Audyssey, the high-end audio technology specialists, have just introduced their latest consumer product, the Lower East Side Media Speakers. We raved over the SOM audio dock that the company released earlier this year and it will be interesting to see if they can achieve the levels of quality we now come to expect from Audyssey.
F-Secure Releases Anti-Virus For Mac, But Do You Need It? [Review}
As any fan-boy (myself included) will testify, Macs don’t get viruses – or rather, that’s what we used to say…
With the popularity of the Macintosh platform at the highest it’s ever been, we are no longer as immune to cyber attacks as we could once claim. Only last week the ill intentioned ‘Mac Defender’ virus raged chaos on Macs the world over. The question of Mac security has raised its head once again – and this time, we might actually need to pay attention…
Is an SSD Size Upgrade From OWC a Good Idea for Your MBA? [Review]
When I first got my Macbook Air, I fell in love with its diminutive profile, speedy boot times and incredible portability, but after living with it for a few months, one thing became glaringly apparent – 128GB was simply not enough room. Having convinced myself it would be at the time or purchase – I have recently found myself umbilically attached to a 500GB USB hard drive for music and photos.
Now, 6 months in, I was faced with two choices – stick the current MBA on eBay and stump up the extra cash for a larger capacity Air – or invest in a 3rd party storage solution. The first option is just stupid, so an upgrade was on the cards.
Music As It Should Be, Brought To You By Sonos
With Sonos announcing only yesterday that Airplay support was coming to the Sonos range, as well as updating their iPhone and iPad apps – we thought it was about time we took the Sonos for a spin.
Let me start this by saying the Sonos multi-room system is the best solution available for getting multiple sources of music playing throughout your home – period. It’s not necessarily the cheapest, but it is without doubt the most complete solution you will find – and we love it!
Audyssey’s South Of Market Dock Is Music To Our Ears
Audyssey have already built a strong reputation in the field of high-end audio calibration. This is their first self released product. In a world of crappy plastic housings and terrible sound quality, finding a good quality iPhone/iPod dock is a rare occurrence. Audyssey’s South of the Market dock is a breath of fresh air in this over saturated, low quality arena.
Though not perfect, this dock is hands down the best I have reviewed and outdoes similar offerings on both build quality and sound by far. Read on to find out why.
iPhone Controlled Tree Lights Up For Christmas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQmy3ZbqTY8
You may remember seeing the iGlo LED set from my review a couple of weeks ago. Bruce Seymour, one of MEA’s directors has posted a video showing us how to use the lighting set on your Christmas tree. It’s a fun video and well worth checking out!
How To Cook Up A Storm This Holiday With Your iPad & iPhone
With the holidays now only days away, we are all starting to think about the true meaning of the holidays – food and drink, and copious amounts of the stuff! Whether you are in charge of the full roast on Christmas day, or just the cranberries, having a helping hand is always appreciated.
Being the lovely people we are, we have put together a list of the best apps and accessories for both iPhone and iPad that can help your holiday season be as full flavoured and stress free as possible!
Have yourself a geeky Christmas with iGlo LED’s
With Christmas just around the corner, most of us are setting up our homes ready for the festive season. If you are looking to add some geekery to your festive decorations this year, MEA Mobile’s latest product, the iGlo iPhone controlled LED set could be just what you are after.
Is Any Set Of Headphones Worth $300? One Of These Is… [Review]
Finding a decent set of headphones or earbuds that doesn’t cost the earth has always been a challenge. You either have to sacrifice on quality to fit your budget, or re-mortgage your house to find that ‘perfect’ sound.
With a maximum budget of $300, I set out to see how much sound you can get for your money at this mid- to high-level.
The Wallee iPad Wall Mount And Case [Review]
The Wallee is both a hard case for iPad as well as a simple and efficient wall mounting solution. It allows you to use your iPad throughout your home. It’s one of the best solutions out there, and delivers both on style and functionality. The Wallee is a gadget that is so well-engineered that I often forget about it. It has just blended its way into my everyday life – just like the iPad itself.
Happy Cover For iPad Makes Us Happy [Review]
The iPad is a beautiful device and a well-constructed case is a must have. The ‘Happy Cover’ from design house Atelier Kurth aims to meet our case needs, all the while delivering retro style that sets it apart from the masses.
Mophie’s Juice Pack Powerstation Is A Big External Battery for iPad/iPhone
Case and battery manufacturer Mophie has just launched the Juice Pack Powerstation — a one stop iOS charging station.
It’s 3,600mAh capacity means it is more than capable of fully recharging either iPad or iPhone (including iPhone 4), which will bring the possibility of going days without touching a power point.
The Powerstation has a pair of USB ports, one used to charge your device and the other for charging the battery itself. At 2.86 x 4.31 x 0.65 inches, and weighing somewhere around a pound, it is not the most portable of devices. You would be hard pressed to find a pocket big enough to lug this around in, but that said it will comfortably fit in most bags.
The Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation for iOS devices is available now direct from the Mophie site for $99.95. Full review as soon as we get our hands on one.
Raskin For Mac Will Change The Way You Use The Desktop [Review]
Raskin for Mac is an intuitive Finder replacement for Mac OS, and is the single best reason to go out and buy Apple’s new Magic Trackpad: it totally transforms the desktop experience.
Raskin for Mac uses a visual interface to present all your files on a single page, allowing you to view, arrange and open documents, applications, files and images without opening the Finder. It’s like a giant zoomable photo contact sheet, and makes navigating files and applications very easy and fast. It is inspired by the work of Jef Raskin — the legendary computer interface designer and father of the Mac computing experience.
Grove’s Bamboo iPhone Case Is A Work Of Art [Review]
As an iPhone user I have always shied away from cases as I have never found one that enhances the design of the iPhone rather than devaluing it. But the latest version of Grove’s Bamboo case for iPhone 4 is a game changer. It is hands down the best case I have ever used or reviewed.
That is a bold statement I know, but here’s why:
MoviePeg for iPad Solves Your Movie-Viewing Woes – Mostly [Review]
As an avid watcher of movies, I was thrilled by the prospect of watching the latest releases on my iPad. In practice however, I haven’t watched a single film all the way through and the reason is this – the iPad is simply too awkward to hold at the right angle for long periods of time. Even when placed on your lap, you end up getting leg ache after trying to stay in the right position.
MoviePeg from UK design house magneticNorth offers a solution to this problem by offering a versatile and compact stand solution, for a very reasonable $19.
EpicWin App Makes To-Do Lists Fun [Review]
We all hate chores. Whether it’s taking out the trash, washing the dishes or any other number of horrifyingly dull tasks. Game developer Rexbox aims to inject some fun into these mundane tasks with the release of EpicWin for iPhone, which turns your to-do list into a game.
Future Checkin App Takes The Pain Out of Foursquare [Review]
Independent app developer Tim Sears has just released his latest creation for iPhone, and if you are a Foursquare user, this is one for you.
Future Checkin utilizes the new background location features available with iOS 4 and allows you to check-in to your favorite, recent or nearby venues without even getting your phone out of your pocket.
Fring’s 3G Videochat App Is Must-Have For iPhone 4
Popular multi-IM and voice-chat service Fring has just been updated to bring 2-way video calling on iPhone 4 over 3G (Apple’s FaceTime is Wi-Fi only), as well as voice and text chat.
We’ve tested it out; while it has a few minor issues, Fring has freed videochat from Wi-Fi. If you like to videochat on your new iPhone 4, it’s a must-have app.
Google Earth For iPad Is Best iPad App Yet [Review]
Yesterday saw the release of Google Earth for iPad, and I cannot put into words how awesome it is. Though there is no amazing new feature or killer new interface, using it on the iPad’s 10-inch, high-resolution screen is pure joy.
This app is one of the best uses for the iPad to date. I wholeheartedly encourage you to give it a try.
Micromanage Peasants In Addictive iPhone Game, We Rule [Favorite Apps]
What it is: We Rule is an addictive world-building iPhone game that blends Sim City with Facebook’s Farmville. Set in medieval times, you must build a prosperous kingdom by micromanaging the peasants and expanding trade with other online players.
Why it’s good: The game blends the best empire-building aspects of Sim City with the social aspects of Farmville.
As a teenager, I was totally addicted to games like Sid Meier’s Civilization, and Sim City. Even though they had terrible graphics and long load times on my old Pentium 1 PC, the sense of being a ‘god’ and having power over all those little guys made it a deep and immersive experience. Now Ngmoco has brought this gaming experience to the iPhone.
Fruit Ninja Satisfies Your Inner Sensei [iPhone Game Review]
Fruit Ninja is a super fun game from Australian developers Halfbrick Studios that is impossible to put down!
Fruit Ninja incorporates the speed and simplicity of games like Doodle Jump with an innovative control method that makes the game addictive. I love this game. The graphics look like crap but the game proves the old adage — gameplay is king!
Run Dead Easy Offsite Backups To iDisk [How To]
Apple recently updated its Backup software to v3.2, improving its reliability and efficiency.
So now is a great time to show how to use it to make offsite backups of your most important files.
Why You Should Install Adobe’s Flash 10.1 Gala Preview
Yesterday I installed Adobe’s new preview of Flash 10.1 on a couple of my Macs, and even though Steve Jobs has just dinged his old partners for being slow to release good Mac software, this release rocks.
Here’s why you need to install it on your Mac right now.