Jan 12

Fingers-On With The Chunky Alupen iPad Stylus

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, ipad, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili

I have been skeptical of iPad and iPhone styluses in the past, but the Alupen, a chunky, pencil-shaped, rubber-tipped pen arrived in the mail today, and it has changed my mind.

The whole point of the iOS user interface is that you can control it with a fat finger. A stylus is necessary on a Windows tablet, as you need to hit targets designed for a pixel-sharp mouse pointer, but on the iPad, it’s superfluous. As Steve Jobs has said, “if you need a stylus, you’ve already failed.”

But it turns out that the iPad is also great for painting, drawing and writing, and the fingers are hopeless for these tasks (unless you are daubing paint in kindergarten). I have tried a few styluses in the past, with too-grippy rubber tips, or floppy foam nibs, and hated them all. Then I ordered the Alupen, for around €20 (the US price is $20). I have been drawing all day.

The Alupen is a stubby aluminum stick, shaped like a thick pencil. A rubber core runs through it to add heft, and the tip is a squishy rubber bobble. The hexagonal cross-section keeps it from rolling away, and the thickness makes it comfortable to hold.

The first test was the tip. I have owned another rubber-tipped stylus and it was impossible to use, the rubber sticking to the iPad’s glass. The Alupen’s tip glides across the screen, and the fat bubbled shape lets you press without the metal touching it, a problem with foam tips.

The weight is good. An aluminum tube would be too light and cause cramp. Like a fountain pen, the Alupen presses itself down for you. At first look, the pen seems to be too short for comfort, like one of those free pencils at Ikea. In use, it is actually long enough (and I have big hands).

In fact, the only fault I can find is that the metal pen gets icy cold when left on my desk. But then, my desk is marble, and my apartment has no heating, so it could be that.

$20 may be too rich for some, although a good fountain pen is much more, and with a stylus you never need to buy any ink. Available now, in silver and a range of anodized candy-coatings.

Alupen product page [Just Mobile]

Photo: Charlie Sorrel

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Jan 12

Repositioned Mute-Switch Means Cases Won’t Fit Verizon iPhone

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, att, iPhone, Today's Chili, verizon

The different positions of the mute button on the Verizon and AT&T iPhones. Photo by SlashGear

The Verizon iPhone 4 might look exactly the same as the AT&T iPhone, but it isn’t: small hardware changes mean that even Apple’s own Bumper cases won’t fit.

To accommodate the CDMA radio required by Verizon’s network, the iPhone’s external antenna has been redesigned. This, in turn, has required the mute switch to be moved a few millimeters down the side of the iPhone, towards the volume buttons. Therefore any case – including Apple’s – which has accurate cut-outs for the switches won’t work with the new iPhone.

You can see the difference in the above photograph from SlashGear. Think its no big deal? What about the case manufacturers, who now have to make two models of every line? Or customers at the Apple Store (or any other store that stocks accessories) who now have to make sure they buy the right case, instead of just grabbing the one they like the look of?

It looks like there is just enough space to keep the switch in its former position on the new phone, but that would have it pressing right up against the line in the antenna-band. And that would make it ugly, something Apple could never bring itself to do.

Verizon iPhone 4 moved buttons means AT&T bumpers won’t fit [SlashGear]

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Jan 12

Modular Carry-On Case Defeats Greedy Fellow-Travelers

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, Today's Chili

Truco is a modular carry-on case, designed to be split and concatenated to fit even the oddest space in the overhead locker. It should guarantee that your precious gadget-filled suitcase never gets tossed into the hold.

I first flew on a U.S domestic flight a few years ago, and it sucked. Every idiot was milling around, and stuffing way too much carry-on into the overhead lockers. I got on with my small hold-all and ended up having to stow it under the seat in front, thanks to all the scofflaw morons before me. And don’t get me started on the game of whack-a-mole the flight attendant had to play just to get these bovine idiots to sit down for long enough to, you know, launch the plane.

The Truco comes in three parts. An undersized roller-case, a briefcase which clips to its front and a tote which slides on top. When joined together, they make a regular-sized carry-on, like a luggage version of the Shining Optimus Supreme. When split, the various sections can be squeezed into any available space. The front briefcase section sounds pretty useful for organizing gadgets and cables, too.

The Truco (Travel Utility Carry On) is available now, for $200.

Truco product page [Balanzza. Thanks, Pedro!]

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Jan 11

Brick Your iPhone with Lego Cases

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, iPhone, lego, Today's Chili

SmallWorks BrickCase is just like any other open-faced plastic iPhone 4 case, except for one thing: the addition of awesomeness. The back face, and a small section of the top edge are covered in the familiar plastic carbuncles of Lego bricks. Yes, you can actually grab bricks from any Lego set and snap them into place on this case, and the two bumps up top are perfect for mounting a minifig.

The idea was born when the 12-year-old son of SmallWorks’ Jim Thompson saw his dad’s iPhone. Being a kid, he made the obvious connection at once. “This phone would be cooler if it had LEGO bricks on the back.”

Thompson got on it, and after tirelessly making samples and designing molds that would yield Lego-compatible nubbins, the BrickCase was born. You can have one for $20, in black, white, or clear.

BrickCase [SmallWorks]

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Jan 10

Victorinox Secure SSD, the 512GB Swiss Army ‘Knife’

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, SSD, storage, Today's Chili

Who carries a pocket knife anymore? If you travel by plane with any regularity, then probably not you. Victorinox, the makers of one of the world most famous pocket knives, knows this and has decided to put something a little more TSA-friendly into the skin of its legendary Swiss Army Knife.

CES 2011It’s not a pen-drive: It’s an SDD. The world’s smallest, according to Victorinox, despite managing to pack in up to 512GB storage. It can hook up to a computer via USB 2.0, but that makes for transfer speeds that make molasses look like plain water, so Victorinox have also added a plug to hook into an eSATA II port, giving native internal SSD speeds.

The drives are encrypted, and have a tiny e-ink display with the owners name and also the amount of space remaining. The case also contains a few blades, but they’re tiny enough to make it onto a plane (and therefore also to small to be useful). The Secure SSD, as it is called, was a CES demo and doesn’t yet have a price. Don’t expect it to be cheap, though.

Victorinox’s SSD flashdrive with e-Paper display [Official Victorinox blog]

Photo: Skattertech

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Jan 10

Laptop Bag Transforms into Desk and Chair

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, Today's Chili

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Openaire by NICK+BEAU -1


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If there is ever an Autobot which transforms from laptop case into desk and chair, then it will look like the Openaire, Nick and Beau Trincia’s rather handsome concept design.

The semi-rigid case is made from hinging pieces of wood and fabric, and consists of several layers which fit inside each other. The outermost skin is removed and hinged open to make a chair. It’s legless, more like a floor-sitting tatami chair than a desk chair, but it keeps you sitting comfortably upright, even on the cold, hard ground.

Next, you slide the computer from its messenger-bag-shaped cocoon. This case also folds out, providing a lap-desk with two flip-open side-panels and a rigid top to help the computer keep cool. It also gives a little lift, so you don”t have to crane your neck quite so much to see the screen.

Because it is modular, you can leave the seat part at home, which is quite likely – after all, who wants to be seen unfolding a whole office in the park? At events like last week’s CES, though, this would have proved ideal. You spend a lot of time far from the comforts of a press lounge or the Wired.com techno-shed, and often end up working on the floor. We just hope its not too heavy to carry.

Openaire [Nick Trincia]

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Jan 08

The 3 Coolest and 3 Lamest iAccessories at CES

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, Apple, ipad, iPhone, Today's Chili

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iLounge


There’s a huge section at CES called iLounge, where a horde of accessory makers showcase laptop bags, protective phone cases, power chargers and more, all aimed at Apple users. A better name for this section would be Mini Shenzhen.

CES 2011

A myriad of exhibitors there were from that Chinese city, which is famous for selling counterfeit iPhones, bootleg Windows discs and pirated DVDs. At CES, we spotted some really intriguing and occasionally crappy Apple accessories from Shenzhen exhibitors — and a few U.S. companies — on the show floor.

From a case purportedly designed for the next-generation iPad to an iPhone pico projector that felt like a cheap toy, here are the 3 coolest and 3 lamest iAccessories we saw at CES.

Photos by Jon Snyder/Wired.com

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Jan 07

TARDIS iPhone Dock Pumps Out Transdimensional Tunes

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, ios, iPhone, ipod, Today's Chili

LAS VEGAS — Speakal has created a dock for your iOS devices in the shape of the iconic TARDIS from Doctor Who. The bottom of the box slides out like a tray, revealing a small docking station. Speakers are built into the windows, and there’s a volume knob in the back.

CES 2011The company has also created an iOS app that turns your iPhone or iPod into a wireless remote control for your home theater, controlling the TV, stereo and DVD or Blu-ray player. The free app connects to the TARDIS via Bluetooth, and the commands are beamed to your various home theater devices using a small infrared emitter in the lamp at the top of the TARDIS.

It will be available this spring for around $130, and it will be slightly smaller than this demo unit (It’s actually bigger on the inside than it is on the outside).

Speakal has a few other official BBC-licensed products, including a dock shaped like Stig’s helmet from Top Gear. Your iPhone plugs into the top, which looks kind of silly, but it’s still a wicked cool piece of art.


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Jan 07

Smart Baby Monitor Beams Video to Your Cellphone

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, Smartphones, Today's Chili

LAS VEGAS — Withings Smart Baby Monitor almost makes it worth having a baby, just so you can play with it. The cute white block goes way further than the traditional dumb walkie-talkie style monitors of old. In fact, it’s almost like a remote control for your kid.

CES 2011Fold the cube open and you’ll see the main meat of the device: a 3MP video camera, with infra-red LED lamp for night-vision. This and a microphone beam sounds and pictures to your smartphone or computer so you can spy on junior (or at least check that he’s doing OK). There’s also a speaker so you can soothe him back to sleep without leaving the sofa and that glass of whisky you’re nursing. You can pipe music to the speakers, too, to soothe baby to sleep.

The monitor also has an array of sensors to check temperature, humidity and movement, and you can set an alarm to alert you if any of these go out of a range of your choosing. The monitor hooks up to the phone via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or even a wire.

The Withings Smart Baby Monitor will be in stores this March, price tba.

Smart Baby Monitor [Withings]

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Jan 07

Bluetooth Dock and Phone Handset Worthy of Mad Men

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, bluetooth, iPhone, Phones, Retro, Today's Chili

LAS VEGAS — CES isn’t just about new tablets, 3D TVs and one gazillion new Android phones. Sometimes its about the weird and the wonderful from unknown companies, and this iPhone Bluetooth handset from Hong Kong-based Native Union is plenty weird. And yes, I said handset, not headset.

CES 2011
The Moshi Moshi MM03i turns your iPhone into a landline phone, aesthetically at least. The weighted base has a slot for the iPhone, and you can leave it there happily charging and syncing. When you want to make a call, grab the receiver and you can make like 1995, back when you actually had a landline in your house.

To answer an incoming call, just pick it up and chat for up to six hours on a charge. You can also pair the handset with your computer for making Skype calls, and there are pick-up and hang-up buttons on the handset, along with volume controls. There’s even a 3.5mm jack in the base for hooking up to speakers.

For the tin-foil-hatters, you get the comfort of knowing that you aren’t frying your brains will evil cell-radiation every time you make a call. For everyone else, you can pretend you’re Don Draper. Pass me the whisky, now!

Available now, $150, in black or white.

Moshi Moshi product page [Native Union]

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