Hasta La Gadget!

Children are drawn to the iPad like flies to honey, but children are also notoriously bad at taking care of their toys. And if the thought of a young’n bashing away at your tablet’s display with a pen leaves you anxious, Griffin’s got you covered with a glowing stylus that lets them draw in mid-air. More »

We’ve got an odd assortment of accessories for you to peek at here, most of them being cases and protections of different sorts for some of the more popular devices on the market – but there are some weird bits as well. It’s really difficult to go entirely wrong with accessories for your gift-getting-buddies as long as you know which device you’re accessorizing – and if you’re accessorizing an Apple device, it’ll be like hitting the broad side of a barn! There are so many Apple device accessories out there you’ll have an intensely difficult time not happening upon a collection at any accessory-laden store you head to. We’ve got some gems for you here, that’s for sure.

The folks at Spigen SGP have come correct time after time after time this year with accessories that several SlashGear editors are still currently using on the regular. We saw winners everywhere from the Crumena leather pouch for the HTC One X to the double-dose of Galaxy S III cases that just started the flood. What Spigen SGP really brings the fire with – and something we basically guarantee will make your gift-opener say “oh this is weird and awesome” is the glass cover collection. It’s literally a pane of glass that protects the glass that’s already protecting your smartphone’s display – have a peek at our experience with the GLASt for iPad as well as the GLASt and Ultimate Class for iPhone 4S, not to mention the brand new GLAS.tR for iPhone 5 – they make a beastly collection of Galaxy S III screen protectors as well – thick and curved, even!

Also for the iPhone 5 as well as the 4 and 4S you’ll want to peek at the super odd and undeniably cute LOOP Mummy case – out for iPhone 5 immediately if not soon, mind you. For the pop-top bottle lovers out there – root beer, of course – there’s intoxicase with built-in cap opener. The most unique back-plate protection we saw this year has to have been the SkinIt etched metal plate for the back of the iPhone 4S – weird and wild! Both the Acradie and the Element Case Vapor Dock are iPhone accessories you’ll not know how you lived without, and the lovely Brookstone HDMI Pocket Projector for your iOS devices will bring you hours of giant projected light joy.

As for the iPad and its accessory collection that simply does not stop, you’ll want to start with the most hardcore carrying case that exists for the beast – the G-Form Extreme Portfolio Case complete with massive drop-tests from many stories up above the surface of the earth. The folks at Griffin have been working with the designers at Threadless to create some lovely iPad cases too – though not exactly outer-space ready, if you’re in to that sort of thing. Both the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover and the Brookstone Bluetooth Keyboard Pro for iPad have been treating us well throughout the year. If you’re just in the market for a unique sort of stand for your tablet (and it doesn’t just have to be the iPad), you’ll want to check out the Octa iPad Whale Tail kit.

Another special mention goes out to Moshi, a brand we first laid eyes on earlier this year at CTIA 2012. The folks at Moshi create both accessories and stand-alone products that enhance your mobile experience as well as your notebook action, with everything from clear cases for your MacBook Air and iPad to a versatile collection of iPhone 5 cases of all shapes and sizes. They’re responsible for what was easily the most unique case/cover combo with the iGlaze Versacover for iPad – complete with magnets – and they’ve even got under-MacBook cooling fans, too – and they work well!

SlashGear 2012 Holiday Gift Guide: Accessories is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Griffin has just announced the first third-party Lightning cables to become available on the market, giving you an alternative to official Apple products when it comes to charging and syncing your new iOS device. More »

If you have not heard of Griffin Technology before, perhaps it is time for a heads up – this is touted to be one of the world’s foremost creators of innovations for everyday life, and the company has recently announced the availability of Twenty, which was originally introduced earlier this year at January’s showcase CES 2012 event in Las Vegas, Nevada. Just to recap, Twenty will function as an audio amplifier which will incorporate the user’s Airport Express so that it can capture the AirPlay stream, followed by decoding it, and then playing lossless amplified sound via the attached speakers. In fact, Twenty has been recognized for its design and innovation, having picked up the gong for the Popular Mechanics Editor’s Choice Award along the way.

Ethan Opelt, Line Manager of Griffin’s Audio category, said, “Griffin’s Twenty is the easiest, best-sounding solution for untethered digital playback from iTunes or any AirPlay-enabled iOS device. We designed Twenty to be an elegant solution to cable clutter while maintaining high-fidelity sound for the audiophile.”

Just what else does Twenty offer? For starters, it comes with a zero-configuration audio set-up, where you will plug the AirPort Express into a built-in power connection and mounting platform on Twenty’s top panel. Following that, Twenty will then capture the AirPlay stream from iTunes as well as other AirPlay-enabled apps including (but not limited to) Pandora, Spotify, and last.fm, while sending great Apple Lossless audio to your speakers via its low-profile digital amplifier.

Twenty was also specially designed to deliver docking with the original Airport Express, although it is also capable of being compatible with any digital audio source including the new Airport Express. The audio amplifier will boast of a 2.1 channel sound system alongside 20 watts output per channel, while supporting a powered subwoofer using an automatic active crossover at 80 Hz.

You can pick up Twenty for $99.99 a pop if you are interested.

Press Release
[ Griffin Twenty is now available copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Griffin makes all sorts of accessories for Apple products like the iPhone and the iPad. The company has unveiled a couple of new toys that use iOS devices as controllers. The toys in question include a monster truck and little racing dune buggy called the Moto TC Monster and the Moto TC Racer.

The Monster is available right now and sells for $59.99(USD). It uses Bluetooth connectivity from the smartphone to send signals to the vehicle for control. The vehicle can be controlled using fingers on a virtual steering wheel or by tilting the device using its motion sensors. The controller app also features a slide controller where you can slide your finger back and forth to direct the truck.

Drivers can also set up a preset route to have the truck automatically run a specific route with no interaction. The Racer is a smaller buggy style car that will launch in the middle of November for $29.99. It will use an integrated RF sensor and an accessory that plugs into the headphone port of your device. Its app will support control using virtual steering wheel or motion. Both devices require iOS 5.0 or higher to operate.