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gadgets - page 46

Leaked Photos Show Fujifilm X-E1 Drops Revolutionary Viewfinder To Save Money

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Like shipping an iPhone with Android OS, the X-E1 drops the most important part of the X-range.

 

 

What’s the single standout feature that makes you want to buy Fujifilm’s retro-tastic X-series cameras? It’s that neat hybrid viewfinder, right? That’s the real innovation, and the real difference not only between the X cameras and your screen-only iPhone, but between the X-series and all mirrorless cameras.

Which brings us to leaked news of the forthcoming X-E1, a new budget-friendly X-series body which trims the cost by… ditching that viewfinder.

 

 

R*Case Might Be The Most Practical iPad Case Ever [Review]

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The white case might get dirty, but it's not as dirty as my walls.

 

 

We I first wrote about the R*Case, I remarked with typical hyperbolic overstatement that it “looks very useful.” Well, the kind folks at TouchNS sent one (or actually four, along with a bunch of really bad styluses) for review, and it turns out I was right. In fact, it is now my favorite iPad skin.

ECOXPOWER Bike Hub Generator Charges Your iPhone As You Ride

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Keep your iPhone fresh as you pedal.

 

 

If you want to power your bike’s lights and charge your iPhone as you pedal, you should have specced a dynamo hub when you got the wheels built. But either you were too cheap (like me) or couldn’t see the point. Don’t worry! There’s hope for both of us in the form or the ECOXPOWER generator, an aftermarket power and lighting system for your bike.

Book-Sniffers Rejoice: Dodocase for Kindle Touch

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As close as you'll get to the feel of a paper book.

 

 

The various bookbindery cases for the iPad are great and all, but I always found them to be a little impractical. They look lovely, they offer a ton of protection, but they do tend to get in the way. But the Kindle, made to be read like a book, seems tailor-made for a book-like cover. And here it is, the Hardcover for Kindle Touch from Dodo.

Chromonaut Camera Bag Is Almost Big Enough To Sleep In

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You might as well just move in.

 

 

The thing I like best about the Chromonaut camera bag isn’t the price (it’s a ridiculous $215), or the fantastic retro styling. Nor is it the name, which makes me think of 1970s pulp sci-fi magazines. Nope. The best part of this cool camera carrier is the removable padded inserts, which mean that the bag doubles as, well, a regular bag. An expensive regular bag, sure, but at least it won’t get left at home when you go to the beach.

myCharge Peak 6000 Is Almost Equal To the iPad’s Monster Battery

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Never forget a cable again.

 

 

11,666mAh. That’s the nightmare figure that faces you every time you plug the newest iPad in to charge. You really need to charge the thing overnight, otherwise you’ll be sitting there for hours and hours waiting for the battery meter to tick over to 100%.

And the myCharge Peak 6000 – like most external battery packs – will only make a small contribution to that yawning, ravenous battery. It will toss 6,000 mAh into the void before excusing itself for its own refill, but if you use it with, say, an iPhone you will be able to charge the thing several times over.

The Peak 6000 wins on design, too. The wall prongs are built in for fast hookup, as are a 30-pin dock connector and a microUSB plug. You won’t be losing any parts of this charger. It even has a pop-out USB input for charging from a computer, should there only be one wall-wart available.

The price for this well-designed back up? $99. Buy two and you’d have enough to fully charge the greedy, bloated iPad 3.

Source: myCharge

 

Handsome Bluetooth Speaker Doubles As Retro-Style Travel Clock

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I want this speaker so bad.

Hey! Remember those old travel alarm clocks which would fold out from a pocket-sized, pillow-shaped package into a three-sided stand-up clock? No? Well I do, because that’s what my ever-frugal Nan used to use as a regular clock in the living room, and I never tired of folding and unfolding it – whenever she wasn’t around, at least.

Which is why I have a thing for this neat-o Bluetooth speaker from Geneva Labs. The handsome package folds up just like my Nan’s did, and even manages to hide a cute clock in behind the minimalistical grille.

Shoot Incredible Photos On Your iPhone Or iPad Using DIY Filters [iOS Photography Guide]

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This plant was reflected in a silver book cover, rotated and then tweaked in Snapseed

One of the best things about using an iPhone to shoot your photos is the huge range of accessories you can buy to help out. But what if you’re on a budget? Or you just aren’t really into photography enough to spend more money? Or if you’re just bored today and feel like playing around?

Then you’re in the right place, because we’re about to take a look at DIY iPhone photo filters. And lenses. And other modifiers. And best of all, you probably have most of them around your home or office, ready for some instant procrastination. Let’s go!

SuperTooth 2 Really Is Super [Review]

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Supertooth works in pairs, its at home on stairs.

 

 

This is the SuperTooth Disco 2. It’s the sequel to one of my favorite Bluetooth speakers ever, the SuperTooth, only smaller, a little quieter, and a lot more stereo-er. It also has a quirky little flower-vase style which will probably grow on you, especially if you have small tables.

Stackable Batteries Can Even Charge The New iPad

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Rack 'em and stack 'em.

IPad 3. Hired: Retina screen, speedy 4G internet, lots of lovely RAM. Fired: Weight. Heat. Girth. Retired: That damn battery.

Yes, if the iPad 3 were to be leaping over a fence to escape its doom, and Paris were to fire an arrow to stop it, the arrow would hit the iPad 3 in its battery charger, not its heel (sorry about the extended and twisted Greek adventure story there). Sure, the battery lasts long enough, but it takes forever to charge the thing.

Happily, Exogear’s stackable battery packs are here to help.

Sleek Clamp Puts iPhones And Cameras On Your Bike

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Attach your iPhone to you handlebars in style.

It used to be that bike handlebars were for holding on to, and for telling your bike just which direction you wanted it to go. You might add a bell, or wrap around some fancy colorful bar-tape, but that was the limit of directional decoration.

Now there are so many accessories that can be clamped and clipped to the bars that touring cyclists even add an extra stumpy bar to their stems just for bags, computers and lamps. And now we can add a tripod mount to that list.

Rugged Flight Case Transports And Charges 16 iPads Simultaneously

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Who said you couldn't multitask with the iPad?

Hey! do you have 16 iPad’s and a 13-inch MacBook that you travel with regularly? Are you sick of plugging and unplugging them, and having to roll them in newspaper every time you take a plane?

Well, if you’re happy to put all your iEggs in one tough, roll-along basket and entrust it to the notoriously light-fingers of the airport baggage handlers, then Parat Solutions has just the, uh, solution for you.

Hidden Radio Bluetooth Speaker (Almost) Finally Revealed

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The Hidden Radio speaker is like one giant volume knob.

Hidden Radio, a Bluetooth speaker and radio so minimalist it makes a sheet of blank paper look like something from a Jules Verne story, has finally emerged from a lengthy Kickstarter pupation to go on sale in a web store near you.

It’s stylish, it’s loud and it lasts longer than most other Bluetooth speakers around. What’s not to like?

Photographer Uses iPhone Rear Panel As Wet Collodion Photo Plate

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The amazing result combines old and new.

When it comes to iPhoneography, “retro” usually refers to adding some light leaks, desaturating some colors or adding fake grain. But for Jake Potts, it means taking the iPhone’s rear glass panel, turning it into a wet collodion plate and taking a real photograph with it. And because he’s a true photo nerd, he also documented every step of the process.

QuickDraw Fast-Changing Belt-Mounted Lens Bayonets Are Totally Awesome [Kickstarter]

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I imagine that every SLR user ever will want the QuickDraw.

QuickDraw is about as apt a name for a gadget as any we’ve ever seen. And the why-didn’t-I-think-of-that obviousness extends to its function: Quickdraw is a lens bayonet that hangs on your belt and lets you clip any spare lenses around your waist, read to for – you guessed it – a quick draw.

Textile Dock Cables Offer Retro Recharge

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This handsome retro-styled accessory is the Textile iCable from Eastern Collective, a dock-connector with its wire wound in cotton to make it look like an old-timey kettle lead or even a bicycle pump adapter. And if I wasn’t banking on Apple switching over to a new dock connector for all future iDevices (and if I didn’t already have a drawer full of white cables), I’d probably already have ordered a few.

Back To School: Every App & Gadget You Need To Survive College [Buyer’s Superguide]

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Going back to school? Then let us help.

You lucky thing. The summer’s over, or nearly over, and you’re already planning on heading back to school. Just like last year, you will begin this year fresh and full of energy and enthusiasm, only to be ground down by the man. Luckily, we’re here to help with advice on the best apps and gear to get you through the year and into next year’s summer vacation with the least effort possible.

So sit back, relax and take a look at the Cult of Mac back to school/college superguide.

Loose MagSafe 2 Plug Destroys Retina MacBook Screen

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The MagSafe 2, it seems, is neither 'Mag' nor 'Safe.'
The MagSafe 2, it seems, is neither 'Mag' nor 'Safe.'

It’s widely know that that the MagSafe 2 connector found on the new Retina MacBook Pro likes to sever its connection at the slightest chance. But who cares, right? After all, if it comes loose, you just plug it back in – it’s not like it’s the cable to your boot drive or anything.

I’ll tell you who cares: Lukas Mathis. Lukas didn’t notice his weak Mag”Safe” connector disconnecting, and the result was a cracked and ruined Retina screen.

The Highline iPhone Leash Is Totally Tough Enough [Review]

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The Highline is like a leash for your iDevice. Photo Charlie Sorrel (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)
The Highline is like a leash for your iDevice. Photo Charlie Sorrel (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

When I first glimpsed the Highline, I teased, calling it “an almost spectacularly misguided idea.” The Highline is a curly cable which hooks into your iDevice’s 30-pin dock connector and keeps it safe from drops and attempted snatch-and-grabs. Despite my conclusions, the kind folks at Kenu sent one over to the Cult of Mac test labs to check out. And while I’d probably never have a use for one, it turns out that it does its job just fine.