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I’d like to tell you about two items I received from ID America to review. The first is a creative case for the iPhone 5, the The Cushi DJ ($14.95). It is not your typical case, arriving with seven items in the package: a Cushi soft foam pad for the back; band for the edges; soft foam pad for the front; home button; screen protective film; installation squeegee; and microfiber cleaning cloth. As you can see, the Cushi DJ has you covered on every surface. It looks like a retro turntable in miniature.
As you may recall, T-Mobile began offering the iPhone 5 in April, and unlike other carriers, your phone comes without a contract. You pay $99 down and $20 per month for two years. And according to AppleInsider (via TmoNews), this weekend T-Mobile is offering a special deal for Mother's Day: trade in your old iPhone 4 or 4S, and T-Mobile will give you the iPhone 5 for $0 down. In order to an acceptable trade-in, your old phone must be in working order: name, be able to be turned out, not have a cracked screen, and not have any physical or water damage.
A relatively new player in the mini speaker market, bēm has several offerings. The one I was sent to review today is the bēm Mobile Speaker ($69.99), a single cube about 2.75 inches to each side. It is sheathed in a rubberized housing to protect it from bumps and drops. It feels good in your hand as well. It hooks up to just about any Bluetooth-compatible device such as the iPhone, iPad, tablet or any smartphone. It has both an auxiliary input and output, so it will hook up to non-Bluetooth devices also.
The following article is for people using any kind of external display with their iDevices, and for programmers who would like to provide as good of external display output in their apps as possible. People have a lot of misconceptions regarding Tv output from iDevices; most importantly regarding the black borders on the left and right sides of the external image and also on the top and bottom. As an engineer well versed in video technology, engineering, and iOS programming, I found it necessary to get the facts right in a manner digestable for advanced iOS users (and all programmers).
I am a sucker for the juxtaposition of technology and old world materials, so I was very excited to see the Kickstarter project from RAWBKNY. The company is seeking crowdsourcing support for an elegant line of keyboard "skins" that add a thin, beautiful layer to your MacBook Pro, Air, or Apple Wireless Keyboard. The device comes in bamboo or rosewood. I bought the rosewood version for my Apple Wireless Keyboard, which works with iPads, iPhones, and iPod touch devices. RAWBKNY is offering a skin for your iPhone as well, but the keyboard version was something I hadn't seen before.
In iView—my inside, back-cover column in iPhone Life magazine—I discuss David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” organizational and time management scheme in the July/August 2013 issue. In the article, I briefly summarize Allen’s thinking and suggest iPhone, iPad, Mac, and PC software to best implement it. Since writing the article, I’ve settled on Evernote (free), and am quite pleased with it.
Here, I will post much of the article and will add more information about Evernote. If you would like to comment and add knowledge from your experience with the software, that would be great.
First off, let me say thank you to Piel Frama for sending my son and I this review case to play with. The Classic Magnetic Case for iPod Touch 5G ($99) is a beautiful handmade leather case. If you have never heard of Piel Frama, it has been around for quite a while, all the way back to my Pocket PC days. You can find cases for all of your iDevices on the Piel Frama website, some already designed for you, some you can customize yourself.
Digital Treasures offers some interesting products for the digital world. One is the Props Power Case ($119.95), an innovative case for the iPad 2, 3, and 4, with a built-in 12,000 mAh battery to keep you charged longer. We hope it will soon, because this case is a class act you'd be proud to present in polite society. It will keep your iPad powered and protected in style with its fashionable design, sturdy construction, and powerful battery. Not only will it keep your iPad powered, but it also will charge other devices such as an iPhone or iPod!
The Kinivo BTX350 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker ($39.99 on sale from $69.99) looks like a miniature version of the speaker bar I use for my TVs. It measures 8-inches long, 3.75-inches high, and 2.25-inches wide. It’s not the most compact mini speaker on the shelf, but it’s small enough to be highly portable. It comes with a rechargeable 1000mAh Li-ion battery that is rated to last 5 hours of play time. You may wish to keep a spare battery handy. It comes with a micro USB charging cable but no AC adaptor. It also comes with a dual male 3.5 mm jack cable for connecting non-Bluetooth devices.
The stylish Blue Tour 6U Bluetooth speaker ($48.41 on Amazon) from Technical Pro is a very affordable and great-sounding speaker. Its simple design and control layout is ideal for the broadcasting of whatever entertainment your iDevice can provide. Some Bluetooth speakers have a dearth of controls and are therefore more suited to the technically savvy user who can quickly adapt to motion sensors or nondescript spinning dials. Others have an abundance of switches, buttons, and ports, which again, may be better suited to a more technically savvy user. The Blue Tour Bluetooth speaker however, strikes an optimal balance between simplicity of design, ease of use, and quality of sound. The Blue Tour is a cool-looking little device! It reminds me of a stereotypical UFO, with its oval-sphere design. It is a fine work of understated design and it would look great on most shelves, desks, countertops etc.
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