This week’s roundup of accessories includes a new, fashionable way to keep your iOS screen clean, as well as ways to listen to (and make!) music and to power up your iPhone or iPad.
The $649 Duet is a portable audio interface that connects your iOS device or your Mac to a MIDI interface to create professional-level recordings of music on your iPhone or iPad. You can use GarageBand, Auria, or a number of other high-quality recording apps for iOS; the Duet includes Soft Limit technology to give your audio a warmer analog feel.
The $300 QuietComfort 20 includes advanced noise-cancelling technology and a four-button inline remote to control the music on your iPhone or iPad. It also offers an “Aware” mode that lets you listen for real-life sounds—an airport announcement, say—while keeping the music flowing.
The $149 Minx Go is a portable Bluetooth speaker that, yes, plays tunes wirelessly from your iOS device—but this one’s from the renowned British hi-fi brand. The Minx Go has two 2-inch woofers, a pair of 0.75-inch titanium dome tweeters, and a rear-firing bass radiator to get full, deep sound while you’re on on the go.
The $15 Eco Universal Dual USB Wall Charger is exactly what it sounds like: One wall plug, two USB ports, for twice the iOS-charging fun.
The $200 MobiAria is an NFC-enabled Bluetooth speaker with a USB charging port—meaning you can play music wirelessly for great sound on its two full-range speakers or plug it in to power up for later. The speaker also sports a passive bass radiator.
The $100 iRig Keys might seem to be another in IK Multimedia’s seemingly inexhaustible supply of iOS-friendly MIDI keyboards…and you’d be right. What makes this one different? It’s Lightning-compatible: Now you can play on your latest-generation iPhone or iPad.
The $130 Logitech Harmony Smart Control takes advantage of the included Harmony Hub to let you use your iPhone as a remote control. The accompanying free app treats different channels on your TV like they’re part of the regular iOS universe: icons to be tapped that open up an entire application—in this case CBS, MTV, or whatever your choice may be. You can control any device in your home-entertainment system.
Toddy Gear tries to mix a bit of fashion sense into its products. Which can be difficult when your premier product is a line of screen-cleaning cloths. Yet that philosophy can be clearly seen in the company’s new $10 Pocket Toddy, a 5- by 7-inch microfiber cloth for keeping your iPhone or iPad screen clean. With fashionable patterns, you can tuck the Pocket Toddy into your front pocket—or attach it to a keychain, perhaps—to look like the dapper gent around town.
The $100 Energi Sliding Power Case for iPhone 5 is a slim battery case that can keep your phone charged for up to nine additional hours of talk time. Adding just 3.4 ounces of weight to your phone, the case separates from the battery—you receive two slimline cases, one black and the other in the color of your choosing.
The $25 iPresenter gives you two dongles: one for your computer and the other for your iPhone. With the company’s free app, you can then use the iPhone to control your PowerPoint presentations.
Having trouble finding your keys? The $30 InSite Separation Alarm lets you attach a small tracking device to any object you own. If you lose that object, just fire up Verizon’s InSite app, and then start walking. Thanks to Bluetooth, once you get within 60 feet of the lost item, you’ll get an alert on your phone.
If you enjoyed this week’s roundup of iOS accessories, check out last week’s edition, Telescopic Vision
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.