Imagine how professional you'll look with this on your desk. Photo: Blue Designs
Podcasters, musicians, and haters of annoying noises rejoice. Blue Designs has come up with the Compass, a microphone boom that keeps your mic fixed right over your desk, your computer, your countertop, or even your ghetto ironing-board podcasting desk. Paired with Blue’s Radius shock mount, you need never worry about mic noise ever again.
We've rounded up the best deals on essential accessories for your Macbook. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Buying a Macbook is just the first step. Once you’ve got your shiny new machine, it’s time to outfit it with the peripherals that’ll make it yours. So we’ve gathered some of the best deals on essential Macbook add-ons. That includes a neck-saving laptop stand, powerful drive repair software, a USB connection expansion, and more. Read on for more details:
This roundup of iPhone X essentials covers wireless charging, drive expansions, and cases. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
iPhone X is still hot off the factory presses, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to get some awesome peripherals. We’ve rounded up some of the best accessories for Apple’s best ever phone. We’ve got wireless charging pads, charging cases and more. Most are discounted by more than half off. Read on for more details:
iPhone 7s is taller, wider, and thicker than iPhone 7. Photo: TechnoBuffalo
iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus might be more affordable than the swankier iPhone 8, but it certainly won’t be cheap upgrades. If you were hoping to hold onto all the accessories you have already purchased for iPhone 7, you can think again.
Leaked schematics for both devices suggest all your existing cases might not fit.
Apple has begun eliminating official accessories in many color options from its online store.
Shoppers are discovering that a number of iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch accessories are no longer available in some color options. They are likely being phased out before new accessories for Apple’s next-generation devices arrive this fall.
Refresh your red iPhone with these awesome products. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Interest in the (PRODUCT)Red iPhone has died down since its release back in March, and the novelty has likely worn off already for those of you who picked one up. Now it’s time to make it interesting again!
We’ve put together a list of five brilliant red products, all under $30, to compliment the red iPhone and reinvigorate your love for its unique color. Check out the video along with details for all the accessories we’ve featured below.
Henge Docks' Vertical Docking Station for MacBook Pro makes for a sleek desktop. (The Gravitas, for iPhone and iPad, helps.) Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
A recent move into a new studio put my OCD on high alert. Determined to maintain a truly “clean workspace,” I wanted to avoid a jumble of cables slowly creeping across my new desk at all costs. A MacBook Pro dock definitely seemed in order.
For a sleek solution to any pending cable chaos, I added Henge Docks’ Vertical Docking Station for MacBook Pro to my desktop. So far, it’s the best solution I’ve found.
OWC's dock adds serious bulk to the MacBook Pro. Photo: OWC
MacBook Pro owners that wish Apple included more ports alongside the Touch Bar can now have the best of both worlds — if they don’t mind slapping a huge dock on their machines.
OWC teased a new accessory called the DEC dock for MacBook Pro at CES, the monstrous gadget show happening in Las Vegas this week. The dock is comically large, but it adds a bevy of new features to the MacBook Pro, including extra storage.
These are our favorites! Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Accessory makers churned out some awesome new gadgets for the iPad in 2016. From cases to Star Wars toys, loads of new gear came along to boost the capabilities of the world’s favorite tablets.
Whether for the Pro line or the less-powerful Air or mini models, these are the best iPad accessories of 2016.
Belkin's design director Oliver Seil says designers are basically psychologists. Photo: Oliver Seil/Belkin
In the last decade or so, lots of companies have gotten design religion. Design has been brought in-house, where it can shape products from the very get-go. There’s an obvious source for this idea — Apple.
This week on the Kahney’s Korner podcast, I talked to Oliver Seil, senior design director of Belkin International’s Innovation Design Group. We discussed Belkin’s products and design process; the surprising complexity of USB cables (and why they cost so much); and why Apple has had such an enormous influence on design and manufacturing.
You can listen to the podcast or read a full transcript of the interview below. (Or dive into the show notes.)
Belkin's design director Oliver Seil says designers are basically psychologists. Photo: Oliver Seil/Belkin
For many ugly years, manufacturers considered industrial design an afterthought. They would outsource the task to a contractor or neglect it altogether, in an effort to get products out quickly and cheaply.
The result: hideous-looking products that didn’t work well or proved difficult to use.
Nowadays, companies like Apple are changing the game when it comes to incorporating industrial design and user experience into product engineering.
On this episode of Kahney’s Korner, I talk with Oliver Seil, senior design director with Belkin International’s Innovation and Design Group. Seil is Belkin’s Jony Ive, the top designer who overseas the company’s diverse array of products.
Beware fake accessories from Mobile Star. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple is clamping down on counterfeit cables and chargers being sold on Amazon. The company this week filed a lawsuit against Mobile Star, claiming almost 90 percent of its accessories are fakes and pose a risk to users.
The next Magic Keyboard may look something like this. Photo: Sonder
Apple is reportedly in talks to acquire an Australian startup called Sonder that specializes in making keyboards with individual e-ink displays on each key.
The Sonder acquisition is supposedly part of Apple’s plan to update its Magic Keyboard in 2018 with a smart keyboard module and color e-ink keys that allow programs to quickly swap characters for shortcuts or change to a different language.
There's lots of extra juice in the new iPhone case. Photo: Apple
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus aren’t the only new Apple products that are getting a solid battery upgrade.
Apple’s new Smart Battery case for the iPhone 7 has a 26% bigger battery than the iPhone 6 and 6s version, giving users the ability to binge on video for a full 24 hours.
Otterbox’s modular case offers speakers, battery, memory card and more. Photo: Otterbox
Otterbox has made a name for its self by offering the biggest and bulkiest iPhone cases imaginable, but with its latest product all that rubbery protection comes with a ton of utility.
Still better than a "smart" refrigerator. Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac
Nowadays it seems like we’re ready to replace just about every standalone device with a smartphone app or add a Wi-Fi connection to it, when the reality is that plenty of these devices work perfectly fine already. (I’m looking at you, Wi-Fi-enabled refrigerators.) So it was refreshing to be able to review a product that’s confident in what it is and what it isn’t: the Boogie Board Jot 8.5 eWriter.
The Jot 8.5 is an ultra-thin display that lets you write or draw whatever you want on it, then instantly erase all the contents at the push of a button. Think of it as a practical Etch-A-Sketch that doesn’t suck.
This wallet case holds more than just cards and cash. Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac
Touted as “the ultimate iPhone leather case” by its creators, the Guardian Leather case for iPhone 6 and 6s is a new wallet-style accessory with a campaign that just launched on Indiegogo. It’s designed with various functions in mind, but the focus on music takes the cake: You can control the volume from the outside of the case and even store your earbuds along the side of it.
I spent some time with the Guardian Leather to test the various functions it promises to deliver and the overall quality of the case. If you’re a fan, you have plenty of time to back the Indiegogo project — just under one month left.
This portable Bluetooth flash is perfect for those who thrive on nightlife. Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac
As far as smartphone cameras have come with improved low-light shooting and intelligent LED flash, there will always be some situations in which you could use just a bit more light. This is especially true for photographers who want to make smart adjustments for their photos, or people who tend to do most of their socializing at night. So it’s worth shining a light on iblazr 2, a fantastic Bluetooth LED flash.
This successor to Concepter’s original iblazr isn’t just your ordinary wireless LED flash. It’s equipped with tons of features that let me fine-tune the way I want my photo to come out. The most important feature for me is that it works with the native camera apps on iOS and Android. In fact, according to Concepter’s website, it’s the only wireless LED flash that does.
The new Mighty wants to bring Spotify to those with an active lifestyle. Photo: Mighty Audio
Today, the iPod shuffle you’ve been hoping for is getting a shot at life — no thanks to Apple. Mighty Audio is launching its Kickstarter campaign for the new Mighty streaming music player, a small clip-on device that can stream Spotify wherever you go without having to use your smartphone. A portable, affordable music player with streaming capabilities? Yes please.
If you want to take your iPhone photography to the next level, these accessories will help you get the job done. Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor
For many of us, the iPhones in our pockets have long since replaced the need to carry around a regular DSLR or point and shoot camera. While the iPhone itself is typically all you need to start capturing great photos, there are a few iPhone camera accessories that can help take your iPhone photography to the next level.
These are some of my current favorites, all of which are compatible with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus:
This TV speaker could Grace your living room or bedroom. Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac
Grace Digital’s Voice Enhanced TV Speaker promises to enhance the sound of your television and potentially give it a volume boost. The sound was engineered with voices in mind because, more than anything when watching TV, dialogue is what you need to hear. As a bonus, a Bluetooth connection lets the speaker work with any Bluetooth-enabled computer or smartphone.
I hooked up Grace Digital’s Voice Enhanced TV Speaker to my television and gave it a whirl.
Spot the difference. On the left is Apple's $450 Link Bracelet for Apple Watch. On the right, a $90 knockoff that gets 4.5 stars on Amazon. Photo: Apple
The internet is awash with knockoff bands for the Apple Watch that are almost as good as the genuine articles.
Knockoff products are traditionally cheap and nasty, but tons of these replica Apple Watch bands are so good, they rival Apple’s own products — at a fraction of the price.
We’ve taken a tour of knockoff band land, and found that there are lots of cheap, inexpensive bands on eBay and Amazon that are high in quality and are getting glowing reviews from customers.
“My black Apple Sport band has started flaking off, while the third-party knock-offs still look brand new,” said Neven Mrgan, a designer for Panic software in Portland, Oregon who bought a less-than-half-price band on Amazon.
Apple is stepping up its focus on accessibility. Photo: Apple
Apple is reportedly set to start selling new accessibility-related peripherals and accessories for both Mac and iOS in its brick-and-mortar Apple Stores as well as online.
The accessories, which are reported to be going on sale in the first quarter of calendar year 2016, are designed to help users with disabilities to better engage with Apple products.