Mike Riley is a frequent contributor to several technical publications and specializes in emerging technologies and new development trends. Mike was previously employed by RR Donnelley as the company’s Chief Scientist, responsible for determining innovative technical approaches to improve the company’s internal and external content services. Mike also co-hosted Computer Connection, a technology enthusiast show broadcast on Tribune Media's CLTV.
By Mike Riley
Being both an avid bike rider and a technologist, I always get excited when a new product combines these two passions. The team at F3 Cycling must be the same way, and it shows with their FormMount Phone ($59.95) for bicyclists. How well does this mount perform? Read on to find out.
By Mike Riley
Thanks to the simplicity and pervasiveness of Apple's Homekit technology, the home automation market continues to rapidly expand with a variety of product offerings. Elgato's eve line has been one of the most prolific on the market, ranging from electrical outlets and temperature monitors to smoke alarms and lighting solutions. A recent addition to eve's growing product catalog is the Eve Light Strip (starting at $79.95).
By Mike Riley
It's been a couple years since I have reviewed iOS-centric hardware for musicians. This is because with each major iteration of the iPad, Apple has altered the dock input configuration thereby rendering an entire ecosystem of equipment relying on that connection port obsolete. It was painful to send a stack of old IK Multimedia hardware to the landfill a few years ago when Apple upgraded iPads to use the Lightning connector instead of the original 30-pin dock connector. A similar roundup of older third-party hardware reliant on the Lightning connector will likely happen again late next year if Apple migrates the rest of its future iPad and iPhone devices to USB-C. Given Apple's track record, I have resisted investing much additional effort in third-party hardware dependent on proprietary adapters. That is why Eventide's H9 Max Harmonizer Effects Processor ($699) guitar effects stomp box piqued my interest.
By Mike Riley
Now that all new Apple iPhone models support the Qi wireless charging standard, tethering an iPhone to a Lightning cable to recharge the battery is no longer necessary. As long as the wireless charging pad is Qi-compliant, simply laying your new iPhone on top of the pad will recharge the battery. With this new capability in place, the question becomes which Qi-compliant charger is worth buying? If aesthetic simplicity is mainly what you're looking for in iPhone accessories, then Just Mobile's AluBase Wireless ($49.95) charger meets this requirement.
Revolution followed by evolution—that’s the pattern Apple follows for its flagship iPhone line. Last year’s release revolutionized the iPhone with the X’s edge-to-edge OLED display and facial recognition. This year’s iPhone XS and XS Max (which costs anywhere from $1,000 to $1,449 depending on storage capacity) is an evolution of the iPhone X with a bigger display (if you get the Max) and better processor. But do these evolutionary steps warrant a one-thousand-dollar purchase? It depends.
By Mike Riley
Having reviewed tech products for so many years, I may be one of the few contributing editors at iPhone Life to have spent considerable time with nearly every one of Phiaton's headphone product line. Just added to this list is Phiaton's Curve headset, one that culminates the company's audio expertise, design aesthetic and comfort into a noise-canceling, high battery capacity listening experience. How does the Curve ($79) compare to the Phiaton headsets that have come before it? Read on to find out.
By Mike Riley
When you have a house full of iPads and iPhones, the power outlets poorly accommodate the oversized charging bricks sticking out from the walls. Of course, that is assuming that the chargers can be located. Top Greener has addressed the growing population of gadgets dependent on USB plugs to recharge. This review looks at two USB products that Top Greener has to offer.
By Mike Riley
I have used Sennheiser wired headsets for years, finding them to be high quality sound and comfort. So I was excited when Sennheiser announced their initial entry into the rapidly crowding market of wireless earbuds. How could they possibly match the audio and comfort quality they were known for in the wired headset world in the earbud market, especially when even high-end wireless earbuds were prone to subpar audio reproduction and dropouts? It was with some trepidations that I inserted each earbud and cranked up the tunes to determine if Sennheiser could master the wireless space as well as they had the wired audio experience. Read on to find out.
I have been reviewing Just Mobile products for iPhone Life since the release of the company's iPad accessories and stands nearly ten years ago. With Apple's introduction of its most impressive (and expensive) iPhone to date, the iPhone XS Max, keeping such a substantial investment from harm is of utmost importance. Just Mobile agrees and has designed two product to address such a need.
Having already won the tablet wars, Apple could have simply refreshed its tablet line with a faster processor (it did), more storage (up to a terabyte) and a nicer display (you guessed it). While it certainly fulfilled this baseline expectation, Apple pushed the boundaries of tablet computing further today with the announcement of its new iPad Pro. Let's take a look at the most notable new features this next generation of the iPad has to offer.
