Smartphones are getting smarter, however, to keep them running uninterrupted manufacturers are bundling batteries that last for a day or two. One may argue that this is fine, as generally phones can now be charged via USB port of PCs or laptops. However, it can be sometimes annoying if you are in the middle of an important call and the battery dies.

This is where a high capacity battery comes in handy. One such manufacturer of high capacity batteries for smartphones is Mugen Power. A familiar name for aftermarket batteries. This time we are testing the Mugen Power 3900mAh extended battery for Nexus S i9020T.

The standard battery of Nexus S is rated at 1500mAh that lasts for somewhere around 16-20 hours on 2G. But the extended battery by Mugen Power is a whopping 3900mAh, that’s more than twice the stock Nexus S battery.

The extended battery comes in a standard packaging with a battery door with NFC chip integrated. The battery door is pretty average without anything written on it unlike the stock battery door that mentions Google and Samsung on the battery door. As compared to stock battery door, this one looks pretty average. The battery door does not hamper any of the phones functionality like the camera or the buttons. It fits snugly to the phone and is available in white and black colours.

Adding the extended battery to the phone makes the Nexus S bulky, however the phone fits in to the hand pretty nicely. If you are using any protective case for Nexus S, then of course, you will not be able to use it with the extended battery.

On the performance front, Mugen Power requires you to calibrate the battery. Calibration includes charging of battery for 12 hours multiple times in order to achieve the optimum rated capacity. If you plan to use both the stock battery and the extended battery, Mugen provides an Android app to swap the batteries easily.

The battery delivered an uptime of almost 2.5 days with EDGE connectivity on, moderate calls, using phone applications and few minutes of gaming. This is indeed a good performance by this battery that makes you go on with the smartphone without worrying about the charge.

Mugen Power has priced this battery for Rs.5,318. A bit costly, but a great utility for people who use their phone more and want days of connectivity without re-charging.

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Android tablets are available aplenty but when Sony announced their offerings in the form of Tablet S and Tablet P, we were intrigued by their unique form factor. And since Sony released the Tablet S in India, we had a thorough look to see if its worth compared to other competitive devices.

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RIM has off late bombarded the smartphone market with a slew of BlackBerry devices. The good thing with the new launches is that all devices boast BlackBerry OS 7. The Blackberry Torch 9860 is also one of them but is definitely different from the conventional Blackberry phones.

For a layman it’s difficult to identify the models of Blackberry from the looks as almost all the phones have a similar form factor and the design. However, with the Torch 9860, RIM is trying to satisfy savvy buyer who wants to flaunt the device with the likes of Androids and iPhones.

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RIM is at an important juncture. They’ve to maintain their profitability while at the same time keep users interested in the brand. Good thing is their phone launches in the recent months has increased and the latest addition is the Bold 9900. We put this device to test after using it for a week. Read on to find out, how does this fair in the smartphone market.

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It’s no secret that Symantec has carved a nice target market for its protection suites for consumers. There’s Norton Antivirus for basic level of protection, Norton Internet Security to protect from any untowardness on the internet and Norton 360 that gives protection as well as backup options. This time we’re checking the middle version aka Norton Internet Security 2012 to see if its worth the spend or not.

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With the rise in the sales of Android devices, hackers have been attracted to the one of world’s largest mobile platform. According to reports by Mcafee and Norton, Android is the number one target by hacker’s for malware, making it necessary for users to protect themselves from any untowardness. We’ve been trying out Norton’s Mobile Security suite that not only promises to save users from malicious attacks but also help to protect from physical theft.

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Owning a shiny and expensive DSLR is not the only thing you need for perfect pictures. A memory card is equally important to allow faster processing so that you don’t miss that perfect shot. Today we take a look at SanDisk’s newest memory card that promises excellent read/write speed and see if its worth the spend or not.

At a first glance the SanDisk Extreme Pro may look like another SDHC or SDXC card but is coated with a layer of protection that enhances the card’s durability. The card has a good build quality that SanDisk claims to withstand worst temperatures and is even waterproof, dustproof and x-ray proof.

Performance:
In addition to the rock solid build quality, the Extreme Pro Series is one of the fastest memory cards available. The card is an UHS Speed Class 1 boasting a read/write speed of up to 45 megabytes per second and if we were to put the performance in couple of words — It delivers. The card makes taking burst shots on a DSLR a real breeze as it can write images onto the card quickly. The speed is also evident even when the card is used with a full HD camcorder. However, there’s one limitation to take advantage of the enhanced speeds. A user must have a UHS-interface compatible device. And if you’re out of luck, the card will simply jump back to give Class 10 speeds.

Another advantage of using the Extreme Pro Series is that it comes with 1-year subscription of RescuePRO. The software allows users to retrieve any digital media or data stored on the memory card after it was deleted or corrupted.

Conclusion:
All said and done. Should you get one? The first and foremost criteria is to check if your device supports UHS interface. If not, spending a considerable amount on the new interface card does not make sense as cards with highest speed class support go at a cheaper price. On the other hand, if you’re planning to upgrade in the coming months and will capture a lot of photos at high-speed, this card is worth every penny.

The card retails for Rs. 12,500 in India or for our American readers, you can get it for $140 at Amazon.

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Rating:
Pros: Fast, Backward compatible
Cons: Expensive

Otterbox has a great lineup of cases for smartphones. For the iPhone 4, they have introduced a new case series called the Reflex. The Reflex series case comes in the standard Otterbox packaging that includes the case, a screen protector and a small plastic applicator for the screen protector. Unlike other cases, the Reflex series is a simple and easy to install case.

The Reflex series is based on the car crumple zone technology. In simple words, when an car crashes, the crumple zone protects the passengers in the vehicle. Similarly, the reflex case incorporates air cushions surrounding the device, so if you drop the iPhone 4, the case flexes upon impact and rebounds to its original form.

Divided into two halves, the case slides in the iPhone 4 from the top and from the bottom. This installation design makes it easy to dock your iPhone 4 by just removing the lower part of the case. However, you can charge the phone without removing the lower part. The case is made of hard and soft plastic. The hard plastic is found at the back with edges made of soft plastic that give a rubbery feel to the phone, making it less slide-prone.

The case fully covers the back of the iPhone except the camera. The volume buttons are protected by the rubber with the Vibrate button fully exposed. At the top, the 3.5mm audio jack is also accessible with the cut-out but the power/wake button is protected with the rubber button.

Installation of the case is real-simple, wipe off your iPhone with the provided cleaning cloth and install the screen protector, which in my opinion could have been made better. Anyways, once the screen protector is installed, install the top-half of the case by simply sliding it on the phone, repeat the same for the bottom-half. The case installs with a snap.

We really liked the case as it looks premium and uses good quality material that really protects the iPhone 4. The design and installation of the case is also unique that is not found in any of the other cases. The case retails for $44.95 and is also compatible with the white iPhone. You can order one for yourself at the link below.

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Rating:
Pros: Easy to Install and Remove, Sturdy
Cons: Mediocre screen protector quality

Whenever at vacation, I carry a smartphone, PSP, iPod, a digital camera, charging cables, spare mobile phone and camera batteries and a portable hard drive. All this stuffed in a compartment of a laptop backpack that makes me struggle to find the required gadget when needed.

However, my woes came to end when I got the gadget bag from Proporta. With more and more gadgets to be carried, it is the best option to organize and protect your gadgets from misplacing. This 10.6in wide gadget bag is black in colour with a orange piping flowing across the corners. This single bag features three different compartments to store your mobile gadgets.

The three different compartments make it easier to access them individually and moreover you can categorise them as per your needs. For instance, chargers/cables in the last one, iPod in the first one and so on.

The good thing that we liked about it is that each compartment has a plastic aperture, allowing headphones and charging cables to be fed through each section. This added feature allows you to charge your device whilst on the go with the convenient, or listen to your MP3 player whilst it is safely concealed and protected in the bag.

The bag safely tucked in my PSP, DSi, a point-and-shoot digital camera, a small battery pack and few USB cables.

The material used to manufacture the bag is good but it does not guarantee your gadget a complete protection. There are padded linings in the bag that protect your devices from bumps and scratches caused by loose items in your bag. The bag comes with the shoulder strap so that you can carry it separately if needed.

This useful organization bag for your gadgets does not come cheap but Proporta sweetens the deal by offering a lifetime warranty on the bag. The price for the same is £24.95 and can be ordered online from Proporta.

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Rating:
Pros: Handy, Different compartments to hold many gadgets, Lifetime warranty
Cons: None

After the 5-inch Dell Streak, the device that is too uncomfortable to make calls and too small to call itself a tablet, Dell comes up with a “proper” smartphone powered by Android 2.2 OS (Froyo) labeled as Venue. Dell has handful of devices in India powered by Android, which includes the 5-inch Dell Streak, Dell Venue (reviewed here) and couple of low-end budget XCD28 and XCD35.

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