It is a bit of a dilemma when you have a sleek, thin touchscreen phone. You want to protect it, but you may not want to buy a case that doubles the size of the handset. This is exactly the case with the HTC Desire, it houses a gorgeous 3.7-inch display and is one of the thinnest smartphones around. However, we have the ideal HTC Desire case to compliment the phone.

We are reviewing the Sena UltraSlim Pouch for the HTC Desire (and Nexus One). The company claims that it is the thinnest leather case ever designed for a mobile and is ideal for those who prefer “zero bulk”. The pouch was kindly sent over by MobileFun, a specialist retailer of mobile accessories. The pouch costs £24.98 and MobileFun applies a small delivery charge on top of this depending on whether shipping is to the UK or mainland Europe.

The case comes well packaged so that there is unlikely to be any damage to the soft leather by the time it hits your doorstep. As you can tell from the picture below, it is designed to fit both the HTC Desire and Nexus One smartphones given their similar dimensions.

The company claims that the pouch is made from the “finest quality, full-grain leather.” This is something hard to argue with once going hands-on ourselves.

A short set of instructions detail how you should remove the phone from the pouch. It’s pretty self-explanatory once it’s in the hand, but it’s nice to see Sena supplying instructions for those worried that their method may ruin the case.

Once removed from the packaging, the UltraSlim Pouch really feels like a premium product. As mentioned above, the case feels like it is made from full-grain leather. It is also very soft to the touch.

The case comes with soft velvet lining to make sure there is no risk of getting any scratches on the HTC Desire’s display.

Sena has embossed a small logo towards the top of the case that doesn’t ruin the style of the pouch.

The pouch has secure stitching, including across the opening for added detail.

The HTC Desire is a tight fit when placed into the UltraSlim case. However, I would expect this to loosen slightly over time.

Sena says that the pouch has a “light zero bulk protective layer”. Realistically speaking I’m not sure the phone would survive from a high fall. However, it is likely to be ideal who want to put their phone in a bag or pocket.

The case covers the handset to the top and leaves access to the power button. My only concern is that given the tight fit it can be a bit tricky to remove. If you have a phone call you may struggle to get to it in time. However, I would expect the leather to loosen over time and maybe this wouldn’t be an issue.

It is a very lightweight case and according to our measurements will only add an extra 12g to the weight of your phone.

The Sena UltraSlim is the thinnest pouch offered by the company and it’s certainly the thinnest we’ve seen. It is well constructed with high-quality materials and is easily worth its £25 asking price. The design is ideal for those who carry their phone in their bag or pocket.

My one and only gripe is the tightness of the fit that may make it difficult to remove in a hurry. However, I would expect that this is down to the case being new and hopefully the leather will stretch a little after some use. If this is not likely to be an issue for you, then I can fully recommend the Sena UltraSlim case for the HTC Desire.

Many thanks to MobileFun for sending through the Sena UltraSlim Pouch for review!

One of the most common niggles I hear about the HTC Hero is its weak battery life. To be fair, the Hero isn’t the only phone to suffer from this. As smartphones have got more powerful and connect to the Internet, there’s no surprise to see battery life taking a hit.

A number of third party battery manufacturers have sprung up to cater for this growing market. One of the most prominent (and the only one I really trust) is a company called Mugen Power. It provides batteries of different capacities for pretty much most phones on the market today. They were kind enough to send over two HTC Hero batteries for us to test out. This included the 1550mAh and 3200mAh capacity batteries. Click through for our review of both batteries.

Taking each in turn, we first look at the larger capacity 3200mAh battery. The battery arrived with a white and black cover (the latter included in some bubble wrap). There was also some paperwork that should be read before using the battery. It suggests that you need to charge the battery for 12 hours for the first time.

The battery comes in quite simple packaging. The battery sits in the white cover and this has a small piece of sponge behind it to prevent it getting scratched in transit.

The usual warnings and warranty information is placed on the back of the packaging. The battery comes with a 6-month warranty.

As the codename (HLI-HEROXL) suggests the 3.7V 3200mAh battery is quite big and won’t fit into the existing housing. This is the reason why Mugen Power provides a back cover to account for the larger battery.

It’s difficult to get a sense of how much thicker this battery is when just looking at it alone. We have some comparison pictures later in the review that give you a better idea of the size.

Mugen Power provides back casings in both black and white colours. If you have a pink HTC Hero you’ll be out of luck in getting the casing to match.

Both covers have protective plastic on the back to ensure that they do not scratch during transit.

The plastic used is matte and matches the rest of the HTC Hero.

The plastic covers have been manufactured to a high standard and have the right size holes and fits the phone well.

With the battery attached you can get an idea how much the 3200mAh battery sticks out over the original HTC Hero battery.

Without the cover attached you can see how much the 3200mAh battery protrudes from the back. This is why Mugen Power has provided the large back door covers.

Once the back cover is attached, it fits very snugly to the rest of the phone. It can be a bit too sung, requiring quite a bit of force to remove. However, given the size I’d rather it be a tight rather than loose fit.

As mentioned previously, the covers have been manufactured to a high quality. All of the holes for the power input and headphone sockets are the right sizes and nothing feels loose.

This even extends to the volume control. It can take some getting used to as the volume control is on the phone part of the handset, rather than the back cover. I often found myself pressing the cover initially to change volume.

Whilst the HTC Hero doesn’t come with a lens cover, given the depth of the back casing, a lens cover is built into it. This was probably a necessary design decision to ensure dust doesn’t enter the lens. A simple slider switch opens and closes the lens cover.

The picture below shows the original HTC Hero back casing (on the left side) adjacent to the casing provided by Mugen Power. As you can see below, both the colour and texture of the plastic matches the original very well.

The Desk Genie is an interesting mobile phone accessory. As the name suggests, the Desk Genie is a mobile phone holder that charges pretty much any mobile phone out there whilst also acting as a two-port USB hub and 8-in-1 card reader. It comes with a non-slip surface that holds your phone in one place.

MobileFun, a specialist retailer of mobile accessories, kindly sent over the Desk Genie for us to review. The device costs £14.99. MobileFun applies a small delivery charge on top of this depending on whether shipping is to the UK or mainland Europe. Click through to read our impressions of this charging desk stand.

The Desk Genie itself comes in a small white unmarked cardboard box. Inside the box you’ll find the stand itself, a manual, USB cable and a number of mobile adaptors that should fit a number of cell phones.

I didn’t find the manual to be very useful, it gives you instructions on how the Desk Genie can be used as a USB hub and card reader, but there is little information on getting started with charging your handset. You can have a look for yourself by downloading the instructions from here.

Inside the box you’ll find a number of different phone adaptors that should fit various mobile phones on the market. For a full list check out the MobileFun product page. The cable on the right side is what these adaptors connect to, this is then connected to the charging stand.

The stand itself is made from plastic and is L-shaped in design. The picture below shows the non-slip surface covered in its initial protective plastic, once removed it is black rubbery surface. The base holds a couple of USB ports on one side and the card reader on the other. You can’t see it here, but the front of the stand has a blue LED, which lights up when charging. It measures 59 x 102 x 106mm and weighs 95g.

The back of the Desk Genie has a mini USB port and DC power jack. The USB port is connected to your laptop or PC and the power jack is connected to your mobile, via the short cable described above.

One side of the base holds the 8-in-1 card reader. There are 4 slots here that should allow you to transfer files from a number of different formats including SD, MMC, MicroSD and M2 cards (the latter two without adaptors). We tested a couple of memory cards that worked without issue.

The other side holds two USB 2.0 ports that can be used as a hub for your laptop or PC. These ports can be used with USB memory sticks and Bluetooth dongles. This worked as advertised without any complications.

Set-up is straight forward, but one issue we had is that the power cable does not fit snugly into the port. The cable header is a bit too big and is restricted by the stand. You have to force the cable downwards to make sure it’s connected (even then it’s not snug).

Once it’s all setup it works as advertised. The Desk Genie is purely a charging device only, it cannot be used to sync to your PC, which is probably the main disappointment. Had you been able to power your device whilst having access it would have been an easier sell.

However, as a charging device it works very well and the addition of a USB hub and card reader is a nice touch. The non-slip surface also works, you can place your mobile in almost any position (maybe if you want to watch a video whilst travelling) and it won’t come off.

I questioned the use of this cell phone holder when I first received it, but as I’ve tested it over the last few weeks I’ve become increasingly fond of it. I have set it up with my desktop PC and it’s taken permanent residency there. It’s not one of those accessories that you think is a must-have but it is surprisingly practical. Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by the Desk Genie, if syncing to your PC isn’t a priority than it comes recommended.

Many thanks to MobileFun for sending through this charging stand for review!

The Nexxus DriveMultiSolar is a well built solar-powered Bluetooth car kit. The advantages that solar power brings are numerous. This includes longer talk and standby time, as well as having no cables trawling over your dashboard. As is hinted by the name, the device also comes with a multi-point connection, allowing you to connect two mobiles.

MobileFun, a specialist retailer of mobile accessories, kindly sent over the DriveMultiSolar for us to review. The device is also known as the Clip and Talk Solar Edition according to the retailer and costs £29.95. MobileFun applies a small delivery charge on top of this depending on whether shipping is to the UK or mainland Europe.

It utilizes the latest Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR standard so you shouldn’t have any issues with compatibility. This standard also enables better security and automatic pairing compared to Bluetooth 2.0.

The ‘ecological’ message of using a solar-powered device is emphasized on the side of the packaging. Whilst solar power can’t be used in a lot of gadgets, this is one area where it works beautifully – especially considering many will keep it attached to the underside of the car windscreen (solar panel facing skywards).

Other features include a noise cancelling omni-directional microphone. The 16-bit digital signal processor (DSP) the Solar Car-Kit filters the surrounding noise and reduces the echo of your own voice. You also get Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology that enables the device to announce an incoming callers name or phone number.

There are a number of accessories included in the box, including the DriveMultiSolar Bluetooth speakerphone, in-car charger, USB charging cable, windscreen mount/bracket with suction cups and user manual.

Nexxus has included a reasonably detailed manual for the DriveMultiSolar. This covers how to install the mount as well as thorough instructions on how to pair & sync the Bluetooth device with your phone.

Nexxus has covered every base in terms of the accessories provided, they even include a couple of extra rubber mounts, just in case the old ones degrade.

The car charger is designed for convenience of use. It includes a round grip that makes it easy to plug in & out of the car. The charger voltage is DC5.0V 550 mAh. The DriveMultiSolar takes around three hours to charge directly.

The charger has a modular approach, which means you won’t find it attached with a cable that can be messy when stored. It simply has a USB port at the back that is used to attach a USB cable when needed. The fact that these USB cables are easy to source, means it should last a long time if the cable malfunctions.

Lastly, we have the obligatory LED that lets us know if the charger is attached corrected. The thumb grips can be seen on the side.

Nexxus includes a USB to Micro USB cable in the box. This means you can use it to charge the DriveMultiSolar from both the car and PC/laptop.

The windscreen mount is made out of tough clear plastic and includes two rubber suction cups on the top and bottom. Foam buffers adorn the corners of the bracket to stop it scratching the windscreen.

Nexxus were also thoughtful enough to include two extra rubber suction cups, just incase the others get lost or damaged.

The DriveMultiSolar uses Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (enhanced data rate) that operates on the 2.4 GHz – 2.48 GHz unlicensed ISM frequency band. It is designed to work up to 10 metres, which shouldn’t be in issue given that it will be used in a car. The DriveMultiSolar can store up to eight paired devices in its memory. It also supports headset and handset 1.5 profiles.

The design of the device has been well thought out. A large button at the top is used to answer/end a call, power the device on/off, put it into pairing mode, redial the last number called and activates voice dialing. As you can probably tell, this key has quite a few functions, which are all well explained in the manual. To start using the device you have to keep this button pressed for about four seconds until you hear a short beep and the blue LED flashes five times.

Underneath this is a silver rocker bar that is used to increase/decrease speaker volume. The whole thing is quite small and has dimensions of 92.5 x 54 x 15.5 mm.

The mute button sits to the left of the device and the USB charging port sits on the right. Before using for the first time, you are recommended to fully charge the device from the USB port (either through the car charger or PC).

A large solar panel occupies most of the backside of the DriveMultiSolar. Nexxus has used as much space as possible to ensure that the most amount of light is captured.

The DriveMultiSolar uses a 650mAh lithium-ion battery. It takes around three hours to charge via USB or 18 hours via the solar panel. Once fully charged, the device is quoted to give you up to 13 hours of talk time and 800 hours of standby time (excluding solar use).

I’ve been testing it for a fortnight and the battery is still going strong. However, I’m a light user when it comes to making calls in the car and it would be interesting to see how well the solar power could supplement the battery for more heavy users. For reference, a 2-hour solar charge will give you around 1 hour of talk time.

The car kit is easily attached to the windscreen via the rubber suction cups. Installation is a breeze and to be honest once it has been set up, there’s probably no need to remove it. It’s best to place it out of sight, it is recommended to place it towards the top edge of the windscreen.

To pair the kit to the phone you need to put the device into pairing mode by turning the kit off and then pressing and holding the answer button for about 10 seconds until the lights flashed red and blue. You then need to search on your phone for Bluetooth devices and select the Bluetooth car kit.

The car kit also supports multipoint technology, enabling you to connect two phones at a time. You first need to enable multipoint by pressing and hold the + button for about 3 seconds. As long as both phones are in range, it will then connect with the last two phones that it had connected to previously. When a call comes through to either of the handsets, the kit automatically connects to the phone that’s ringing and route it through the speaker.

In practice this worked very well, picking up calls separately and I was even able to make outgoing calls easily too. Personally I only carry one handset at a time, but there are plenty of people that have one business and one personal handset.

The DriveMultiSolar has a 2 Watt speaker that should be loud enough to hear the other person whilst driving. Testing it around the local roads was no problem, however I didn’t get a chance to see how it would fare on the motorway at higher speeds or in bad weather conditions (wind, rain etc). In all the calls I made, the Bluetooth signal held together and didn’t experience any dropouts.

Overall, I was very impressed by the DriveMultiSolar car kit. Use of a solar panel fits perfectly with this type of device. The fact that for most users you’ll probably never need to charge the kit speaks volumes. It can just sit on your windscreen to make calls whilst on the move, both safely and legally. Pairing was easy and call quality was good. For just £29.95 it offers great value for money too. Recommended.

Many thanks to MobileFun for sending through this Bluetooth car kit for review!

Today we are reviewing the official desktop cradle for the HTC Hero handset. Cradles are one of those accessories that some people like to have and some don’t. They are certainly not necessary since most cradles only do as much as charge your device. This can often easily be achieved by connecting a USB cable, however, cradles do add order to a desk and some are rather stylish, much like the HTC CR G300 desktop cradle we’re looking at today.

MobileFun, a specialist retailer of mobile accessories, kindly sent over the cradle for us to review. The cradle is actually designed to work with a number of HTC handsets including the Touch Pro, Touch Diamond and Magic and costs £29.95. MobileFun applies a small delivery charge on top of this depending on whether shipping is to the UK or mainland Europe.

The cradle can not only be used for charging or syncing your HTC Hero, but it also has a 3.5mm line out that you can use to connect to some speakers and play music with.

Apart from the cradle itself, inside the box you will find device inserts that fit various HTC phones as well as some documentation.

What you won’t find however is a USB cable to connect it to your PC. This is a ridiculous decision on HTC’s part. It means you either have to use the cable currently used in your plug adaptor or buy a new one. Given that this is a relatively premium product (compared to other cradles), it’s a bit tight of HTC not to include a USB cable in the box. I’m sure I’m not the only one who likes to use a cradle as well as a plug to charge my mobile products!

A few pieces of documentation accompanies the cradle, this includes a quick manual, warranty booklet and HTC accessory product leaflet.

Assembly is all quite straightforward, but for those that need a hand the manual gives very clear instructions.

The cradle comes with five different device handsets, each one is designed to fit a different HTC handset. Whilst, it is nice to see the cradle support so many handsets, we would have appreciated some kind of label on each insert telling us exactly which one fits each phone. As it was, we had to find the right one through trial and error.

The cradle comes in a glossy black plastic finish and it certainly looks very sleek and would be a welcome addition on most desktops.

The bottom has rubber feet to much sure it doesn’t slip once placed on a desk. The bottom comes in a matte plastic and the sharp lines exist on the bottom too.

You will only find two ports on the bottom of the cradle, one is the USB port to connect the Hero and the other is a 3.5mm line out to connect the cradle to a music system.

In terms of the charging and syncing functionality it works just as well as it does via the USB cable. The audio line out also works well with good sound reproduction. There’s no denying it’s a very sexy cradle and the minimalist design really suits the Hero handset. It’s certainly not cheap and we were surprised to not see a USB cable in the box, especially given its premium pricing. However, if these issues don’t bother you then it comes recommended, mainly for its very classy looks.

Many thanks to MobileFun for sending through this desktop cradle for review!

Update: A few readers were curious to know how much room there is in the cradle for cases. We have included a few extra pictures below that shows there is no extra room at all. You’ll have to remove any case to use this cradle I’m afraid.

Bluetooth is one of those features that can be a pretty important factor in mobile handsets. It allows you to transfer media (including pictures and music) to and from your laptop/desktop or even stream stereo music to a headset using A2DP (Advance Audio Distribution Profile). Many users now tether their cell phones to netbooks/laptops using Bluetooth, cementing just how important it can be.

However, Bluetooth doesn’t appear in every netbook/laptop/desktop. Using a USB Bluetooth dongle is one of the ways of getting Bluetooth onto your netbook and it’s a relatively inexpensive option. MobileFun, a specialist retailer of mobile accessories, kindly sent over the Atomic Pico Bluetooth USB dongle for review. This particular dongle is the smallest in the world according to its manufacturers and costs £8.95. MobileFun applies a small delivery charge on top of this depending on whether shipping is to the UK or mainland Europe.

The packaging highlights the many benefits of Bluetooth and exactly what can be connected. The dongle comes with the latest Bluetooth 2.1 specification and is compatible with all major Windows operating systems and Mac OSX.

Data transfer is quoted at a maximum of 3 Mbit/s and the dongle should give you around 10 metres of coverage. A number of profiles are supported including A2DP (Advance Audio Distribution Profile) for high quality stereo. It also supports secure pairing and encryption.

The dongle comes with a small disc from which you can install the optional BlueSoliel software (for advanced Bluetooth options). However, the dongle is designed to work as plug and play in Windows XP, Vista & Windows 7. For basic file transfer no drivers are needed.

Whenever a company claims to the smallest/largest it’s always difficult to verify their claims. However, whichever way you look at it, the Atomic Pico is super small. It has dimensions of just 12 mm x 13 mm x 3 mm.

The Atomic Pico has been designed to just plug it in and then forget about it. Whilst the dimensions allow for this, it’s also good to know that it is solidly built. The Atomic Pico comes with a 12-month warranty.

It’s difficult to get a sense on just how small the dongle is. The picture below gives a sense of scale, sticking the dongle side-by-side against a one pound coin.

Once the dongle is inserted it does sit almost flush with the USB port. This means that it is not too much hassle in leaving it there permanently if needed.

Some may be wondering how on earth you take the dongle out, given how flush it is to the chassis. It’s not clear in the picture, but there is a small groove along the underneath which you can use for leverage to remove the dongle.

The Atomic Pico dongle works as advertised, the first time you plug it in it takes less than 20 seconds to get it all working via plug and play. I tested it for file transfer and it worked no differently than integrated Bluetooth solutions. We also tried it with an inexpensive Bluetooth headset and had no problems in streaming music. The range was not quite the 10 metres advertised, but you should be able to get around 6-7 metres out of it.

For those of you who don’t have a Bluetooth solution, then the Atomic Pico really is an inexpensive way to get it installed onto your system. The fact that it is also one of the smallest dongles we’ve seen is a bonus, it means that you can leave it installed (if you have a spare USB slot) and barely notice its presence.

Many thanks to MobileFun for sending through this dongle for review!

For those of you itching to know just exactly what you’ll get in the box, when Sprint’s HTC Hero launches on 11th October, then you’re in luck. Mobility Today has unboxed the handset from what is expected to be final retail packaging. The video gives you a very close look at the hardware and is well worth a watch.

We’ve also attached another video from Mobility Today that has a closer look at the HTC Sense UI. They will be publishing a number of other video overviews, so keep on eye on their YouTube profile if you’re interested. Check out both videos after the break.

As the October 11th launch date for Sprint’s HTC Hero draws ever closer, we are seeing more and more reviews, previews and hands-on impressions of the handset. A number of reviews have already been released (check out our review roundup up here), but we’ve not seen too many video impressions.

Thankfully, MobileBurn has been hard at work and produced three videos that look at Sprint’s take on the HTC Hero. The first video covers the physical design and Sense UI, the second video covers the various messaging functions whilst the last one looks at the applications, browser and 5MP camera.

The guys over at Leakdroid also managed to get hands-on with the Sprint HTC Hero too and posted their initial video impressions. You can check out all videos after the jump.

A number of the big tech sites have posted their reviews/hands-on impressions of Sprint’s HTC Hero Android handset. Sprint’s chinless re-design is the main area of discussion as underneath the hood, there is little difference.

Most of the sites mention that Sprint’s HTC Hero has better performance and is snappier, but I imagine that is down to the latest firmware, which most current HTC Hero handsets now have access to. It seems to be down to personal preference regarding the chin, some sites liking the new design, others preferring the old. The new design also sports a bigger trackball and some mention a slightly better display. Check out the reviews after the break.

Brighthand.com: HTC Hero for Sprint Preview

“The “chin” on the European Hero made it a device people loved or hated. Sprint’s redesign has resulted in a smartphone that’s hard to hate.”

Cnet: HTC Hero (Sprint) Review

“While it could use a boost in the performance department, the HTC Hero is the most feature-packed Google Android device to date, bringing some notable improvements and a highly customizable interface.”

Engadget: HTC Hero for Sprint hands-on and impressions

“In our eyes, there is nothing significantly different or improved about the Sprint version to warrant a second review. There are some very minor differences in camera quality, and obviously the network performance is better (since it’s not EDGE)…we’re still seeing the same kind of sluggishness and slowdown we experienced with the European version.”

Gizmodo: Sprint Hero Review: Faster, Stronger, Uglier

“The princess might not kiss this Hero because it’s kinda ugly, but at least it’ll actually get the job done now. If you’ve been waiting for an Android phone not on T-Mobile, or one that’s finally just about ready for primetime, this is it.”

Mobilitysite: Sprint HTC Hero 1st Impressions and Photo View

“I have used the phone for about an hour tonight and I was very impressed with both the speed of the device and the ease of use. The UI HTC Slapped on their makes it easier to get around, but Android is not that tough to get the hang of. The device flowed through the menus and widget screens super fast. So far, I am loving it.”

PC World: HTC Hero (Sprint) Review

“Sprint customers torn between the Palm Pre and the HTC Hero might consider this: The Hero is for the true tech lover. It is ideal for those who want to take the extra time and steps to tweak and organize their phone to their liking and want access and space for hundreds of apps. If you’re looking for something easy to set up and in a prettier package, however, you’ll want to go with the Pre.”

ZdNet Blog: First impressions: HTC Hero Android smartphone on Sprint [review]

“The Hero marks the first Android phone on a carrier other than T-Mobile. Better still, it gives Sprint customers a business-friendly alternative to the Palm Pre smartphone — sans QWERTY keyboard, of course.”

The HTC Hero’s distinctive chin has probably caused case manufacturers quite a few headaches. After all how do you create a slick case and take account of the HTC Hero’s chin at the same time? Well it looks like the FlexiShield Skin has the answers and MobileFun were kind enough to send us one to see how it fares.

The FlexiShield comes in two colours, clear (ideal for white & pink models) and black that suits the black T-Mobile G2 Touch perfectly. It is made from a special tough gel that gives it the flexibility of a silicone case but provides the durability of a crystal case. The rubber feeling of the case gives the phone much better grip in the hand.

It is well designed and maintains access to all of the phones ports, including 3.5mm headphone socket, USB charging port and camera. There is no hole for the volume buttons, but this is still easy to adjust through the case. On the inside, there are two raised bumps that aid in volume selection.

Another great thing about the case is that it hardly adds to the size/weight of the handset. We also liked how easy it was to slip on and off the phone, which means you can always get easy access to your sim-card, microSDHC or battery. I’m using this as my main case right now and it feels secure against minor bumps or knocks. You can purchase it from MobileFun for £9.95 + p&p, who deliver across Europe. Check out a gallery of pictures of the FlexiShield Skin below.