iLounge

First Looks

Welcome to our new, continuously-updated First Looks - a collection of previews showing brand new iPod, iPhone and iPad accessories that we’re currently in the process of testing. Here’s what’s hot right now:

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Company: Breffo

Website: www.breffo.com

Models: Spiderpodium

Price: $20

Compatible: All iPods, iPhones

Breffo Spiderpodium

Breffo's Spiderpodium ($20) is a flexible stand/cradle, with eight flexible “legs” that can be used to hold an iPhone or iPod while also holding on to a variety of surfaces, including seat headrest supports, stroller, exercise equipment, bike handles, and car air vents. The legs can also be positioned to simply support the device, making the Spiderpodium into a stand. The center of the accessory features a hole for routing charging cables.

Company: Ozaki

Website: www.Ozaki.us

Model: iStroke S

Price: $TBD

Compatible: iPads, iPhones, iPod touches

Ozaki iStroke S Dock Style Stylus

The good news: Ozaki has finally fixed -- at least for this product -- its previously crazy overpackaging practices, shippng the new iStroke S Stylus for iPad ($TBD) in a simple, clean plastic bag that's far less damaging to the environment than its insane collection of hard plastic and metal boxes. On the other hand, the rubber-domed iStroke S is another really unusual addition to its line of odd little styluses, this one even smaller than the others and designed to be held in the empty Dock Connector port of a device. Convenient for carrying around? Maybe. But do you really want a stylus as small as a toddler's finger? Maybe not.

Company: SwitchEasy

Website: www.switcheasy.com

Models: CapsuleRebel, Glitz + Vulcan

Price: $20-$28

Compatible: iPhone 4

SwitchEasy CapsuleRebel, Glitz + Vulcan for iPhone 4

SwitchEasy's latest collection of iPhone 4 cases includes a couple of remade oldies -- the black, red, and white two-piece, spiny CapsuleRebel ($28) and fully translucent Vulcan ($20) in white and black -- plus a new design. Glitz ($28) combines a hard rear shell with soft plastic sides, using a really interesting, fashionable grid of sparkling rounded squares. Each of the cases comes with the usual array of SwitchEasy goodies, including Dock Connector and headphone port covers, screen film, a cleaning cloth, and applicator card; as shown in the photos, most also include stands and Dock Adapters as well. Protection is nearly complete for the iPhone 4 body as a consequence of all the pack-ins and the case designs, apart from the cameras, speakers, and microphones. Updated: In November 2010, SwitchEasy subsequently added additional colors of CapsuleRebel, Glitz, and Trim as shown below. In March 2011, we separated Trim into its own review.

Company: Uncommon

Website: www.getuncommon.com

Model: Deflector Case

Price: $35

Compatible: iPhone 4

Uncommon Deflector Case for iPhone 4

Using the same impressive photo-inking technology found in its earlier iPhone 3GS Capsule Cases, Uncommon has returned with a new starter model called Deflector Case for the iPhone 4 ($35). Deflector is only a partially protective shell, wrapping around the iPhone 4's sides and back without providing front, top, or bottom coverage, but it provides a large enough canvas for you to upload a 2000x2000-minimum photo or piece of artwork, then wrap it around most of the iPhone 4's glass and metal body with a glossy finished hard plastic frame. Once again, the quality of the inked-in image transfer is very impressive -- the peacock here looks extremely close to the original depth-of-field-aided photo we uploaded to the web site -- and the turnaround time from submission of the image to receipt of the case in a simple, eco-friendly bag is impressively quick. Obvious issues include the limited scope of coverage offered by the shell, and a repeat of the Capsule Case's prior issue: it snaps on so tight that you'll wonder whether you'll be able to take it off without damaging your device. But Deflector looks so nice with customized imagery that you mightn't want to remove it.