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.

My family has three Apple Watches and four iPhones, so anytime I can find a device that charges both, I'm happy. The folks at The Grommet sent me the Time Traveler iPhone & Apple Watch Battery Bank​ ($79.95) to try and it does that and more. The Time Traveler has a built-in charging pad for an Apple Watch. You don't need to provide your own so that's a cost and convenience bonus. There is also a built-in Lightning cable that tucks away under the unit, so you don't have to bring a Lightning cable either!

If you need help sleeping, either from a sound machine or a cooling fan, the folks at iHome have a new dual-purpose device that could help. They sent me a review unit of their new iHome Air ($70) to try. It makes sense, as you probably have limited space on your nightstand to house multiple devices, so why not combine a couple of gadgets that work best close to your pillow?

One of my favorite takeaways from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is finding gadgets that have no batteries or circuitry of any kind but exist to enhance our use of electronic gadgets. One example is the JURA ANCHOR carabiner for AirPods & AirPods Pro (starting at $24.99). It's not an AirPods case but it adds a carabiner key chain through some clever magic. The carabiner has a Lightning connector that has no electronics, instead it acts as an anchor that supports up to 15 times the weight of the AirPods case. You plug the JURA into the Lightning port, again with no electronics, and the molded connector keeps it in place. Then you can use the carabiner on the other end to attach your AirPods to a backpack, keychain, etc.

I recently reviewed the SmartCine Complete Universal Smartphone Kit. It's a handheld mount that holds a smartphone in place for use in videography. I was intrigued to see how the "complete" kit could get better when Movo sent me its SmartCine Wireless All-in-One Video Kit ($149.95) to try. It turns out there was quite a bit more that could be added. First, Movo added a wireless lavalier microphone option. When combined with an added telephoto lens, this makes it easy to record a distant subject while keeping them in the picture. The kit has a convenient headphone jack as well to check audio levels. Make sure you have your own Lightning to 3.5mm audio converter to accept the output of the wireless receiver.

If you don't like either of the Apple Pencils that Apple offers, the folks at Adonit have a wide range of Apple Pencil alternatives. They even have a chart on their website to help you decide which one is right for you, with eleven models from $10 to $100. I previously wrote about their Adonit Note, and they sent me the upgraded Note Plus Stylus ($69.99) to try and it answers several of the issues I had. For starters, it uses USB-C instead of microUSB to recharge. This is important because, since my previous review, Apple has moved to standardize on USB-C for the iPad Pro. The fewer cables I have to carry around, the better, and microUSB has always been a pain because it's not reversible.

I have been a fan of Pitaka's iPhone cases and car charger for some time. The company has a unique design combining aramid fiber (which looks like carbon fiber) and metal and magnets to not only look good but also to keep your phone and accessories connected, in place, and fully charged. But if you want an extra battery pack to carry with you, Pitaka also has the MagEZ Juice ($89.99), which Pitaka sent me to try.

RapidX has come up with a clever way to distinguish its MyPort portable charger ($79.99). The company sent me a review unit of its latest battery pack and it stands out, literally, because it works as a stand or a horizontal Qi charging pad or via a USB-A port. The battery pack charges by just being placed in the included dock, which charges via USB-C. There is an included USB-A to USB-C cable. This is a nice touch that helps deliver fast wireless charging at 10 watts from the 10,000 mAh battery.

My daily desktop wireless headphones are the Space 1 from MU6 (say it out loud and it sounds like "Musics") for several reasons. Most importantly, they deliver great sound and the over-ear design helps block out office noise. Plus, the leather earcups and padding are comfortable for long-term use. So I was very interested in checking out the Space 2 (starting at $139) when I visited the MU6 booth at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Shortly before he passed away, Steve Jobs told his biographer, Walter Isaacson, that he had finally “cracked” how to make television smarter and easier. Eight years later, Apple has finally released Apple TV Plus. So, did Apple make good on Steve's prediction? In this article, I will assess the quality of the user interface, original content, pricing, and hardware compatibility of Apple TV Plus, but, as is true with most Apple products, the sum is greater than the parts. Apple’s ecosystem is what makes Apple TV Plus so appealing compared to the competition.

I have used an Apple Pencil long enough to lose the cap a few times and even temporarily lose the pencil itself as it rolled off my desk. Logitech has an alternative that addresses those issues and more. The company sent me a review unit of the Crayon ($69.99) to try. Originally, a $50 option was marketed for educators, but it's now easily found for that lower price for anyone on Amazon and Best Buy.

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