Reviews

The Timbrefone is a beautiful handmade wooden passive speaker. It requires no charging, Bluetooth pairing, or other power and can be used for listening to music, talking on the phone, or FaceTime.   

“Hello, My Name is Hans,” says the packaging for what appears to be a small stick of deodorant. Made to clean your iPhone screen, when I first got Hans ($14.99) in the mail, I laughed. Yet, after using it, I got really happy. If you’re the type of person that hates dirt and fingerprints on your screen, Hans is about to be your new best friend.

I've always admired the RUNNUR bandolier-style messenger bags when I've seen them at various tradeshows. At the recent New York City Comicon, I saw RUNNUR's exhibit and noticed an iPad-specific offering, which I was fortunate enough to try. The Shoulder Sling Case ($60) is a nylon case for an iPad or iPad mini, with the screen exposed for easy access. There are four different D-ring metal loops to connect the included padded strap. There's a handy hand grip that also doubles as a stand.

Views on Top (free) is an app where you can locate the best scenic experiences from around the world. People who love travel also adore the opportunity to take a good photograph or two. Some of the world’s best scenic locations are on here.

It’s easy to forget about Etsy when you’re looking for tech accessories. The make, buy, sell e-store focuses on vintage or handmade items usually sold by individuals or small businesses. You’ll often find great prices paired with high quality goods plus you’re supporting artists. Step with me into the rabbit hole of Etsy iPhone docks.

It's a reality today that all wearables will be compared to the Apple Watch, but the Activité Pop ($149.95) from Withings compares favorably. For starters, it's a lot more affordable, at about $150. It's also waterproof, which Apple doesn't claim. The first thing you'll notice is that it's analog. That means the battery life can be measured in months (up to eight), not hours. It's still smart, just don't expect to read your text messages on it. What you can do, though, is track your activity, steps, and sleep, and receive vibration alarms.

"Nailed it!" That's what I imagine it sounds like to work at Twelve South. The folks there seem to repeatedly and reliably come up with accessory after accessory that makes the Apple experience better. I use a MacBook stand from the company, and used to have an iPad BookBook case for my original iPad and a BookBook case for my new iPhone 6s. In fact, the BookBook is probably Twelve South's most notable product. It is an iPad or iPhone case disguised as a leather-bound book, and the iPhone versions have slots for credit cards and ID. You get the best of both worlds: handmade, old-world-book style and modern e-books and apps!  It's very charming and functional, and could protect your iOS devices from unwitting thieves.

The devices we listen to music on have evolved greatly, yet the devices we listen with haven’t changed much. Skybuds wants to change that with truly wireless earbuds that store and charge from your smartphone case.

As a reviewer, I receive all type of gear and accessories, from iPad cases to styluses and light bulbs to remote controls. Out of all of the products I receive to evaluate, only a few make it into my regular technology repertoire. Its not that I don’t use other items I’ve reviewed, but these have taken up residence in my office, I keep them handy and actually rely on them to do my work. I think that is the highest praise for a technology accessory. I won’t provide deep reviews in these posts, but I will be telling you why I like the item, and what has made it indispensable to my work.