Review: Cable Jive duraSync … how tough is your cable?
Chiyin says...
on Nov 17th, 2009 @ 4:03 pm
A while back Justin had some troubles with his iPhone USB cable breaking and apparently he was not the only one. The folks over at Cable Jive also experienced the same problems but instead of replacing theirs with a standard cable, they created the duraSync, a tougher cable that would not suffer the same tearing as the original.
How tough is this sync cable you ask? Well, our friends at Cable Jive sent us a sample to test it out…
The first thing we noticed was how much thicker the cable is. It has a thick rubber outer layer and a tear resistant inner shielding. The ends are also a lot tougher than the standard ones, the product description says there is a double layer protection on them, I didn’t try to pry them open to find out though, so we’ll take their words for it.
Function wise there’s not much to say, it works just like any other sync cable. Connect your device and it syncs.
To find out how tough the cable really is, we ran a few tests. First we tried pulling it, which didn’t do anything as the inner braided shielding is designed to keep the cable from tearing. Then we tried crushing it in a car door. We were actually able to charge the iPhone while the cable was caught in the car door. And for good measure we decided to run it over with a car. And guess what? The cable still works.
Now the question is, do you really need a cable this tough? And would you pay $20 for it? Personally I don’t think it’s necessary. For my daily use this cable would be overkill, especially when I can get a replacement cable for a fraction of the price. But if you live or work in a rough environment then it would probably make more sense. Overall this is a very well built cable that certainly lives up to its name, but at this price I don’t think it’s for everyone.
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Apples & Oranges, Reviews, iPhone Accessories, iPod
A2DP bluetooth on iPhone 3G S works great, 3G not so much
Justin says...
on Jun 21st, 2009 @ 6:42 pm
If you read my last post on A2DP you know that I got excited when 3.0 beta 5 seemed to fix the A2DP issues I was having on my iPhone 3G, but with further testing I found that it was only mostly fixed. When just walking around casually my S9-HDs sounded great, but when I tried to jogging the audio would start to cut out as it did before. Even though it still broke up beta 5 did make it happen a lot less often making it usable, but still quite annoying and far from a finished Apple solution. I speculated on a possible reason for the issue in the comments of this same post:
Also, my update on 5.16.09 still stands with the 3.0 GM. It works and sounds great, but when running with the iPhone in my pocket or hand it does break up every once in a while. My thinking is the CPU can barely handle the iPod and Bluetooth at the same time, so when you start moving the iPhone around it has to track the accelerometer movements and puts it over the top.
I just completed my “jog test” with my new iPhone 3G S an no matter what I did I was unable to get it to break up at all! So it seems my speculation might have been right as both the 3G and 3G S sport the same bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. The only other 3G S upgrade I could see affecting bluetooth would be the extra CPU power and possibly the extra RAM. Glad my investment in the bluetooth headphones has not gone to waste. One small disappointment still stands though, even on the 3G S I was still only control pause/play with the S9-HDs (volume is controlled on the headsets themselves). So if you are planning on using A2DP headphones with an iPhone 3G on 3.0 I obviously cannot recommend the S9-HDs, but if you do find a pair that work nicely on the iPhone 3G please leaves us a comment or send us an email to let us know!
Also, up until this point I have been using the S9-HDs to test the iPhone A2DP functionality, but now that we are out of beta and they are working well on the 3G S I will be writing a proper review for them in the future.
iPhone 3.0 beta 5 fixes A2DP issues!
Justin says...
on May 14th, 2009 @ 7:21 pm
UPDATE 6.21.09 A2DP bluetooth on iPhone 3G S works great, 3G not so much
UPDATE 5.16.09 After doing a test while running I did get it to break up a little bit so I guess it’s not perfect, but at this point I’m not sure if it’s the iPhone or the headphones. Either way in a 9 min jog it only broke up a few times for just a sec or two so it was still very usable unlike beta 4. While walking with it in my pocket I was still unable to get it to break up at all.
Not much changed in beta 5, but a big update for me is I can now use my S9-HDs I bought to test when 3.0 beta was first released. After writing about my first impression of A2DP I’ve been testing against each new beta. The audio skiping and sound quality issues improved with each update, but the issue with the audio cutting in and out when using the headset outside (seemed like a bad bluetooth connection) remained in my last A2DP update. One beta later and the problem is solved! I’m now able to use the S9-HDs when jogging, guess I have to start working out more now.
Also, beta 5 is the first beta where Apple requires all new apps to be 3.0 compaitble. So it looks like if this isn’t the final beta, there probably aren’t going to be too many more before it’s released to the public…which is making me think they may release 3.0 firmware before releasing the 3rd gen iPhone.
iPhone 3.0 beta 4 A2DP still needs work
Justin says...
on Apr 30th, 2009 @ 9:51 am
UPDATE A2DP now working great on beta 5!
I first tried the A2DP bluetooth when 3.0b1 first came out and it was definitely beta. Since then it’s slowly improved. The issue of the audio breaking up / freezing when using other apps (vs leaving the phone locked) is gone. The quality is pretty good, but still doens’t seem as good as wired although I guess this is to be expected.
The one issue that’s come up and hasn’t been resovled is while trying to use the headset while jogging. Everytime I go outside with the iPhone in my pocket and my Motorola S9-HDs on my head it starts to break up. It’s worse when I’m jogging, but still happens even when just walking. With every beta it seems to break up a touch less, but no real improvments. When “kinda” jogging inside the problem doesn’t exist. I have a feeling it has to do with added interference outside the protection of my concert walls. We are still 30-60 days from a final release so I’m hoping they get a few more betas out between now and then with a fix for this issue.
Juice pack air for iPhone 3G coming late April?
Justin says...
on Apr 2nd, 2009 @ 12:29 am
With Mophie’s history with the Juice Pack 3G release (it was delayed, more than once) I’m not holding my breath, but I’m sure those of you that voted for late April in our Juice Pack Air poll are pretty happy.
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Apples & Oranges, Speculation, iPhone Accessories
Review: iPhone gone solar… Solio battery pack
Chiyin says...
on Mar 31st, 2009 @ 3:31 pm
While Justin has been using the mophie juice pack and waiting for the upcoming juice pack air, I’ve gone solar. A while ago I came across the Solio Classic battery pack and decided to give it a try. Basically the Solio is a battery equipped with solar panels that can recharge itself harnessing the power of the sun. Unlike the juice pack, the Solio is not exclusively for the iPhone, it comes with different tips that can connect to different electronic devices including USB. Since getting the battery I’ve been testing it with different devices like a Motorola krzr, iPod Photo, iPod Video and of course my iPhone 3G and it works pretty well.
The setup is fairly simple, you plug in the cord, attach a tip and then simply connect the device you wish to recharge, that’s it. There is only one indicator on the battery, an LED that flashes green every 3 sec or so when it’s charging a device, a solid red when the battery is charging, or a combination of both when a device is attached to it while it is under the sun.
Its performance has exceeded my expectations, it charged a fully depleted iPod in about 2 hours using about 60% of the battery charge. It takes a bit more to charge up the iPhone but that’s expected, especially since the iPhone was on while I was charging it.
To charge the pack you simply open up the battery to reveal it’s 3 solar panel and place it in a sunny place. It does take a while to fully charge the battery, specially if the sun is not shining, but being from the Sunshine State that’s not a big problem for me. The average charging time is about 8 – 10 hours under the sun, but you can also charge up using the included USB charge cable. But that kinda defeats the purpose of the pack, don’t you think?
Overall, I’m happy with the Solio, my only problem was using the included USB tip with the iPhone. Turns out there’s a new tip for the iPhone 3G, but once I got the new tip everything was good. So, if you want to go green or you are like me and don’t like anything resembling a protective case enclosing your electronic devices, give the Solio a try. And if you do, let us know how you like it…
