Xmas Gift Guide As Apple‘s advertising points out, when it comes to most activities, there’s usually an app for them. But not every task can be performed with a handset alone. Sometimes hardware is required to utilise the brains of a smartphone and take functionality further.
Whether you seek solution for better typing, improved battery life or something to turn your handset into a Swiss Army-style gadget, there is usually an accessory to cater.
Here’s a handful of options that’ll give your blower additional features. Alternatively, especially if you already bought them a pair of smartphone-compatible gloves last year, the following gadgets could be the perfect filler for a fellow-smartphone user’s stocking this Christmas. Depending on how generous you feel, that is.
1. Celluon Magic Cube
This beast rocks up looking like the daddy of Bluetooth keyboards and claims to work across the board on a range of connected devices.
The Magic Cube projects a full-sized layout onto most flat surfaces, which can then be used to type button-free, removing the need for clunky pads while apparently reducing strain on the wrists. Read the rest of this entry »
Geek Treat of the Week Hats off to Belkin for coming up with some really neat iOS-oriented gadgets just lately. Following on from its kitchen stands for the iPad, it has now come up with some handy little photographic accessories for the iPhone. The first one to arrive is the LiveAction Camera Grip, with an external microphone and remote control unit on the way as well.
The Camera Grip might seem unnecessary to anyone that just wants to point-and-shoot with their iPhone Camera, but the thing I’ve noticed since getting an iPhone 4S is that the improved clarity of its new 8Mp Camera still tends to be marred by the shakiness of my hands when I’m taking pictures. For me, it’s the act of tapping on the screen that always seems to shake the shot up. Read the rest of this entry »
Geek Treat of the Week So Apple’s surprise non-announcement last week still made your original iPhone 4 feel a bit less special? Well, before you ditch and switch, maybe this is the alternative: bling up!
Olloclip is a three-in-one lens attachment that adds plenty of extra zing to the iPhone 4’s standard lens, and of course any photo apps you might use. Read the rest of this entry »
Accessory of the Week The first set of iPod speakers I ever bought was Altec Lansing’s inMotion iM3, a paperback-sized unit that could nonetheless produce a very respectable sound.
My iM3 has been around the world a couple of times since then and it’s getting a bit frayed around the edges now. However, I’ve never found a better set of travel speakers from any manufacturer, so it’s still the iM3 that accompanies me on any trip away from home.
The dock connector pops in and out for
Fittingly, though, it’s Altec Lansing that may have finally come up with a worthy successor: its new iMT630.
I had my doubts about its portability at first, as it measures about 135mm high and 310mm, which makes it about 50 per cent wider than the iM3. But it’s also slimmer, at just 35mm thick, and the overall weight is about the same, a mere 425g. Read the rest of this entry »
Accessory of the Week Desktop stands for iPads and other tablets there are a-plenty, but wall-mounting systems are rare. Vogel’s, a Dutch specialist in such kit, is one of only two I’ve tried.
Attach your tablet to the wall
RingO, as it’s called, is the pricier of the two, but not by so very much. The £80 starter-pack includes both wall-mount unit and the iPad holder that clips to it. Read the rest of this entry »
