Hands-on with the dimples NFC keys

One of the coolest concepts I've seen this year is the pits, a plastic strip with four (or two) physical buttons that remain on your Android device. It is complete of NFC and you can use an app buttons to your successor Government program: run an application, to switch the flashlight, you start the camera, or whatever.

Sounds pretty cool, or? But I could not help wondering whether the reality would meet the promise.

Fortunately, the dimpled folks were friendly enough to me to review a four-key prototype, out. I fished my NFC equipped Motorola Moto X brought the dimples app and the four keys strips to the test set. (Unfortunately I was not able to test even though the devs say, it will still work with a case.) How would that be?

For the beginning it will be somewhat difficult to know where the stickers to place over the length of your pinky (well, my pinky) is from the ankle up to the top. And it turns out, it can not just somewhere to go. The Moto-X for example, I wanted it near the upper left corner of the back cover, which is round, where my left index finger lands, when I hold the phone. But the NFC signal was not strong enough, so I ended up with him on the right side, directly below the speaker. (Your mileage may vary, you want to experiment before the adhesive backed up, remove, although I was able to remove and again the label several times.)

Because the keys are a little stiff, I could not but tap it. I had them a fixed press, which give a somewhat difficult adjustment requires your grip, if you try it on one hand. I found it more convenient, the phone with my right hand when pressing a button with my left bracket.

The dimples come in two and four-button versions. But what is with three? Dimples

Actually I that practical, will be two keys dimples, how it should think more options for placement and alignment. A three-button version would also make sense. It looks like it is a bit hard to remember the programming for four buttons. (Let's see, was it, flashlight, camera, Kindle, and Cozi or flashlight camera, Cozi, Kindle?) This may be just my problem.

The app will guide you through every step, making both a breeze and Setup. No pairing is required when NFC enable on your device. And it is a thing of beauty, that the pits requires no external power supply.

However a small disappointment: it will not work if your screen is turned off. It would be nice if a KeyPress wake up your device and perform its action, but could at least on the Moto-X, that doesn't happen. You need to tap the power/wake button before the pits can be operated. I'm sure that is a power management problem; Full-time NFC would probably draining your battery.

The four button dimple pursue sales (online) in August for $27, with the two-button version in September for $17. Again, I suspect the latter becoming increasingly popular, will prove to be both for its lower price and simple accommodation.

One thing is certain: the pits work as touted, and it is a really great complement to any phone, supports the NFC.

Hands-on with the Sparkbeats light-up iPhone case

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The Sparkbeats effect is most dramatic when the lights are low, but it's still quite visible under ordinary indoor lighting. BiteMyApple.co

There are plenty of iPhone cases that do more than just protect your phone. Some double as wallets, some zap would-be attackers with 650,000 volts, and so on.

How about one that livens up the way you receive notifications? That's the Sparkbeats in a nutshell: it's an iPhone 5/5S case that lights up and flashes whenever there's an incoming call or text. And because it leverages a little-documented feature in iOS, it requires no external power to do so.

Sparkbeats began as a Kickstarter project in Australia, but is now available for sale via BiteMyApple.co, which provided my review sample.

Available in black or white, the case sports two clear, raised channels that run from the camera LED all around the back and sides. To take advantage of this, you need to delve into your iPhone's settings (General > Accessibility) and enable LED Flash for Alerts.

With that done, the LED will flash whenever a call or text message comes in. And with your iPhone inside the Sparkbeats, that entire channel will flash as well. The effect is pretty cool, and it certainly has practical value: even if your phone is set to mute, you can see the flashing, making it less likely that you'll miss an important call or message.

Timed Company Limited

There's also a "pass-through" switch that allows you to use the LED for its intended purpose (i.e. flash photography). And if you want to have a little more fun with the case, the free Sparkbeats app lets you enable Flash Light mode (complete with an SOS option), a motion-sensitive flash, and Follow the Beats, which makes the LED strobe in response to sound picked up by the microphone.

Ironically, though, it doesn't seem to work with music you play on your iPhone proper.

All told, the Sparkbeats is a pretty cool gimmick. However, although the raised rear channels offer some added anti-slip gription, the case itself has zero lip to protect your screen in the event of a face-down drop. And it's necessarily on the thick side to accommodate the side channels.

Most of all, the Sparkbeats is a tough sell owing to its $50 (£30, AU$54) price tag. Last December I wrote about a similar product priced at just $20 (though it's no longer available, at least from that vendor). Cool and practical as this case is, I think a lower price is in order. Your thoughts?