Tag Archives: accessories

The Week in iPad Cases: Just keep swimming

Posted on May 18, 2013 by admin

If you enjoyed this week’s roundup of iPhone cases, check out last week’s edition, Opposites Attract . Continue reading →

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Briefly: Moshi Lightning Cables, Gangstar Rio and N.O.V.A 3 now free

Posted on May 17, 2013 by admin

Moshi has released its new line of Lightning cables for Apple’s latest iOS devices. Encased in aluminum, the 3.2 foot cables are fully certified for use with the iPhone 5, iPod touch (5th gen), iPod nano (7th gen), iPad (4th gen) and iPad mini. Moshi’s USB Cable with Lightning is sold online in two color variants, black and white, for $20….         Continue reading →

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Review: 9 Rugged Bluetooth speakers for travel and outdoor use

Posted on May 15, 2013 by admin

These days, it’s hard to imagine going on a camping trip or relaxing by the pool without our favorite tunes playing in the background. But when a battery-powered device is exposed to the elements, worries about damage are surely at the back of your mind. Luckily, a number of manufacturers have developed speakers with such use in mind. I tested nine rugged, Bluetooth-equipped speakers designed for portable use in electronics-hostile environments. Of course, “rugged” is a vague term, but the industry has developed a specialized standard called Ingress Protection (IP) . A product’s IP rating indicates how well that product’s enclosure resists solid particles (such as sand and dirt) and liquids (such as water). In reviewing the Bluetooth speakers, I was particularly curious about sound quality, given their overall compact size—after all, a rugged speaker that sounds tinny and underpowered may not be a desirable tradeoff. I also gave consideration to each unit’s intended use: Some models forego toss-in-your-bag size in favor of bigger sound, making them more apt for poolside entertainment than a long hike in the woods, while some make too many compromises in the name of packability. Braven BRV–1 Braven’s $180 BRV–1 (4.5 of 5 rating) is a relatively new addition to the company’s lineup of Bluetooth speakers that sports an IPX5 rating, which means it’s good enough to withstand rain, splashes, and jets of water, though not full immersion. The speaker, which comes in black with a blue or gunmetal finish, also sports a 3.5mm audio-in jack for connecting a non-Bluetooth source, although this requires opening a waterproofed port at the back, thereby reducing its water resistance. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Continue reading →

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Review: The FlipStands is a versatile, portable tablet stand

Posted on May 14, 2013 by admin

The hallmark of the FlipStands tablet stand ($30 MSRP, but available online for under $15) is its versatility. Weighing just six ounces, this plastic stand provides 20 viewing angles plus a dedicated typing position, all in a package that folds flat for easy transport—it fits easily in a backpack, tote, shoulder bag, slip case, or brief case. Looks are not the FlipStands’ strong suit—made of black, heavy-gauge-plastic, it’s not designed to enhance your home decor. The stand features two thin, rubber bumpers across the back to keep your tablet from slipping around, as well as four rubber pads on the bottom. A pair of plastic brackets with rubberized interior ridges hold your tablet securely in either portrait or landscape orientation. At 8 inches high by 5 inches wide (and just over 0.4 inches thick when folded up), the FlipStands can accommodate iPads and other tablets from 5 to 11 inches in size. The brackets are large enough to fit a tablet in a thin case. If your tablet charges using a Lightning-connector or standard USB cable, a cutout just above the bracket is large enough to string that cable through to charge in portrait orientation. If you’ve got an older (30-pin-connector) iPad, you can still do this, but you’ll need to thread the cable through USB-end first—it’s easier to just connect the cable in landscape orientation. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Continue reading →

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Briefly: Flipboard update adds user profiles, Neon iPhone 5 cases

Posted on May 13, 2013 by admin

Flipboard has launched a new version of its popular news aggregating app for the iPhone and iPad. Following March’s update which introduced user-created magazines, the v2.0.2 release adds a new Friends category in the Content Guide that can be used to quickly find magazines created by friends. Flipboard has also added new profile pages that provide details on readership and curation activities, as well as the ability to share content via SMS and to save images to the Camera Roll….         Continue reading →

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Briefly: OCDock for iPhone 5, LightLinez short Lightning cable

Posted on May 9, 2013 by admin

Accessory retailer BiteMyApple.co has commenced shipping the OCDock, a dock for the iPhone 5 that fuses with the ìfootî of the iMac and Thunderbolt Display. Designed to eliminate the hassle of wires, the OCDock boasts a cable as thin as a sheet of paper that slides under the aluminum foot of the iMac or Thunderbolt display. The dock is crafted out of brushed aluminum so it looks like an extension of the Apple product, not a separate piece. The dock retails for $80, and is sold exclusively at BiteMyApple.co….         Continue reading →

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Review: Jas Pro and L-Stand stylishly hold your MacBook Pro

Posted on May 7, 2013 by admin

Cooler Master is known for its PC-cooling devices, but the company also makes laptop stands designed especially for the MacBook Pro. I’ve been using two of Cooler Master’s stands, the $70 Jas Pro and the $60 L-Stand . Jas Pro Made of aluminum, the Jas Pro matches the aesthetics of Apple’s MacBook Pro and feels solid. The stand has rubber strips so the metal of the MacBook Pro doesn’t rub against the metal of the stand. Cooler Master The Jas Pro The Jas Pro is pretty basic and offers only height adjustability. I was able to adjust the stand so that the top of my 15-inch MacBook Pro’s screen lined up with the top of my 27-inch display. If you need to turn the laptop to the right or left, you turn the whole stand—rubber feet keep the stand from slipping. The Jas Pro folds into a compact package that makes it easy to put in a laptop bag. While Cooler Master advertises the Jas Pro as a MacBook Pro stand, it works nicely as an iPad stand as well, especially if you’re using an external iPad keyboard . To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Continue reading →

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Review: Annex’s Quad Lock is an outstanding iPhone case/mount system

Posted on May 7, 2013 by admin

Thanks to an ever-growing, and increasingly diverse, array of apps for using your iPhone on the go—think GPS apps, cycling apps, and travel apps—one of the biggest questions iPhone owners have is, “How do I mount my iPhone [in my car/on my bike/wherever]?” The answer has generally been to buy a bike mount, and a car mount, and maybe even a separate dock or stand for your desk. Annex aims to fill all these needs with a single mounting system, and in my testing, it fits the bill. The cases The iPhone 5 version of the Quad Lock case The system starts with the company’s unique case: the $30 Quad Lock Case for iPhone 5 or the $25 Quad Lock Case for iPhone 4/4S . (I list individual component prices in this review, but Annex offers various packages that include multiple components at a discount. For example, the $70 Bike Mount Kit for iPhone 5 includes the aforementioned iPhone 5 case, the $30 Bike Mount Pro , and the $25 iPhone 5 poncho , discussed below.) Though the two versions of the case differ slightly, they’re very similar, and each is a very good shell-style case. Made of semi-rigid polycarbonate, the case is easy to put on and take off, and shock-absorbing enough to protect the iPhone from drops, but thin enough that it doesn’t add a huge amount of bulk to your phone. The surface is tacky enough for a good grip, but not so much that the case is tough to slide out of your pocket. Around the edges, the case extends a good way past the front of the screen—more than with most shell cases—to help protect the screen if your phone ends up face-down. The iPhone 4/4S version of the Quad Lock case But it’s the back of the case that makes it special. In the middle is a slightly raised section that hosts a recessed mount point—the Quad Lock Mounting System . This mount point looks like a circle with four notches spaced evenly around the perimeter. When attaching your phone to one of the Quad Lock mounts, you line up the mount’s four “teeth” with these notches, and then you rotate the encased phone 45 degrees to lock it in place. The design of the mounting system lets you attach your iPhone to a mount in any of four orientations. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Continue reading →

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DealNN: iMacs, printers and more

Posted on May 3, 2013 by admin

This weeks deals from DealNN include bargain prices on iMacs, printers, monitors and more. Currently MacConnection.com has the 21.5-inch iMac for $1,279, which is $220 off the MSRP and the lowest price we have seen on this iMac by about $90. Free shipping is included and sales tax applies for residents of New York state. The 21.5-inch iMac features a 2.7GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive. Included are an Apple Bluetooth wireless keyboard, Magic Mouse, and one year warranty on parts and labor from Apple….         Continue reading →

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Born Apple: Six famous Windows apps that debuted on the Mac

Posted on May 3, 2013 by admin

Windows remains the dominant desktop operating system in terms of market share, which makes for a commonly Windows-centric worldview. It’s especially entertaining, then, to study various software applications that originated outside of the Windows biosphere (say, on the Macintosh) and then moved over to thrive in Microsoft’s domain. Until roughly 1990, Microsoft Windows lacked both the technical sophistication and market reach to attract significant third-party applications, so for about half a decade, the Mac was the only serious GUI-based platform on the market. Accordingly, a number of the most famous apps to make the Mac-Windows jump began as GUI-based reinterpretations of older software ideas, while others began as programs that could have only originated in a bitmapped computing environment like that of the Macintosh. We’ll take a look at a handful in this slideshow. These are not the only famous apps to leap from Mac to Windows. A few others include Microsoft Works , QuarkXPress, and Digidesign Pro Tools . Feel free to share some of your favorites in the comments. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Continue reading →

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