Accessories

ThinCharge for iPhone review: an extremely slim battery case with a few big caveats

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

A lot of manufacturers like to claim they make “thin” iPhone battery cases, but it’s really just a marketing gimmick. I’ve tried dozens of iPhone cases with built-in battery packs over the years, and despite having words like “ultra-slim” and “air” in their branding, most of them were still far too bulky to carry on a daily basis.

Enter the ThinCharge case by ChargeTech. The company sells the case as the “thinnest iPhone 6/6s battery case on the market,” and I have to say they might be right. I’ve been using the case on and off for the past several weeks, and I can confidently say that this is—by far—the thinnest iPhone battery case I’ve ever tried.

How thin are we talking? Well the case itself measures just 11mm thick. So if you consider that the iPhone 6s is 7.1mm thick, then the ThinCharge is only adding around 3.9mm of thickness, which is super impressive. Additionally, there’s no ugly chin to be found down around the Lightning port, like on most other cases.

Having said all of this, the ThinCharge is no where near perfect. I ran into multiple issues during my testing, including slow charging rates for both the case and my iPhone, as well as a finicky cover over the charging port and other annoyances. So is the thinness of the case worth these caveats? Read on for my full review.

VIDEO: is Apple adding 3D Touch to iPad with Apple Pencil?

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 15, 2016

Many people are disappointed that the latest iPads lack 3D Touch-capable screens although it's anyone's guess whether or not 3D Touch would make sense on tablet-sized screens. Well, iOS 10 beta 2 apparently has 3D Touch-like functionality on the iPad thanks to the Apple Pencil, which has been discovered to support deep presses.

Using an Apple Pencil, it's possible to do things like clear all notifications with a deep press on the latest beta of iOS 10. Check out our video showing the feature in action and, as usually, let us know what you guys think of this.

Fully assembled Lightning-based EarPods shown on leaked images

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 13, 2016

Last month, a batch of photographs out of China claiming to depict a Lightning-based version of Apple’s standard EarPods headphones left us scratching our head due to the product's sketchy appearance. But now, French blog NowhereElse.fr points us to another set of leaked images, originally posted on the Chinese social network Weibo, that ostensibly show off a fully assembled EarPods headphones with a Lightning connector.

UPDATE: confirmed as fake.

Nintendo considering developing physical controllers for mobile devices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

Nintendo plans to push further into development for smart devices, and is exploring the idea of hardware, the company said during its annual shareholders meeting. Polygon passes along comments made by Nintendo's GM of entertainment planning and development during the meeting, in which he said the game-maker is considering building physical controllers for smartphones and tablets.

Long exposure and time-lapse photography made easy with updated Pocket Tripod

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 30, 2016

Pocket Tripod, a credit card sized phone holder that started as a Kickstarter project in 2013, has been updated to accommodate iPhones and Android smartphones of all sizes, with or without a case. Created by Geometrical Inc.‘s Rambod Radmard, this tremendously useful accessory fits in your wallet and unfolds into a phone stand.

More importantly, it doubles as a mini-tripod for times when you need your iPhone's camera to be steady. The updated version is expected to ship in October.

Apple supplier Cirrus Logic releases MFi Lightning headphone development kit

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 29, 2016

Apple supplier Cirrus Logic, which provides audio chips for iPhones, iPads and iPod touches, today released a software development kit for third-party vendors who wish to build Lightning-based headphones under the 'Made for iOS' (MFi) program.

iOS already supports headphones based on the proprietary Lightning connector, some of which are sold by Apple itself. As you know, the next iPhone is widely expected to drop the standard 3.5mm jack in favor of Bluetooth and Lightning headphones.

Photographs of claimed Lightning-based EarPods leak on the web

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 29, 2016

A sketchy photograph just surfaced on the Chinese microblogging service Weibo, appearing to show off a Lightning-based version of Apple's standard EarPods headphones. As you know, Apple is widely expected to ditch the 3.5mm analog audio jack on the next iPhone in favor of wireless headphones via Bluetooth and all-digital wired headphones based on Apple's proprietary Lightning connector.

Check out rainbow Apple Watch strap Apple gave to employees

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 27, 2016

Showing support for gay rights, Apple employees who over the weekend participated in San Francisco’s LGBT Pride festival were treated to a custom rainbow strap for the Apple Watch. Reddit user 'Sakusuhon' kindly posted an image of the limited-edition rainbow-colored strap Apple included along with a greeting card to show its appreciation for those who attended the San Francisco event.

Twelve South’s BookArc is a lightweight and stylish Apple notebook stand

Anthony Bouchard ∙ June 24, 2016

I like me a good notebook stand for the simple fact that it helps clear unwanted clutter from my desk when I need it for something other than a computer. Plus, it kind of organizes things and makes everything look neater.

Twelve South is probably one of the best brand names you can buy for this sort of thing, and in this review, we'll be showing you the Twelve South BookArc for all models of Apple's MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro.

tvOS 10 tidbit: download prompt for companion apps for your Bluetooth accessories

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 22, 2016

In addition to helping you manage your HomeKit accessories remotely through the fourth-generation Apple TV, tvOS 10 beta also packs in expanded support for a wider variety of Bluetooth accessories. It's interesting that after connecting an accessory to the Apple TV, tvOS 10 puts up a prompt offering a user to download a companion App Store app.

The same hardware accessories download prompt first appeared on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch following the iOS 3 software update back in September 2009, but this is the first time we've seen it implemented on tvOS.

Twelve South’s most popular iPad stand, Compass 2, now available in Gold and Rose Gold

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 21, 2016

Compass 2, a compact, ultra-portable iPad stand from the United States-based premium accessory vendor Twelve South, is now available in two new colorways to match your Gold or Rose Gold Apple tablet. The accessory is designed to work with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro and all generations of the iPad Air and iPad mini, in both landscape and portrait mode. The new Gold and Rose Gold editions of the Compass 2 are now available for $39.99 a pop each on Amazon and via Twelve South's web store.

Former Apple engineers create a $500 rearview vehicle camera with smart features

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 9, 2017

About 50 former Apple employees now work for a startup, called Pearl, which was co-founded by three former Apple engineers (Joseph Fisher, Brian Sander and Bryson Gardner) who had spent decades helping develop some of the most iconic Apple devices like iPods and iPhones. For the past two years, Pearl has been working on its first product, a smart rearview vehicle camera, which unveiled this morning.