Review

BooKase stitches Italian quality into its iPad sleeves

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

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...

Mosaic lets you create beautiful photo books from your iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ October 22, 2012

It's funny how things happen in life. A couple weeks ago, I was telling my wife that I would like to start putting together photo books of our daughter on a monthly basis, right from my iPhone, but without spending hours putting them up together. At the time, I told my wife that to my knowledge, there was no such app that would allow me to publish photo books in just a few minutes.

Then, as if they had heard me, the fine folks at Mosaic emailed me to let me know about their upcoming app and printing service, which lets you create beautiful printable photo books in a matter of minutes. I was definitely sold on the idea, but I still had to try it for myself.

I was sent an early release of the app, as well as a coupon code worth $26.50, which equals to $20 for the photo album, and $6.50 for shipping charges. With this loaded on my iPhone, I was really excited about the opportunity to try on this new service...

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

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated October 22, 2017

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...

iPod touch 5th generation review

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

I never planned on purchasing a new iPod touch, but the impulse bug got me. I bought one last year for testing purposes. But despite that justification, I still had buyers remorse soon afterwards. That's how bad the iPod touch 4th generation was. It lacked power, had a terrible screen, and the design was, well, disgusting.

But when Apple showed off the new iPod touch hardware last month, my interest was piqued. Still reeling, though, from the 4th generation product, I kept myself from getting too excited about it.

Unfortunately (thankfully?) I struggle to control myself when it comes to Apple product purchases. But that lack of control allowed me to witness first hand a marvelous turnaround to the iPod touch line. Yes, the iPod touch 5th generation shares little with the previous generation hardware, and that's a good thing.

Indeed, the new iPod touch is — wow — it's actually good. I mean, it's really good. If you haven't yet seen it in person, you owe it to yourself to check out this review...

This is the best screen protector for your iPhone 5

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

A few months ago, I reviewed the GLAS.t for iPhone 4S. At the time, I believed it to be the best screen protector for iPhone. Fast forward to this date, and I still have yet to see a better alternative to protect the screen of your iPhone.

If the iPhone has changed since my original GLAS.t review, something that hasn't changed is the quality and reliability of the screen protector. The folks at Spigen SGP are pretty smart. They know I love their products so they sent me a GLAS.t for iPhone 5 for review. Spoiler alert: it's 99% positive...

SuperRope climbs its way up my list of top games

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

The best part of all everlasting iOS games is quick, addicting fun. In addition, easy controls and a lovable list of protagonists are always part of the equation. The Doodle Jumps and Cut the Ropes of the world all have a quick learning curve and endless fun with a little bit of complication.

The newest edition to the clan was launched around a year ago, but was updated earlier this month and has yet to hit primetime. Perhaps, let me be the first to introduce you to SuperRope, the hot new game, that isn't quite new, or hot. Yet...

The Lance Daypack helps you organize your mobile life while on the go

Jim Gresham ∙ October 9, 2012

To begin, I will start with a disclaimer. I love backpacks, own five of them. Each of the packs has a specific purpose and I'm always on the lookout for another specific bag to fit an individual need. When approached to review the ECBC Lance B7103 daypack, I jumped at the opportunity because I was looking for a workhorse backpack for my electronic gadgets.

Catching a glimpse of the internal pocket system in the B7103, it was love at first sight, but it faded quickly. After spending a weekend on the road, some very excellent features of the bag made mobile life more organized, but some specific features seemed to be missing...

Rokform brings its v3 case system to the iPad [review and giveaway]

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

If you follow our review and giveaway sections, you are familiar with Rokform's v3 accessory system for iPhone. For a short recap, the v3 accessory system integrates with the iPhone v3 cases making a wide arrange of additional accessories lock into the existing case. As the RokLock iPad case hits the market, there are two new pieces available specifically for the iPad system, which help mount your iPad most anywhere.

The RokLock is an injection molded polycarbonate slider case for iPad and iPad 2. The beefy case is excellent for protection and the remote mounting system keeps your device locked into place. We are thankful to our friends at Rokform for sending us one for review and you could win one for yourself too...

Incipio’s DualPro case with silicone core will protect your iPhone 5

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Spanning three continents, like the old British empire, the Sun never sets on Incipio, allowing them to operate 24 hours per day. Their tireless approach makes them a world-wide leader in fresh and innovative designs that protect and enhance our mobile devices.

Incipio pushed an iPhone 5 accessory line concurrently with the release of the iPhone last Friday, and I was thankful to not only get a FedEx box with my shiny new iPhone, but also received a care package from my friend at Incipio with a DualPro inside. I am pumped about this new case and plan on using it frequently...

The HackStore is a viable alternative to the Mac App Store [sponsored]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 16, 2017

Back in April, a handful of developers launched the HackStore, an alternative to the Mac App Store. Similar to Cydia for iOS, the HackStore hosts third-party Mac applications that for one reason or another didn't make it past Apple's approval process.

In our first take, we noted that while the Store looked good, it needed some work. It was a bit buggy, and only contained around 50 apps. But after nearly 6 months and a number of updates, we figured it was time to give the HackStore another run-through...

Consumer Reports gives iPhone 5 a thumbs-up

Cody Lee ∙ September 24, 2012

Consumer Reports is an 80+ year-old American magazine that publishes reviews and opinions on new consumer products and services. It's physical publication has more than 7 million monthly subscribers and is highly regarded among shoppers.

The magazine has quite a history with Apple, once giving the iPhone 4 a "cannot recommend status," back in 2010, and then sensationalizing the iPad 3's overheating issue earlier this year. But as it turns out, it actually really likes the iPhone 5...

An iOS 6 review from a jailbreaker’s perspective

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 7, 2024

I know everyone may not agree with this, but I think iOS 6 is worth ditching a jailbreak for, at least temporarily until a jailbreak surfaces. People that say you can get all of iOS 6's features with a jailbroken version of iOS 5 are kidding themselves.

iOS 6 is an interesting piece of work, and it's available now. The biggest story about iOS 6 is Apple’s banishing Google from nearly all facets of the OS. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the new Maps app — arguably the biggest feature of iOS 6.

Some claim that Google’s demotion within the Apple ecosystem is actually a step back for iOS, but I say otherwise. After months of usage, it’s clear that iOS users are much better off with an Apple designed Maps app. The Flyover (3D maps) option contained within iOS 6 shows promise, but without a doubt the inclusion of turn-by-turn navigation is my most used feature. Combined with Siri voice commands, it works gloriously...