Up until recently, there haven’t been all that many accessories with Apple’s tiny Lightning connector available. Today, Bluelounge released two new accessories to complement your latest-gen iOS devices. First up is the Kii, a handy USB to lightning adapter that is small enough to fit on your keychain.
Like you might have gleaned from its name, the Kii looks like a key. It even hangs neatly on your keychain. However, the large end of the Kii is a USB connector, and if you snap the top of the Kii off, you’ll find a Lightning connector. This makes for easy docking and charging of the latest iOS devices to the side of laptops, without need to carry around a cable. The center part of the Kii is flexible, which allows for a certain amount of variance in heights of laptops, desks, and iPhone cases. It’s a very handy device, though I wonder how well the exterior finish of the exposed USB connector will hold up over time – especially banging around on a key ring.
The second accessory out today is the Saidokā. It’s a unique take on the desktop iPhone dock. Instead of standing your iPhone vertically, the Saidokā keeps your iPhone at just about the same angle as your keyboard. This allows you to not only see the screen easily while typing, but to actually use your iPhone’s touchscreen while docked. This is especially handy for apps which let you use the iPhone as a trackpad or external screen for your computer.
That said, it’s pretty nice to be able to have your iPhone in such a convenient position alongside your computer. It’s a pretty neat design, and even features a removable rubber liner so you can fit your iPhone in the dock “naked” or in its case. It also comes with special “microsuction” rails which help grip the dock to a smooth desk surface without adhesive. The dock also includes the micro-USB to USB cable needed to connect it to your computer.
Both the Kii and Saidokā are available for order from Bluelounge today. The Lightning Kii sells for $39.95(USD) and the Saidoka goes for $49.95(USD). Both are available in either black or white. 30-pin versions are also available for older iOS devices, with the added bonus that each they sell for $20 less.
