Accessories

Booq offers creative hardshell laptop sleeve and roomy backpack

Jim Gresham ∙ July 2, 2014

There are a few product categories with which I am obsessed – mugs, jackets, and backpacks. Thankfully, my position at iDB allows me to feed one of those addictions on a fairly regular basis. A good backpack is your best friend. While traveling, on the road, or sometimes heading into the office, your backpack is with you on a daily basis.

Proper weigh distribution, materials, zipper quality, and pockets are key features for a good bag. What accessories you choose to use with the bag is also important. Today, we take a closer look at the Booq Boa shift backpack and Booq Viper hardcase 13. The combination is a one-two punch for protecting the items most valuable to you, a MacBook, iPhone, and iPad...

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Kenu Airframe is the perfect dashboard companion for your iPhone

Jim Gresham ∙ July 1, 2014

Keeping iPhone within arm's reach while driving is not only convenient, but also a matter of life and death. Every day, people wreck their vehicles fumbling around for their smartphone while driving. There are many mounts on the market, offering easy access to a smart device. However, I would argue Kenu's Airframe is chart topping.

When designing a car mount, there are a few factors that must be considered: where is it going; how will it attach; what will it hold; is it portable. While portability is not the most important, the Airframe will easily detach and run with you to the next step. Airframe is a great solution in a small package...

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Seagate’s Backup Plus line offers various storage options in small package

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Seagate is the world's largest provider of external hard drives by volume. Personally, I have around five or more scattered around my home, office and desk--too many to attempt to round up for an accurate count. They make great LAN, portable, wireless, and desktop class storage. Of course Seagate makes internal drives as well, but my experience with them is less versed. As I have witnessed, assumedly along with others familiar with the product line, Seagate is now producing a more creative approach to an otherwise simple storage device.

External storage, as a whole, used to be a simple drag-and-drop venture. Arguably, it was a simpler time. I really appreciate the ability to just plug in a drive and drop stuff to it. However, with the advent of social media, home networking, and some creative thinking, external storage is now something much different. Considering the Seagate Backup Plus line of products, which I first discovered at CES 2014, social sharing and saving are now integrated with the drives...

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OtterBox launches Resurgence Power Case doubling your iPhone’s battery usage

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 23, 2014

As you know, OtterBox makes a myriad of smartphone cases for a living. The Fort Collins, Colorado based firm is perhaps best known for using military-grade rugged technology that offers exceptional protection for your devices in the harshest of environments.

They produce wallet cases, waterproof cases with Touch ID support (based on their acquisition of fellow case maker LifeProof) and everything in between. Their Defender and Symmetry cases, for instance have received pretty rave reviews.

Today, OtterBox is expanding its family of Power Cases with the addition of a new Resurgence series which combines more than two times the battery power for your device with OtterBox's trusted protection...

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iWatch to come in multiple designs with more than 10 sensors

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Hot on the heels of a report from Reuters yesterday regarding the iWatch, The Wall Street Journal has published a scoop of its own on Apple's oft-rumored smartwatch. The outlet agrees with some previous speculation, and offers up some new details on the device.

Citing sources familiar with the project, the site says Apple is planning multiple versions of its smartwatch. It's working on different designs, and sizes, in an effort to appeal to various tastes in fashion. It also adds that the watch will feature more than 10 built-in sensors...

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Divoom Voombox-Travel is an ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker for the outdoorsman

Joe Rossignol ∙ June 20, 2014

When I went to the Consumer Electronics Show last year, I was surprised at just how many companies in the iLounge Pavilion were showcasing wireless Bluetooth speakers. I've always questioned the purpose of these speakers, since I have a surround sound setup in my office or simply consider my MacBook Pro speakers to be good enough when I'm out and about.

A recent outdoor event in which I only had my iPhone on me quickly changed my perspective. If you've ever tried listening to music through the iPhone speakers, you probably agree that the smartphone sounds pretty awful. Thankfully, I had packed an ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker in my backpack. It's called the Divoom Voombox-Travel, and I offer a full review ahead… 

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Wikipad introduces new ‘Gamevice’ controller for iPad mini

Cody Lee ∙ June 18, 2014

Wikipad, the company behind last year's interesting-but-not-very-successful Android gaming tablet, has announced a new accessory for iOS devices today. It's called the Gamevice, and it's a decked out MFi game controller made specifically for the iPad mini.

The Gamevice was actually announced earlier this year for Android and Windows 8 tablets, but it appears to now be an iOS exclusive. As you can see it features a 2-piece cradle design, with the iPad mini in the middle, and slightly resembles a Wii U gamepad...

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Refurbished previous-generation Time Capsule now just $149

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

I'm a huge fan of Apple's wireless appliances and a longtime Time Capsule user. I have my first Time Capsule model lying around the office somewhere and my wallet still hurts remembering that I paid a whopping $600 for it some five years ago.

If you don't mind jumping on the previous-generation pre-owned hardware, the Refurbished Apple Store has now brought the price of the 2TB/3TB mid-2011 Time Capsule down to $149/$299, respectively...

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Nest Protect smoke alarm returns on store shelves, now just $99

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 17, 2014

Nest Labs, which Google is acquiring for $3.2 billion in cash, has resumed sales of its Nest Protect after recalling about 40,000 units in April over a safety bug with the smoke and carbon monoxide detector's Protect Wave feature potentially preventing the alarm from sounding.

The company has now disabled Protect Wave on existing devices via a software update while re-releasing a slightly tweaked device at a discounted price of $99 each, down from the previous price of $129...

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Giveaway: Enter to win I-MEGO MAZE Studio Headphones

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated June 22, 2014

iDownloadBlog is pleased to announce our latest giveaway of the I-MEGO MAZE Studio Headphones, valued at $139.99. The MAZE headphones launched just a few weeks ago, featuring a soft memory foam cushion, semi-transparent vinyl record-like deco plate, and an integrated metal slider. The pair have a patent pending design that aims to deliver enhanced acoustics. Read ahead for how to enter… 

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Meet Ringly, the smart ring that alerts you to iPhone notifications

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

At first glance, the Ringly appears to be an ordinary piece of jewelry. Slip it on your finger, and it looks and feels like a typical fashion ring. That all changes, however, when your iPhone receives a notification, as the ring begins to vibrate and light up.

Using the low energy Bluetooth standard, Ringly connects to your phone and sends you customized notifications through vibration and light. It's discreet enough for a meeting, but conspicuous enough that you'll never miss an important call or message...

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