This week’s roundup of new gear for your iOS devices includes several new options for the photographer, as well as new ways to hear and see the media on your iPhone or iPad.
The $70 Snappgrip mounts onto the iPhone 5, 5c, and 5s to give you more-effective camera controls, including include the capability to full-press to take a picture, half-press to focus. You also get controls for shooting mode, portrait, landscape, flash, video, zoom in, and zoom out. A standard tripod mount sits on the bottom, along with a standby power switch. The Snapgrip makes the iPhone feel like a real camera.
The $230 BRV-X is a Bluetooth speaker made for outdoor use. Both rugged and water-resistant, it offers up to 12 hours of wireless playback before needing its 5200 mAh battery recharged. The BRV-X also includes a built-in wireless mic, just in case you need a speakerphone for your conference calls in the great outdoors.
The $40 Swivel Screen Portfolio Case is built for the iPad Air and includes a Bluetooth keyboard to transform your tablet into a more-capable writing tool. The built-in battery allows for 80 hours of continual use or 70 days of standby. The device is available in gold, black, or silver.
The $100 3Play digital receiver allows you to connect, using Bluetooth, up to three iOS devices at once to take turns streaming music. (The device can remember up to seven iOS devices in total.) The 3Play operates for up to 10 hours on its lithium battery, and is designed for use both at home and in the car.
The $70 M2 Bluetooth 2.1 Speaker System is a 2.1-channel system with 56 watts of power. It’s compatible with all iOS devices, as well as any other device that can stream audio over Bluetooth. The system comes with a subwoofer, two wired-in satellite speakers, and a 3.5-mm cable—just in case you’re not interested in wireless streaming.
The $46 Soundpad is an adjustable tablet stand with Bluetooth-enabled speakers built in, letting you turn your iPad into a “mobile movie theater,” says the company. The device can run for up to eight hours on a single charge, and at 10.1 ounces with a foldable design, it’s able to fit neatly into your bag for carrying along.
The QX10 and QX100 Smart Lenses help create DSLR-quality images on your iOS device. But the lenses don’t even need to be attached—instead, a Wi-Fi connection lets you use your iOS device’s screen to see what the lens itself is seeing, and take photos from there. The $500 QX100 has a 20.2 megapixel sensor; the $200 QX10 offers 10x optical auto-zoom.
The $14 Detachable Super Wide Angle Lens features one bit of novelty: Instead of snapping on or using magnets to stay in place, the lens uses a plastic spring loop for quick attachment and removal. It’s compatible with just about every model of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.