Accessories

Blue Debuts New Microphones for iOS Devices

With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) taking over Las Vegas this week, we're expecting to see an onslaught of new iOS-aimed hardware and accessories. A lot of manufacturers use the convention to show off their latest creations.

And it looks like one of those manufacturers will be Blue Microphones, the popular USB Microphone-maker. The company is looking to step outside its scope of professional desktop equipment and venture into iOS gear....

Gametel Gamepad Now Compatible With iOS Devices

Considering how popular iOS has become as a mobile gaming platform, you would think that the market for iOS gaming accessories would be huge, but it's really not. The iOS gaming peripheral space is actually quite small.

But it is slowly growing, thanks to notable accessories like the iCade, the iControlPad, and now the Gametel Gamepad. The once Android-only wireless controller is all set to make its iOS debut at the Consumer Electronics Show next week...

iPad Survives 100,000 Foot Fall With G-Form Case

Until last year, G-Form was known for its extreme sports protective gear (elbow/knee pads). Then it introduced the Extreme Sleeve case for iPad, and it is now known for making one of the most durable tablet cases around.

The company has gone through great lengths to demonstrate the Sleeve's toughness, dropping a bowling ball on an iPad wrapped in the case, and even hurling one from an airplane. And now it's taken things to a whole new level...

TidyTilt: A Smart Cover for the iPhone

Smart Covers are awesome! If you own an iPad 2 then you just absolutely, positively must own a Smart Cover. It's a stand. It's a cover. It's smart. What's not to like?

We're not really sure why Apple hasn't made a similar accessory for the iPhone, but there is a new Kickstarter project that's proposing an iPhone-optimized Smart Cover with a unique twist.

In fact, the TidyTilt even has one or two tricks up its sleeve. Tricks that mean the project has already met its modest $10,000 goal, raising $47,000 to date.

This is What a $10,000 iPhone Case Looks Like

Are you tired of your iPhone looking like everyone else's? Are you looking for a case that not only sets your handset apart from all of the others, but also says "hey look at me, I'm filthy rich?"

If you answered yes to either of the above questions, and happen to have 10K laying around, you might be interested in Miansai's solid gold iPhone case. The company's made-to-order 14K gold cover is one of the most extravagant in the world...

60beat’s $50 iOS GamePad Controller Brings the Console Experience to Mobile

iOS is growing to be a major player in the gaming space. When you are selling as many iPhones and iPads as Apple is, not to mention iPod touches, then it is almost an inevitability that your own App Store is going to become a mecca for all manner of games.

With its touch-based interface and huge screen, the iPad in particular has become something of a giant in the mobile gaming world, but the same touch screen that is is biggest strength can also be its biggest weakness. That's why this new accessory really caught our eye.

Coming from accessory company 60beat, this new controller gives gamers a more familiar way of controlling their games. If iOS gaming is to truly take over, then there needs to be a natural way to play traditional games, and that natural way involves a couple of thumbsticks and some hardware buttons.

Griffin HeloTC iOS-Controlled Helicopter Review

The market for iOS-controlled vehicles has become rather crowded over the last 12 months. We've seen everything from robots to helicopters and everything in between. But most of these remote control devices are usually too pricey to go mainstream.

Griffin's Helo TC  breaks that mold by being one of the first iOS RC vehicles under $50. And although it has been available for a few months now, I just recently got my hands on one.

Cregle iPen is the Only iPad Stylus You’ll Ever Want

The humble stylus is something of a polarising accessory for iPad fans. With Steve Jobs famously being very anti-stylus, many Apple devotees look down on the pen-like writing device. But should they?

With the iPad proving so popular in many business situations, being able to write – and draw – precisely is a feature that many of us would love. Yes, there are styluses (or is it styli?) already out for for iPad owners, but if you've ever used one you will know that they have two major drawbacks: an unusually large nib, and their inability to work when your hand is resting on the screen.

Now a Kickstarter project is aiming to fix both problems, and if the videos are anything to go by, Cregle's iPen may well be the solution we have been looking for...

HEX Code iPhone Wallet Case Review

Ever since I saw Twelve South's BookBook, I've wanted an iPhone wallet case. As a carrier of both an iPhone and a wallet, the convenience of combining the two was rather appealing.

But other than Twelve South's case, there didn't seem to be a lot of viable options available. And I didn't necessarily like how the BookBook case, well, looked like a book. Luckily, I recently discovered the HEX Code Wallet Case.

Fight Crime Like Batman and Check Facebook With This Unique iPhone Dock

iPhone docks are usually pretty straight-forward accessories. Some have attached speakers, some have built-in alarm clocks, and some even have external screens to watch videos.

But the BodyGuard by ArmStar, as you can see in the above picture, is anything but usual. This wearable iPhone dock is made from kevlar armor and contains several crime-fighting gadgets...

Use Your iPhone to Open Beer Bottles With Opena Case

Multi-functional iPhone cases seem to be all the rage these days. Just look at the iPhone wallet. We've seen more than a few case-makers churn out iPhone case/money-holders in an effort to ride the trend.

Now we've come across a different kind of multi-purpose iPhone case. The Opena Case not only protects your precious handset from nasty falls, but it can also help you pop the top off of your favorite beverage.

Improve Your 3G iPad’s Battery Life With This New Case

Interesting news from Ars Technica tells us that the iPad has a proximity sensor, just like the iPhone. The 36-equipped iPad's sensor is there to tell the tablet when to dial back its cellular radio. Why, you ask? According to the report, Apple doesn't want the radio running full tilt when it is close to a human.

This sensor is also triggered by some iPad cases, meaning that 3G iPads may spend most of their time with their 3G radios running for no good reason. That's where a new iPad case comes into play...