Todd Bernhard

Author Details

Todd Bernhard's picture

Author Details

Todd Bernhard

Todd Bernhard is a bestselling (6+ million downloads) award-winning (AARP, About.com, BestAppEver.com, Digital Hollywood, and Verizon) developer and founder of NoTie.NET, an app developer specializing in Talking Ringtone apps including AutoRingtone. And his profile photo is of the last known sighting of Mr. Bernhard wearing a tie, circa 2007!

An iPhone is almost always attached to his hip or in his pocket, but over the years, Mr. Bernhard has owned an Apple Newton, a Motorola Marco, an HP 95LX, a Compaq iPaq, a Palm Treo, and a Nokia e62. In addition to writing for iPhone Life, Mr. Bernhard has written for its sister publications, PocketPC Magazine and The HP Palmtop Paper.

I love the juxtoposition of high-technology and old-fashioned materials, like leather and wood. That describes the Woo-dy Mechanical Keyboard (starting at $99) that UNICK sent me to review. The keyboard is being crowdfunded but it has already passed its goal and I was able to try a real unit. Here are my impressions. First, it's beautiful. Customers can choose the wood type and key cap colors, and then use the software (Windows only, currently) to customize the backlighting and keyboard layout. While mine had a "WIN" key, it worked just like an Apple Command key.

I have reviewed quite a few car mounts over the years, and a few years ago, the Easy One Touch Connect ($69.95) that iOttie sent me to try would have been the best ever. It does things no other car mount I've tried does, namely integrate the Alexa voice assistant. This is a luxury that I now consider a necessity. I love being able to request navigation or music or weather without pushing a button or swiping a screen and taking my eyes off the road. 

I go to a lot of trade shows, not just technology ones like the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas but also the NY Toy Fair, hoping to find smartphone-related gadgets that would be of interest to iPhone Life readers. That's how I discovered BLOCKERZ Camera Covers ($13.99) from Zorbitz. They are a wholesaler but you can find their products at Amazon, Urban Outfitters, and other retailers. They gave me a sample to try and it turns out, it's not just for iPhones.

While others may have more name recognition, Ecovacs is a strong contender with nearly a dozen different models to meet the needs of specific customers. They sent me their most popular model, the DEEBOT 500 ($259.95), to try. For me, with primarily hardwood flooring, it works well. This particular model travels somewhat at random, stopping at walls and other obstacles and changing direction, but Ecovacs has more advanced models that can be programed via the app based on your floor layout.

Nex202 Wired Earbuds Review

By Todd Bernhard

There's a lot to like in the NEX202 Dual Drivers In-Ear Headphones (starting at $47.99) that RevoNext sent me to try. They have an elegant, twisted cable, which is a good point to remind readers that these are wired earbuds. The earpieces are built well with a metal housing and rugged-looking Torx (star) screws to keep the gadgetry in place. There are rubber cord protectors for ear comfort and to prevent fraying. They include different size ear tips and are sold in a couple of variety of matte finish colors, black or gray, and with or without microphone ($2 extra for the microphone.) And they sound great thanks to dual dynamic drivers.

Just when you think there's no way to innovate when building a charging dock, along comes the Wireless Charging Station ($92.99) from Choetech. This thing has everything; an integrated Apple Watch charging port, a Lightning port, and a Qi wireless charging pad. If that weren't enough, there's a USB port on the back so you can add your own cable, for another Apple Lightning item or a USB-C or microUSB device. All of this could generate heat, so the charger has two cooling fans that expel heat from the bottom.

Like a lot of iPhone users, I use a MacBook at home and also at work. And I have large-screen monitors in both places. So I'm constantly juggling USB-C adapters that can accommodate multiple HDMI ports. Usually that means two different adapters, which is a hassle to plug in, and often the computer doesn't recognize which is the left or right screen and I waste time adjusting my display settings. So I'm always on the lookout for a better docking solution. I tried the J5 model, but it uses a software trick based on AirPlay to leverage the second screen and that disables unlocking via Apple Watch. It's a pain and I gave up on it.

The folks at Ausounds just announced, and sent me, their new AU Stream ANC ($149.95). The design clearly emulates the Apple AirPods, but that's a good thing. Apple has had several generations of the AirPods by now, yet they still have some deficiencies. And that's where the AU-Stream ANC can shine. They sound, look, and feel great, but so does the Apple version. So here are some differentiators.

I am a big fan of Qi-based wireless charging and I have a wide variety of chargers from a bunch of different companies spread throughout my home and office. But I think I may have found the best versions around. In fact, Apple doesn't have an offering of its own, as the AirPower failed to be delivered, so Fuse Chicken has stepped in. The company sent me a review unit of its Gravity Touch wireless charging base (starting at $39.95).

I have Qi wireless charging pads all around the house, and also at work, so I never have to go too far to charge my iPhone. But I envision a world where Qi charging pads are used for a lot more than just smartphones. The folks at Choetech apparently agree, and they sent me their Wireless Charging Nighlight ($23.39) to try as an example.

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