.KEYWORD brando
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Brando Workshop keeps your handheld charged up and protected
.OTHER
.SUMMARY Brando Workshop has a number of great solutions for your Palm OS device. Contributing Editor Claire Pieterek reviews three you’ll want to keep your handheld charged, up-to-date, and protected: the Brando WorkShop Screen Protector, the CLIE 9V Emergency Charger, and Brando’s CLIE T-series HotSync + Charger Cable.
.AUTHOR Claire Pieterek
I confess. I have a secret love. We’ve been very furtive about our relationship. It hasn’t been until recently that we’ve been seen in public together. You see, my secret love is particular about a few things. First, he’s concerned about being properly dressed. He’s also fussy about his diet. And he always wants to be kept up to date no matter where he is.
OK, so it isn’t as sordid as it may seem. My "secret love" is my Sony CLIE PEG-N710C. Although my HandEra 330 is my every day workhorse, I love the CLIE for its brilliant color screen. However, I was hesitant to use it for a number of reasons, until I met Brando, self-described "nice guy" and proprietor of Brando WorkShop at http://shop.brando.com.hk/. Brando has a lot of great solutions for CLIE and other Palm OS handheld users who want to keep their screens protected, batteries topped off, and machines synchronized, no matter where they are.
.H1 Brando WorkShop Screen Protector
I’ve been talking about screen protection for a long time, after learning my lesson with my first Pilot 5000 and hacking up its screen pretty badly. Although this was back in the old days, when you could actually get a scratched screen replaced under warranty, I started using screen protectors after that.
Now, I’ve gotten more than a little fed up with the big name brand screen protectors. It was the last straw when they started printing their brand name on the protector. Say what you will, but it’s difficult to position that protector on your Palm handheld without that annoying phrase obliterating something on your screen. Those of us with devices like the HandEra 330 are lucky. We can just cut off the offending part, since our screens are slightly smaller than the protectors. For more on screen protectors, check out my article, "Keep your screen pristine," in the March 1998 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199803/pristine001.html.
However, I’ve found a new favorite: the Brando WorkShop Screen Protector. Here’s why I think every Palm handheld user ought to get on the Internet and buy a couple of these.
First, the Brando WorkShop Screen Protector is really easy to install. It almost installs itself. Just remove it from the package, line it up with your Palm handheld’s screen, and voila! It’s that easy. The installation process is almost too easy to explain. Don’t just take my word for it. Buy a couple of these and try them. You will be very glad you did. You will laugh and joke with your Palm handheld using friends about the old days when you used to struggle with those other protectors. Step one of the installation process is demonstrated in Figure A.
.FIG A Take the Brando WorkShop Screen Protector out of the package and peel it from the backing.
Step two is shown in Figure B.
.FIG B Line it up with your Palm handheld’s screen, and the Brando WorkShop Screen Protector almost installs itself.
Second, the Brando WorkShop Screen Protector is removable, washable, and reusable. Just try that with the big name brand protector. You mess up putting one of those on, and it’s history. Did anyone else ever put Scotch 811 tape on their Graffiti area to get more life out of their name brand protectors? You can show your colleagues how cool the Brando WorkShop Screen Protector is by removing it and reinstalling it.
Third, the Brando WorkShop Screen Protector is a good deal. At US$12.00 (including shipping) for one protector that will last an indefinite amount of time, that’s less than half the cost of a 12-month supply of the name brand protector.
Finally, the Brando WorkShop Screen Protector feels good. Writing on this protector gave me good tactile feedback, no matter what stylus I used. I really like it. It’s not too smooth and not too rough.
While I needed this most for my CLIE, I’m going to get Brando WorkShop Screen Protectors for my Visor Deluxe and HandEra 330 so they’re always on the best-dressed list, too.
.H1 Brando’s CLIE 9V Emergency Charger
Although I support environmental causes as much as anyone, I just don’t like the inability to have power when I want it or when I need it. I’ve resisted rechargeable Palm handhelds because of this. You have to carry around bulky transformers and cradles, instead of simple HotSync cables, and it’s just a lot less convenient.
Brando comes to the rescue again, this time with Brando’s CLIE 9V Emergency Charger. This is a small cable that clips to a 9-volt battery at one end and your CLIE’s HotSync port at the other, so you can top the CLIE’s battery off anywhere you are. It’s pictured in Figure C.
.FIG C Brando’s CLIE 9V Emergency Charger powers your CLIE with a 9-volt battery.
Let’s say you’re going to go on vacation and you don’t want to be without your trusty CLIE. Be sure to fully charge your CLIE’s battery before you go-the 9V Emergency Charger is not the best way to bring your CLIE’s battery from the warning point back up to a full charge. Brando’s 9V Emergency Charger and a few Duracells will keep your CLIE well-fed, however, especially if you have the appropriate utilities to back everything up to a Memory Stick.
.H1 Brando’s CLIE T-series HotSync + Charger Cable
If you’re appropriately equipped, Brando’s HotSync + Charger Cable is the best way to keep your CLIE humming and happy. It will charge your CLIE and synchronize it through your laptop or PC’s USB port, whether you’re at home or away. It’s pictured in Figure D.
.FIG D Brando’s CLIE HotSync + Charger Cable let’s you charge and synchronize your CLIE.
When I was sitting at my desk working, I could keep my CLIE plugged in and charging, pressing the green button to synchronize every so often. I found the CLIE HotSync + Charger Cable was the best way to keep my CLIE up-to-date no matter where I was.
Brando is always finding lots of new and innovative products for CLIE and other Palm OS devices, and these are just three of them. I can recommend the Brando WorkShop Screen Protector without hesitation to any Palm handheld owner who wants to put his or her screen on the best-dressed list. If you need to get a charge into your CLIE’s life, try the Brando 9V Emergency Charger to ensure that your CLIE is well-fed. And, if you’re committed to staying up-to-date, Brando’s CLIE HotSync + Charger Cable is the only way to go.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on Brando’s products, visit http://shop.brando.com.hk.
For the article, "Keep your screen pristine," by Claire Pieterek in the March 1998 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199803/pristine001.html.
For more information on Palm handhelds, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Easy, flexible article reprints
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.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Claire Pieterek is a long-time Palm handheld user. On a mission to ditch her Franklin Planner, she bought her first handheld–a Pilot 5000–in May, 1996. She currently owns a Palm IIIx, a HandEra 330, a Handspring Visor Deluxe, and a Sony CLIE 710C. Owned by an Airedale terrier, she calls the Wired home, and is a student of life, the universe, and Japanese.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6fdb8
