Accessories

How real is the iPhone 5se? Or the iPad Air 3? Real enough that Chinese case manufacturers already have products (or at least mockups) to sell. At iPhone Life, we received a press release from at least one firm with prices and photos for its iPhone 5se and iPad Air 3 cases. The photos are reproduced here, and seem to indicate that the iPhone 5se will resemble the flat-edged iPhone 5 on the sides, but with the rounded bottom of the iPhone 6 series. The iPad Air 3 case doesn't look that different from the iPad Air 2. The case appears to have large openings on the outside, as the next tablet is expected to have four speakers, like the iPad Pro.

The folks at Landing Zone make some nice landing docks for MacBooks so I was interested in checking out their IONA dock ($59) for iPhones. The dock has some features that other stands don't offer. First, the IONA can swivel left and right. This is nice for my setup, as my desk doubles as a nightstand. So during the day, my iPhone can face my chair and at night it rotates to face my bed.

One of the best featutes of the new Apple TV is the Siri Remote. Navigating through apps and content is a lot easier when you can talk to your TV via the remote. Plus the remote has gyroscopic sensors so it can double as a game controller. But it's also quite small and, if you have a black couch like I do, it's easy to lose. If that happens, you'll want a replacement, but you might be shocked to learn that it costs $79. That's more than the previous generation Apple TV. 

Creativity is the spice of life, and technology has made high-end tools available to the everyday person at decent prices. Sure, the iPad is great for watching Netflix or playing games, but I think it really shines when put to use for artistic endeavors. Whether you’re a visual artist, writer, musician, etc. - there is an iPad accessory out there to assist in your creation of art. Here’s five unique accessories I found.

The company booq has made a name for itself as a producer of high-quality carryalls. Whether you are looking for a backpack, a messenger bag, a camera bag, or a slim laptop carrier, booq's products offer a fashionable and remarkably rugged way for you to safely transport your tech gear and essential accessories. However, when a company has an extensive lineup of great gear, it can be hard to select the best iPad bag for your purposes. To that end, I've chosen two similar products from the booq catalog to compare and see how they fare as iPad carrying cases. Please note, I'm a big fan of both of these products, but in the end, slight differences made one better than the other in my opinion. 

The iPhone is great, but it still needs better battery life, and that means there is a lot of demand for battery cases. Even Apple recently released its first battery case. So there are no shortages of battery cases out there and I've tried most. The most recent one I've tried in my search for the best iPhone 6s battery case was the PowerShadow and Dock ($99+$49.99) from Spyder. I'm still holding out for something better. 

When it comes to powering our multiple devices, it seems there’s no end to the amount of cords and power outlets needed to keep all the batteries charged. Seeking a solution to this disorganization, I gave ChargeHub ($59.99) a try for myself after hearing that a box the size of a hockey puck could handle seven USB chargers at any given time. That means more than just my iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, but also my Bluetooth headphones (one for sports, one for work), activity trackers, battery packs, and more can be charged. So, can ChargeHub really do it all?