Cool Tricks to Get the Most Use of Your iPhone

When was the last time your iPhone really amazed you? If it wasn't today, you're doing something wrong.
Yes, it's great for making calls, taking pics and sending text messages, but that little iPhone in your pocket can do so much more. Just for grins (and your enlightenment), here are seven cool iPhone tricks and tips you might not know about:

Shake to Erase
Type something you want to delete? Accidentally erased an important email? Use a physical gesture to undo your last action. Be sure to grip your iPhone tightly before giving it a gentle shake. That should be enough to bring up the Undo feature.

Request Silent Notifications
There are times when it may be preferable to be notified by a flash of light in lieu of an audible signal. To make this happen, go to Settings > General > Accessibility and choose LED flash alerts.

Define a Word
Any time you're using Safari and come across a baffling word, simply tap it and hold. A 'define' option will appear. Great for users who wish to understand what they read while improving their vocabulary.

Hard Reboot the Easy Way
All computers, even those made by Apple, lock up now and then. If your iPhone crashes or becomes unstable, perform a hard reboot the easy way. Press and hold the 'home' and 'power' buttons simultaneously. This will restart your phone and correct a range of problems. Be patient, as the reboot process may take up to a minute to complete.

Play Music On a Sleeping iPhone
In the mood to hear your favorite tunes, but don't want to wake or unlock your iPhone? Double-tap the 'home' button and your music controls will appear. Listen to music without taking your iPhone out of its secure state.

Save Any Image
PC users can get a little crazy when they don't have a right-click way to save images. When an iPhone user wants to save an image found online, they just tap and hold the pic until the image controls come up.

Halve Recharging Time
Did you know that an iPhone set to Airplane Mode recharges in about half the time? Try it and see for yourself.

The incredible iPhone is a wonderful tool that can improve your day in a variety of ways. We'll tell you about more tricks and tips as soon as we hear about them, so be sure to bookmark this page and check back often. Get even more out of your iPhone with a battery charging case or other accessories at www.Alpatronix.com

Charging Cases For Your Smart Phone

Today's smartphones are used for much more than phone calls. Whether you are looking for a nearby restaurant or using a navigation app, you need a phone with a battery that lasts. To ensure you are always connected, pick up a battery case for your phone. These cases are available for a variety of phone models and allow you to charge your phone on the fly which reduces your need for electrical outlets and USB ports. 

Alpatronix BX120
The Alpatronix BX120 is designed for use with the iPhone 5 or 5S, and is certified by Apple for use with its devices, so you can charge and sync your phone and battery case together. It doubles the battery life of your phone, providing charging benefits and overcharging protection, with relatively little added bulk. The BX120 comes with a micro USB charging cable, an adapter cable for your headphones, the battery case and two interchangeable bumpers, one black or white, to match your case, and the other clear purple or pink, for a more fashionable look. The BX120 also has a built-in kickstand that makes viewing in landscape orientation hands-free.

Alpatronix BX114
The Alpatronix BX114 is designed for the Apple iPhone 5C. It comes with the lightning USB connector (8 pin USB), and is able to charge and sync the phone and case at the same time; simply press the power button after connecting the case and phone to the charger, and watch the phone charge followed by the case. The BX114 works with your original iPhone 5C cable, so a charging cable or a USB wall charger are not included. The BX114 has overcharge protection and is available in a variety of fun colors. All of the phone's functions can be performed while it is in the case. 

Alpatronix BX400

The Alpatronix BX400 is designed for use with the Samsung Galaxy S4. Using this case can double the battery life of your phone. The case does not include a charging cable, and works with the original Samsung Galaxy S4 cable provided with your phone purchase.  Once you place your phone in the case, you can charge and sync both at the same time. The case has a built in feature that stops the case from charging the phone once your phone reaches 100 percent, to prevent any damage to your phone battery. The Alpatronix BX400 has an easy to handle, slim design, and is available in black and white. 

Battery cases are a great way to extend the life of your phone, reducing your need for a constant power source and juggling cords. The cases also provide all the protection you would expect from any phone case.

Tips to Make a Smartphone Battery Last Longer

If you are like most people, you love your smartphone. The most common issue for anyone that uses their phone a lot is running low on battery. With this in mind, here are six tips to save battery life in your smartphone.

1. Turn off services: Whether you have a Samsung or Apple device, you have programs and services running in the background. Most of the time, you will want them to stay on since they are helpful. If you are not using services or applications, you should turn them off in order to help conserve battery life. Disabling features you aren’t using, like wireless will also help save a lot of battery life. Then, when you want to use a hotspot or jump on your GPS, you can enable these programs.
2. Dim your screen: While it is fun to look at a bright screen, most of the time it is overkill. To save energy and enjoy your phone, you should dim the screen. By doing this, you can extend the life of the battery charge significantly. Whether you have an iPhone or android device, you can make this change by going into the settings panel. The great thing about this is you will not notice a difference in your resolution.
3. Quick screen timeout: When you grab your phone to check a text or call, the screen will brighten up for a minute. While this is beneficial, it is a wasteful process. To save some power, you should change your smartphone settings. With a faster timeout, you will not waste unnecessary energy. This is a huge tip to follow as most smartphone screens use a lot of power.
4. Notifications: Without a doubt, when you have a million notifications coming in at all hours, you will waste a lot of power. While it is nice to know when you get a text message or call, you can probably tone this down. For this reason, if you want a longer battery life, you must turn off notifications for some applications such as Facebook or Twitter.
5. Disable unnecessary applications: It is nice to have your email or other things on in the background, but you should tone down your applications. When turning them off or disabling them from running in the background, you will see your battery life last longer. So, remember, it is overkill to leave your game running 24/7. And, when you stop these unnecessary processes, you will save some serious energy.
6. Consider professional help:  Say you have done all of the above, yet it’s 1pm and you have 3% battery left!  Now what?  Don’t worry.  If you are one of those people who rely heavily on smartphones and tablets for daily activities, consider swapping your regular smartphone case with an Alpatronix battery case.  These devices at least double your smartphone’s battery life and can make your battery last all day, if not more.  If you need a solution for your tablet, consider an Alpatronix battery pack.  All Alpatronix products come with a 1-year warranty to ensure your peace of mind.

If you have a smartphone, you should follow these five tips. Remember, with a proactive approach, you can see your battery last a long time, all with only a small effort.

Top 7 Road Trip Necessities

Whether you’re taking a cross-country trip or simply driving to the next state over – which is quite a drive for large states like Texas – there are a set of essentials to take along with you. The list below is guaranteed a great time and the absolute minimal amount of whining and groaning!

1. Playlist
The perfect playlist is crucial in the makings of a good road trip – unless singing “100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” repeatedly (and in unison) is appealing to you. And a good playlist means multiple playlists to please everyone because, of course, each one has a personality of its own. As a side tip: although the car stereo is fit for music duty on the road, a portable speaker will come in handy for stops and recreational activities on the way. 

2. Movies/TV shows
Eventually, you may need some visual stimulation for the mundane stretches of the trip. Preparing a hefty stock of your favorite movies and television shows will help battle the boredom when images of lush greeneries or booming cities aren’t available through the car window. In the case you like to enjoy your shows in peace, make sure to pack a set of headphones – especially ones that are compatible to most of your devices. Also since watching movies drains phone battery significantly, consider taking your smartphone battery case and travel charger (insert link for battery case category page)… or even get an extra one!

3. Snacks
There are already so many reasons to make stops and to waste time on a road trip: using the restroom, stretching out your legs, viewing sights, etc. One unnecessary stop you can avoid, however, is making a stop for food. A cooler full of easy-to-eat car food like pre-cut fruits and veggies can quiet a groaning stomach and curb the hunger until a real meal is necessary.

4. Maps and travel apps
Unless you have chronic free-spirit tendencies, you have to know where you’re going. Make sure to download the most current maps and travel apps to find the fastest or most scenic routes as well as the best stops on those routes. Using a cell phone car mount for your navigating device is probably the most beneficial method for easy viewing, and some car mounts nowadays can charge your device at the same time. For those times when you are walking or hiking and don’t have access to a car charger, consider using your iPhone battery case (insert link to battery case category page) to help sustain battery while using your navigation app. 

5. Comfort items/Toiletries
Sitting in the same position for long hours can be extremely uncomfortable and tiresome. The best you can do is create the coziest environment possible by wearing comfortable and loose-fitting clothing while snuggling up in a cloud of blankets and pillows from home. Also, keep a small bag of toiletries close-by for convenience. The last thing you would want to do is dig around a full trunk for a toothbrush. 

6. Power Inverter
In this day and age, you probably have multiple technological devices that you use for anything and everything. If keeping these gadgets up and running is imperative for your journey, you may want to invest in a car power inverter. It simply uses the car battery to power electrical devices whether it’s for entertainment, business, or recreational purposes. 

7. The right people
If you’re Thelma, you need a Louise. In other words, you need the right companions – your partner in crime, your loving family, your wolf gang - for your trip, because only those people won’t drive you absolutely insane. Or maybe they will, but at least you’ll be stuck with people you love!
As long as you have these few items with you, we can safely say you’re ready to imagine all of your wind-blowing-through-your-hair-with-the-windows-down glory! 

Alpatronix HX100 Bluetooth Headphones

Looking for the sound quality of over-the-ear headphones but without the cords? With the Alpatronix HX100, you can stream balanced, true stereo-quality sound from your mobile device right into your ears thanks to A2DP technology.

A padded top pillow and ear pillows allow for all day comfort and a secure fit while keeping outside noise and distractions at bay.

Alpatronix designed the HX100 keeping their active customers in mind, so the AVRCP profile allows you to control most of your phone's features and audio controls right from the headset interface. This lets you keep your phone safely in your pocket or armband, whether the phone is out of reach or you just simply need free hands. The headphones not only stream music or any other audio that your phone is capable of playing, but it can be utilized as a hands-free headset as well for when you are driving in the car or taking notes for business. You can easily pause and play music, skip tracks in forward and reverse, answer or hang up a call, and control the volume without ever touching your phone.

The HX100 boasts a frequency response range of 20Hz-20KHz making sure that you enjoy the true, even sound that earbud headphones can't deliver. With a charging time of just 1 hour, the user can enjoy up to 5 hours of playback and use. Charging is accomplished via an included USB cable that can be connected to a USB port on a computer, on a wall outlet, or using a USB wall charger. Initially pairing the headset with your mobile device is easy and for subsequent use, automatic detection and pairing occurs within seconds when your device's Bluetooth is enabled and the headphones are turned on and are in range.

The HX100 is currently offered in black with black pillow padding and black with blue pillow padding. The speaker portion of the headphones folds inward to make for a flatter profile when being stored or packed in luggage. Included with every set of headphones is the USB charging cable, a user's manual, and the Alpatronix 100% Customer Satisfaction 1 year warranty.

Headphones vs Earbuds

Deciding what type of earphones to buy?  With so many styles to choose from it can be a tough and expensive decision to make. Let's illustrate the different types of headphones and examine the differences between headphones and earbuds.


Headphones

Headphones fit over your head with a small bar made of some combination of plastic and metal. Large pieces fit over your ear to act as personal speakers for you.

Headphones typically have larger drivers than earbuds. This results in the capability for better audio playback, especially when it comes to bass. They also have the unique ability to cancel out some of the surrounding sounds, which can be one of the most needed features when you're in a noisy place like an airplane or train.

The main drawback of headphones is the fact that they're large and clunky. Even lightweight headphones are hard to keep in anything but the largest of coat pockets, which can make toting them around a real chore.

Earbuds

Earbuds are smaller headphones the fit inside of your ears. They're a compact, portable solution for listening to your audio devices.

The main advantages of earbuds lie in the fact that they're small and generally inexpensive. Depending on the make of earbuds, they can also work to filter out some of the surrounding noise.

The main drawbacks focus on the fact that earbuds tend to be lightweight, small and relatively cheap compared to headphones. This results in poorer playback quality and a lack of true noise isolation when compared to regular headphones. Of note, some earbuds do come with various sizes of earpieces for better noise isolation, playback quality and comfort.

Bluetooth Headphones

Once you have decided on getting ear buds or headphones, you may want to consider getting them with Bluetooth technology.  With Bluetooth, you can avoid all the cords, making the headphones more portable.  Bluetooth headphones are great for working out or doing anything else that requires you to be mobile.


The kind of earphones you should buy rests entirely on what you need them to do and how much you're willing to spend.

What type of earphones do you prefer?

Music Festivals for 2014 Top Picks

There is no doubt that the music industry is transforming and shifting more rapidly and unpredictably than it ever has in the past. A great deal has changed since the peak of rock music’s dominance several decades ago. However, one aspect of the “golden age” of rock is the live music festival. 2014 is going to full of fantastic festivals, with much more than just the rock genre represented.

For anybody planning their travel for the New Year, these 2014 festivals offer some amazing lineups in exciting destinations.

Bonnaroo

All of the music festivals that have risen to prominence over the past few years have their own very distinct personalities, and Bonnaroo and definitely no exception. Taking place in the literal hot spot of Manchester, Tennessee each June, the vibe of Bonnaroo is maybe the closest any modern music festival gets to the massive hippie gatherings of yore. That does not mean that Bonnaroo has a hippy-dippy, jam band lineup, however. In recent years the festival has boasted increasingly diverse lineup's, and 2013's Bonnaroo included sets from Paul McCartney, Bjork, R. Kelly, Animal Collective, Wu-Tang Clan, The National, Weird Al Yankovic and many, many more. The 2014 lineup is scheduled to be announced in February, and it is sure to be even more diverse.

Coachella

If you are planning a trip to Southern California this spring, you might want to consider an excursion to Indio -- a two hour drive from LA -- for The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Annual Festival in April. Coachella is among the most popular annual festivals, and generally attracts the biggest acts. This year, none other than OutKast will be reuniting to headline the fest, along with Muse and Arcade Fire. The recently reunited Neutral Milk Hotel will also be performing, along with Beck, Queens of the Stone Age, Neko Case, Nas, Broken Bells, Sleigh Bells and a huge variety of other acts encompassing a multitude of genres and styles. The two spring weekends of Coachella are the place to be for fans of live music. There are hotel shuttles available if you prefer staying in comfort to camping out on the festival grounds.

South by Southwest

Austin is not only the capital of Texas, but it is also the live music capital of the world. Almost the entirety of Austin is transformed into a giant festival each year for South by Southwest, or SXSW for short. For one week in March, Austin hosts a glut of live music and film screenings, including a number of world film premiers and showcases for countless performers on the brink of stardom.

Austin City Limits

Also in Austin, Texas, ACL Music festival has been going strong and going on their 13th year.  Last year it was extended into a second weekend to allow for more people to enjoy the show. Beyond a unique blend of rock, indie, country, folk, hip hop and electronic music artists showcased, the festival also includes food from premier Austin restaurants and art market.

If you are planning a vacation in 2014, planning around one of these festivals is a surefire way to add some incredible live music excitement to your trip.