Apple iPad Gear

iRig Keys Now Shipping, Review Coming Soon!

Today IK Multimedia announced that they were shipping the iRig Keys, their first entry into the hardware controller world. Building on their growing base of experience with iOS-based music accessories, IK is positioning as a mobile controller for your tablet or laptop that provides a solid range of functionality while also easily fitting in your backpack – and with the durability to stand up to life in a backpack! Even better, today my iRig Keys arrived for review, and will be working to get my review of the new hardware and iGrand Piano for iPad out as soon as possible. Because…

Reviews

Libratone Zipp AirPlay Speaker Review

Last week I offered a first look and video of the Libratone Zipp. The airplay speaker fuses European aesthetics with Cupertinian technology. The round speaker works fine at home, but it also runs on battery power so you can take it on the go. Libratone, who already offered two different speakers designed for home use has now made a speaker that is ready to, as they put it, “Leave the House”. From Libratone: Share your music anywhere, anytime! Libratone Zipp is an easy-to-use, wireless sound system wrapped in changeable Italian wool. Stream your favourite tunes with PlayDirect™ and AirPlay technology, directly…

Reviews

xPrintServer Home Edition Review

At long last, I have my entire staff using iPads. In addition, after months of planning we have finally set up our school’s iPads for use with the interactive Bar Mitzvah training program I have created. More and more I expect we will see the staff and school iPad being used for a host of different purposes. One of my colleagues did, however, raise a question the other day. “How,” she asked, “do we print from these things if we need to?” It is an EXCELLENT question and, as luck would have it, I had just received a review sample…

Reviews

BoxWave Type Runner Bluetooth Keyboard Review

Using my iPad as my primary option is still fairly new for me. We all know that the iPad is an amazing user experience for numerous tasks, but while it is easy to use and I can actually type pretty well on it, there are times that using the onscreen keyboard are not optimal. When I am completing work tasks or especially Gear Diary posts (which is not often enough during football season), it is much faster and less tiring to type on a physical keyboard. The only problem with this need is having to carry a full-size keyboard while…

Gear Bits

Libratone Zipp Wireless AirPlay Speaker, First Look

Every now and then a product comes along that not only meets your expectations but actually exceeds them. That’s the case so far with the Libratone Zipp AirPlay Wireless Speaker. Sure, it has a cool, unique look. And sure, the fact that you can change the wool covers then, in seconds, have a speaker that looks completely different is very cool. And sure, it has AirPlay. All that is true, but what really makes this speaker stand out is its Play Direct and its awesome sound. Play Direct means you can stream great audio wirelessly even when you don’t have an…

Gear Bits

All-In With the New iPad

Mike and Carly have discussed the fact that the iPad is their 80% Plus computer. Mike even went so far as to try to use the iPad exclusively for a few days. (You can read about it here.) Well, I am embarking on my iPad-only experiment although I do so out of necessity. You see, prior to the MacBook ProR I had at least two computers. Usually that meant a desktop and a laptop but, for a time it meant a 11″ and a 13″ MacBook Air. That meant I always has a “spare” Mac available to me. Not…

News & Features

Lexus Ad Highlights the Tech in the 2013 ES with a Hi-Tech Ad

I love my IS 250. There are times when I feel like it is a tiny bit too small, and I would have preferred something like the larger ES but, 99% of the time I could not be more happy with the car I chose to lease last year. Lexus is pushing the 2013 ES with an extensive marketing campaign and, this time out, they have an advertisement that, “like the entirely new ES, merges next-generation technologies with stunning visuals”. Starting today, you can bring the Lexus ES print ad found in today’s issue of Sports Illustrated magazine to life…

Reviews

iEraser Screen Cleaner Review

Nearly every device most of us use today involve some type of touch screen. Phones, tablets, GPS units…you name it and we are smudging the screens. In fact, laptops and desktop monitors somehow seem to get greasy after just a couple of days use. There is not a day that passes that a smudged up screen is not annoying me. Anyone who is a parent of young children like myself know that anytime a kid gets near one of the screens it seems to get grungy. Our devices seem to be magnets for fingerprints and smudges. I recently had the…

Reviews

Jabra Solemate Bluetooth Speaker Review

I’ve had my Jawbone Jambox for well over a year, and I’ve loved it. It is small, easy to use, and it packs a punch! More recently I had the opportunity to review the Braven 600. It is about the same size, but it has a built-in battery that will also charge your mobile device even as it fills the space with music. Then there is the most recent entry into this category – the Jabra Solemate Bluetooth Portable Speaker. It costs $200, is a bit bigger than the other two speakers and, quite frankly, looks like it wants to…

Reviews

Mission Workshop R6 Arkiv Field Pack Video Review

We reviewed Mission Workshop’s Sanction Weatherproof Rucksack in November of 2011. (Read the review here.) This time out we are taking a look at the company’s R6 Arkiv Field Pack. The Mission Workshop Sanction Weatherproof Rucksack is one of the more unusual backpacks we have ever seen. In fact, it isn’t exactly a backpack. A more accurate way to describe the R6 Arkiv would be to refer to it as “backpackS”. You see, the R6 Arkiv is highly configurable and can be used in a variety of ways. Here’s our video look, the company’s description, and how you might end…

Reviews

Desktop Chair for iPad and MacBook air Review

We’ve looked at numerous iPad stands but few have been as simple and natural as this Desktop Chair from Moku Woodware. The Desktop Chair promises to “turn your laptop into a desktop”. Made from natural basswood, the Desktop Chair looks neat on its own and works well, except when it doesn’t. Let’s take a look. From Moku Woodware: While we enjoy the mobility of laptop, some of us still use desktops to work efficiently and comfortably. Hand made with fine natural basswood, Desktop Chair simply holds your Apple laptop and turns it into a desktop machine with an external display,…

News & Features

Pelican ProGear Sport Backpacks Let You Carry, and Protect, Your Gear

If you need to protect your device from being crushing there is no better option than one of Pelican’s hard cases. Now the company is rolling out a line of backpacks that take the same approach to extreme-protection of all your devices. The Pelican ProGear Sport Backpacks are a collection of lightweight backpacks housing crushproof and watertight Pelican cases to safeguard your personal electronics including laptops, MacBook computers, netbooks, e-readers, tablets, keyboards and other accessories. The backpacks come in a range of colors and are constructed from ballistic nylon. The Elite models have “four adhesive, memory foam buffers, which secure the…

News & Features

Skooba Design Offers New Products for Camera, Laptops and Cables; Pre-Order Now, Reviews Are Coming Soon!

Drawing on the same design cues we’ve seen in recent products, Skooba Design has just announced three new upcoming ways to carry, protect and organize your gear. It will, of course, come as no small surprise that we are looking forward to getting our hands on each. So what HAS Skooba rolled out? There’s the Photo/Tablet Traveler V.3. I’ve been doing a series of camera bag and case reviews and this looks like a great solution for carrying a lot of gear even when you want to travel light. Think of it as the amazing Laptop Weekender we’ve reviewed shrunk…

Reviews

New Potato TuneLink Home Wireless Streamer Review

Back in the spring of 2011, we reviewed New Potato’s TuneLink Auto Direct Connect Audio Solution for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad (Read the review, here.) At the time it was the perfect solution for me since I didn’t have Bluetooth in my car; the TuneLink easily added streaming to it. I’ve since leased a car with all the bells and whistles and, as a result, I don’t need an after-market streaming solution. If you car doesn’t have Bluetooth you should check it out. It is simple to set up, it works great, and I really enjoyed my time using…

Reviews

Us + U Swivel ProFolio for iPad 2 and 3 Review

We reviewed the Us+U Simple Swivel for iPad 2 and 3 some months ago. (Read the review.) I concluded the review with this: I didn’t think I would be all too impressed by the Simple swivel. I was, I am, and I can strongly recommend it to anyone who needs to use their iPad while standing and/or walking around. No, it will not give you screen protection, but it will protect the rest of the device and hold on to you so you don’t hold onto it. Well how about this!? We have one of their other cases in hand…

News & Features

Your Mobile Devices are a Germ Haven, So It’s ionSwipes to the Rescue!

One of the most useful sensory and interactive instruments in the human body are our hands and fingers. They help us easily manipulate our mobile devices, allowing us to communicate and plug into the virtual world around us. Ironically, hands and fingers are a double-edged sword, for in addition to allowing us to communicate virtually via our various electronic devices, they quietly and efficiently spread germs via physical handling of these devices. Germs. That catch-all layman word covering bacteria, viruses, protozoa and some fungi. The stuff that gives Howie Mandel heebie-jeebies. In fiction, the cooties that annihilated wayard Martians,…

Music Diary, Reviews

Griffin StudioConnect MIDI-Audio Interface System for iPad Review

If you plan to use your iPad as a recording studio, you need to figure out a way of getting signals in and out … Oh, and a way of holding your iPad steady while working. Or, you can just get the Griffin StudioConnect and take care of it all at once! Let’s take a look! The Hype: Digital music-making has never been easier. Owning an iPad makes it easier still, taking it to a whole new level of versatility and portability. StudioConnect gives your iPad: audio in/out, MIDI in/out, and a stereo headphone jack with its own volume control…

Reviews

iHome iDM5 Bluetooth Keyboard Speaker System Review

Mike is in the midst of an iPad challenge to see if the tablet can serve as his 99% computer. (Read it, here!) The speed of the iPad 3 combined with the depth and breadth of the apps now available in the iTunes App Store make it easier to get to that 99% than ever before. Still, there are certain limitations that enter into life with a tablet that software and speed can simply not overcome. Limitation number one is the lousy speaker on the iPad. Sure, you can listen to music, carry on a conversation using Line2 and watch,…

Reviews

Blue Microphone’s Mikey Digital Review

One of the tables I visited at the Pepcom Holiday Showcase last week belonged to Blue Microphones. We’ve long been fans of their products, and I was impressed with the three that I saw. (We’ll be looking at each over the next few weeks.) The company was kind enough to send me home with one of their new Mikey Digital audio recorders for iPhone and iPad. Let’s take a closer look. From Blue Microphones: The all-new Mikey Digital is the perfect tool for mobile recording. Featuring two custom-tuned Blue capsules for stereo recording, a line-input, USB pass through and a stylish…

Music Diary, Reviews

The iRig Pre Microphone Preamplifier Review

Sometimes releasing audio accessories is a thankless job. I recently reviewed the iRig Stomp, which has the glorious job of being a foot pedal interface between your guitar and the awesome sonic shaping of AmpliTube. Not exactly glamorous! Now along comes iRig Pre – and all it has to do is get your professional-grade microphone sound into your iOS device without screwing things up. IK Multimedia seems to know this if you look at ‘The Hype’ below. But let’s take a look and see how it does! The Hype: Introducing the First studio quality mic pre-amp for the iOS platform…

News & Features

Using a Seagate GoFlex Satellite Harddrive? Read This Before Updating to iOS 6.0

We’re big fans of the Seagate GoFlex Satellite wireless hard drives. We love the way they let us add tons of storage to our iPads, iPhones and iPod touch’s. And we love the way the company updated the firmware and made them even better a year after we first did our review. BUT, and this is an important “but”, if you have updated, or are going to update to iOS 6.0 you need to update the firmware on the drive. Thankfully it is easy to do. Just click here and follow the instructions. No OS update is without bumps along…

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