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Tag: iPhone

Kid Friendly Accessories for iPhone, Android, and iPod Touch at CES 2013

Posted by JenThorpe at 6:28 PM on January 8, 2013

Nickelodeon AccessoriesGriffin Technology has partnered with Nickelodeon to create fun accessories for children’s mobile devices. The inspiration came from several of the popular characters that your child watches in cartoons that appear on the Nickelodeon channel.

The first three lines of cartoon inspired mobile device accessories for kids feature SpongeBob Squarepants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Dora the Explorer. Each will be introduced at CES 2013. The products are slated to become available in Spring of 2013 at major retailers nationwide.

The SpongeBob Squarepants line includes a SpongeBob Folio iPad case with several characters from the show done in 8-bit style. (The nostalgic aspects of this one might appeal to adult fans of the cartoon as well as the kids!).

This line also has Faces for iPhone 5G. It is a case that looks like SpongeBob, and you can interchange six different eyepieces and three different mouthpieces to make customizable expressions. In the photo above, you can see the SpongeBob Woogie, a huggable, squeezable, five-legged plush SpongeBob doll that doubles as a protective case for iPhone, iPod touch, and Android devices.

The Ninja Turtle accessories include a Shell for iPhone 5 and iPod touch, which is made of a hard, durable, exterior that protects against impacts and scratches. The photo above shows the Folio for iPad that has Ninja Turtle artwork on the front, microsuede lining, and a loop to carry a stylus.

The Dora the Explorer line might appeal to preschoolers. This line includes a Dora the Explorer skin for iPod touch. It is made of a durable, yet soft, silicone that allows for easy access to the camera and all ports, controls, and connectors. As you can see in the photo above, it also features Dora herself on the back.

Griffin Technology is at CES 2013 where they are displaying their line up of products. You can find them in the LVCC North Hall at Booth 5212.

Image by Griffin Technology

Hitcase Brings its ChestR Mount to CES 2013

Posted by JenThorpe at 3:20 AM on January 7, 2013

ChestRWhen you think about a mounted camera, you probably imagine a person walking around while wearing a helmet that has a camera attached to it. Hitcase will change the way you think about mounted cameras!

The ChestR is unique. It is a chest harness that has a mount for your iPhone. This allows you to comfortably go hands-free with your photography and videography. It seamlessly pairs with the Hitcase and the Hitcase Pro. It is also compatible with the StickR Mount (coming soon) and the other tripod mounts that Hitcase makes.

The ChestR harness has adjustable straps, a neoprene body, and a polycarbonate chest plate. Like the Hitcase, it is designed to withstand the elements (such as high elevation and violent impacts). Your iPhone will sit in the mount that is attached to the front of ChestR. You can rotate that mount 360 degrees and pivot it 90 degrees, which gives you the ability to capture footage at any angle.

The ChestR is compatible with the GoPro Mount. It also includes a bonus stash pocket and headphone cable loops. ChestR is currently available for $49.99.

The Hitcase ChestR mount will officially make its debut at the ShowStoppers media event at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on January 8, 2013. You can also find Hitcase at the Dr. Bott booth, North Hall #5825, where you can see a showcase of the full Hitcase product line.

Image by Hitcase

D-Link Cloud Cameras and Routers at CES

Posted by Andrew at 2:00 AM on January 7, 2013

D-Link LogoD-Link announced at CES today a range of IP cameras and routers with cloud connectivity for remote monitoring and viewing.

The two new cameras are the Cloud Camera 1050 (DCS-931L) and Cloud Camera 1150 (DCS-933L) which come with remote monitoring as standard via mydlink and mobile devices, but also offer new capabilities such as audio detection with image alerts based on sound, not just motion, and an integrated wireless repeater mode for expanded coverage that eliminates wi-fi dead zones and lets consumers easily add more Cloud Cameras without worrying about existing wireless coverage. That’s a pretty clever idea, building a repeater into the camera. Of course, these are 802.11ac devices and the 1150 also offers infra-red illumination for night operation.

 

DCS-931L CameraDCS-933L Camera
To go with the IP cameras, D-Link’s new 11ac routers are the wireless AC1750 Dual-Band Gigabit Cloud Router and Wireless AC1200 Dual-Band Gigabit Cloud Router (aka DIR-860L and DIR-868L) which deliver speeds of up to 1750 Mb/s and 1200 Mb/s respectively by combining both 11ac and 11n technologies. In addition, both Cloud Routers offer easy remote network management with the free mydlink Lite app from an iPhone, iPad or Android device, which is interesting and could be useful in a number of environments.

Catering directly to today’s increasingly mobile lifestyles, D-Link’s new Cloud Cameras and Cloud Routers offer the latest features and performance available for home network and monitoring needs,” said Daniel Kelley, Associate Vice President of Marketing, D-Link. ”Keeping an eye on loved ones and valued possessions is easier than ever with greater Wi-Fi coverage and higher quality viewing and recording day and night. And, the new 11ac Cloud Routers give today’s connected homes with multiple user and high-bandwidth activities the ultimate in network performance and remote management capabilities.

The cameras and routers will be available in the next few months – The Cloud Cameras 1050 and 1150 will be available in February for $79.99 and $99.99 respectively. The dual-band gigabit Cloud Routers DIR-860L and DIR-868L will be later in April for $149.99 and $169.99.

More Juice for your Apple iPhone

Posted by Andrew at 8:58 AM on January 4, 2013

All smartphones drain batteries like electricity is going out of fashion but many external battery are bulky, fiddly or both. Gosh!‘s new Parallel battery for the iPhone 5 might be the first that’s both sleek and convenient.

The Parallel comes in two parts, the battery pack itself, and a matching iPhone case that makes connecting the phone to the battery an absolute doddle. The iPhone 5 can stay in the case when you don’t need the extra power, but as soon as the main phone battery starts to fall, whack in the extra battery and it’s good to go. The additional 2,500 mAh is a huge increase over the iPhone 5′s standard 1,440 mAh.

The Parallel battery has smooth lines that fit the iPhone 5′s taller size and the case comes in a choice of 5 colours too.

Gosh! Parallel iPhone 5 case and battery

The Parallel is on show at CES, North Hall, iLounge Pavilion, Booth 6723.

 

This Message Will Expire in Ten Seconds

Posted by JenThorpe at 1:30 AM on December 23, 2012

Poke AppFacebook has a new app called Poke. The name was inspired by the Facebook feature called Poke that has been a part of Facebook since 2004. The functionality of the app, however, is something that people are comparing to SnapChat.

If you log into your Facebook account you can select a friend to Poke. I’ve never entirely understood the purpose of this function, but I suspect it is used as a means to let someone you have “friended” … I suppose be reminded that you still exist and want to communicate with them. Whatever happened to a friendly message that starts with “hello”?

The Poke app, is not the same as the Poke feature in Facebook. The Facebook Poke app was released on December 21, 2012, and is a mobile app. Right now, it is only for iOS devices. One might assume that there could eventually be an Android version, (but there isn’t one right now). You can download it onto your iOS device for free.

The Poke app allows users to send a message, a photo, or a video to their Facebook friends who also are using the Poke app. Which, I suppose, can tell you which of your “friends” are using iOS mobile devices.

The message, photo, or video you send will last for a specific time that you set. You can have it appear for 1 second, 3 seconds, 5 seconds, or 10 seconds. Your friend (or friends, as you can choose to send something to multiple users, or groups, at the same time), must press the screen and hold it in order to see the message you sent. After the time expires, the message disappears.

It is easy to see why Poke is being compared to SnapChat. There is some concern that people will use Poke to send messages, photos, and videos, that are of the “not safe for work” variety, (since it has been said that people use SnapChat specifically for that purpose). Facebook sort of acknowledges this potential. It says:

If you ever see something you’re uncomfortable with, you can click the gear menu and report it.

Play on Roku app for iPhone, Android updated

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 5:45 AM on December 22, 2012

Roku introduced its mobile app for iPhone and Android a while back, allowing owners of the handy little set top boxes to stream pictures and music from their smartphone to the entertainment device. Customers can also use the app to browse and add channels and control their devices with a remote control feature.

Now the company has rolled out an update to its mobile apps that adds even more functionality. According to Roku’s Tom Markworth this update “adds music shuffle and repeat options for Play on Roku.” He went on to elaborate that “You can now create on-the-fly playlists of your favorite artists with the “All Songs” view on the artist screen. Additionally, we fixed several bugs related to music and photo playback on Play on Roku in both versions of the app.”

If you have either a Roku 2, Roku LT or theRoku HD player then uou can get the iOS version here and the Android version here. The new app is version 2.1. If you already had it installed then you should get the update automatically.

U.S. Post Office App Tracks Your Package

Posted by JenThorpe at 8:37 PM on December 17, 2012

U.S.Post Office App PMThis is the time of year when a lot of people are going to be shipping Christmas presents out to friends and family. Have you ever wondered just where on Earth that package went to after you dropped it off at the post office? There’s an app for that!

The U.S. Post Office has an app called USPS Mobile. You can get it for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. There also is a version of the app that is compatible with Android devices. Each can be downloaded for free.

The app includes a Track & Confirm tool that you can use to check the status of Express Mail shipments and packages sent with other services. You can also use the app to look up a zip code for any address in the United States. I can see where that would come in handy! If you forgot to put the zip code on a letter or package, you could look it up while you are waiting in line at the post office.

Another handy feature of the app is that it will let you calculate a price so you can discover exactly how much postage you will need for the letters or packages you are about to ship. This can help you avoid potential family drama when the Christmas card you sent to grandma is returned to you because it didn’t have enough postage attached to it. Anything that reduces stress and drama during the holidays is a good thing!

The apps themselves have been around for a while, but it is possible that you hadn’t heard about them. Each has had a relatively recent update. The iPhone version was updated on October 17, 2012, and the Android app was updated October 18, 2012. It would be reasonable to presume that the apps have been improved since last Christmas.

This isn’t the most exciting video presentation an app. However it does a good job of describing all the useful things that the USPS Mobile app can do.

Flickr Releases a Brand New iPhone App

Posted by JenThorpe at 3:07 AM on December 13, 2012

Flickr AppFlickr has just released the all new Flickr app for iPhone. I learned about this when I went to Flickr today to search for a creative commons image that I could legally put into a blog I was writing. Near the top of Flickr’s page, a colorful banner read “Smile. The All New Flickr iPhone App is Here”. A bright pink, conveniently located button was in the banner, just waiting for me to click it.

We’ve been hearing, and reading, quite a bit about the feud that has been going on between Twitter and Instagram. In short, the disagreements have to do with user’s photos. More specifically, it seems to be about control over where users are allowed to put their photos, based upon what app they are using. It is a bit of a competition between the two companies to see which will end up with more people using its apps to alter and post photos of their dinner.

The all new Flickr app for iPhone has 16 unique camera filters that you can play around with in order to alter your photos. It has editing features, and allows for geo-tagging.

The app lets you share your photos with your Flickr groups, with your email contacts, or on Facebook, Twitter, or Tumbler. You can make your photos as public or private as you would like to. You can view photos from your groups and see recent photo activities from your friends and family (and leave comments on them).

Flickr also has an app for Android that was updated on December 4, 2012. It, too, has the same features that the brand new iPhone Flickr app has. It appears that Flickr has become another competitor in the battle for users who want to alter their photos and then post them online. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Pantone Colour of the Year 2013

Posted by Andrew at 2:30 AM on December 9, 2012

Pantone Colour of the Year EmeraldPantone has announced the Colour of the Year and…drum roll please…it’s Emerald aka 17-5641. “A lively, radiant, lush green, a colour of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony” says Pantone.

Green is the most abundant hue in nature – the human eye sees more green than any other colour in the spectrum,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “As it has throughout history, multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate. Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world. This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.

The colour data for Emerald is here, giving RGB and CMYK values for illustrators and designers who want to be in with the cool crowd. There are several tie-in products, including Pantone’s Fashion Colour Report for Spring 2013, which showcases Emerald incorporated into the collections of several well-known designers, such as Tracy Reese and Nanette Lepore. From February, Pantone bedding, pillows, bath towels and accessories in Emerald will be available exclusively at JC Penney stores and on online. There are plenty of other accessories, including iPhone cases, in Pantone’s online store.

Last year’s colour, Tangerine Tango, is now out.

Veho MUVI X-Lapse

Posted by Andrew at 1:36 PM on December 5, 2012

The new generation of smartphones and digital SLRs make it very easy to take panoramic photos and time-lapse films that would be inconceivable at the price point a few years ago. But if you want to take the pictures to the next level without investing a fortune in accessories, you need to check out the Veho MUVI X-Lapse. It’s a camera mount that automatically rotates 360 degrees to take really good panoramic shots but it’s priced just under £30.

Muvi X-Lapse with Smartphone

The MUVI X-Lapse takes up to an hour to gradually rotate a full circle or it can be set to only rotate through part of the arc. Mounts for both smartphones and standard cameras (1/4-20) are included, and the X-Lapse itself can also be mounted on a tripod. Fold-out feet ensure a steady platform for heavier SLRs and video cameras

Veho Muvi X-LapseVeho Muvi X-Lapse

The X-Lapse doesn’t come with any app but there are plenty to choose from in the applicable app stores. If there’s a photographer in your life, I’m sure that they’d love one of these for Christmas. On sale from Veho for £29.95.