Accessories

Quickdraw is a sturdy, magnetic Lightning cable alternative

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated May 19, 2014

I recently went on a road trip to Montréal, only realizing upon arrival that I had forgotten my official Lightning cable back home. With my iPhone running out of battery and no Apple Store within a short distance, I reluctantly purchased a third-party knockoff cable from a local electronics shop. In hindsight, it was a terrible decision. The cable barely worked and my iPhone constantly prompted me with compatibility warnings. It was a waste of both $20 and my time.

For that reason, I am enthusiastic about a new Kickstarter campaign for an upcoming product called the Quickdraw Cable by Woodford Design. It is hard to get excited over a simple cable accessory, but the Quickdraw has several advantages over a traditional Lightning connector and most third-party knockoffs. For starters, the one-meter cable is crafted with anodized aluminum plugs that are high quality and sturdy. That includes both strong cable strain relief and a waterproof design…

Lunecase for iPhone uses electromagnetic energy to display LED alerts

Cody Lee ∙ April 30, 2014

An interesting new iPhone case is garnering some attention in the tech world right now. It's called the Lunecase, and it features a built-in LED alert system that can let you know when you are receiving a phone call or text message via a glowing icon.

That may not sound like a big deal, but the real trick is that it's able to do this completely wirelessly, without the need for any batteries or a connection to your iPhone. And it pulls this off by utilizing the electromagnetic energy emitted by the device...

iWatch said to be entering production ahead of fall launch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

According to a new report from the China Times, Apple's manufacturing partners have begun producing the iWatch. Citing supply chain sources, the outlet says that the company's highly anticipated smartwatch has entered production in small quantities ahead of an expected fall launch.

The report echoes previous chatter, which has mostly pointed to a fall iWatch release up to this point. It also lines up with predictions from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo earlier this month, claiming that the wearable will be built using system-in-package modules, instead of PCBs...

Case maker’s iPhone 6 renderings show thin design, rear antenna cutouts

Cody Lee ∙ April 26, 2014

A new set of alleged 'iPhone 6' renderings surfaced online yesterday. The images come from Ukrainian website UkrainianiPhone, and the device depicted in them matches up with most everything we've seen thus far on the handset, including its relocated Sleep/Week button and circular iSight flash.

There is one noticeable difference, though, between this iPhone 6 model and the ones that we've seen in the past, and it has to do with the rear shell. Up until now, all of the renderings we've seen have shown a solid back cover. But these new shots suggest that Apple is leaving breaks for the antenna...

Nike CEO talks new focus on software for wearables, excited about future with Apple

Cody Lee ∙ April 25, 2014

Following the news last week that Nike is gearing up to shutter its wearable hardware efforts, CEO Mark Parker appeared on CNBC today to talk about the new direction. Parker says the company's goal is to expand the FuelBand system, and that software and strategic partnerships will help them with that.

Obviously, he couldn't say anything directly about the rumors that Nike is teaming up with Apple on a product, but Parker did note that the two companies have been working together for a long time. And when pressed about the speculation, he said that [Nike] is 'excited' about the future of the relationship...

Alleged iPhone 6 case compared to Nexus 5, Galaxy Note 3 in new video

Cody Lee ∙ April 24, 2014

We don't know if they're real or not, but a number of cases supposedly made for the next iPhone have surfaced online in the past few weeks. It seems like they are all based on the 'iPhone 6' schematic drawing published last month, depicting a thin handset with rounded corners and a large display.

Today we get a better idea of the purported device's size thanks to a new comparison video by Unbox Therapy. The clip shows how one of these iPhone 6 cases stacks up against other popular smartphones—including the iPhone 5s, Nexus 5 and the Galaxy Note 3—in terms of various measurements...

Logitech announces new, slimmer version of its Ultrathin iPad keyboard case

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

In response to the recent release of Office for iPad, Logitech yesterday announced a new version of its wildly popular Ultrathin iPad keyboard case. The new version improves on the design of its predecessor, with a thinner, lighter and more flexible design.

If you haven't seen an Ultrathin before, it's a Bluetooth keyboard for your iPad that doubles as a protective cover. It's designed from aluminum to match the rear casing of Apple’s tablet, and the keyboard offers comfortable key spacing and iOS shortcuts...

Bluelounge Jimi solves an iMac USB problem you might have encountered

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Loads of Apple accessories debuted at CES 2014, but one of my favorites was the Jimi by Bluelounge. Simply, "putting your iMac USB port within reach, Jimi is a j-shaped, USB port extension for your iMac to bring your USB port forward, allowing easy access." It is fairly straight forward and, after a pause, genius.

It is rare to so strategically pinpoint little nuances to everyday uses of Apple devices. Bluelounge specializes in these minute details, solving issues we gradually came to accept over time. I resorted to spinning my iMac around each time I wanted to access the USB ports. With an additional monitor on each side of my iMac, adding anything to the port required me to carefully pull my iMac forward and gently turn it to one side. Sometimes, I resorted to reach over the monitor, blindly cramming my cables into the aluminum back. My reckless behavior is no more, thanks to the Jimi...

G-PAD silicone sleeve throws your iPhone back to Game Boy days

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

A new IndieGoGo campaign created by Aws Jan wants to throw you back to the 1990s by turning your iPhone into a Game Boy using a silicone rubber game pad sleeve.

The G-PAD sleeve is intended for the GBA4iOS emulator that has been making its rounds in high schools across the world, as teenagers and young adults want to relive their childhoods by playing Game Boy games. What's more convenient than playing from their iPhone?

Alpine’s upcoming $500-$700 CarPlay aftermarket kits arriving this Fall

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 14, 2014

CarPlay, Apple's in-car system formerly known as iOS in the Car, launched last month requiring an iPhone running iOS 7.1 and one of the compatible 2014 cars from Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Volvo. A bunch of other car vendors have promised to bring support for CarPlay to their vehicles throughout 2014, but not everyone is rich enough to buy a brand new car just to enjoy CarPlay.

Pioneer Electronics is reportedly considering rolling out CarPlay aftermarket kits for older vehicles and Mercedes-Benz has similar plans of its own. And now, car electronics manufacturer Alpine is said to offer CarPlay aftermarket kits in the United States and Europe this Fall, with a cost of around $500 to $700...

Clic: the elegant case that’s barely there

Jim Gresham ∙ April 12, 2014

I have tested many, many cases in my short two year term as a hardware review editor. The one genre of case that I have seen overdone, rinsed and repeated, is the simple clip case. Almost every iPhone hardware company as one. The generic, little flimsy, thin-as-possible case that is just there to keep your phone from getting scratched up.

The trouble with these simple, small, thin cases is lack of detail and, really, passion. Companies seem to pass the thin do-nothing case as their last item at the trash can's bottom. They just produce it because it is a cheap, quick way to make a buck from people just wanting a simple solution. Native Union is here to correct those notions and is really killing it with their Clic...

Alleged iPhone 6 cases surface in two different sizes

Cody Lee ∙ April 11, 2014

Most of the reports we've seen thus far regarding the iPhone 6 have pointed to two separate models: one with a 4.7-inch display and one with a 5.5-inch. It's possible that Apple is simply testing two different designs, and only plans on releasing one, but the consensus is that both models will make it to market.

Adding evidence to that theory is a new photograph, which surfaced online earlier today, of what are supposed to be two iPhone 6 cases. It's hard to tell how big they are, but it's being said that they were made to fit new, larger iPhones, and there's a mysterious cutout on the left-hand side of each of the cases...