Author: Jeremy Horwitz

Having debuted the fancy Qode Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad Air in November 2013, Belkin released the even fancier Qode Ultimate Pro Keyboard Case for iPad Air in October 2014 – only days before Apple launched the physically incompatible iPad Air 2. To accommodate the thinner tablet, Belkin quickly announced sequels to both products: the Qode Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad Air 2 ($130) and Qode Ultimate Pro Keyboard Case for iPad Air 2 ($150). While they have a lot in common with one another and their predecessors, the iPad Air 2 keyboard cases are a little different, so we’ve…

It was only five months ago that we were impressed by DigiDNA’s DiskAid, which went past Apple’s iTunes with the ability to back up individual iOS apps, including settings and files — to keep or transfer to other devices — as well as completely clone one iOS device to another. Now DiskAid has become iMazing ($30), as what would have been DiskAid 7.1 is now iMazing 1.1. Redesigned with an iTunes 12-style UI, iMazing boasts complete iOS 8 compatibility, super-simple backups, and the ability to navigate your iPhone, iPad, or iPod’s hidden file system without the use of jailbreaks or…

An interview published by Fortune today suggests that Apple is unrepentant over the allegedly conspiratorial launch of the iBookstore in 2010, as Apple Senior VP Eddy Cue and CEO Tim Cook “feel we have to fight for the truth” by appealing a 2013 ruling that Apple had illegally fixed digital book prices in violation of the Sherman Act. According to Cue, who led Apple’s negotiations with publishers, Apple wrestled with a number of potential antitrust legal issues before opening the iBookstore, legally negotiating from a standard contract, using an agency rather than a wholesale pricing model, and setting price tiers…

Speculation as to the actual size of a larger next-generation iPad is continuing, as a report from Japanese magazine Mac Fan (via MacOtakara) purports to offer specifics as to the device’s dimensions and features. A schematic suggests a design nearly identical to the iPad Air 2, only with a larger 12.2” screen and a total of four speakers spread across the top and bottom of the tablet for orientation-agnostic stereo sound. Mac Fan claims that the device, referred to as the “iPad Air Plus,” will measure 305.31mm by 220.8mm by 7mm, include an A9 processor, and arrive between April and…

It was only a half year ago that we were writing about Elgato’s original Thunderbolt Dock, a handsome little hub designed to connect a bundle of peripherals to any Thunderbolt-equipped Mac. Now Elgato’s back with the Thunderbolt 2 Dock ($230), a remixed version that looks mostly the same but adds throughput to accommodate Thunderbolt 2-equipped Macs and accessories. Still made from aluminum with a black plastic core, the Thunderbolt 2 Dock rearranges and enhances its predecessor’s ports, shipping with a power supply, 1.6-foot Thunderbolt cable, and either one U.S. or two European wall plugs, depending on where it’s purchased. Read…

From a purely functional standpoint, Apple device docks stopped being interesting years ago: a series of quiet electronic changes effectively killed their video-out and later audio-out capabilities, while Lightning connector-specific mandates created case compatibility problems, turning the once-thriving dock category into something a lot less exciting. Today’s docks are generally nothing more than stands — plastic and metal holders for standard Lightning to USB cables, leaving developers with the task of making them look as cool as possible. Twelve South accomplished that feat with the original HiRise for iPhone, and now it’s back with an improved successor called HiRise Deluxe…

Made from solid steel and billed as “the world’s smallest, pocket-size stand and tripod mount” for iOS devices, MOS’s new Kick ($35) is a very low-profile option designed primarily for holding iPhones upright for photography purposes. Measuring around 2.8″ long by 1.2″ wide by 0.35″ tall at its largest points, Kick includes a circular screw hole for attachment of a self-supplied tripod, plus a screw-tension adjustable groove that holds your iOS device. The groove is padded with three thin sheets of rubber, and can be tightened around the edge of your device if you want to hold it closer to…

Earlier today, we looked at two ZeroChroma “accessories for accessories” — wall- and car-mounting solutions for the iPad Air and iPad mini. Now we’re turning to similar iPhone add-ons called the Car Vent Mount ($20) and the Reflective Armband ($30), which are designed to be paired with ZeroChroma’s FluxStand-equipped VarioEdge or Vortex cases. Unlike the company’s Slide-Mounts, which were so thin and seemingly simple that their $30 asking price was hard to justify, each of these accessories is closer to right-priced; the only question is whether you’ll like the cases that work with them. ZeroChroma’s Car Vent Mount is a…

Accessories for accessories are tricky propositions. Typically, a case-specific add-on appeals only to owners of the original case, and then, the price really needs to be right. ZeroChroma’s Slide-Mount Combo Pack ($30, aka 2-Mount Combo Pack) adds one more speed bump: if you’ve already purchased one of the company’s excellent Folio-Slide iPad stand/cases, which can already stand up on their own, will you really want to pay for both wall and car mounting solutions? The first piece in the Slide-Mount Combo Pack is called the “All-Surface Slide-Mount.” It’s an 8.2” wide by 1.75” tall, millimeter-thin mounting bracket that enables you…

Early last year, we reviewed and loved G-Boom, a remarkable ruggedized $100 boombox from a relatively unknown developer named G-Project. It turned out that G-Project shared some key personnel with Soundfreaq, maker of many good and great speakers, yet was focused on producing even more budget-conscious yet durable Bluetooth audio gear. This month, G-Project debuted what it’s alternately calling the “New G-Go” or the second-generation G-Go ($60), an update to one of its earliest speakers. Roughly the size of and similarly shaped to a milk carton, G-Go is an alternative to G-Boom for users who need a smaller, durable, and…

While we laud Belkin for staking a very early claim in the automated “smart home” market with the WeMo line of Wi-Fi accessories — and have liked most of the WeMo products we’ve tested — there are times when the technology can feel more like an expensive gimmick than a potential lifestyle-changer. Jarden Consumer Solutions’ new Mr. Coffee 10-Cup Smart Coffeemaker ($250) is in the former category, nearly doubling the price of an otherwise nearly identical product just to add modestly valuable Internet connectivity. Even if you’re the type of person who has dreamed of being able to “brew coffee…

“No, no, no,” you said when you saw Satechi’s 7 Port Aluminum Hub on iLounge + Mac earlier this year. “Seven extra USB ports for my Mac is not enough. I must have 10 ports.” If that plea sounds familiar, consider yourself lucky: Satechi heard you and is ready with a solution. Bear witness to the new 10 Port USB 3.0 Premium Aluminum Hub ($65), an even larger hub with a downright wacky collection of 10 ports in a row. Look carefully and you’ll notice that seven of the ports are blue, and three are red. Those last three are…

Logitech had several choices after releasing the best standalone Bluetooth keyboard for Apple’s devices — 2013’s Bluetooth Easy-Switch Keyboard: rest on its laurels, continue iteratively improving Easy-Switch, or focus on producing simpler, cheaper versions. Thankfully, it hasn’t been sitting around doing nothing: earlier this year, Logitech released a decidedly budget version called K480, and now it’s offering Keys-to-Go ($70), a smaller mid-range alternative that goes in a different direction. Unlike model-specific keyboard cases or keyboard covers, Keys-to-Go is one of several Logitech keyboards to embrace the reality that new iPads may vary considerably in size from year to year and…

Twelve South’s late-2011 PlugBug was a nifty little power adapter. Originally launched as an accessory for MacBooks at a time when iPad-friendly 2.1-Amp USB ports were just beginning to appear in Apple laptops, PlugBug added one such port to any MacBook’s wall charger — handy for quickly recharging any Apple tablet, or a lower-powered device if you needed it. PlugBug could also be used on its own, if you just wanted a 2.1-Amp charger with a slightly different form factor, or paired with Apple’s own 10W and 12W USB Power Adapters to double the number of USB ports. But until…

When we reviewed iDevices’ iShower back in August 2012, we noted that few companies had “catered to the modestly challenging but potentially lucrative market for waterproof speakers,” a market that iShower addressed with a boxy, water-resistant wireless design at a mass-market $100 price point. Quite a few competitors have been released since then, including several top picks in the last 12 months alone, but only a few have been specifically designed to hang in your shower. iShower2 ($100) is the latest, a modest update to the original model with a nearly identical industrial design, feature set, and audio performance. While…

ProCam 2, a $2 still and video camera app by developer Samer Azzam, has added “4K Ultra HD video recording” via a $5 in-app purchase. Following a technique debuted in September by i4software in the $1,000 app Vizzywig 4K, ProCam 2 uses a hack to splice high-resolution still images together with an audio recording to simulate 4K video recording. ProCam 2’s videos save at 3840×2160 resolution, resulting in large file sizes—over 400MB per minute—with a promised 30 frame per second recording rate for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. A lower frame rate of “up to 25 fps” is…

Four and a half years after Theodore Gray released the breakthrough iPad science application The Elements: A Visual Exploration, developer Touch Press has published Molecules by Theodore Gray ($14), billed as an “extraordinary sequel.” While The Elements was neatly organized using a fully animated version of the Periodic Table, Molecules is closer to a 14-chapter book in design, yet preserves the incredible rotating and interactive 3-D objects that were such a phenomenon during the original iPad’s introduction. It also continues Gray’s tradition of breezily walking readers through complex science using clear language and engaging examples, including more of the subtle,…

With hundreds of options now in the marketplace, USB battery packs are headed towards commodity status at this point: pricing, capacity, and recharging speeds are becoming the biggest differentiators between numerous otherwise similar models. Previously known for its high-capacity Ultrapak Tour, which boasted an integrated charging meter and super-fast recharging for its 10,000mAh cell, uNu has debuted Superpak ($100) as an alternative. Superpak drops Ultrapak’s fancy gloss casing, packed-in wall charger, and integrated LCD screen for a rounded-off, matte-finished box akin to Just Mobile’s long-abandoned 2008 version of Gum Pro. uNu pitches Superpak as the smallest 10,000mAh battery pack around,…