Accessories

I've written, glowingly, before about the HMDX Jam Wireless Portable Speaker that uses Bluetooth to pump out solid sounds and act as a speakerphone.  And it does so in a solidly built, beautiful design, that, when packaged in its clear jar, is suggestive of jelly, hence the name Jam!

 

Mobile presenters listen up. Here's the gadget of your dreams. You will never want to leave home without one again.

It's a laser pointer that you plug into the 3.5 mm port of your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. It's only 1.6" long, so it won't exactly bog you down. Once it's plugged in, it turns into a clear and bright red Class II  laser pointer.

The pointer is activated from a free app called X-Presenter. Just point your laser and push the button on your screen, and you are highlighting your presentation.

My traditional 30 pin iPod speaker docks are pretty much obsolete now, thanks to the new Lightning connector. But that's okay, because I can use the audio jack and Bluetooth to enjoy audio from my new iPhone 5.


I've come across a number of gadgets that make the transition easy. Suppose you prefer a speaker, to share your audio with others. I got to try some compact devices from Matrix Audio that fit the bill. They offer both a Bluetooth model, called nrg, and a wired model called one.

The $39.99 Goal Zero Rock Out Portable Speaker does rock out, but they needs a few adjustments before I can recommend them for a hall of fame.

The Good

The heavy-duty case and wooden frame make for a substantial device. In other words, it doesn’t feel delicate, which is good in a portable product. For a small portable device, the sound is adequate. Not good separation, but you can’t expect that in a single-box device.  The hanging cord is a good idea and came in handy when visiting Yosemite recently where my Apple iPhone played away while the speaker hung on a door handle.

 

With the iPhone 5 comes the next wave of great new cases of all shapes, sizes, colors and prices. And I know that many of you will be eager to have a case for your new iPhone just as soon as possible!

One of the press releases I got today was for the Ballisitic line of cases. In particular, the Hard Core is one of the Ballistic cases that consisitently made my top 5 lists for Best Rugged Cases for the iPhone 4/4S. I expect similar standards of excellence in the new iPhone 5 version of the Hard Core. Read on for the press release and find out more about Ballistic's great line of protective cases.

For a long time now, I have lamented the absence of a solution for converting HDMI to VGA, so I could project from my Apple TV or from an iPad using Apple's HDMI cable instead of their VGA cable. Why? Primarily because the VGA cable does not allow a way to charge the iPad when in use, whereas the HDMI version has a 30 pin female connector so you can plug in a syncing cable. Additionally, since most office projectors accept VGA, not HDMI, this has been the missing link for many professionals. As they say, when it rains, it pours. In recent weeks, I've received two such devices that convert HDMI to VGA and they each have their pros and cons.

 

Making music has been a part-time practice for me for decades now and I've dabbled in everything from guitar and piano to drums and didgeridoo. One thing that I've particularly enjoyed over the past several years is the way programs like Garage Band have made composing and recording great original tracks easy for everyone from amateurs like myself, to professionals like Trent Reznor, composer of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo soundtrack and Nine Inch Nails frontman. And if Garage Band made things convenient before iOS, then since the arrival of Garage Band on iOS, recording whatever we are inspired to compose has truly become a graceful, portable and trouble-free affair.

 

So I was excited when I got the opportunity to try out the new Carbon 49 keyboard by Samson. The Carbon 49 is an economical and portable solution to MIDI music performance and it boasts a number of unique and valuable features to make the process of playing and capturing music an intuitive one, with high quality results. I got to spend hours jamming on this little instrument this week and here are some of my findings and feedback.

 

While in the gym, I tend to make / receive a lot of Skype calls to my wife or relatives. As I exclusively use stereo (A2DP) Bluetooth headphones in the gym to give me absolute, cable-less iPad 3-video-watching freedom while exercising, I've also run into problems related to the Bluetooth bugs of Skype: most of the time, I couldn't just use the headphones I already worn to conduct the call. Instead, I needed to use the speaker / microphone on the iPad itself, making my environment hear what both I and the other party say. Therefore, I decided to investigate the problem and come up with solutions to it.

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