Accessories

It's Star Wars season, and I expect a lot of kids will be inspired to make their own droids, like BB-8, R2-D2, and C-3PO. When I first saw Star Wars, 40 years ago, that was a pipe dream, but now kids have all the tools they could need to make their own robots! And an enterprising company named Thimble is trying to make it happen. The company's goal is to help kids learn about electronics by building and using robot-making kits. The kits are delivered every month, kind of like a book-of-the-month club or swag box. Thimble's Kickstarter campaign has pledges starting at $49, so there are affordable options.

Virtual reality is starting to go from a developers-only situation to a common consumer situation. CES in Las Vegas is full of such products, proving that VR is for everyone with the many different companies here showing off their latest and greatest. The first step to getting consumers into the virtual reality market is giving them something familiar and easy to use–Speck has done just that with its new Pocket VR viewer ($69.95, available Spring 2016).

I recently covered the best apps for iPad Pro and the best keyboards for iPad Pro. We all know by now that the Apple Pencil is a must-have accessory, but what other awesome stuff is available for the big-screened iPad? Here’s a look at some great products focused on style, protection, and functionality.

The second official day of CES is in full swing. It’d be nearly impossible to see everything or cover all the interesting products being debuted in Vegas: the convention center has seen futuristic cars, an array of drones, virtual reality tech, wearable tech, smart everything, and a plethora of accessories for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. Check out these awesome accessories for your devices coming in 2016.

There are a lot of wireless speakers out there, but the Soundbox 10 ($95.95) from PAWW is one of the best Bluetooth speakers you'll find. When you touch and pickup the Soundbox, you feel the quality, heft, and attention to design that sets the Soundbox apart from its plastic competitors. Other distinctive features include the smooth touchscreen surface where the buttons live. The speaker grill is very finely detailed, and the whole unit would look right at home in an Apple Retail store.

The Apple Watch is not the best fitness and sleep tracker. It's also hefty and pricey, and it needs to be charged nightly. On the other hand, fitness and sleep trackers like the FitBit are small, cheap, and comfortable for sleeping or working out. But they don't provide the kind of utility that a smartwatch does. Now, Adidas has developed a fitness tracker with smartwatch capabilities it thinks will bridge the gap. The company lent me the miCoach FIT SMART ($150) and it does have a lot to offer, at least for fitness purposes.

The iPhone Life office is a buzz this morning as some of us prepare to board a plane for Las Vegas. The giant, annual Consumer Electronics Show officially kicks off tomorrow. iPhone Life bloggers from across the country and our in-office staff will be there bringing you the best and most interesting in the days to come. As excitement builds, Twitter is a great place to get a solid overview of what to expect. Here’s a Twitter roundup to feature what’s happening now and what’s still to come.