This week’s roundup of iOS accessories includes everything from tiny Bluetooth speakers to 1,000-Watt monsters. And, of course, batteries, chargers, and AirPlay streamers, oh my.
The AirDAC “allows you to network any audio system to an Apple Airplay-enabled music source,” says the company. The device lets you use AirPlay with any iOS device running iOS7 to send music to a stereo system, whatever audio that might be: the Music app, Internet radio, music streaming services such as Spotify, or general apps. You can get more information about purchasing directly from a dealer.
The $350 Flir One iPhone Thermal Imager snaps onto a phone and lets you do things both useful (identify drafty spots in your home) and fun (play hide-and-seek in the dark). Flir boasts that it’s the smallest and most cost-effective thermal imager ever invented. It also includes a battery pack that both powers the thermal-imaging camera and boosts your iPhone’s use time.
The $20 iPhone guitar mount fastens to the stock of your guitar so you can watch music lessons, view tab and chord charts, or use a tuner app. It fits most guitars, both electric and acoustic.
The $50 ADD Powerbank is customizable: You can charge a smartphone or tablet with only the ADD’s 4500-mAh primary pack, or you can magnetically attach a supplementary pack to get a combined power of 9000 mAh. Together, the primary and supplemental batteries weigh less than 9 ounces, meaning you can carry extra power with you everywhere.
Macgadgets’s line of accessories designed for business and other institutional uses inclures two new options, both $90 secure mounts for the iPad Air. One is for countertop use, while the other mounts on the wall. Both are made of see-through acrylic for display elegance.
The $55 NPSPO1-BL is a wireless Bluetooth speaker system that offers up to 3.5 hours of music playback on a single charge. It weighs less than six ounces, meaning you can throw it in your backpack and have it available for wherever and whenever you want to bring the tunes.
This company’s new Power Collection includes a 17-watt car charger for $35; a 17-watt, dual-USB wall charger for $30; a 12-watt, dual-USB wall charger for $25; a 12-watt wall charger with Lightning connector for $35; and a 12-watt, dual-USB car charger for $25. Power, power, anywhere you go.
Remember those myths of German canons that were so loud they would make enemy soldiers lose control of their bodily functions? The $250 Street Blaster, a 1,000-watt “portable” Bluetooth speaker, is kind of like that.
At the other end of the size/sound/power spectrum from the Street Blaster is the $45 Rocket Torch, a portable Bluetooth speaker that’s capable of putting out just 2 watts of audio. However, this one is quite a bit more versatile, as it includes a Mini-SD card slot, an FM radio, and a flashlight.
The $130 Wireless Charging System for iPhone 5 and 5s comprises two parts: Snap your phone into a two-tone case, and then place your phone on the base unit, which is plugged into the wall. The case and base work together to power up your phone without worrying about tangled cables. Also new from Richard Solo is the $60 BluSound wireless speaker.
The $150 PadDock Pivot Locking Tablet Arm is intended for use in offices, schools, hospitals, doctors offices, retail stores, and other public areas. It has a c-clamp that lets you attach it to a table or countertop; the pivot arm lets you swing the tablet around so that you’ve got the best view of the iPad in any situation.
New products from this company include the $10 iPhone 5, 5s Camera Shutter Remote Grip (pictured), which helps you grip and use your phone more like a digital camera, and the $13 Wireless Remote Release Shutter Camera Control, which lets you trigger your iOS device’s “shutter release” remotely, helping ensure that the next selfie isn’t mostly a picture of your arm holding the camera out from your body.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.