I hope you're ready to see a flurry of new products and accessories this week. The PR train known as the Consumer Electronics Show is now in full swing, and a number of companies have already made some big announcements.
The Colorado-based Orbotix got in on the early action. The makers of the popular Sphero ball unveiled its latest connected toy: the 'Sphero 2B.' This time it's a cylinder, instead of a ball, and it's twice as fast as the current Sphero...
During last week's 'Let's Talk iOS' podcast, we mentioned our disdain for the current crop of iOS 7 game controllers. The current selection consists of just two poorly-reviewed devices, and we said we hoped CES would change that.
And it looks like it's going to. SteelSeries, a popular maker of both desktop and mobile gaming peripherals, announced this morning that it's going to use the convention to launch the 'Stratus,' the first wireless controller made for iOS 7...
Folks who received the Anki Drive for Christmas this year will be happy to hear that the companion app has received a major update today. The new version, which is marked as version 2.1.0, adds an expanded upgrade system, new weapons and much more.
The new weapons include an EMP gun, which lets you shoot other cars as they race along the track, and the new support items include reverse drive, horn and kinetic brake. The update also features other improvements, such as smarter AI and faster upgrades...
Square unveiled a new version of its Square Reader accessory today, which is used to input credit and debit cards into the Square app. It says the new Reader is roughly 45% thinner than its predecessor, and is more accurate at reading cards thanks to its new design.
But what makes the new device really interesting is who designed it. According to a report from Wired, Square's new ultra-thin card reader was developed by a team led by Jesse Dorogusker—a former Director of Engineering at Apple and developer of the Lightning plug...
As iPad becomes more of a portable workhorse, the need for professional grade accessories drastically increases. Our own Jeff Benjamin swears by his iPad to muscle common tasks for his daily blogging needs. Of the most important professional additions, the keyboard rates at number one.
A virtual keyboard is perfect for portability. Software keyboards only take up screen space, but do not take up space in a travel bag or add weight. They are equally as noticeable when trying to actually accomplish some real work. The Bluetooth keyboard is the answer for users looking to get extra mileage from their iPad Air. Inside, we give a short spotlight to some of the best iPad Air keyboards...
Now that Apple has finally updated its full-sized tablet with completely new dimensions, iPad Air owners are forced to update their cases, covers, and sleeves, too. I have been using the same Solar Keyboard Folio from Logitech since 2011.
Luckily, Logitech has recently revamped their line of keyboards, folios and cases to fit the thinner iPad Air. The FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad Air has been updated with more than just different dimensions. The case has been redesigned to be thinner, lighter and easier to use. Read on for our review of the Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad...
Following a round of a successful Kickstarter campaign I wrote about a year ago, the wonderful Slope iPad stand finally went on sale in early-November. Without sounding melodramatic, this is hands down one of the very finest tablet stands I have ever seen or tried.
A brainchild of Chicago-based designer Erik Kittlaus, the aluminum-clad Slope is wonderfully minimalistic. It resembles the base of an iMac stand and suspends your tablet mid-air using innovative technology which requires no moving parts.
Erik was kind enough to ship a review sample over. Having played with my Slope for the past week or so, I fell in love tremendously with it, so much so that it's quickly replaced Ozaki's iCarry Excavator as my primary iPad stand. Read my full review right below...
Good news today for folks still hunting for holiday gifts. If the person, or people, on your list own an iPad or another tablet, we might just have the perfect accessory bundle for you featuring the Just Mobile Slide Stand and AluPen Stylus.
The bundle includes a Slide Stand, an AluPen—both of which have won iF Product Design Awards—and an AluCube for holding the stylus. All 3 products are made of high quality aluminum and being offered at a discount for a limited time...
For those wondering, Erie, Colorado-based Magpul Industries Corporation designs and builds polymer firearms accessories and concept firearms.
As of late, they've been churning out semi-rigid phone accessories such as the colorful iPhone Field Case made from a durable thermoplastic designed to provide basic protection in the field.
If you're a fan of the accessory and wish it were available for the iPad mini, Magpul has you covered. Introducing the Magpul Field Case for the iPad mini. Like its iPhone counterpart, the iPad cover is made from the same durable thermoplastic and features PMAG-style ribs for added grip...
If you're in the market for a non-conventional keyboard case for your new iPad Air, you may want to check out this new offering from Moshi. The California-based accessory-maker introduced the origami-styled VersaKeyboard yesterday.
The case is interesting because it can be manipulated to work as a stand and comes equipped with an ultrathin detachable Bluetooth keyboard. It works in both landscape and portrait mode, and the keyboard has a battery life of 130 hours...
Steve Jobs once said, "If you see a stylus, they blew it" in regard to tablets which depend on the stylus as their primary means of input. That hasn't stopped the accessory industry from engineering dozens upon dozens differently shaped and sized styluses for use with popular tablet brands, Apple's iPad included.
Fifty-Three, the people who brought you the popular Paper drawing app, Apple's 2012 iPad App of the Year Editor's Choice, have been hard at work developing its upcoming Pencil stylus for quite some time. Last month, the gizmo surfaced in an FCC filing. Starting today, the $60 Bluetooth-enabled Pencil goes on sale...
I'm a big fan of TwelveSouth's work. Andrew and Leigh Ann and the team are good people who make stylish, Apple-exclusive accessories. The company's won me over with its BookBook series of cases for iPhones, iPads and Mac notebooks. I'm currently using their BookBook for MacBook Air which looks a lot like a Harry Potter spell book, along with the BookBook for iPhone that doubles as my wallet for cash, credit cards, IDs and stuff like that.
But now, there's one carrying case to rule them all, the BookBook Journal. It may look like another vintage book, but this dapper, hardback leather case has compartments, pockets and adjustable bands to hold your iPad along with a bunch of accessories, such as power adapters, cables, USB drives, styluses, mice, earbuds or and more...