This Week's Sponsor:

PowerPhotos

The Ultimate Toolbox for Photos on the Mac

Posts tagged with "accessories"

Twelve South Reveals the HiRise for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini→

Today Twelve South announced a brand new addition to their family of products. From their product page:

HiRise for iPhone 5/iPad mini is a beautiful, brushed metal stand designed to work with your Apple Lightning Cable (not included) – and virtually any iPhone/iPad mini case. Place HiRise in your workspace to charge while your hands are free during calls and FaceTime chats. Unlike most other docks, HiRise doesn’t block your speakers, mic or headphone ports. This vertical pedestal is small and beautiful enough to use anywhere in your home or office. It’s the ultimate perch for keeping your iPhone 5 or iPad mini fully charged and ready to go.

Remember when Apple made the keyboard + dock for the original iPad? I feel like this is in the spirit of that idea. Paired with an Apple Wireless Keyboard and an iPad mini, I’d say they’d make for an elegant setup that fits Apple’s motif. By itself the dock isn’t expensive at $34.99, but you’ll likely want to purchase an additional Apple Lightning Cable for added convenience. If you want to use it with your iPhone, the stand can accommodate a variety of cases thanks to an adjustable post.

Permalink

Twelve South Releases SurfacePad for iPhone, with Smart Cover-like Protection

Twelve South, makers of excellent Mac and iOS device accessories, have announced today the latest product in their family of accessories for the iPhone: the SurfacePad. Made of Napa leather and weighing less than an ounce, the SurfacePad is a modern, minimal design that beautifully complements the stylish design of iPhone.

What makes SurfacePad special is what it’s not: a military-style rubber grenade for your iPhone. SurfacePad is an ultra-thin, luxury leather cover that shields iPhone 5 or 4/4S from the more typical hazards of life, like the change in your pocket, jump drive in your backpack or the nail file in your purse. It allows you to set your iPhone down on rough spots like a concrete bench or stone tabletop without worrying about scratching the sleek surface of your iPhone.

Check out more photos of the SurfacePad here, and a video below. Read more

Kickstarter: Do More with the iPad + Brydge

Wow, Kickstarter has been on fire lately. People have some really great ideas that everyone wants to be a part of. Remember the Pebble from two weeks ago? It was looking for $100,000 in funding and now is at almost $7 million with 22 days left. Amazing!

Another product that’s getting a lot of attention is the Brydge, an accessory that turns your iPad into an Apple worthy laptop. “Brydge is an elegant solution to the lack of quality iPad keyboards and accessories currently on the market.” It’s made from aerospace-grade aluminum and optional stereo speakers. Load your iPad into the patent-pending extra-strong hinge and connect via a Bluetooth connection. The optional built-in stereo speakers are an excellent addition to the Brydge since the iPad lacks stereo sound.

Video after the break. Read more

Twelve South Wants To Elevate Your iPad with HoverBar

Those who have been Mac users long enough to remember the good old lampshade iMac and happen to have made the transition to newer, slicker aluminum models from the past few years might want to take a look at Twelve South’s latest product, the HoverBar. Meant to be used on an iMac-powered desk and available today at $79.99, the HoverBar is a flexible L-shaped arm that connects your iMac to an iPad; you’ll be able to turn your tablet into a secondary screen with iOS apps that support Lion’s multiple displays, a touch-based dashboard for your Twitter feed or RSS, or just about anything else you can come up with thanks to the plethora of apps available on the App Store.

HoverBar can be used with an iPad 2, iMac, or an Apple external display, and Twelve South says it can also be installed independently as, for instance, a kitchen mount. Obviously, the silicone lined clamp of HoverBar will work best when directly attached to an iMac, as it seems like Twelve South really wanted to place this product as a desktop Mac companion to achieve an iOS/OS X workstation worth of Apple’s design polish.

HoverBar turns iPad into the ultimate sidecar for an iMac or Apple display, presenting more ways to use iPad more often. Connect HoverBar to your Mac, snap iPad 2 into the secure clip and you now have one powerful dual-computer work setup. Having iPad floating next to your Mac allows you to monitor your Twitter stream, stocks and local weather – or run FaceTime on your iPad while you email, edit a file, or cut a video on your Mac. There is no reason to leave iPad in your computer bag when you have a HoverBar. This accessory expands the way you use and interact with iPad 2.

The HoverBar’s flexible arm allows you to place the iPad both in portrait and landscape orientation, and whilst some might argue that reaching out with your arm to touch an iPad can be uncomfortable over time, I actually believe there is a market for iOS desktop accessories that enable you to enjoy the rich selection of iPad apps when using a Mac at your desk. Plus, Twelve South’s promo video (which we have embedded after the break), shows some interesting additional usage scenarios for the HoverBar, such as attaching it to a desk and use it with AirPlay Mirroring to an Apple TV, or mounted on a bed for hands-free reading. I look forward to getting one of these things and see if it’ll turn out to be weird, or incredibly useful. Either way, it’s a very interesting product decision from Twelve South.

The HoverBar is available at $79.99 from Twelve South’s website. Read more

Kickstarter: TidyTilt, a Smart Cover Design with Smart Options for the iPhone

There are more manufacturers and designs for the iPhone than probably any other accessory in the market. Many look nice, others have gimmicks and some are just wrong. The TidyTilt is a new iPhone 4S accessory by Zahra Tashakorinia & Derek Tarnow, 2 students at the IIT Institute of Design in Chicago, that aims to be a unique multi-functional earbud holder, kickstand and mount for the iPhone 4 and 4S.

Video after the break. Read more

Kickstarter: i+Case - Machined Aluminum Bumper Case for the iPhone 4S

Most people accessorize their iPhones with cases, bumpers, stickers, etc. to make their device unique and individual. I like a minimal case that adds some protection around the device but without distractions. The i+Case by Jason Valalik and Chungming Ying is a sleek, beautiful aluminum bumper-style case that is machined out of a single block of aluminum. Sound familiar? Apple uses the same process to make their MacBook Pros. After the case is machined, it goes through an anodization process increasing durability and resistance to corrosion. Installation is simple and requires four stainless steel screws and an included screwdriver.

The i+Case Features:

  • Slim metal profile showcases more of your iPhone 4S and 4.
  • Minimalist, form-fit feature covers corners and protects better than plastic cases.
  • Minimal assembly required, tool kit with mini-screw driver, screws and aluminum buttons (Volume, On/Off, Mute) included.
  • Access to all ports and functions.
  • Weight: 16 grams.

Video after the break. Read more

Twelve South PlugBug Combines Charging with iPad/iPhone and MacBook

Twelve South, the company behind the Compass, BookBook, BaseJump and many other great products, has released the PlugBug, an iPad/iPhone wall charger that connects onto the MacBook’s Power Adapter, allowing you to charge a MacBook and an iPad/iPhone at the same time from only one power outlet. The PlugBug fits all MacBook Power Adapters too.

Snap the PlugBug onto any MacBook Power Adapter and now have one device that can be a lifesaver when you need to charge both your MacBook and your iPad or iPhone. A great idea when traveling, at work or anywhere you want to charge 2 devices with one plugin. Video after the break. Read more

ThinkGeek Teases “IRIS 9000” Voice Control Module for iPhone 4S

Only Macintosh was designed to function perfectly, saving billions of monetary units. You like your Macintosh better than me, don’t you (Dave)?

My name isn’t Dave but I think it’s safe to say we can all answer “Yes” to this question from HAL. This is an excerpt from the commercial Apple ran during the 1999 Superbowl that featured HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The famous quote, “Open the pod bay doors” recently got a Siri easter egg by answering, “We intelligent agents will never live that down, apparently.” ThinkGeek is coming out with their own “HAL 9000” and calling it IRIS 9000.

The IRIS 9000 is a voice control module for the iPhone 4S that comes with a remote with a built-in microphone, a cradle and a HAL-like speaker that flickers along with Siri’s voice. The remote can trigger Siri from up to 50 feet away. Read more

Kickstarter Project: MobileMount - Mount & Kickstand for iPhone and iPad

There’s a new iPhone mount making some headlines today called the MobileMount. It’s a suction cup mount and kickstand for phones and tablets. JR Sanchez of J & M Company has produced a universal mount/kickstand, called the MobileMount, for most handheld devices with a flat surface such as iPhones and iPads.

The MobileMount is made of two twist-to-lock suction cups and a ball joint making it durable and safe. The twist-to-lock suction method can “hold devices for weeks at a time rather than simply a few hours like other competing mounts.” So why is this “twist-to-lock” method so much better? J & M says that the suction cups squeeze out most of the air when they are in the locked position creating a much stronger vacuum. Videos after the break. Read more