This week’s roundup of accessories for your iOS devices includes new battery packs, a wireless USB drive, stands, and even stereo receivers.
The $50 FlipStand for iPad is an ergonomic stand for viewing your tablet hands-free. It offers 22 unique positions for a full-size iPad, or 16 for the iPad mini. Flip your iPad around, and the stand protects its screen while in transit. The FlipStand is available in black-on-black or tan-on-white.
The $100 iRig Mic HD is billed as “the first high-quality hand-held digital microphone” for iOS and Mac. It features a 24-bit, audiophile-grade A/D converter, a 44.1/96-kHz sampling rate, and a low noise/high definition pre-amp. It comes with a Lightning connector and USB cable; a 30-pin connector is available separately. The iRig Mic HD works with several music-recording apps, including VocaLive, iRig Recorder, and AmpliTube.
The $179 Okidokeys system “allows you to lock and unlock home doors, garage doors or gates with any smartphones, cell phones and secure smart keys,” says the company. An electronic switch can be placed on an existing door with a deadbolt lock; your iPhone can then control that lock, even from miles away, so that you might, say, let the plumber in the house even if you’re working at the office. The system ships this spring.
This accessory provider has announced a number of new products, including the $90 HyperJuice Plug (pictured), a wall charger with two USB ports to power up two devices at once; the $20 (and up) HyperJuice Expand, a battery pack with three USB ports; the $80 iUSBport Mini, an external wireless flash drive for iOS devices; the $100 iUSBport 2, which allows streaming music and video, as well as file transfers, between any USB drive and up to 12 mobile devices at the same time; and the $160 iUSBport HD, a wireless USB 3.0 hard drive that’s also compatible with your iOS device.
The $49 Apple TV Holder is a low-tech way of holding—and handsomely displaying—your Apple TV and its remote. The Holder is available in walnut or maple, holds second- and third-generation Apple TVs, has four cork feet to keep it from sliding around, and is hand-finished with natural oil and wax.
The $68 Tunewear TuneMax RuggedPower is a 9000-mAh bettery that hooks onto your belt to keep it handy for nearly any situation you can think of. It’s also rugged: It can be fully submerged under water for 90 minutes and keep working. It provides enough juice to charge an iPhone battery three times.
If you’re looking for something more powerful and capable, but you don’t mind a charger that’s larger and less portable, the $34 TuneMax 5USB Charger could be handy. As the name suggests, this wall charger sports five USB ports, giving you the capability to power up all of your mobile devices in one fell swoop.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.