This week’s roundup of iOS-focused accessories includes a sensor that lets your iPhone know exactly when it’s time to water or feed your plants. Don’t have a green thumb? Apple will furnish one for you.
The $25 Hisy is a remote control that lets you take perfect selfies, its makers say. It connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth, works with the built-in Camera app without any other app download required, and can trigger “shutter release”—for still photos or videos—from up to 90 feet away. The device’s battery should work for two years, letting you take up to 100 shots per day.
The $30 Moonstone is a 6000-mAh battery that contains enough juice to recharge an iPhone 5 three times. The Moonstone is available in six different colors, and at eight ounces, it’s small enough to fit into any bag or purse.
This company’s products are oriented more towards business and trade show displays than home use. The newest offering is a line of $90 acrylic mounts for the iPad Air: one for countertop use, and the other designed as a wall mount. Each includes “stainless steel brackets [that] secure the iPad Air within the pocket allowing for better security and a cleaner look.” Best of all, they keep people from running off with your iPad.
The $370 AR.Drone 2.0 Power Edition Quadrocopter can be controlled from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using the FreeFlight app. It’s capable of up to 36 minutes of flight time from each charge, and it includes an HD camera that sends video back to your iOS device. You can control it from up to 164 feet away, and it can withstand wind speeds of up to 15 mph.
The $60 Parrot Flower Power Plant Sensor measures soil moisture, fertilizer level, ambient temperature, and light intensity, relaying all that information to the Parrot Flower Power app on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. It’s an iOS accessory that gives you a green thumb.
The $99 Photojo Lens Set includes a range of lenses for your iPhone, including wide, macro, fisheye, superfisheye, telephoto, and polarizer. Or you can spend half that to get a “sampler” series of three lenses. Each individual lens costs $20 to $30.
The $40 Compass 2 is an update to the company’s original iPad stand. Machined from heavy gauge steel, it holds any tablet and lets you view your iPad in either portrait or landscape orientation. The stand folds flat, is available in three colors, and includes a soft travel sleeve.
The $150 Heavy Duty Metal Floor Stand is designed for business or home use. It features an “iPad protection case” that tilts 120 degrees and swivels 360 degrees—letting you get the best possible view of your tablet—and includes a built-in lock to prevent theft.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.