MFI

Nomad’s new Lightning cables cross durability with function

When you decide to pick up another Lightning cable for your iPhone or iPad, you could choose to go chintzy with another OEM cable that’ll just wear out again in no time at all, or you can go with a beefier option that will have a much longer operating life.

Nomad offers an awesome lineup of MFi-certified heavy duty ballistic 1,000D nylon braided lightning cables that are reinforced with K-29 Kevlar. But what makes these different from the competition?

OtterBox uniVERSE review: the Swiss army knife of iPhone cases

Many people who have cases on their iPhones know that not every accessory will work with it. Some cases are too thick to allow for some accessories, don’t have the room for larger port connectors, or simply aren’t compatible with other accessories because they conflict.

OtterBox wanted to do something about this without compromising your iPhone’s protection. Hence, the OtterBox uniVERSE system was created. We’ll take a look at the OtterBox uniVERSE case system in this review, along with some of the compatible accessories.

Apple supplier Cirrus Logic releases MFi Lightning headphone development kit

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.

Food for thought: is 3.5mm audio plug the new floppy drive?

Responding to Nilay Patel’s controversial article on The Verge, titled “Taking the Headphone Jack Off Phones Is User-Hostile and Stupid”, Daring Fireball’s John Gruber pulls out the floppy drive analogy.

As you know, the next iPhone is rumored to ditch the industry-standard 3.5mm jack in favor of Bluetooth and Lightning-based headphones.

Gruber goes on to compare Nilay’s arguments against removing the century-old analog jack from mobile devices to the similar arguments that had been made in response to Apple’s decision to ditch the good ol’ floppy drive from the iMac in 1998 for USB.

Review: SteelSeries Nimbus Wireless Controller

If you want to do serious gaming on the Apple TV, then using a wireless Bluetooth controller isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. Yes, Apple controversially made it a requirement for all games on its platform to support the Siri Remote, but that’s not going to cut it for any game with an even mildly complex control scheme.

Games like Alto’s Adventure and Mr. Jump play perfectly fine, and are even suited for the Siri Remote, but in most cases, you’re definitely going to want a controller as an option.

Unfortunately, there is no Apple-branded controller to speak of, but Apple did co-design a controller with the help of SteelSeries. The result of that partnership is the SteelSeries Nimbus, and Apple is promoting this controller as the de facto standard alternative input device for the Apple TV.

All of that considered, while there are other 3rd-party Bluetooth controllers that work with the Apple TV, the most obvious choice is the SteelSeries Nimbus.

I purchased a Nimbus on day one, and have been playing with it for weeks. Is the $49.99 controller worth your time and hard-earned money? Is it really the best way to control games on the Apple TV?

tvOS App Store is conveniently flagging gamepad-enabled apps

Unlike the regular App Store for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad application, a brand new tvOS App Store for Apple’s latest fourth-generation Apple TV makes it easy to distinguish at-a-glance between games that offer support for ‘Made for iOS’ (MFi) gamepads and game controllers and those that don’t.

As first observed by AppleInsider over the weekend, not only does the device’s App Store storefront app clearly states whether or not a game supports dedicated MFi game controllers, but compatible controllers can be used to navigate across the entirety of tvOS.

Keep your iPhone 6 charged at a distance with Bolse’s Cloth Jacketed Lightning Cable

There are two things wrong with Apple’s Lightning cable. One is that the cord is just not long enough to be useful. The other is that it tends to tangle when not properly stored.

Bolse solves both of those problems with a six-foot MFi certified cord that is covered in a high-quality nylon jacket so you can plug your iPhone 6 into the wall and still use it while sitting on the couch.

Review: Sennheiser ClipMic digital and Apogee MetaRecorder

As many of you guys know, I’m fairly involved in audio and video when it comes to producing content for iDownloadBlog. As someone who co-produces multiple podcasts each week, I’m especially fond of audio, and any new product that surfaces that could possibly give my audio game a boost is on my radar.
One such product is Sennheiser’s new ClipMic digital ($199 on Amazon). It’s a lavalier mic that connects directly to the iPhone via its MFi certified Lightning connector. With the ClipMic digital, you can basically transform your iPhone into a high quality audio recorder…

Apple to allow third-party Apple Watch accessories that integrate inductive charging pads

Apple has changed the terms of its ‘Made for Apple Watch’ licensing program to allow accessory makers to integrate charging pads directly into third-party docks and stands for the Apple Watch, 9to5Mac reported Thursday.

Currently, makers of Apple Watch stands and docks are prohibited from providing Apple Watch charging pads so, for example, stands like Twelve South’s HiRise for Apple Watch typically have an opening into which users themselves must insert the charging pad that came with their Apple Watch.