Accessories

The ZOpro: a thin iPhone case with built-in charging cable

We all know the scenario. You're away from home, with no charger, and your iPhone just alerted you that its battery is now down to a measly 10%. What do you do?

Well, if you had the new ZOpro case on your iPhone, you could use its integrated charger to breath life back into your handset. But wait, what's a ZOpro case?

First look at the new iPad mini Smart Cover

Although the iPad mini won't start hitting shelves and doorsteps until this Friday, it appears the Cupertino company has decided to go ahead and start shipping the tablet's accessories. Earlier this afternoon, my local FedEx driver dropped off this little guy: a Dark Grey polyurethane iPad mini Smart Cover.

At first glance, the smaller Cover may seem like an exact replica of its larger sibling. But there's one significant difference between the two, and that's the hinges. Instead of using a bare metal hinge, like it does in the full-sized Smart Cover, Apple used a covered hinge in the mini version. So there's no metal on metal...

Meet the Hue, an overpriced app-controlled lightbulb from Philips

How about a lightbulb that lets you personalize lighting settings and timers while you're out, just by using an app for your iPhone or iPad? That's what Philips set out to achieve with the Hue, "the world’s smartest LED bulb”, that it says consumes eighty percent less power than traditional bulbs. What's more, the Hue uses the open ZigBee Light Link standard, allowing it to be integrated with other ZigBee certified systems.

The free app for iOS and Android devices invites you to change settings, pick any color for any of your bulbs or group them together to create moody presets. You can also program your bulb to turn on and off at different times of day and more.

Conveniently, the Hue is set to hit Apple stores on an exclusive basis starting tomorrow, October 30. That Philips is in a rush to release this product with a little help from one of the world's most powerful brands actually speaks volume about the popular Lifx project which has already raised $1.3+ million on Kickstarter.

At any rate, the Hue doesn't come cheap, which is a real downer. Read on for additional details and a nice promo clip...

BooKase stitches Italian quality into its iPad sleeves

I always keep an eye open for professional grade products, when scouring the internet for review materials and products. The BooKase website is a simplistic and unsuspecting front page advertisement for what amounted to an excellent iPad sleeve. Offering several options for both iPad and iPhone, I chose to review the Colorado collection designed for iPad and quickly fell for the simplicity and quality.

BooKase products are designed in California and produced in Italy. Placing importance on design-build, the materials are eco-friendly and washable to ensure a minimal footprint while offering easy-to-use protection...

Unofficial Lightning cables and adapters shipping November 3 for half the price

iPhone5Mod previously released an interesting iPhone 5 Flash Lightning Dock, its first unauthorized Lightning-equipped accessory, and recently announced a nice backplate replacement for your iPhone 5. Today, they're launching three new Lightning accessories set to ship November 3. Of course, these unsanctioned cables and adapters lure with low prices that significantly undercut Apple's comparable offerings (think a 50 percent discount or more). We've got more information and nice promo clips right past the fold...

Apple posts iPad mini Smart Cover video to YouTube

During its iPad mini event today, Apple introduced a new accessory: the iPad mini Smart Cover. It's essentially the same thing as the larger version, except there's no more metal hinge.

Alongside the announcement, Apple also showed off a rather well done TV commercial starring the new Covers. And a few moments ago, they published the spot to YouTube...

Meet the $39 iPad mini Smart Cover

As you probably know by now, the iPad mini finally materialized this morning. Apple's SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller unveiled the long-rumored tablet at the company's San Jose media event.

Pre-orders begin this Friday, October 26th, and Wi-Fi models will start shipping on November 2nd. And if you're looking for a way to protect your $300 investment, Apple has you covered...

Apple Stores now carrying iPhone 5 cases

Accessories for Apple's latest smartphone are extremely hard to find right now. Not only does the iPhone 5 have a different dock connector, but it's also larger than its predecessor, making most cases and add-ons obsolete.

But we have some good news today, at least for the folks looking for a cover to protect their new handset. Reports are coming in this weekend that Apple has started stocking its retail stores with iPhone 5 cases...

Scuffgate? Here’s your iPhone 5 backplate replacement

When it comes to the iPhone 5, yours truly is one to suffer from a severe case of panic disorder stemming from Scuffgate. I, for one, happen to believe that it's real. And even though Scuffgate has definitely been blown way out of proportion, I can't shrug off fear that my iPhone 5 will arrive with nicks and scuffs out-of-the-box or scratch itself if I look at it the wrong way.

As a rule of thumb, I more often than not attempt to mitigate the scuffing issue by opting for white gadgets because scratches from "normal" wear and tear are less visible (by the way, what's your color of choice for Apple gear?). Still, the fact remains that the iPhone 5's anodized aluminum casing is arguably the worst choice from the wear and tear standpoint.

Chances are you too at some point will no longer be able to stand dings and scratches on your brand spanking new iPhone 5. Luckily, there's a solution. Remember those backplate parts that had been leaking in the weeks and months preceding the iPhone 5 announcement? That's right...

iMpulse: an iOS gamepad that fits on your keychain

It seems like iOS game controllers are a dime a dozen these days. There's the iControlPad 2, the iCade 8-Bitty and the Bladepad, to name a few. But we still haven't seen a single controller pull ahead of the pack.

And that's a good thing — at least for accessory-makers anyway. It means that the controller market is still anyone's game. That being said, we've got another one to show you today, and it's called the iMpulse...

Colcasac wraps your iPhone in a snuggly hemp sleeve [review and giveaway]

As precious as your iPhone is, you still love to use it naked... not that you're naked, I mean case-less. Using an iPhone the way Steve wanted you to tends to leave a concern for scratching and flaking anodized aluminum, which several iPhone 5 users have noticed. When tossing an iPhone in a backpack, duffle bag, or purse, there is always potential for scratching. Consequently, I prefer to use luggage or packs with dedicated gadget pockets that are lined with protective fabrics, but that is not always an option. ColcaSac is here to help case-less iPhone users with their hand sewn organic, hemp sleeves and we're here to give away 5 of them...

The iExpander puts your iPhone on steroids

Do you ever wish your iPhone had better battery life, or expandable storage? How about a brighter flash, so it could take better pictures in low-light situations? Well let me introduce you to the iExpander.

The iExpander is a case for your iPhone that, believe or not, does all of these things. It has a built-in battery, a micro SD card slot, and an enhanced flash. Like the title says, it's like steroids for your iPhone...