S. L. Wright is celebrating the release of her latest urban fantasy novel, Demon Underground, over at Bitten By Books.  This is the second book in her series, and here is the blurb from Amazon:

Half-human and half-demon, Allay has finally warmed up to her new life feeding off the customers at her downtown bar whens he finds herself brokering a truce between New York City’s most powerful demons. But when she senses assassins around every corner, Allay hides out of sight and underground-until combatants in the growing war tempt her back above the surface…

Plus, BBB has a review of the first book in the series, Confessions of a Demon. 

Go over and join the party, and have a chance to win a Kindle 3G of your very own.

If you are the kind of person that can remember every phone number, account number and password, then this review is not for you.  Actually, if you could leave a comment as to how you do that, I would love to know.  I’m lucky I can remember at night, what I did that morning.  Today’s world is dominated by online user log-ins and passwords.  Our lives are one big scramble of account numbers, credit card numbers, membership accounts numbers and the list goes on and on.  I know I am in need of finding a way to keep all of this information organized and secure. I turned to SplashID for Android by SplashData. 

Performance & Usability 

SplashID Desktop Panel View

 One of my favorite things right from the beginning, is that you can get both a mobile and desktop client for SplashID.  SplashData was nice enough to provide me with a copy of the desktop version, and I purchased the mobile program via the Android market.  What’s so great about having both options?  Well, it is just so much easier to input data via a normal keyboard.  If you are a super mobile texter, then maybe you just need the one version, but for me having both options was key.  Plus, the desktop and mobile client work seamlessly with each other.  You can have the two update via bluetooth with 3 options on how to do it – desktop overwrites mobile, mobile overwrites desktop, or synchronize.  Synchronize will look to see if a file/record has been updated on both the desktop and the mobile, if they have, then a copy of each will be saved to allow you to determine which file to keep.  That is a great idea to keep you from accidentally overwriting new info with old info.  Plus, the desktop data is automatically backed-up on your hard drive, and from having devices die in the past, I can attest to the fact that multiple copies is always a good idea.  

Let’s get into the nuts and bolts of the software.  Security!!!  That is the name of the game when it comes to protecting banking, health, and other personal data.  Identify theft is everywhere and you can never be too cautious.  Before you can even start using SplashID, you must set-up a password.  You will be required to enter this password anytime you open the program.  SplashID will then encrypt your data using 256-bit Blowfish encryption to ensure data security.  The password is required if you are using the desktop or mobile version, but it is the same password for both.  

Data Edit Screen

Once your security is in place, it is time to get that information entered.  I was just amazed as to how easy this software was to use.  SplashID gives you options to practically customize everything.  The screenshot above shows the edit screen for updating or entering data.  Even the fields above that are already labeled can be changed.  You can change the icon, like the small Earth one, to about 30 choices, or upload your own.  You also have the option to attach a file if needed to view later.  Maybe an ID picture.  The drop down menus of type and category are also customizable.  There are 17 default categories, and unlimited room to add your own.  

No matter what kind of electronics you have, you need to have a case.  If it’s a phone, mp3 player, headphones or a laptop, your investment needs to be protected.  Choosing among the thousands of choices out there is what makes it such a tough decision.  You need to make sure you have one that can take a beating and protect.  I ran Sena’s Elega case for the HTC Droid Incredible through the wringer to see if it could make the grade.

Packaging

Magnetic Flipper for Blackberry Curve

I have to say that I am a bit torn on my thoughts on the packaging.  The last case I received, which was a Magnetic Flipper for the Blackberry Curve, came in a nice box with a small cloth red bag inside.  You can read the review here.  I loved the little red bag, it was just great for holding all kinds of little adapters or cables.

Sena Elega Case for HTC Incredible

The new packaging is more of a display packaging that you would see at Best Buy or the Verizon Wireless store.  It allows access to see the case up close to get a good look at the leather as well as the color.  The plastic is fairly rigid, so the case is still well protected.  For me, I am excited about the prospect of seeing Sena Cases in stores, because their products are always high quality.  On the downside, I miss my little red accessory bag.

Performance

When you take a look at any case, the first thing you need to examine is the material.  The Elega is made from high quality leather with the interior of the case lined with velvet.  The leather has that great leather smell like when you walk into a leather coat store or smell the leather interior of a brand new car.  I just love that smell, and it always means excellent material.   Just twisting and playing with the empty case, you can feel the strength of the leather. 

The velvet lining is extremely soft with added padding to keep your phone snug and safe.  From a construction standpoint, the stitching is small and tight, which makes it barely noticeable.  Sena also gives you 12 great choices when it comes to color and design:  black, tan, red, baby blue, green, orange, brown, white, pink, croco black, croco red, croco tan, and croco brown.  With most companies you are lucky if you get the choice of 2 or 3 colors, so this is quite an amazing selection. 

The Elega also has a a ratcheting belt clip with gives you the ability to move the phone around to suit where it must be clipped.  I know I can’t buy a case without one of these.  For us ladies, the pockets of our pants are never big enough to slide a smartphone into.  Plus, I can never hear my phone if it is in my purse, so it has to be clipped to me.

When it came down to everyday use, this case took a beating.  I have had it for about a month, and used it constantly.  As you can see from the pictures, this case looks brand new.  My HTC Incredible fit in the case snugly, and I never worried about it falling out.  Actually, about a week ago, my other half had a case for her iPhone 4G that broke, and stole my Elega for her case.  She loves it, and I had quite a time trying to get it back from her.

Conclusions

I just simply love this case.  It is stylish and keeps my my phone safe and secure.

Pros:  high quality leather, great choice of colors, snug fit, soft velvet lining, belt clip

Cons:  packaging is missing my favorite little red bag

If you need a case for your HTC Incredible, definitely pick this up.  You can order it from Sena Case for $39.99.

Thanks to the folks at Sena Case for sending me this case to review.

I love to read, and my absolute favorite is anything paranormal, sci-fi, or fantasy.  However, like most people, I have tightened my wallet, and cut back on purchasing books.  Luckily for me, Amazon has plenty of great reads for free or under $4.  Start with one of the originals, Bram Stoker’s Dracula for the low, low price of FREE.  By favorite book blog, Bitten By Books, has put together a list of 101 books – 83 free and 18 other dirt cheap titles mainly in the world of paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and few other fun titles.  Make sure to go check them out.

With the release of Blackberry 6 this week, it started me thinking about Windows Mobile 7, which is due out later this year.  Blackberry 6 didn’t have any revolutionary features that would pull people away from the iPhone or Android.  I was wondering, what does WM7 have to do to make a real impact in the mobile market?  If it could make my phone transform into a robot that would clean my bathroom, I would get one in a second.  However, short of that, I am not sure that I could be pulled away from Android.  I really am lovin’ my HTC Incredible! 

What would make you want to switch to WM7?