If there is one accessory that the world has no shortage of, it is tablet stands. They come in all shapes and sizes, and range from cheap and generic to fairly expensive and iPad-specific. They exploded onto the scene right after the release of the original iPad, and are still readily available pretty much anywhere you look for mobile electronic accessories.
A few weeks ago, I took a look at a couple of battery packs from Griffin and Belkin for the Apple Watch. My interest in Belkin’s Valet Charger and Griffin’s Travel Power Bank was related to the increased battery demands that LTE and Apple Music streaming can place on the Watch’s battery life. Using these new features extensively will require topping off the battery during the day at times, and what better way than with compatible portable battery pack. With watchOS 4.2 now released, everyone with an LTE-enabled Watch can use Apple Music streaming and it wouldn’t surprise me if these battery packs suddenly become a lot more popular because of it.
Another Watch-compatible battery pack caught my eye when I was researching for the original review, and I was fortunate that the manufacturer was kind enough to send me one to take a look at this week. This is the BatteryPro from ElevationLab, which is also has an MFi-certified magnetic Watch charging pad built-in. This manufacturer is well-known for their high quality accessories, most notably the DraftTable for the iPad Pro (which I will also be testing over the next week for a coming review). After spending a few days using the BatteryPro, I can assure you that it is no exception, but another high-quality and very useful accessory in the ElevationLab lineup.
I’ve written about the PaperLike screen cover for the iPad on a few occasions now, from its beginnings as a success on Kickstarter, to its release, and then my use of it over the course of the last four months. Now it’s time to give you, our readers, a chance to get your hands on two of these high-quality textured screen covers for free. If you want to see mote details on the PaperLike, go check out Sapper Products’ Site here.
Just follow the instructions below to enter this giveaway contest. All you have to do is share our contest via Twitter and then Comment on this post, telling us what you think of the PaperLike, and about your favorite note taking app. Continue reading
Back in April, I came across a Kickstarter for a product from Jan Sapper called the PaperLike that was aiming to fill an unaddressed niche for the iPad Pro- the lack of a textured surface for writing and drawing on the iPad Pro’s screen. I ended up backing it, and when I received the product in July, I promptly installed it and wrote a brief review. Other than a little difficulty in putting it on (no more than any other flexible film screen protector), I came away happy with my brief experience to that point.
Recently, Apple announced that it would be hosting Hour of Code sessions from December 4-10 at their Apple Retail Stores. This is the fifth year that the company has held such events in celebration of Computer Science Education Week. Each of the classes, which have various age and interest targets, focuses on the Swift programming language and uses the iPad and Swift Playgrounds as the tool. Attendees can bring their own iPad, or if they don’t have one, Apple will provide them one for use during class time.
I have loved the iPad since the original was released and have owned every model except the 4 and the Minis 2 through 4. Even though it is more capable now thanks to the enhancements in iOS 11, I have found the platform to be a great productivity aid since the days of the iPad 2. That device pared with a good keyboard case was a revelation. However, I won’t lie and say that I had no worries when the sales didn’t just slump, but collapsed over recent years.
There are plenty of great articles around pointing out some of the best iOS and general tech deals coming up over the next few days. If that is more what you are after, take a look at BGR’s or The Huffington Post’s Apple Black Friday Deals Articles. For this Holiday Gift Guide, I’m going to focus less on what sales are out there, and more on potential gifts that can fill various needs for the iOS users in your life.
Photo Source: iDrop News
I guess this was inevitable. Right on heels of the release of the iPhone X, we now have rumors that Apple will roll out a new iPad with Face ID, no Home Button, and a bezel-less design. My first reaction upon seeing pictures of a mock-up of this potential device from noted leaker Benjamin Geskin (courtesy of iDrop News) was to drool a bit.
Today, I want to circle back around to gesture navigation and interface on the iPhone X. While I have already touched on this, it is so critical to living with the device that you can’t help but keep returning.
There are already PLENTY of great how-tos out there regarding the new gesture controls, so I won’t belabor that. If you are looking for a good reference, Joanna Stern’s guide on Twitter and the guide published by Macworld have you sufficiently covered. I am more interested in the day to day experience of adjusting to using them to navigate iOS, and the implications of this significant sift in how we interact with our iPhones, and how some people are really not along for this ride.
Back in June, I reviewed the Logitech Slim Combo Keyboard Case for the 10.5” iPad Pro. I came away giving it a recommendation, in spite of a few flaws. It had a high quality keyboard, which I have come to expect from Logitech. However, the plasticy feel of the exterior didn’t completely match up with the expectations at that price point. The 10.5” version also ended up quite a bit thicker than it had to be thanks to a large amount of dead space between the keyboard and iPad screen, making it a bit awkward to hold.
I noted in my review that there were some differences between the 10.5” and 12.9” versions of the Slim Combo. However, since I didn’t have a review unit in that size at the time, there was no way I could go beyond Logitech’s written descriptions of the differences. Well, a few days ago I saw a 12.9” version of the Slim Combo on the shelf at my local BestBuy, and I decided to take a look for myself. I decided to write a separate review because there are actually enough differences between the two versions of the Slim Combo that my first one doesn’t adequately cover the 12.9” version.
Our favorite Apple analyst (and probably the most accurate one, as well) is at it again. In his latest report, Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that the iPad Pro will be the next device to get Apple’s new TrueDepth camera and Face ID technology. This move would make perfect sense, bringing one of the latest and greatest features from one new Apple flagship device to another. TouchID similarly started with the iPhone 5S and then appeared later on the iPad Air 2, so Face ID coming to the Pro seems like the natural next step for Apple.