Belkin - page 5

Foxconn is buying a renowned Apple accessory maker for $866 million

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Belkin has long been a manufacturer of high quality Apple accessories.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Long-time Apple device manufacturer Foxconn is about to get even closer to Apple — thanks to its acquisition of well-known iPhone accessory maker Belkin.

According to a new report, Belkin International will be bought by FIT Hon Teng, a Hong Kong-based subsidiary of Foxconn for a massive $866 million. The acquisition also includes Linksys and Wemo-branded products and services, as well as the smart home water management company, Phyn.

Week’s best Apple deals: Save on iPad Pro, iPhone 7 and accessories!

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The 10.5-inch iPad Pro is a real screamer (and it's on sale now for the best price we've ever seen).
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

This week, you can go pro and upgrade your iPad, or snag a sweet deal on a refurbished iPhone. Plus, get an app that tracks cryptocurrencies — for free! You’ll find those bargains and more in our roundup of the week’s best Apple deals.

Best iPad cases for every type of user

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The right case is not only protective, but functional, and even classy.
Photo: Pad&Quill

You have in your hands a brand new iPad. Now what? Sure, you can just go ahead and use it au natural. But consider: While iPads may look like hulking slabs of aluminum and glass, they are deceptively delicate. They cry out for protection.

Gauging which is the best case to safely secure your tablet is not for the faint of heart, given the myriad options out there. That’s where our iPad case roundup comes in. We’ve scoured the best reviews, including our own, and looked at buyers’ favorite cases on shopping sites like Amazon.

Then we gathered our picks into several categories, depending on how much you want to pay, what type of protection you need, and any extra functionality offered (like keyboard cases). And we’ve also put together a list of runners-up — cases that are pretty good, or even great, but just didn’t make our cut.

The best iPhone screen protectors

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Don't let this happen to you.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Dropping your iPhone may crack it, but the most likely way to ruin the screen is to scratch it. You might drop your iPhone into your bag and let it rattle around with your keys. You may absent-mindedly slip some change into your dedicated iPhone pants pocket. Or your significant other might pick up your week-old iPhone and a nail file in the same hand, gouging the screen so badly that the scratches are all you’ll ever see from then on.

To prevent this, you should get an iPhone screen protector. Here are the best you can buy.

Best iPhone accessories [2017 Gift Guide]

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iPhone Gift Guide 2017
Need gift ideas? Find them right here!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2017 Gift Guide bugThe holidays are right around the corner, which means it’s time to start picking out the perfect gifts for your loved ones. Cult of Mac can help! This gift guide offers up a whole bunch of awesome gift suggestions for the iPhone lover in your life.

We handpicked some of the finest cases, wireless chargers, Bluetooth earbuds and more. They’re better than a bookstore voucher, and they’re guaranteed to fetch a smile.

Best Apple Watch accessories for smartwatch fans [2017 Gift Guide]

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Apple Watch gift guide
Great gift ideas for any Apple Watch wearer.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2017 Gift Guide bugTreat the Apple Watch lover in your life to some sweet gifts this holiday season.

Cult of Mac can help you pick out the finest accessories money can buy for Apple Watch fanatics. We have everything from swanky straps to chic charging stands in our best Apple Watch accessories roundup.

Best wireless charging pads for iPhone X and iPhone 8

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Best wireless charging pads for iPhone X and iPhone 8
You've got a new iPhone. Now it's time to get ready for wireless charging.
Photo: Belkin

Update: Apple added faster 7.5-watt wireless charging in iOS 11.2, which is currently in beta. We’ve updated this guide and placed compatible fast-charging pads at the top of the list.

Apple’s new iPhone lineup finally supports wireless charging. Both the iPhone X and the iPhone 8/8 Plus use the Qi standard that’s been popular for years. That means you can choose from an endless list of compatible charging pads, mats and stands already on the market.

So, which one(s) should you buy? We’ve rounded up some of the best iPhone wireless chargers to make your buying decision a little bit easier.

Week’s best Apple deals: Save tons by buying third-party!

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Looking for Apple deals? Sometimes it doesn't pay to go straight to the source.
Looking for Apple deals? Sometimes it doesn't pay to go straight to the source.
Photos: Apple, Belkin, Dynex

It’s no secret that Apple is expensive, which is why sometimes it’s a great idea to buy Apple items and Apple-compatible accessories elsewhere. See such deals on Apple Watch bands, cables and hardware in this week’s roundup of the best Apple deals.

Belkin’s new DuraTek USB-C cable looks tough as nails

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Belkin Mixit DuraTek USB-C cable exploded view
Belkin used Kevlar to make the new DuraTek USB-C cable practically bulletproof.
Image: Belkin

Tired of fraying and failing cables? Belkin just launched the Mixit DuraTek USB-C cable, a brawny cord built with Kevlar and a special strain-reducing design that should put an end to premature cable death.

Measuring 4 feet long with USB-C connections on each end, the new DuraTek cable sounds perfect for the latest MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

Belkin Car Vent Mount is a smart, sturdy way to go hands-free [Reviews]

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Belkin Car Vent Mount
You really shouldn't be holding your smartphone while you're driving. The Belkin Car Vent Mount is here to help.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

You’ve got your car. You’ve got your iPhone. You want to use your iPhone in your car, but driving with a smartphone in your hand is supposedly dangerous — and can get pretty pricey if you get caught doing it in California and other states that mandate hands-free driving.

The Belkin Car Vent Mount is a low-cost, low-profile way to keep your phone within reach (and you on the right side of the law, depending on where you drive).

Best iPhone accessories of 2016

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The ultimate companions for your iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac This year’s iPhone upgrade might have been a little dull, but we saw plenty of exciting accessories for Apple’s iconic smartphone in 2016.

From awesome new AirPods to ultraportable virtual reality headsets, they all helped make iPhone 7 more exciting. Here are our favorite iPhone accessories of the year.

Finally, a holiday gift guide you actually care about [Deals]

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Beats by Dre, UE ROLL 2, and lots of Mac amenities make for some very happy holidays.

The people on your holiday shopping list deserve cutting-edge gifts. That’s why you won’t find ugly sweaters or gifts that are actually meant for pets not people in the Cult of Mac gift guide.

Loaded with tech gift ideas for Apple fans, this handy guide will make you the best gift-giver in the family for once.

The job of a designer is to be a psychologist [Podcast interview]

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Belkin's design director Oliver Seil says designers are basically psychologists.
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.)

Valet Charger power pack lets you leave your Apple Watch cable at home

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The Valet Charger solves a first-world problem: How to keep your Apple Watch charged on the go.
The Valet Charger solves a first-world problem: Keeping your Apple Watch elegantly charged on the go.
Photo: Belkin

If you’re traveling with your Apple Watch and desperately want to eliminate a cable from your bag, Belkin’s new Valet Charger power pack could do the trick.

With its built-in round magnetic charging module, this 6,700mAh battery pack lets you jettison the single-use cable that comes with every Apple Watch.

Belkin’s meeting room UFO offers some serious juice

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The Belkin meeting room power center with 4 AC power outlets and 8 USB ports. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The Belkin meeting room power center has 4 AC power outlets and 8 USB ports. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Modern day meetings around the conference table may be a rare occurrence in our often-mobile and telecommuting world, but when they happen, the incoming mass of iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks need a lot of electricity.

Instead of making all your employees figure out where the outlets are (under the table? behind them on the wall?), why not provide a big fat power center in the middle of the action? The Belkin Meeting Room Power Center aims to do just that, with a huge, round UFO-looking power hub that sports four actual plugs and a generous eight USB ports.

That’s a lot of power.

Cloud Crockpot Is Just The First Thing Belkin Wants You To Connect To Net [CES 2014]

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Probably the world's first connected crockpot. Shiny! Credit: Eli Milchman

CES 2014 bug

LAS VEGAS, CES 2014Belkin is really hopping onto this connected-home thing with fiery fervor. They already have a formidable array of Internet-connected devices in their WeMo line — switches, plugs, motion detectors — and now they’ve added light bulbs and a DIY WeMo interface that can be adapted for use with practically anything that’s powered by electricity. Oh, they’ve also just come out with a big, shiny cloud-connected crockpot so you can cook dinner from the office.

Watch, And Control, Your Energy Consumption Like A Hawk With Belkin’s WeMo Insight

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Joining Belkin’s armada of WeMo home-automation devices today is the WeMo Insight Switch. Like the plain-vanilla WeMo Switch, the Insight Switch will let you power on or off whatever is connected to its outlet via the WeMo iOS or Android app. Unlike the regular Switch, the Insight lets you also see exactly how much money you’er spending on juice, and adds more control flexibility.

Belkin’s Qode Keyboards For iPad Air Look As Good As The iPad They Fit

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This is pretty hot right?
This is pretty hot right?

 

I wonder just what effect the new iPad Air will have on keyboard covers? The iPads one to four were all big enough that you could pretty much squeeze a full-sized keyboard into a matching cover, but all the keyboard cases I have so far tried for the iPad mini have been unusable, like a netbook keyboard.

Belkin’s new keyboards for the iPad Air hope that physics will continue to favor the former situation.

Belkin Explodes Off The Block With Thirteen New iPad Air Accessories

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Belkin's gorgeous alloy Qode Thin Tyoe Keyboard Case.

 

The ring of Tim Cook’s softened Southern twang hasn’t yet left our ears, and yet Belkin has already announced, not one, but practically a whole wall at the Apple Store full of iPad Air cases and keyboards.

Of the ten cases and three keyboard cases announced by Belkin after today’s event, the most interesting is the minimalist Qode (perhaps a Star Wars character?) Thin Type Keyboard Case — one of Belkin’s excellent keyboards wrapped in aluminum and equipped with a hinge that lets it double as a cover for the screen. For a little more protection, there’s the Qode (Peruvian dessert?) Ultimate Keyboard Case, which adds a protective aluminum backing around the iPad Air.

Belkin Announces FastFit Bluetooth Keyboard Case For iPad Mini

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Belkin Fastfit

Everyone and their mother is putting out a Bluetooth keyboard case for the iPad mini these days. Logitech just announced its Ultrathin Keyboard for the mini yesterday, and now Belkin has lifted the curtain on its FastFit keyboard/case combo.

The FastFit promises keys are that are larger than most 7-inch keyboards. The case is made of anodized aircraft grade aluminum and clocks in on the thinness meter at just 7mm.