Automate your life with Nokia Situations - now your phone can do stuff all on its own!

I have been using the Nokia Situations app on my Nokia E7 for a while now, and it is one really useful app to have.
In case you don't know what the app does, it basically allows you to specify conditions under which the phone changes its own settings.

For example, you initially start with a "General" profile - default ringtone, default message tone, Bluetooth off, no applications running etc.
You can then start to add additional profiles - for example I just set one up called "Car".
My "Car" profile is set to turn on as soon as my phone connects to my Jabra Freeway Bluetooth car kit. As soon as the "Car" profile becomes active, my phone Music Player starts as well, so that I can play music from my phone through the car audio system.

Once I leave my car and my phone disconnects from the car kit, the "General" profile is activated again.

Another great way to use it is to automate profiles by time.
For example, I have set my phone to go into silent mode at 18:00, and then go offline completely at 22:00, until 07:30 the next morning.
Very cool. Less cellphone waves buzzing through my brain while I sleep... :)

You can even specify automated profile changes by GPS location or Wireless network, so that if your phone detects that you are in a specific area or within range of a certain network, it will change its profile accordingly.

If you have a compatible Nokia handset, you can grab this super cool app over at:

http://betalabs.nokia.com/apps/nokia-situations

Damn these new devices are just getting smarter every day.
So how is your smartphone making your life easier?

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Tired of traffic fines for talking on your cell while driving? Time to get yourself a Jabra Freeway Bluetooth in-car speakerphone...

I got to spend some quality time with the great team over at Wintec this week at their Brand Showcase, where I found out about a whack of incredible new gadgets that are now available, and which you can now order right here at Nybbles and Bytes.

Thanks for the invite guys - it was great to meet your team, check out all your current and upcoming products, eat your food and drink your drink :)

There was food...

There was drink...

Rene practicing his selling skills...

Nina & Megan, pleasantly posing... :)

Some of the Powertraveller products on demo.

Some awesome Jabra products.
See review below for more...

Need a tough cover / stand / keyboard for your iPad? Look no further...

The super-cool hamper that I am going to win as a result of this review...  ;)

I wonder if it's powered by a Powermonkey... :)

As you can see, there are some seriously innovative and useful products entering the market - get in touch with us here for any enquiries.

Now onto the review - something that I have been meaning to do forever is to get myself a proper Bluetooth car kit - admittedly I was fined once a while back for chatting on my phone while driving.
In general (and I think you would agree), traffic fines are no fun, it is massively unsafe to talk on cellphones while driving, and I hereby scold my younger self for being such an irresponsible driver!

Thankfully, with age comes wisdom (so they say...), but there are times when some pretty urgent calls come through while I am on the road, and that is where the Jabra Freeway steps in.

Needless to say, I had to get myself one to try out - and here she is:

Unboxing the Jabra Freeway...

Charges via a standard Micro USB port on the side of the unit...

The business end of the Jabra Freeway... :)

The Jabra Freeway is more than just a Bluetooth Speakerphone - sure, it allows you to make and receive hands-free calls with crystal clarity, but it also combines a Bluetooth connection to your handset, with an FM connection to your car audio system.

Now for anybody who has ever had an FM transmitter on their cellphone, you know what this means - you can stream your music from your phone to the car audio system via this super-nifty gadget.
I have to say that I had my doubts when I set it up initially - I was unsure how the combination of Bluetooth and FM would work out in terms of sound quality...

Thankfully though, it's pretty amazing, provided that you select an FM channel which is fairly free of interference - I have found that 88.10 works well for me.

Setting it up out of the box is simple - make sure that Bluetooth is active on your phone, then switch on the Jabra Freeway.
The first time you turn it on, it automatically enters pairing mode, and you are voice guided through the pairing process.
When pairing is complete, you hear the Jabra Freeway say "Connected", and you are now ready to go.

Having used the device for a few days now, it is very practical and easy to use on the go.
I have yet to really try out the voice dialling feature (phone dependent), but when I did pick a random number to dial on my phone, it dialled the correct one straight away.
Charging happens via the supplied cable and car charger, and the device will hold enough charge for 14 hours of talk time and 40 days of standby time.

Some pretty cool innovations have also found their way into the Jabra Freeway:

• Features a motion sensor which turns the device off when you leave your car, and then back on when you return. When I got into my car this morning I had actually forgotten about the device, until it suddenly spoke to me saying "Connected"!
  
• Syncs to your phonebook - this means that you can dial your contacts (phone dependent), as well as answer or ignore calls, all using voice commands;
  
• Features 3 speakers which provide crisp stereo and Virtual Surround sound;
  
• Connects to 2 Bluetooth devices simultaneously;
  
• Announces the name of the incoming caller;
  
• Allows A2DP streaming for playback of music, podcasts and directions from GPS applications;
  
• Voice guidance talks you through setup and operation.

The long and the short of it, is that the Jabra Freeway gives you the functionality of a traditional Bluetooth car kit, minus the pain of wiring and installation (and the dashboard scratches that come with it!).
Add to that the ability to transmit music from your phone to your car audio, and you have a winner of a product, guaranteed to deliver outstanding performance and keep you safer on the road.

So if you want to get your hands on one of these, get in touch now - it is currently priced at only R 1700, and as always, T's and C's apply as below:

No stock shall be released until paid for in full;
All above pricing is subject to stock availability;
Product specifications may be subject to change without notice;
Please allow 4-6 working days for delivery;
Nybbles and Bytes cc is not a VAT vendor

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