{"id":467740,"date":"2010-03-23T12:00:12","date_gmt":"2010-03-23T16:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bbgeeks.com\/?p=4468"},"modified":"2010-03-23T12:00:12","modified_gmt":"2010-03-23T16:00:12","slug":"geek-review-phone-halo-for-blackberry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/467740","title":{"rendered":"Geek Review: Phone Halo for BlackBerry"},"content":{"rendered":"

So an interesting package arrived on my desk while I was away on holiday a couple weeks ago. While this is not exactly an unexpected event (I get promo stuff all the time and I LOVE it!), what I found when I opened the package was.<\/p>\n

Before I get into what was in the package, first a little back story.
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\nWhen it comes to my relationship with electronics I can absolutely be classified as abusive, negligent and unresponsive. Seriously, I hate answering the phone, I have destroyed my fair share of equipment and I have a nasty habit of leaving expensive gadgets laying around where others can grab them. Either that or I just plain forget I had it with me and walk away.<\/p>\n

While this can at times be traumatizing for me (lost contacts and data), I can’t help but wonder how my poor electronic friends deal with such abandonment and abuse. I would imagine they feel similar to how the sad lamp<\/a> feels in that Ikea commercial from a couple years back. <\/p>\n

Everybody feeling sorry for the gadgets? Great, the stage is now set. Let’s continue with the story shall we.<\/p>\n

Opening up the package to discover . . .Phone Halo!<\/h4>\n

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\nAfter carefully opening the package and removing the protective wrap, I found an awesome new BlackBerry accessory called the Phone Halo. The tagline on the package read “Keep Your Stuff”.<\/p>\n

It was as if the universe wanted to put an end to all my destructive ways and start me on a new path of gadget responsibility. If there was one product that could help me, surely it was the Phone Halo. <\/p>\n

What is a Phone Halo?<\/h4>\n

Well… The Phone Halo is a product that is currently in Alpha testing. To be fair, it is not actually a product just yet but rather the stellar beginnings of one.<\/p>\n

The concept is simple. Once attached to your BlackBerry via Bluetooth, the Phone Halo keyring FOB will calculate the distance between itself and your BlackBerry. If this distance exceeds a predetermined value then both your BlackBerry and the FOB will alert you to the fact. <\/p>\n

I will come right out and say it – I love this! With the Phone Halo attached to my BlackBerry I will never leave it behind again. not only that, but I can see it being beneficial to me from an alternate perspective. <\/p>\n

If I am carrying my BlackBerry and I happen to leave my keys behind (also a frequent occurrence) I will be alerted in an identical manner.<\/p>\n

So what is in the box? How does the Phone Halo actually work?<\/h4>\n

Being that the product is in Alpha I will not be digging into the minute details of battery life, volumes of alerts etc. I will be sending my suggestions along to the developers for anything of that nature that I think could be handled a bit better.<\/p>\n

I will however give you the details you need! Here goes:<\/p>\n

What you get in the box<\/h4>\n

When you open the Phone Halo box you are greeted with a small keyring FOB. It really is tiny, measuring in at 1.9″ x 1.1″ x 0.6″ weighing less than an ounce.<\/p>\n

A little more digging in the box also reveals a micro USB cable, a handy quickstart guide and a product manual.<\/p>\n

The quickstart guide walks you through an easy setup of installing the Phone Halo software on your Blackberry and pairing with the keyring FOB.<\/p>\n

The product manual provides information on the various phone features and navigating the application on your BlackBerry. <\/p>\n

What are your Phone Halo options?<\/h4>\n

While this list will be incomplete and some items may change over the development cycle, here is what currently excites me about the Phone Halo for BlackBerry:<\/p>\n