Bluelounge smartly redesigns the MiniDock for iPhone 5

By Jim Gresham on May 14, 2013

Covering several Bluelounge products in our review section, astute readers will now be somewhat familiar with the product line. Creating items from packs to docks, Bluelounge attempts to combine form and function for their small, yet clever array of items. The company, taking hints from both art and architecture, prides itself on “forward design aesthetic.”

Well over a year ago, the MiniDock became a staple item for users trying to get rid of desktop clutter. A portable charging dock made carrying a 30 pin cable around the house a thing of the past. Today, Bluelounge updates their MiniDock with Lightning compatibility and refines a few nice touches at the same time. I was able to get my hands on a prerelease model and am impressed with the new features… Read More

 

iOS device dashboard mounts by ProClip USA are top shelf

By Jim Gresham on Apr 26, 2013

Tired of fumbling around for your iPhone in the car? Why are we forced to pick up our device every time we hear a push notification? Why do we keep wasting money on suction cups and intrusive docking systems? ProClip USA does not know the answer to these questions, but it is providing a solution.

ProClip USA builds device holders for almost every make and model vehicle currently on the market. I stumbled across their website well over a year ago, but did not receive the opportunity to review a product until bumping into the team at CES in January.

Thankfully, they were kind enough to send over an iPhone 5 and iPad mini mount for my 2007 Nissan Altima. This review takes a quick look at installation and provides feedback about my experience with these two options… Read More

 

RokDock is the new iPhone throne [review + giveaway]

By Jim Gresham on Mar 12, 2013

Rokform is quite a regular on the review stream around these parts and it should come as no surprise. Before you assume, no, this is not a sponsored post. Simply, Rokform makes extremely quality products and I am always impressed by them.

The most recent chunks of T-6061 aircraft grade aluminum that Rokform CNC machined into a usable hunk of metal is the RokDock. The heaviest accessory on my desk, the three pound dock is a hyper-masculine throne upon which my iPhone rests. The RokDock is just awesome, no need to complain about my open love affair with their products… Read More

 

Legendary Atari 2600 gaming console finds new life as iPhone speaker dock

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 10, 2013

I’ve always been a huge fan of video games, ever since my earliest days, and the Atari 2600 was my first childhood gaming console (yup, I’m that old). After seeing the other day this 35 years old system finding a new life by becoming a retro-inspired iPhone speaker dock, it immediately brought back fond memories of gaming sessions shared with my friends after school.

A fan tore a broken Atari 2600 apart, making a few clever changes to turn it into an app-enhanced stereo speaker dock. The Atari dock will recharge an iPhone or iPod touch while allowing you to listen to your music or an FM radio. The mod also features six equalizer settings, comes with a remote control of its own and has a 3.5mm jack to connect other audio sources… Read More

 

‘MultiDock’ adds options to customize the iOS dock

By Jeff Benjamin on Mar 4, 2013

MultiDock is a new jailbreak tweak that allows you to customize iOS’ dock on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The tweak features the ability to change the number of rows and the number of app icons on each row.

Each change requires a respring, which is easily accomplished via the tweak’s built in respring button featured in MultiDock’s settings app. Is MultiDock worth its $1.99 asking price? Read More

 

ActiveDock now available on Cydia

By Jeff Benjamin on Feb 24, 2013

ActiveDock — a tweak inspired by the dock featured in OS X — is now available on Cydia for download. Last week, we took an in-depth look at ActiveDock, and determined that it is hands-down better looking than the stock dock in iOS. There are also features for alerting you when an app is launched and when an app receives a notification.

Take a look at our video walkthrough for more information. In the meantime, if you’re browsing this post on your jailbroken iOS device, hit up this link to be taken directly to ActiveDock’s Cydia page. You can find it on the BigBoss repo for $1.99. Be sure to let us know what you think about it in the comments section.

 

ActiveDock brings an OS X inspired dock to iOS

By Jeff Benjamin on Feb 21, 2013

When you hear about an upcoming tweak collaboration between jailbreak community staples like Filippo Bigarella and Surenix, then the tweak is pretty much destined to be good. Unsurprisingly, that is the case for the upcoming ActiveDock, a jailbreak tweak that brings an OS X styled dock to the small screen.

We’ve gone hands-on with ActiveDock and put it through its paces. Needless to say, we came away impressed. Check out our video walkthrough inside. Read More

 

iHome to debut new Lightning audio docks at CES

By Cody Lee on Jan 5, 2013

As most of you know, iDB will be at The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. And though Apple itself won’t be there, there will be tons of iOS-flavored products and peripherals worth reading about. Take these new Lightning-compatible audio docks from iHome, for example… Read More

 

Check out iSkelter’s gorgeously minimalistic bamboo-handcrafted iPhone 5 dock

By Christian Zibreg on Dec 28, 2012

You love your iPhone 5 and pride yourself with being an environmentally conscious person? How about putting your money where your mouth is by considering this awesome-looking iPhone 5 dock from iSkelter? Handmade entirely from bamboo, one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth, it “perfectly compliments your iPhone’s minimalistic design features” with a touch of eco-friendliness. As the images attest, the dock will keep your iPhone 5 firmly in place either in portrait or landscape.

As a nice touch, there’s even a carving elegantly leading the Lightning cable out, thus reducing incidences of tangled cords. I’m a big fan of Feng Shui and the minimalistic interior design so I’m already thinking how this could enrich my home office setup. I’ve got more shots and a video for you right past the break… Read More

 

‘Fade’ dims your Home screen icons when invoking Notification Center

By Jeff Benjamin on Dec 27, 2012

Fade is an extremely simple jailbreak tweak that forces the Home screen UI elements to fade when Notification Center is invoked. As you slide down Notification Center, elements like the app icons and the dock will progressively fade from view. As you slide the Notification Center pane up, the effect is reversed, and the elements fade back into view.

There are no options to setup or settings to configure, just install it and it starts working. Take a look inside as we demonstrate Fade on video… Read More

 

Bose SoundDock with Lightning support coming later this month

By Cody Lee on Dec 9, 2012

Not everyone is a fan of Bose audio products. They are typically more expensive and have fewer features than their counterparts, but still, they manage to sell a ton of them. And the SoundDock is the perfect example of that.

Introduced in 2004, the $200+ Bose SoundDock is one of the most recognizable lines of iPhone/iPod speakers on the market. And this month, Bose is going to release a new version of the Dock with Lightning support… Read More

 

Philips launches four new eye-candy speaker docks with Lightning I/O

By Christian Zibreg on Dec 5, 2012

Consumer electronics maker Philips unveiled four interesting speaker docks designed for Apple’s latest iOS devices that incorporate Lightning I/O (the iPad mini, fourth-generation iPad with Retina display, fifth-generation iPod touch and the seventh-generation iPod nano). Of course, built-in Lightning I/O means music lovers can dock/charge Lightning enabled iOS devices and play their music at the same time. One portable speaker and three units for indoor use all feature eye-catching modern design and those who had a chance to personally test these boom boxes claim they sound every bit as good as they look… Read More

 

The OCDock, when iMac and iPhone become one [sponsored]

By Sebastien Page on Dec 5, 2012

Even though Apple has no plan to release its own dock for the iPhone 5, we’ve seen plenty of third party alternatives that all look as creative as they are original. The OCDock by OCDesk is one of these docks that not only looks gorgeous, but seamlessly integrates with your iMac or Thunderbolt display. It’s simple, it’s beautiful. In short, it’s something that Apple itself could have designed.

Today we sit down with Mart Jaetma, an OCDesk team member who is actively contributing to the development of the OCDock and its Kickstarter campaign. Mart tells us more about the OCDock, how it came to life, and why you should help fund his project… Read More

 

Lightning-enabled iPhone 5 dock for under $20

By Christian Zibreg on Dec 3, 2012

USB Fever joins the Lightning fever, so to speak, with an iPhone 5 focused dock that has a pass-through music jack and costs less than twenty bucks. In addition to a Lightning port, the dock is shaped for the iPhone 5 and is a nice option for those condemning Apple for not providing its own dock for the device. A pricier variant is also available with a pass-through audio jack which lets you feed audio out directly from your iPhone 5 via the dock to other music players using a standard 3.5mm jack while charging the device at the same time. As a bonus, the accessory has an additional 30-pin dock connector on the back… Read More

 

Podi-m is a beautiful dock for your Lightning device

By Cody Lee on Nov 27, 2012

Both Black Friday and Cyber Monday are now behind us, meaning that Christmas is less than a month away. And for those of you looking for last-minute gifts for that special gadget-lover in your life, iOS accessories are always a nice choice.

Unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of options available for Apple’s newer devices like the iPhone 5 or the iPad mini due to their new Lightning connectors. But if you’re determined to find something, you might want to check out the Podi-m… Read More

 

JBL launches two Lightning docking stations

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 15, 2012

JBL today announced a pair of interesting iOS docking stations with built-in support for Apple’s new Lightning I/O. Filed as JBL’s first-ever Lightning-enabled speakers, both the $199 OnBeat Venue LT and $99 OnBeat Micro also feature a built-in USB connector for hooking up non-Lightning music sources. The smaller OnBeat Micro is the perfect traveling companion due to its tiny footprint and support for standard batteries which can provide up to five hours of playback.

Its bigger brother, the Venue LT, can dock via a built-in Lightning port any iOS device with Lightning I/O, which currently entails the iPhone 5, the fifth-gen iPod touch, the new iPod nano, the iPad mini and the fourth-gen iPad… Read More

 

Elevation Lab releases iPhone 5 adapter for popular dock

By Cody Lee on Nov 14, 2012

Good news this afternoon for Elevation Dock owners. The company behind the Kickstarter phenomenon, Elevation Labs, has released an official Lightning adapter for the dock allowing you to use it with your shiny new iPhone 5… Read More

 

Apple researching iDevice packaging that doubles as a dock

By Cody Lee on Nov 8, 2012

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has published a number of interesting patents and applications belonging to Apple today. Earlier we saw a patent application for iDevice cooling fans. And now this.

This is actually pretty cool: it’s a patent app detailing a new kind of retail packaging for Apple’s iOS products that not only protects the device during shipping, but also doubles as a dock for iPhones and iPads… Read More

 

Elevation Dock hacked to support new Lightning connector

By Cody Lee on Oct 3, 2012

Since the iPhone 5 launched two weeks ago with its new Lightning port, accessories have been extremely scarce. Lightning to USB cables alone have been hard to find, never mind docks and other add-ons.

Thus, we imagine we’ll be seeing a slew of do-it-yourself solutions pop up over the next few months. In fact, one has already surfaced involving an Elevation Dock, some hacking and a Lightning USB cable… Read More

 

SVP Phil Schiller says Apple has no plans for an iPhone 5 dock

By Cody Lee on Sep 19, 2012

Starting with the new iPhone, Apple will be replacing the decade-old 30-pin dock connectors in all of its future iOS devices. This means that, sans an adapter, all of your old dock accessories will become obsolete.

This includes Apple’s white 30-pin dock — a signature accessory that’s been around since the early iPod days. Most folks figured Apple would update it this fall with the new Lightning plug, but apparently that’s not the case… Read More

 
Page 11234