Accessories

Griffin introduces handy new Travel Power Bank for Apple Watch

Cody Lee ∙ January 4, 2016

Griffin on Monday added to the stack of CES product announcements by introducing the Travel Power Bank for Apple Watch. As you can see in the photo, the accessory is essentially a tiny battery pack with an inductive charging pad for Apple's wearable.

Griffin says that the built-in battery is of the 800 mAh variety, which is good enough to fully recharge the Apple Watch up to four times before needing more power for itself. That's not too shabby for a device that is so small it can be attached to a keychain.

Multi-Angle DODOcase for iPad Air 2 is a folio with style

Lory Gil ∙ Updated November 5, 2017

Today's accessory spotlight series is on folio cases for the iPad Air 2. In this series, we provide information on a variety of different accessories for iPhone and iPad to help you pick the right item for your needs. We choose the products in this series because of their significant consumer rating, even though we may not have tested them ourselves.

Dodo makes high quality, executive style folio cases for all models of the iPad. Current US president, Barack Obama has been spotted with a DODOcase in the past. We want to tell you about the company's most popular model, the Multi-Angle DODOcase, which has a sleek, business-like look, but also has useful functionality.

The best wallet cases for iPhone 6s

Lory Gil ∙ December 29, 2015

By now, you've probably noticed that we've been publishing accessory spotlight posts to provide you with a variety of options for your personal tastes. We weed through the muck and filter the best accessories, based on their popularity and consumer ratings.

Today, we've got a roundup of top wallet cases that have been highly rated and hugely popular amongst iPhone 6s owners. If you don't see your favorite on the list, please share it with us in the comment section below.

House of Marley’s Chant Sport is a speaker that fits in your cup holder

Lory Gil ∙ December 29, 2015

Welcome to another edition of our accessory spotlight series. We want to present you with a well-rounded variety of accessories for your iPhone or iPad so you can find what is just right for you. Many of these products are not new, but are spotlighted here because of their high consumer ratings. Today's category is portable mini Bluetooth speakers.

This year, speaker maker House of Marley launched a new cylindrical speaker that packs a punch for its diminutive size and costs much less that others in its category. It is shaped like a soda can and blasts your tunes in multiple directions.

The best accessories for new iPhone and iPad owners

Lory Gil ∙ Updated May 9, 2018

Now that you have your brand new iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, or maybe iPad Air 2 or iPad Pro (or both, for that matter), you'll need some accessories to go with your new gadgets. Cases are a must have for protection, but there are lots of ways to compliment the look and productivity of your iOS device.

We've got a list of our 10 favorite accessories for the iPhone and iPad. But, keep in mind that everyone is different and what we think is perfect, might not fit your needs. If you have favorite accessories for the iPhone and iPad, please feel free to include them in the comments.

Ryan Petrich releases Activator 1.9.8 beta 2 with new screen brightness control settings

Jeff Benjamin ∙ December 21, 2015

Ryan Petrich has released the second beta of Activator 1.9.8, bringing a whole host of new changes to the popular jailbreak tweak. In the update you'll find new localizations, new increase and decrease brightness actions, and several new fixes.

You won't find Activator 1.9.8 beta 2 in the stock Cydia repos, but in this post, I'll show you how you can add Ryan's beta repo to take advantage of the latest Activator features.

Mass Fidelity Core portable wireless Bluetooth speaker review

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

I love connecting my iPhone to my little portable speakers so I can bring my music to any party. The technology is great, and the convenience is awesome. But, oftentimes, the sound quality suffers. There are a handful of portable wireless speakers that perform exceptionally well, but none of them provide that true stereo sound that I'm looking for.

So, when I heard about Mass Fidelity's claim that the Core portable wireless speaker simulates stereo quality sound I thought, "yeah right." The company sent us two Core speakers to test out (for the purpose of multi-room use). Frankly, my opinion has changed. We've got a hands-on review of the Core by Mass Fidelity for your reading pleasure today.

This DC splitter doubles your car charger sockets

Lory Gil ∙ December 16, 2015

Some cars have just one power outlet (aka cigarette lighter) to be shared amongst all gadget-using travelers. There are multi-USB adapters that help spread the wealth, but it would be even better if there were two power outlets.

Bestek makes an adapter that splits into two DC power outlets and provides two USB ports for all your charging needs. If you add something like the EleckeyTM or the reVOLT, then you're talking six charges at a time.

Anker PowerPort 6 is a multi-port USB charger for your iPhone and iPad family

Lory Gil ∙ December 15, 2015

This holiday, Santa may place a few iPhone and iPad handsets under your Christmas tree. You might end up with too many devices that require a high-power charge and not enough plugs in the house for all of them.

Anker's PowerPort 6 produces 60 watts of power at one time so you can charge all of your iOS devices without slowing down the process. Now your wall plugs can be freed up for other electronic gifts that Santa has left for you.

Snugg’s iPhone 6s leather pouch looks good while protecting

Lory Gil ∙ December 14, 2015

Recently, a friend of mine pulled this slim leather pouch out of his pocket. I didn't know what it was, but I knew I liked the way it looked. Turns out, it was a case for his iPhone 6s.

Snugg's Leather Pouch has that "wow factor" that protects your iPhone 6s, while looking pretty dang hip when you take it out of your pocket. It's slim and sleek and has a soft lining to "hug" your smartphone.

The pouch is made from bi-cast leather so it looks good, but is easier to keep clean. The interior is made from soft Nubuck leather for additional protection for the iPhone's screen.

Satechi LED IQ Strip review: a simple app-controlled lighting kit

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

I’ve been playing with a cool smart lighting accessory over the past few weeks called the LED IQ Strip by Satechi. It’s a roughly 5-foot strand of multicolor LED lights that can be remotely controlled by virtually any Bluetooth 4.0 device.

Obviously this isn’t a groundbreaking product. There are several “smart” LED strips available these days—most notably the Philips Hue Lighstrip—I think its low price and ease-of-use make Satechi’s LED IQ Strip worth talking about.

The Koomas CD-Air mount slips into your car’s CD player

Lory Gil ∙ December 7, 2015

We've mentioned before that, although every new car still includes a CD player, many of us have moved on to a more convenient method of listening to music. So, that dashboard CD player just sits there getting dusty. Well, maybe not for everyone.

The Koomas CD-Air mount slips into your car's CD player, so you can keep your iPhone 6s at arms-reach without getting in the way of your windshield or air conditioner. Plus, it has the unintentional bonus of allowing you to still use the CD player to play music.