Have you ever tried using your iPhone or iPod Touch with longer fingernails?  It’s difficult isn’t it?  What about those days when your fingers are frozen and the capacitive touchscreen doesn’t register your touch and the end result is getting locked out of your phone due to failed SIM card unlock attempts.  I got locked out of my phone once and the irony is that once the SIM card is locked out, I can’t make any calls whatsoever to even get my phone reactivated unless I use I different phone to call AT&T.   Much of my problems could have been averted if I had the Ten One Design Pogo Stylus – an aluminum body with a spongy tip which works on the touchscreen.   The tip is soft and requires a good deal of pressure to use with some types of screen protectors.  In my case, I found that at times, I had to press so hard that the metallic portion of the stick came in contact with the screen.  This seems to be a catch 22 as the screen protector is supposed to protect the screen, yet, by using the stylus I am at risk of putting the screen protector to the test.  This is not exactly a situation I like to be in.

My primary use for the stylus is for better signature capture when processing payments through Square.  Try signing your name nicely using your finger – it is very difficult if not impossible (at least for me).  I can however sign a legible signature when I use the Pogo Stylus.

The Pogo Stylus also comes with a clip so you can attach the stylus to the side.  This is very useful in not losing the tiny little aluminum stick.  Granted there are times when the clip can get in the way of some apps that demand to be in a certain rotation.

The Pogo Stylus comes in several different colors and is quite inexpensive for the control that you get with your device.  Personally though, I am not a big fan of it due to the potential of scratching up my screen protected screen although I have seen it function superbly in a non-screen protected environment.  Seeking an additional opinion, I turned over my review sample to another iPod Touch user, Evelyn Wong, which has this to say about the stylus:

This stylus works okay but it is soft so some effort in pressing is needed.  This stylus does not have a rubber tip but rather a spongy one, so it glides across the screen easily.  Depending on how hard you press, the spongy tip does get flat.

Well, there you have it folks, the Ten One Pogo Stylus, a helpful tool that works ok.  It gets the job done and is perfect for those upcoming cold days that will soon be upon us as well as for signature captures.

Vital Statistics:

Product: Pogo Stylus for iPhone 3G / 3GS and iPod Touch 3G
Manufacturer: Ten One Design
Available Colors: Black, Gun Metal, Hot Pink, Silver
Available From: Micro Center, Amazon.com, Ten One Design
Retail Price: $14.95 USD

Cases are essential to the protection of any mobile device.  It offers the most protection at the best possible price as it constantly keeps your device from being scuffed up and provides a limited amount of drop protection.  Cases also provide additional functionality such as allowing the unit to stand up for easier viewing.  Today, we’ll be looking at Proporta’s Leather Style Case for the original iPad.  Read on past the break and find out if this case makes the cut.

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Have you ever heard of Kioky?  No?  Neither have we until recently and they need your help – to give them a Kickstarter.com kick start of $15,000 (GOAL).  We all know how difficult it is to properly apply a screen protector.  Kioky makes it easy.  However…they may not be able to make it to market without your help!  With only 3 days left to go, the project will be funded only if $15,000 of pledges are received by Sunday, February, 6, 2011 @ 3:51PM EST.

Now, it’s easy to use your iPhone 4 with a mini SIM rather than a Micro SIM. This works  by  using an extension adapter that converts the SIM from internal to external.  Couple this with a case that’s designed to keep everything together and now you have added functionality as well as convenience.  As you can see, it also features a kick stand for landscape viewing and also gives you full access to the camera as well as the dock connector and buttons.

The  SIM extender comes in a variety of colors and costs only $31.99 directly from USBfever.

I’ve been impressed with the iPhone 4G after seeing how quickly it can take photos.  Now, what if we could give that camera a little more oomph with a lens upgrade?  Well, obviously I wasn’t the first to think of it as such products do exist and USBFever brings it to the table!  A few days ago, USBFever launched it’s 12x Telescope with Hard Case for the iPhone 4G.  This tripod/lens add-on is a telescope with manual focus.  Available in black for $39.99 and white for a dollar more.  If you’d like to have a combo pack where it also has a 180° fish eye lens as well as a wide angle lens with macro, then you can get the whole combo in black for $74.99 or get it in white for only a dollar more.