latest insurance figures say that as many as a quarter of iPhone users are using a phone with a broken screen and we can only imagine how many have their display blighted by scratches and chips.

For these reasons, a decent screen protector is a no-brainer at this price the Anker Anti-Glare Screen Protector is a steal. It uses high quality Japanese-manufactured PET film which was a perfect fit the new screen. You get three screen protectors for your money and, as well as being antiglare and 90 fingerprint, it has a silky smooth texture and crystal clear optical properties mean your phone will look great.

 

JETtech Diamond Leather Case

Was £29.99 Now only £8.99

The JETtech Diamond Leather Case is a durable flip-style synthetic leather case that will make sure you protect your new expensive phone. We really like the feel of it as its got a nice slippery texture that means you accidentally drop your iPhone even when using it one-handed. Even better it comes with a built in stands which allows you to view videos on your phone from a variety of different angles without having to strain your neck.

The quality is decent and the price has crashed down recently sued getting a lot of bang for your buck. There are few issues with using it in the stands just the clips holding the phone side, but if you like the look of this offers a great style and pairs perfectly with the new iPhone 5C especially if you get one of the darker colour choices of phone.

Have an iPhone 5S? Check out our round-up of the best iPhone 5S cases currently available.

We’ve been working on a recap of the biggest stories in mobile and tech from last year. With our good friend Scottie Ladeaux we’re going to bring you a new post looking back on our picks from 2013 every Thursday.

We got there! This is the final instalment of a ten part video series looking back at the year 2013 in mobile and tech. And the long-awaited #1 biggest story in tech from the whole of last year is the news of Microsoft completely buying out struggling Nokia’s Mobile Phones Division.

We talk about the history of Nokia and what this acquisition means for them as well as the whole future of the battle between various smartphone operating systems. We also question the role of Stephen Elop in the relationship between Microsoft and Nokia.

It wasn’t a complete surprise to everyone, but this news shook up the entire business world and is sure to play a huge role in shaping the future of smartphones and mobile tech in general.

Nokia may have been in the business since the ’70s and produced the first handheld mobile ever but soon after the first smartphones came out they’ve been in decline. The Finnish company were the world’s biggest handset manufacturer for fourteen years but in 2012 Samsung emphatically replaced them.

Despite a massive marketing budget and lucrative royalty-sharing deals, their Windows Phone mobiles make up fewer than 5% of smartphones sold and Nokia have forced through a massive savings strategy. But even with 15,000 redundancies, they have been haemorrhaging cash and their revenues crashed from over €7 billion to just under €3 billion in the second quarter of 2013.

Nokia had been all but written off until September last year when Microsoft announced they’d be acquiring the whole company in a massive £4.6 billion (or $7.2 billion) deal. Microsoft also agreed to invest an additional €1.5 billion in financing to help with the Finnish company’s cash flow woes and debt issues.

It’s an industry open secret that, unlike other rival manufacturers, Nokia chose not to partner with Android when it first came out as they feared they would not survive the competition of Google’s market. Instead their plan was to join Microsoft and aim to control a whole vertical with their phones being manufactured from Nokia components rather than off-the-shelf parts. But nobody predicted they’d end up being owned by them.

This shakes up the entire smart phone market. Now, there really are only three big players left – Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android and Microsoft’s with Windows Phone. Previously, BlackBerry had also been in the running but with Microsoft choosing Nokia over them, it’s hard to see a place for BlackBerry in the future of smart phones. Especially since their revenues have also plummeted in recent years and due to their internal issues which we discussed in video #5 in this countdown.

However, some saw a conspiracy in the demise of Nokia. Stephen Elop was the head of Microsoft’s Business Division for two and a half years before he took over as Nokia’s CEO in September 2010. This was the first time that Nokia had a non-Finnish director and he received a $6 million golden handshake.

Elop’s reign at Nokia was fraught with controversy. It was under his leadership that Nokia’s internally-developed operating systems – Symbian and Meego – were in favour of Microsoft’s OS. He also deriding the company in public statements and some suspected him to be a Trojan horse-style saboteur destroying them from the inside.

The fact that Nokia’s market cap has plummeted over the last few years. has meant that it’s ripe for the picking and Microsoft were able to snatch up a bargain compared to a few years ago. There were rumours that Microsoft would try to buy Nokia ever since he was appointed and as part of the deal Elop will now return to Microsoft as head of their Devices team. But

Regardless, this acquisition will be remembered a major event in the history of mobile phones. Microsoft has been struggling to keep up as a technology company in the age of mobile and if they want to salvage any of the success they’ve retained since the ’90s it’s in many ways an entirely necessary gamble.

Still, the duopoly of Android and iOS seems incredibly solid at the moment and it’s hard to see how they can chip away at their market share. However, it is clear that they are willing to spend and do whatever it takes to have a chance to be one of the major players in this business. The strategy has been failing so far, so it’s hard to see how ploughing even more money in can make a drastic difference. But it certainly makes things much more interesting for the next few years and it can only be good for consumers to have more competition and innovation.

What did you think of this series? Do you reckon we covered all the major stories in tech and mobile from last year or we there some that we omitted? And what’s your take on the Microsoft-Nokia deal? Could Elop really have been a plant devised to produce a preferential price?

We’ve been working on a recap of the biggest stories in mobile and tech from last year. With our good friend Scottie Ladeaux we’re going to bring you a new post looking back on our picks from 2013 every Thursday.

Today we have then penultimate story in the countdown and Scottie is talking us through the search for Microsoft’s next CEO after Steve Ballmer stands down this year.

In the time since he’s been at the helm, Microsoft has made $120 billion in profits, and $80 billion in dividends. Ballmer, who has lead the tech giant since founder Bill Gates stepped down in 2000, announced his intention to retire in August of last year.

Our take it that they really need to shake things up if they are to thrive in a post-PC market. Elop has the mobile expertise but he’s probably not the best choice. Unfortunately, from Microsoft have been on self destruct for the last several years – the Office Ribbon and Windows 8 are hard to forgive.

So what do you think? Is Ballmer leaving Microsoft on his terms, or is he being forced out? And who do you think is going to be the new CEO? Will Microsoft turn things around, or are we witnessing the decline of one of the biggest corporate giants ever?