Otterbox make the most durable cases for your devices on the market. The Defender case we tried for a Pearl 8130 is no exception. Detailed specifications can be viewed at http://www.otterbox.com/blackberry-cases/blackberry-pearl-8110-8120-8130-series-defender-case.

Otterbox goes to great extremes to make their cases durable as well as functional. You get the case and have to disassemble it. It has three parts, outside silicon cover, hard plastic case and clear plastic membrane. You cover your phone with the plastic membrane, place it in the hard plastic case which snaps together and then you put the plastic case inside the silicon cover. This is a lot of protection. It is not waterproof so don’t drop it in the pool. All your ports are available. They have plugs to protect them from dust and such but you can access everything.

The trackball has a cutout so it is usable but the keyboard is protected by the inner plastic membrane. The camera and tiny mirror have a cutout on the back so they are usable. It does come with a swivel holster but you will need to have the unit facing in to place it in the holster. This case can also be used with the 8110 and 8120 models.

We found it available online for $44, pricey but great protection against everyday bumps and jarring.

Did you know that it is illegal in California to have any devices, such as GPS, attached to your windshield? Other states are likely to follow soon. Proclip USA, Inc has come up with a universal mounting kit that is different than anything else on the market. Check out the details at http://www.proclipusa.com/?sectionpath=1&processor=asp&asp_processor=store&action=setco
untry&countryID=0&expiresnow=1&countryname=USA .

Proclip mounting system is unique in that it utilizes the various seams in your dashboard to anchor their bases to. You can then get various mounting plates that are made for your specific devices. We tried a Blackberry Pearl and a Samsung Ace (similar to the Blackjack). We tried a universal v-mount and one that not only mounts the Pearl but also has a built-in car charger. The universal mount can be used with any phone that has a button style belt clip such as a Krusell case. All base mounts are specific for your car so that they will mount perfectly. Our reviewer has a Prius so we got the mount which sits on the dashboard on the left side of the steering wheel. Using the included plastic prying device to separate the dashboard ever so slightly, the mount was hooked in. It took less than 2 minutes to mount and fit perfectly. Now we know we're street legal for California and nothing is in the line of sight while driving. It is also nice that the car charger is integrated; one less cord to carry in the car. The only problem we found is that when the car charger is connected and the Pearl is hooked into the car stereo system, a small electrical hum is heard over the stereo system. This is due to the electrical field generated by the car cord. It also occurs when we used a standard car cord and connect the Pearl to the car stereo so this is not a problem solely with the Proclip unit.

Because the mounts are specific for the type of equipment and car you are using the prices vary. You should figure $20 and up as the price range. We agree that this is a really great idea to free up your windshield for other things like viewing oncoming traffic.

Need more desk space and a practical way to use your notebook. Check out the Cricket Laptop Stand at http://www.lcdarms.com/products/Laptop_Arms/Cricket.html.

It is ½ the size of a folding umbrella and has its own carrying pouch. It will hold up to 12 pounds and is full adjustable for various angles. Make sure to fully extend the arms and then play with the angle that best fits your laptop. We placed the unit on our desk with a wireless keyboard and mouse. It proved to be a practical way to use a laptop like a desktop. Because of the design, it also allows air to flow under the laptop which keeps it running cooler. You can additionally buy a cooling pad to place the Cricket on so that the air is circulated under your laptop. It worked nicely on our setup.

Current price is about $40 and that is a good deal.

If you demand the best in sound reproduction and money is no object you need to check out the Triple.fi 10 Pro. Detailed specifications can be viewed at http://www.ultimateears.com/_ultimateears/products/triplefi/triplefi10pro_description.php.

People who love music and movies usually go for a good set up earphones. Fit is the first thing you will notice as this unit comes with 4 different type of earpieces to fits just about everyone’s ear type. Once you get the correct tip, you will agree that the fit is perfect. As with all other quality headphones it had a very nice storage case, metal, and a variety of adapters to take care of whatever devices you have. We recommend that you stow the Triple.fi 10 Pro in its storage case when not in use for maximum protection. It does come with a 2 year warranty which is longer than what most companies give. Make sure to check the above link to see how well built this unit is.

Understand that Ultimate Ears has been making high end headphones for professionals for awhile now so people have come to expect excellence from their products. We are pleased to say the Triple.fi 10 Pro lived up to its reputation. The connection cord is long enough to use while your device may be attached at your hip.

The lowest online price we could find was $329.99 at Amazon.com with free shipping from SoundEarphones. This seems expensive but if you need the best in sound reproduction then this is the set for you.

Trying to keep outside noises from wrecking your tunes? Trying to avoid wearing the big bulky headphones that are hard to carry? Audio-Technica’s ATH-ANC3 may be the right choice for you. Check out the specifications at http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/9a9ebac4199e43bf/index.html.

First the obvious physical attributes, the ATH-ANC3 is very small and light weight. It fits very comfortably in your ears. It comes with a nice hard shell case, various adapters, and a long extension cord . It runs on one AAA battery and can be used even when the active noise-cancelling feature is turned off. It also comes with 3 different size ear pieces for a better custom fit to your inner ear. The key to getting optimum sound from this unit is to make sure that they fit tightly in your ear. This allows the ear pieces to block out outside noises from interfering with your listening enjoyment. There is even a monitor switch to turn off the noise-cancelling so you can hear the outside noises when you want or need to. Of course this could have been done by just turning off the power rather than a special switch. What would have been nice is a volume control but you can’t have everything.

We used these headphones with an MP3 player and a portable dvd player. We were very impressed with the sound quality and bass sounds from this unit. Of course this is no surprise as Audio-Technica has been know to put out quality audio products. We played a variety of music from classical to rock then watched Independence Day and Gladiator. In all cases we were very happy with the sound and bass qualities. Keep in mind that this is in the ear and thus has limitations but it really does put out nice sound and with the noise-cancelling active it makes a big difference.

The lowest price we can find was about $102 with free shipping which is a pretty good deal on a set of amazing headphones.

If you have a really bad back and are like many people, you have just learnt to deal with it. Now Human Touch has a portable unit called the Back Massage Pad, HT 1470, that can make you feel a whole lot better. Check out the details at http://www.interhealth.com/n/pages-b2c/other-massage-products/ht1470/tertiary-ht1470.html.

What amazed us about this unit is how easy it was to set up and use. Our reviewer tried it both over the office chair and a sofa. It has three settings. Lower back, mid back and full back with heat available in all three settings. In addition it has a memory foam seat that make you feel like you are on a very expensive easy chair. It is so well built that it comes with a 2 year warranty.

The term wow comes to mind when we used the HT1470. This is not the run of the mill vibrating back pad. The HT 1470 actually does a circular kneading motion from the base of your neck to the lower part of your back, L3,4,5 as it is better known. If you have arthritis in the lower part of your back and have tried several back devices, this is the first that really seemed to ease the pain. Our reviewer mainly used it on his lower back with heat. After about 20 minutes he would feel better, much to our surprise. Anyone out there with a bad back can appreciate the relief that you should feel after letting the HT1470 do its stuff. All our reviewer can say is that he uses it just about every day and wish that it could be used in the car with a car adapter or a complete car version.

Everybody has this priced at $199 but free shipping is on Amazon.com. So run out and buy it now, your back will thank you for it.