If you’re a road warrior who relies on having a phone/email device on you at all times, then you know there’s nothing worse than a dead battery, especially on the iPhone, where you can’t swap it out for a fresh one. There have been plenty of top-up solutions that use the 30-pin dock-connector port on the the iPhone, but many of those were originally designed for use with the iPod, and they offer only limited charging capability.
Mophie has released the first battery extender to garner “Works with iPhone” certification from Apple. The Juice Pack contains a rechargeable lithium polymer battery that will boost your iPhone’s battery life by up to 250 hours of standby, 8 hours of talk, 6 hours of Internet access, 7 hours of video playback, or 24 hours of audio playback. Or some really obscure number of hours of those features combined. Also keep in mind that it will add some extra bulk and heft to your slim iPhone, and you won’t be able to use it with most cases.
The device also has four LEDs on the back that tell you how much of the Juice Pack’s capacity is left, and a 30-pin dock-connector port on the bottom that lets you still sync the iPhone without having to take it out of the sled. It’ll cost you about $100 from Mophie’s online store or at retail locations.
Last year, soon after the iPhone was released, we took a look at iPhone headphone adapters—short cables that let you use any headphones with the iPhone's recessed headphone jack—from Belkin and RadTech. Since then, a number of vendors have released similar products. Because these cables are essentially minor variations on theme, we aren't going to do extended reviews; instead, here's a quick look at some of the other models we've seen. All work as advertised, so you're really choosing based on appearance, construction, and price.
Griffin Technology Headphone Adapter ($10): Perhaps the most attractive model, Griffin's offering is black and gray, 3.5 inches long, and has a rubbery covering. The cable is fairly flexible, although the female adapter at the end—into which you plug your headphones—is a bit bulky.
Helium Digital 3.5mm Headphone Adapter ($4 CAN): The shortest adapter in the bunch, Helium's offering—pictured at the top of this article—is only 2 inches long (not counting the female adapter at the end) with a fairly flexible cable, but has the bulkiest female adapter of the bunch. The biggest advantage of this model is its super-low price; on the other hand, it ships from Canada, so some of the cost savings may be offset by shipping charges.
FastMac Audio Headphone iPhone Adapter ($5): Although longer than most at nearly 6 inches, FastMac's offering uses the thinnest and most-flexible cable and has the thinnest female adapter, making it the least obtrusive we've seen. The low price is a bonus.
ProCable - Audio Extension Cable 3.5mm Male - Female ($8): Since we looked at RadTech's adapter last July, the company has replaced that model with a new version that comes in two lengths. Although RadTech classifies these lengths as 3 and 4 inches, my measurements—from the beginning of the plug cover on the male end to the juncture between the cable and the female adapter—were 3 and 4.5 inches, respectively. The cable is fairly thin and flexible, although the female adapter is just slightly smaller than the one used on the Helium adapter, above.
Out of the six adapters we've seen (seven if you count both RadTech sizes), FastMac's Audio Headphone iPhone Adapter is my favorite thanks to its thin profile, flexible cable, and low price.
(I have another current favorite, but it isn't available as a separate product; it's actually an accessory included with some SwitchEasy iPod and iPhone cases. These cases fully enclose your iPod or iPhone, so the headphone jack is recessed; SwitchEasy includes a short, slim, flexible adapter—white or black, depending on the case—for using any headphones with these cases. The adapter works great with the iPhone with or without a case, so if you're in the market for an iPod or iPhone case and an iPhone headphone adapter, it's worth giving SwitchEasy a look, especially considering the reasonable price of the company's cases.)
Note: The original version of this article had an incorrect description for the Helium adapter; the error was corrected a few minutes after publication.
Here's a nifty—and better, cheap—solution for all you folks out there who feel that the iPhone's virtual keyboard lacks tactile feedback. MyTouchKeys is taking the screen protector film we all know and love and adding small "bubbles"cut-outs over where each key on the iPhone's keyboard falls. That way, you get the feeling of depressing a button when you tap the keyboard.
A cool idea, to be sure, but I can foresee some issues with this solution. Like, what about all those times you aren't using the iPhone's keyboard? Wouldn't those bubbles cut-outs get in the way when you're just pinching and scrolling? What about when you want to use the keyboard in landscape mode?
Then again, since it only costs $8, it's not exactly a huge investment. Plus, right now, there's a buy one, get one free deal on, so technically you're only paying $4 each—not sure why you'd need two, but hey, you can go halvsies with your buddy.
[via Gizmodo]
With its brown canvas covering and "pouch" design, Incipio's earthy-looking Ecocase ($20) provides almost complete coverage of the iPhone-once you slide in your iPhone, nearly all its surfaces are protected. Of course, as with all pouch cases, you have to take your iPhone out of the Ecocase to access the touchscreen.
The front and back pieces of the Ecocase are held together by a pair of elastic strips that also pull the canvas snugly against the iPhone; it takes a considerable jerk to make the phone slip out of the case. This elastic covers a majority of the iPhone's volume switch, but the elastic is thin enough that you can still press the switch. A soft lining doesn't scratch the phone's screen or backside.
What you'll have to figure out when you use the Ecocase is how you want to insert your iPhone. If you put in the iPhone topside-up, the phone's headphone jack is accessible, but the speaker is covered by the case, muffling the ringer. If you aren't wearing your earphones you may not hear your iPhone ringing, especially if you keep the ringer volume low. You can put the iPhone in the case upside-down, exposing the speaker, but then you can't access the headphone jack. More importantly, the iPhone power switch bangs against the bottom of the case, turning on the phone and sapping your iPhone battery. Imagine this happening dozens and dozens of times a day; it will have an affect on your iPhone battery life.
Topside-up or upside-down, the Ecocase holds up well. The canvas exterior does show some wear and fading over time, but this weathered look adds charm. On the other hand, the case's front and back pieces are each fairly thick, so the case may be too bulky for some. Overall, the Ecocase is an affordable pouch-style case for anyone who wants to add a natural look to the iPhone.
Incipio's Executive Ovrmld ($25) combines leather and plastic to create a protective shell for your iPhone. The only parts of the iPhone that the case leaves exposed are the ones that need to be—the touchscreen, Home button, receiver speaker, and sensors on the front; the speaker, microphone, and dock-connector port on the bottom; the headphone jack and Sleep/Wake button on top; and the camera, volume buttons, and Ring/Silent switch.
Available in black with gray stitching, the Ovrmld consists of two pieces—front and back—that snap together over your iPhone. The outer layer of leather is glued to the inner plastic shell; the stitching you see is purely cosmetic. Incipio does a good job of covering up the seams between the leather and the plastic, so you don't have to worry about the leather fraying over time. The inner plastic is smooth and won't rough up the surface of your iPhone. Since the stitching isn't used to attach the leather to the plastic, there also aren't any threads showing through the inner plastic that could rub against the iPhone.
Although the case easily snaps together, I had a heck of a time trying to open the case to remove my iPhone. I found that the best method was to pry the case apart at the upper left corner of the iPhone, but it still wasn't easy.
The back of the Ovrmld has a removeable belt clip that can rotate 360 degrees and locks into place at 45 degree intervals. The clip that attaches to your belt is stiff, but the connection between the clip and the knob on the back of the case isn't, so even with the case locked into position, the case wobbles a bit. As for that knob on the back of the case, it sticks out and looks like a little rotary dial. It certainly detracts from the overall look of the case if you decide to go sans clip.
The Executive Ovrmld is the type of case you put on your iPhone and leave it on. It provides good protection by combining two sturdy materials.
Case-mate on Wednesday announced the release of the Privacy Screen Pro for the iPhone. It costs $20.
The Privacy Screen Pro is a clear screen attachment that adheres to the iPhone using static cling. It prevents casual users from seeing what's on your iPhone screen - at angles 45 degrees or greater, it creates a dimming haze that prevents people from reading confidential information.
The screen's dimming capabilities work horizontally and vertically, and the static cling leaves no residue behind when it's removed.
The 2 x 3 inch screen comes with a cleaning cloth, graph sheet for sizing and soft applicator card. It fits the iPhone, Treo and HTC Touch phone.
I've got a box of a dozen or so iPhone covers to test and write about. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to writing about any of them. Part of that is because, over the past couple months, I've been swamped with work. But there's more at fault here than just my schedule: the other factor in my lack of productivity is, in fact, one of those cases.
Ever since I started using my iPhone back in June, I've been in search of the ideal case. My requirements were, I thought, pretty simple. I wanted a case that would offer both the case and the screen some level of protection if I were to drop my iPhone, and yet didn't make the iPhone too thick to slip into a pocket, which is my preferred carrying location. I've seen tons of cases: hard acrylic, soft rubber, padded leather, and even one combination unit that used both hard acrylic and soft rubber. But none of these cases met my requirements--most didn't offer any form of screen protection (or they just offered a scratch-blocking clear overlay), and they were uniformly bulky. Thicker cases can also make it harder to type, as they interfere with your fingers as they approach the edges of the screen.
About a month ago, I received a case that immediately caught my eye: the creatively-named $40 iPhone Full Leather Jacket from Pacific Rim Technologies. From the outside, this case--which I'll call the FLJ for ease of typing--doesn't look like much. It's a rigid case covered in black leather, with soft felt on the inside and curved edges that wrap up and around to hold the iPhone in place. There's a mount on the back for a belt clip; thankfully, the clip mechanism can be removed leaving only a small bump on the otherwise-smooth back of the case. (I'm not much of a belt clip person--"Hey, look, come steal this expensive electronic device strapped to my belt!"--but I tested this one out, and it seemed to work just fine.)
Continue reading "PRT Gear Full Leather Jacket iPhone case"
You know, Apple clearly didn't spend any time at all on the iPhone's camera. I mean come on: no manual controls, no flash, and worst of all, no zoom lens. I mean, come on, what are we supposed to do with that? Only take pictures of things that are close to us? Ridiculous.
Fortunately, the fine folks at Brando—seller of all things crazy—have rolled out a 6x zoom lens for the iPhone. Admittedly, it looks a bit like what I'd expect if you bolted a jet engine onto a Fiat, but hey. I'd like to to explain to you precisely what beenfits you'll get from this lens, but I think Brando's own catalog copy puts it best:
The new design to run of rays can effectively avoid the contortion of image, and makes the super wide angle, the larger luminous flux, the higher visual acuteness, good for color reduction, which makes the high quality of photography.Wait, what?
The design is far from perfect: in order to get the best image, you have to focus the lens by putting it up to your eye, then attaching it to the phone. It comes with a clear plastic case that holds the lens in the correct position, so you don't have to, and there's an included neckstrap, which is guaranteed to make you look like the silliest tourist ever.
But at $19, how can you resist?
[via Red Ferret]
