CES
In a perfect world, one case would meet all of my needs. Sometimes I want my iPhone clipped to my belt, and other times I want to carry my phone and perhaps a credit card, and often on trips and at trade shows, I want a built in extra battery. The ClickMate system from NUU tries to be the solution.
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I was a little skeptical of the HMDX Audio JAM when I first saw it, at CE Week in New York City a couple of weeks ago. The packaging was very slick and I wondered if the makers paid too much attention to making it look good in the box and not enough on the product itself. You see, playing off the 'jam' name, the device ships in a clear plastic jar, with a metal top, to make it look like a glass of jelly. The stickers even play off this theme, with JAM Facts like a Nutrition Facts label. The color choices help as well, as the unit is made in an array of colors including red (like strawberry), purple (as in grape) as well as gold, green, blue, or grey!
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Regular readers of my articles will know I am a big fan of Kickstarter and crowdfunding, and I do my best to find the coolest projects and share them with you. But I can't always find the best items, and once they have been funded, they fall off my radar. Fortunately, there is TinyLightbulbs.com.
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I wrote, favorably, about M-Edge's SuperShell protective foam case for the iPad, before, so it is great to see that they've added a version specifically for the iPhone.
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Sometimes iOS product vendors overstate their product's abilities. So it's refreshing to see Crimson's Pocket EAZL which, if anything, underestimates what it can do.
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I'm a sucker for classic, old-school styling married with modern technology. The juxtaposition of old and new just satisfies something in me. So I was really excited when I saw the Edifier Tick Tock Dock.
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In what may be the final nail in the coffin for RIM and their BlackBerry product line, SoloMatrix has developed a compact, non-Bluetooth, non-battery powered keyboard that does its job and gets the heck out of the way when you don't need it. The Spike is a combination case and reversible keyboard. Surprisingly, starting at just $20, the Spike is priced similarly to traditional cases that don't have the added keyboard functionality.
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I get to try out a lot of cases for my iPad 2 and new iPad, but it's rare to find a case that protects the screen while in use, but doesn't add a ton of bulk. The Leisure Case from M-Edge is unique in that it is a rigid fabric shell that the iPad 2 or new iPad zips into, and has a clear cover that lets you use the touchscreen. In fact, I'm typing this review while my iPad is in the Leisure Jacket case!
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I've written before about the iCade retro arcade cabinet for the iPad, and again when I saw a preview of the mobile version for the iPhone and iPod touch, at the Consumer Electronics Show, but I've finally had a chance to play with that mobile version, and get some hands on time.
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I go to a lot of tradeshows and I see a lot of iOS accessories, especially speakers. It's rare to find a speaker, especially a small one, that can make a nice sound and be heard in a noisy trade show environment. So when I saw, and heard, an early version of the Mighty Dwarf Blue II at January's Consumer Electronics Show, I was impressed. It's now shipping and I was able to test a unit. It's well made, in a sleek, black glossy casing that looks like a futuristic UFO! The unit even comes in a solid gift box that uses magnets to keep a 'sneak peek' flap closed.
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