This week’s roundup of iOS accessories includes items to help you make and see 3D photos, devices that let you make international calls, and gear that makes sure you have power when you need it.
The $100 Voombox-Outdoor is a “rugged, portable wireless stereo speaker” containing five drivers and providing 15 watts of power to create big sound even when you’re outside. It’s water resistant, can be used as a speakerphone, and offers up to 12 hours of Bluetooth audio streaming on a single charge of its battery.
This company is offering three new products: two sleeves and one mount. The $149 LaunchPort AP.5 Sleeve for iPad Air (pictured) ships in February; the $139 LaunchPort AM.2 Sleeve for iPad mini with Retina Display ships in late March, and comes in soft-touch black and gloss white; and the $399 Control Mount Air, which will ship later this month and is intended as a “digital signage solution” using the iPad in commercial spaces.
The Iridium Go is a portable satellite hotspot—a small device that lets up to five smartphone users make calls and get emails when out of reach of cellular networks. The Go is built to withstand wind, rain, and dust. When you’re ready to use, just extend the antenna and you have a Wi-Fi hotspot with 100 feet of range. Iridium hasn’t yet announced pricing for the device, but says it will ship the first half of this year.
The $59 Poppy lets you create and view 3D photographs on your iPhone. As the company puts it, “Poppy uses mirrors to capture photos and video at two slightly different angles. When you look in the viewfinder your eyes each see different photos that your brain combines to make really awesome 3D images.” It’s like a View-Master, repackaged for the 21st century.
The $30 Phoneography Starter Kit includes everything you need to (natch) get started developing your iPhone photography skills. The kit includes a polarizer lens, a set of color lens and flash filters, as well a full scholarship to Photojojo University, a four-week online course that teaches photography fundamentals.
The $130 Puc is a wireless MIDI interface built specifically for iOS devices. It connects your phone directly to your MIDI device, and it can also do the same for MIDI instruments and Macs. You can pre-order now; the developers say the Puc will ship right after Valentine’s Day.
The $100 Aero Wireless Charging Battery Case sports a 2000 mAh battery for re-powering your iPhone 5 or 5S. Want to recharge the case? Set it on the included induction-charging mat, and the case juices up without the need to connect your iPhone using wires or cables.
The $8 Snail Speaker for iPhone 5 adds some oomph to the volume of sound coming from your iPhone’s native speakers. Just plug it into the phone’s Lightning port—though you’ll want to have charged it for two hours beforehand—squeeze the shell, and you’ve got music aplenty.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.