Accessories

People often ask me how to get better Wi-Fi reception throughout their house. I recommend Apple's AirPort routers, especially if the person is an iPhone and iPad user. The free AirPort utility app makes it easy to find and configure the routers, plus you can add a USB hard drive or printer to the AirPort router and access them wirelessly.

At $99, the AirPort Express Base Station is on the pricey end, despite its advanced features; but fortunately, you can get one for less. Staples has them for $86 for a limited time. Bes tBuy often has them, refurbished by GeekSquad, for as low as $59.99. Apple also has officially refurbished models for $65. While you might be apprehensive about refurbished products, keep in mind that these devices have no moving parts so there's very little that can go wrong. However, I have bought some from BestBuy that were still configured for their previous owner. It's not too hard to reset them to factory new condition, using the app, but still I was surprised BestBuy hadn't done that. For $5 more, you can get one certified by Apple, so that's probably the best bet.

As a kid, I loved playing with walkie talkies. Long before cellphones, or even cordless phones, it was a way to run around the neighborhood and play cops and robbers, astronauts and aliens, etc. I even got a CB radio for my car when I was 16. So embracing cellphones was no surprise, but I missed the push-to-talk feature. Now, there are a few ways to achieve this and it's not just about fun. If you are on the slopes, skiing or snowboarding, you will want to stay in touch with your friends. It could even be a matter of life or death, if there's an avalanche or you fall. That's why I'm so excited about the YodelUP Kickstarter offering that starts at a very reasonable $69.

Apple does a lot of things right, but it sometimes go too far in making its gadgets small and thin. Case in point, the Siri Remote for the new Apple TV. It's tiny and expensive. Mine is very easy to lose in my black couch. Fortunately, there's the Survivor Play for Siri Remote ($19.99) from Griffin. 

Siri is great, especially in places like the car where it's best to use your iPhone hands free. But what if you have an older iPhone that requires a power source in order for Hey Siri to work? If that's you, there is the Command Remote - iPhone ($34.95) from iBOLT. The Command Remote connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth and the free CODA Wheel app from iBolt. Using the app, you choose what a button press should trigger, including launching Siri, playing/pausing/skipping music, or taking a photo.

When I attend CES, I am always on the lookout for "low-tech" and "no-tech" accessories that make our technological products better. A great example from this year's CES was Clip-A-Phone ($19.99). Rather than spend $300 or more for a dedicated GoPro action camera, the makers of Clip-A-Phone recognize that your iPhone already has a great camera built in so why not leverage that and find a a place to mount your phone. They achieved this with a baseball hat-brim attachment that holds any smartphone that is 3 to 4 inches wide. 

The big problem with headphones and earbuds is what do you do with them when you're not using them. You could wind up the cable and shove them in your pocket, but the folks at Wraps Wearables have a better idea. The Wraps Wristband Headphones (£14.99-£24.99) are designed to be coiled up and worn like a bracelet. The seller is located in the UK, but ships to the U.S.

CES is a great way to see a wide variety of high-tech products, primarily made in China, without having to travel overseas. Yet it was an American-made product that really stood out. The eCo-Cover Soft-touch Smartphone Cover ($34.95) is distinctive because of two main features. It is made of compostable, organic corn and it is made in the USA, Nebraska to be specific.