This week’s roundup of iOS accessories includes several new ways to let you display and use your iOS device in hands-free fashion.
The $49 Manos Universal Tablet Mount fits onto most microphone stands. It has two arms—hands of fate, perhaps you’d call them—to hold your iPad or iPad mini, and it can rotate on its base 360 degrees to allow for either portrait- or landscape-orientation viewing. The mount also tilts on its base so you can position your iPad to avoid glare.
We typically skip Kickstarter products, but the Foaster, a dual-slot iPhone dock that looks like a toaster, is just too perfect for our roundup. It omits the mess of cables that often accompany the countertop charging area, while blending right into the kitchen.
Accessory maker iLuv has announced several new products for the holiday season, including the $50 Syren Bluetooth speaker (pictured), the $100 Ref deep bass personal headphones, and the $100 TimeShaker speaker dock.
The $50 AluBolt is a Lightning-connector dock for the iPhone and iPad mini that’s just pretty to look at, featuring an aluminum base and a curved backrest. Also new from Just Mobile is the AluCup Grande, which can hold your iPhone in your car.
This company has a range of new products to display and secure the new iPad Air, including the $40 iPad Air Base, the iPad Air wall and desktop mounts ($80 and up), and the $30 Apple Headphone Stand. These items look much like the gear Apple uses in its own retail stores; indeed, they’re designed for use in retail stores, trade shows, and other public areas.
The $60 Bolt is a backup battery and wall charger in one. The 3,000-mAh battery can recharge your empty iPhone with speed, and it can hold its charge for up to a week between trips to the electrical outlet.
The $20 PadFoot is an ingenious little device: Barely more than a clip, it snaps onto the iPad Air or iPad mini and holds the tablet upright in either landscape or portrait orientation for hands-free viewing.
The Visit Q-Pop is a tiny Bluetooth speaker designed with style in mind. The speaker comes with four different color bands, which you can change to match your mood (or your eye for organizational detail). The Visit Q-Pop offers up to four hours of playback on a single charge.
The $249 TA 10.2 is a compact amplifier that lets you hook your iPhone up to a set of quality speakers, helping said phone match “the sound quality of high-end Hi-Fi,” says the company.
The $8 8-pin Lightning Data Sync (iTune) Blocker lets your iOS device draw power off any available computer, but prevents inadvertent syncing (or data sharing) by allowing only power to pass over the cable. Just push the “blocker” button and you can power up without worry.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.