By Conner Carey
The iPad Alano Leather case ($134.95) from Portenzo secures your iPad with hand-sanded birch wood and the case doubles as a stand. Portenzo makes some of the classiest iPad cases I’ve seen. Based in St. Louis, MO, the company specializes in handmade leather cases and goods.
By Conner Carey
The devices we listen to music on have evolved greatly, yet the devices we listen with haven’t changed much. Skybuds wants to change that with truly wireless earbuds that store and charge from your smartphone case.
By Todd Bernhard
As expected, Apple has quietly revamped not only the desktop iMac line, but also the accessories that go with them. And at least one, the Apple Magic Keyboard, can work with iOS devices. The new Magic Trackpad 2 incorporates Apple's new Force Touch, similar to the Apple Watch and 3D Touch in the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. The keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2 now have a lower profile, because they don't use AA batteries any more, which saves space.
By Todd Bernhard
Whatever the economy, Americans continue to spend more on their pets. I can relate, as we just added a puppy to our household over a year ago and she certainly consumes a lot of our disposable income. I work from home as an app developer and writer for iPhone Life, but not everyone can spend such quality and quantity time with their pets. That's where the Petzi Treat Cam ($169.99) from Petzila comes in.
By Nate Adcock
Cloud-based storage is now an everyday thing, and I have reviewed several services at iPhone Life over the years. However, newer options are always becoming available, and if you are looking to back up, sync, or share your important data, then you might want to check out this review. Mainly I will focus on a lunchbox-sized storage gadget from Western Digital called the MyCloud Mirror ($309.99), but I'll also share some other options that I have tested.
By Todd Bernhard
I had the opportunity to try Chant BT ($79.99) Portable Bluetooth speaker. I never turn down the chance to review a product from House of Marley. The company's products are known for several things: terrific attention to detail, use of all-natural materials like wood and canvas, and of course, deep and rich sound, befitting Bob Marley's legacy. His family runs House of Marley and I've met with them at the Consumer Electronics Shows over the years. It's nice to know that Bob Marley's name and song "One Love," are being carried forward in the charity of the same name.
By Todd Bernhard
I normally throw my laptop or iPad in a traditional backpack as an afterthough. I'm usually about substance over style, function over fashion. But the other day I had a meeting with a prospective client and I didn't want to look like a high school kid fresh off the schoolbus. So I migrated my tablet, cables, and other accessories into a Beauchamp Backpack ($179) from Knomo.
I'm a stylus guy. I love to draw, sketch, doodle and tinker with design ideas on my iPad mini, and a stylus is often how I do that (even play a few games with one). I predict that the Jot Dash ($49.99) will be a favored stylus for many moons to come, Apple Pencil notwithstanding.
By Dig Om
The Polk Omni S2 ($179.95) is a versatile speaker, offering users a variety of configuration options and visual styles. It delivers high-quality sound from its four drivers, which include two 50 mm full-range drivers along with two powerful bass radiators. The Omni S2 connects to your iDevice via the open-sourced, Play-Fi wireless technology, or of course, via a 3.5 mm-jacked audio cable, which comes in particularly handy for connecting the S2 to a TV.
By Dig Om on Thu, 10/01/2015
By Todd Bernhard
There's a line that iOS app developers have to walk, but it's really not that hard to do. Apple is kind enough to make beta versions of software available, but we can't publicly disclose the details. Apple provides firewall- and password-protected forums so we can chat with other licensed developers, but that's about it. Apple even went so far as to provide actual hardware, the $149 Apple TV, for just $1 to a few select developers. This was unprecedented; I've never been offered an iPhone before the public release, or even the Apple Watch (although Apple did offer the opportunity to fly to Cupertino to test apps in their lab.)
By Todd Bernhard
Apple had its event earlier this month and yesterday it was Google's turn. The tech company took full advantage and rolled out several new and significant products. The low-cost Chromecast family of TV streaming devices received a more stylish hockey puck sized device with new colors (red or yellow in addition to basic black) plus an audio-only device dubbed Chromecast Audio that could let users create their own, cheaper SONOS style whole house audio system.
By Conner Carey
Before iOS 9, sharing Bluetooth devices with more than one iPhone was a hassle. You had to either disable Bluetooth on your device or select Forget this Device in settings; both options were roundabout ways to switch the connected iPhone for another. Now, there's a simple way to temporarily disconnect your iPhone from a Bluetooth device.
By Daniel Rasmus
As a reviewer, I receive all type of gear and accessories, from iPad cases to styluses and light bulbs to remote controls. Out of all of the products I receive to evaluate, only a few make it into my regular technology repertoire. Its not that I don’t use other items I’ve reviewed, but these have taken up residence in my office, I keep them handy and actually rely on them to do my work. I think that is the highest praise for a technology accessory. I won’t provide deep reviews in these posts, but I will be telling you why I like the item, and what has made it indispensable to my work.
A few years can make quite a difference in the technology world. From the time that Jaybird released its highly praised BlueBuds headphones, the company has been hard at work refining its winning formula of a lightweight, completely self-contained Bluetooth headset. Read on to find out if this objective been achieved with the release of Jaybird's X2 Wireless Buds ($179.95).
