HOLLYWOOD, FL (May 13, 2013) - Renowned mobile accessories designer Marware® is now shipping the swurve in all available colors. Built kid tough, the Marware swurve is available for the iPad mini, Kindle Fire HD 7” and Kindle Fire, with additional colors for the Kindle Fire HD 8.9” coming soon. The swurve is now available at www.Marware.com.

Marware first unveiled the swurve at the 2013 International CES show in Las Vegas. Made of a lightweight, durable, non-toxic EVA foam with thick reinforced corners and raised front edges to protect the screen when lying flat, the swurve provides shock-absorption and impact-resistance. It’s built to withstand the bumps, drops and other ‘accidents’ children may have.

Marware Director of Global Sales & Strategic Alliances Don Luther: “What makes the swurve so special is the fact that it appeals to a wide range of ages. Yes, it is primarily a kids case, and kids love the fun design. But it also appeals to adults as well. The degree to which you can protect your tablet with this case is amazing. That’s why we continue to make the swurve for more and more devices.”

The swurve is available in the following color/device options:

swurve iPad mini ($29.99 USD) – black, blue, lime green, pink

swurve Kindle Fire HD 7” ($29.99 USD) – black, blue, lime green, pink

swurve Kindle Fire ($29.99 USD) – blue, lime green, pink

Coming Soon: swurve Kindle Fire HD 8.9” ($34.99 USD) – black, blue, lime green, pink

For more details on the Marware swurve, please visit www.Marware.com.

About Marware

Marware, Inc. is an independently owned, U.S. based corporation that designs and manufactures innovative mobile device accessories that enhance the user experience. Deeply rooted in the South Florida culture, Marware captures inspiration from the community’s refined, idyllic lifestyle. Celebrating 20 years of innovation, Marware has evolved along with the industry to meet the demands of the mobile community with products that provide the perfect balance of style and functionality, thus enhancing the lifestyle of our customers. Leading a wave of responsibility, we’ve remained committed to national charities, community development and academic programs including our own Marware Montessori Academy for children. We are also one of the leaders in environmentally-safe manufacturing procedures, resulting in our line of eco-friendly accessories. Marware embraces and drives change in the industry through continuous improvement in everything we do. For more information, visit www.Marware.com.

Whether you hate Jobs or love him, his impact on Apple can’t be denied. He brought a ruthless eye for detail, and created a culture that practically fetishized design and simplicity, often times to the detriment of function. As he grew sicker and it was clear that he wouldn’t be able to lead the company much longer, many wondered what a post-Steve Jobs Apple would look like. Would it flounder without its charismatic leader? Would it become a footnote in Silicon Valley History? Would the values Jobs brought back remain with the company and continue propelling it to even greater heights?

Based on the unpredictable stock price of late, many believe that Apple’s salad days are behind it. Tim Cook is an able leader, ruthless in his control of the supply chain, but he’s no visionary. Sure, Jonathan Ive, arguably the real visionary at Apple, is still behind the wheel, taking on even greater responsibilities, but he lacks the showmanship that made Steve Jobs stand out in a sea of suits and Powerpoint presentations. Most of the recent Apple products, while great, have felt familiar. They’ve felt like latecomers to the game rather than the game-changers we’ve come to expect.

However, based on the speed with which tickets to Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference sold out (two minutes!), you couldn’t be faulted for believing that Apple’s influence is greater than ever. It’s fairly unlikely that everyone who managed to get tickets was actually a developer. It’s more likely that many just want to be present at the Keynote in the hopes of being one of the first to see what great new product Apple may or may not pull out of its collective sleeves.

The desire for new Apple products hasn’t diminished one bit since Steve Jobs’s passing. In fact, under the leadership of Tim Cook and Jonathan Ive, I’d argue that the desire has only intensified. Whether the team at Apple can continue to satisfy that desire with products that are both innovative and beautiful has yet to be seen.

Tim Cook spoke during the most recent earnings call of new market categories. Though he didn’t mention which categories Apple would be pushing into, whatever it is will be Cook’s first real test. It will be his opportunity to prove to the world that Apple is still a visionary company that’s going to leapfrog the competition. They weren’t always first to market, but they were often the best. It will be up to Tim Cook and the gang to leave no doubt in anyone’s minds that they still are.

I may not have gotten tickets to the WWDC, but you can bet that I’ll be mashing my refresh button to update the blogs so that I can see what the crew at Apple unveils. OS 10.9? iOS7? iWatch? iTV? Or maybe something no one guessed at. The excitement and build up to this year’s WWDC may not prove that Apple will be successful without Jobs, but it does prove that though he’s gone, his legacy remains.

Last week during Apple’s Q2 earnings call, Tim Cook mentioned that they had new products and new product categories lined up for the fall and into 2014.  Fall is a long time to wait, so here are some wild and likely inaccurate guesses about what might be coming down the Apple pipeline.

iWatch

This one is a gimme.  Even though Apple hasn’t specifically said that they’re creating an iWatch, I’m expecting to see one before the holidays.  It’ll likely run on a modified version of iOS or something similar to what they use on the iPod.  Like other smartwatch products already on the market, it should sync with your iPhone and deliver emails, phone calls, and iMessages.  The one way Apple can stand out in this market is with tight Siri integration.  I’m not sure an iWatch is revolutionary, but it would be something new.

Apple Television (not that Apple TV)

Rumors of an Apple television set have been brewing on the Internet for a couple of years.  To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what Apple could bring to this space that their Apple TV set top box doesn’t already bring.  My Apple TV is my favorite household tech appliance.  To be sure, an Apple Television would be sleek, beautiful, and would have the Apple TV OS baked right in, but I’m not sure it could be competitive with the other televisions on the market.  Still, I thought the same thing about the iPhone before it hit the market and blew my mind.

iGlasses

This is pure speculation, but if anyone could compete with Google Glass it’s Apple.  Creating a heads-up display rather than a watch would seem the smartest way for Apple to go if they want to innovate rather than play catch up, despite the fact that Google got here first.  Google Glass is already an odd thing of beauty, but I’d like to see what Jonathan Ive could design.  While I have serious privacy concerns about Google Glass and any other such project, there are some definite benefits, (like live map overlays), that could be amazing.

i3D Monitor

Though another flight of fancy, I think we’re getting to a point where we could move beyond the two dimensional displays we’ve grown accustomed to.  We’re already interacting with our devices using finger taps and pinches; it wouldn’t be much of a leap for us to interact with them in three dimensions.  Do away with the mouse and let us open folders and grab files with our hands.  Coming from any other company, tech like this would seem gimmicky, but Apple could do this and make us feel like we’ve been interacting with our computers wrong for our entire lives.

iTunes Streaming

Back to reality, I expect we’ll be seeing some sort of streaming music service from Apple in the near future.  To be honest, I haven’t opened iTunes since I signed up with Spotify.  It’s the best $10 I spend.  With storage space on computers shrinking, being able to have almost any music I want with me at all times is amazing.  With Spotify, I no longer have to run through my songs trying to decide which to put on my iPhone.  I suspect that Apple’s success with iTunes is the reason we haven’t seen it sooner.  The record labels are going to be reticent to give Apple as much power as they had when digital music first hit the scene.  But with Apple still the biggest player in the market, it’s really only a matter of time.

Apple TV Games

I’m expecting that eventually Apple is going to open up the Apple TV OS for apps and, more specifically, games.  Like iTunes streaming, I think it’s an eventuality, and frankly, I’m surprised they haven’t done it sooner.  Tim Cook and the gang describe Apple TV as a hobby, but it’s dead useful and primed for expansion.  iOS is one of the biggest gaming platforms available today, and with consoles like the Wii U floundering stateside, Apple could really knock it out of the park by allowing iPhone owners to move games seamlessly from their iPhones to their iPads to their Apple TVs.  They could even allow users to utilize their iPhones as controllers.

iHolodeck

This falls into the realm of “not likely in any universe,” but if you’ve heard any of the buzz about the VR headset Oculus Rift, virtual reality is one step closer to actual reality.  I’d love to see Apple take some of their cash and really invest in some of these exciting emerging technologies.  I know we’re still many, many, many years (decades) away from being able to create matter from air using light and forcefields, but I think we’re entering an interesting period of history where technology is going to take fantasy and turn it into reality quicker than we might believe possible.

Okay, so maybe 2013 is just going to end up being the year of thinner MacBook Airs or cheaper iPhones or bigger iPads, and not the year Apple turned another industry on its head.  But we can certainly dream.

So, tell me, what do you think Apple has up their sleeve?

Google, on the other hand, is looking to put that information in front of your eyes rather than on your wrist. Currently, a limited number of users are testing Google Glass through their Explorer program, putting them ahead of the pack when it comes to both innovation and getting a product to market. It’s yet to be seen whether a heads-up display will be the next big thing or an intrusive novelty.

Whether it’s a watch or a pair of futuristic glasses, technology companies are looking for ways to extend the functionality of our mobile devices and make them more convenient.  There are certainly things that Google Glass will be capable of doing that no smartwatch could, but so many of the features will overlap that I can’t help grouping them together as second screen devices for our phones and tablets.

Samsung Smart Watch Concept

Your iPhone rings.  It vibrates in your purse or your pocket. You fumble for it, trying to get to it before the caller hangs up. In your haste, you drop it on the concrete.  The phone is fine because you’ve got it in a sturdy case, of course, but you’ve missed the call and nearly busted your phone.

Let’s face it, phones are big. They’re always going to be big.You put them down and forget where you left them. You drop them, leave them in bars, or even worse, it unknowingly falls out of your pocket while you’re on Splash Mountain (true story). Even the slimmest iPhone is still going to take up room in your pockets or fall to the bottom of your purse, and no amount of wizardry from Cupertino can change that.

Maybe the focus shouldn’t be on the phone. The answer may come in the form of a second screen device that’s not a phone at all.

Personally, I haven’t worn a watch since high school, and I haven’t necessarily missed it. But I know a lot of people who would jump at the opportunity to put their info on their wrists. All you have to do is look at the Pebble smartwatch, which raised over $10 million dollars from its Kickstarter campaign, to see that consumers are salivating for this type of technology. But I’m not convinced that smartwatches and HUDs like Google Glass aren’t transitional technology similar to dedicated e-readers. Sure, e-readers sporting e-ink are great devices that excel at doing one thing and doing it well, but history will see them as little more than a stepping stone that got people used to the

Microsoft Smart Watch Concept

idea of reading digital books. Even now, more people are reading ebooks on iPads and Kindle Fires than on dedicated e-readers. Eventually, e-readers will be little more than niche products, and rightfully so. And I’m not so sure that smartwatches and Google Glass won’t suffer the same fate.

Only time will tell if smartwatches and smart glasses will be the next big thing or a transitional product bridging the way to something even more amazing.

The only thing I know for certain is that Apple and every other tech company invested in mobile computing will be vying for a place at the table. Each one developing a way to get your information off your phone and onto a second screen, their goal to make your life easier. And isn’t that what technology is really all about?

Contrary to what all those AT&T ads may tell you, bigger is not always better. Look at mobile devices. Manufacturers have spent the past 30 years trying to squeeze more features into a smaller  mobile device that is more convenient to carry around. Your iPhone 5S and iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 and every other device will likely be smaller and thinner than the one that came before it. Continually improving manufacturing techniques allow companies to squeeze more components into smaller spaces, and to shrink the size of existing parts.
But there is a limit.  As manufacturers race to have the device with the highest screen resolution or the fastest processor, the demand on the battery will continue to grow.  Chip manufacturers like Intel are creating processors that use less power, but they can only do so much.  Mobile devices must have batteries in them that can power a device for a whole day to stay competitive (which is debatable with the iPhone 5). As devices become more powerful, their batteries must be bigger to keep up.

As it is now, the battery takes up almost half of the space in most mobile devices.  And there isn’t much we can do to make that battery smaller without losing precious battery life.

Until now.

Researchers at the University of Illinois and Urbana-Champaign have come up with a new type of lithium-ion battery that’s 2000 times more powerful than the lithium-ion batteries currently on the market, and can charge 1000 times faster.

The significance of this, according to the university’s press release , is that we could theoretically see batteries that provide the same power as current batteries but that would be 30 times smaller.

While I wouldn’t expect to see this new battery technology appearing in Apple’s next round of iDevices, it’s the sort of technology leap that could change the industry five or ten years from now.  Batteries the thickness of credit cards could be used to power phones that we fold up to the size of matchbooks.  We could see computers with batteries that run for days rather than hours.

If researchers at the University of Illinois can bring this battery tech to market, the limits of how small our devices can go might suddenly disappear.

Yes, smaller is better.

Our lives are online.

My buddies and I recently spent a long weekend in Las Vegas. Our last night in town, we went to the nicest, most expensive restaurant we could find. I was so impressed with the steak I was about to eat (as well as the money I was spending on said steak) that I took a quick photo with my phone and posted it on Facebook. One random moment of my life, forever online.

Last week, Facebook announced Facebook Home. It’s essentially a way for you to deeply integrate the Facebook experience into your smartphone. Live tiles, widgets, lock screen information gathered from your Facebook account and presented to you how you want it and when you want it.

The catch? You won’t see it on your iPhone. Not the iPhone 5, not the iPhone 5S, and probably not the iPhone 6 either.

For now, Facebook Home is an Android only offering.

My first reaction was, “Thank goodness!” But I’m not Facebook’s biggest fan. I think they play fast and loose with my information. They’re like a bank that keeps your account number and ATM pin taped to the bottom of their keyboard. After some thought, though, I realized how big this could be.

Like I said: our lives are online. That’s a fact that’s not going to change anytime soon. Facebook knows that and is exploiting the openness of the Android operating system to dig deep roots into every aspect of your life. If it weren’t for Facebook I’d forget most birthdays and wouldn’t know what was happening with my friends.

Apple has certainly taken steps in the past to integrate emerging social technologies into iOS. Twitter and Facebook integration were some of the highlights of iOS 6 and Apple’s desktop OS Mountain Lion. But instead of Facebook controlling the experience, as they will in Android with Facebook Home, Apple controls the experience.

Therefore, it’s unlikely that you’ll start seeing custom lock screens showing you nearby Facebook friends on iOS anytime in the near future. I, for one, am not crying over the loss, but I’m interested to see how this is going to play out in the near future.

The issue really isn’t about Facebook at all. It’s about the disparate philosophies of Apple and Google.

iOS is a walled garden. Apple controls the experience. They are the app store bouncers, keeping out the undesirables. They tell you what you can and can’t install on your phone, and how exactly you’re going to be able to use it. On the downside, 3rd party apps can’t share information, leading to less intuitive apps. The upside, however, is that the experience is uniform across all iOS devices. When you download an app from the app store, you know exactly how it is going to behave because it is going to conform to the Apple guidelines. The chance of accidentally downloading malware is very small.

Android, on the other hand, prides itself on its openness. Handset manufacturers skin the OS with their own interface tweaks. There are virtually no rules about how apps can interact with each other. Only on Android is deep integration like Facebook Home currently possible. Android doesn’t tell you what to download or how to use your apps. The downside is that each and every phone with the Android OS is a completely different experience. Some are good; some are bad. A Samsung phone with Android OS isn’t going to be the same as an LG or HTC phone with Android OS.

iPhones are iPhones. If you love your iPhone 5, you’re going to love the iPhone 5S. But if you love the Samsung Galaxy line of Android phones, you may not necessarily like the HTC One.

With or Without Facebook Home Our Lives are Online

Facebook Home is just the beginning. I’m willing to bet that you’ll see more of this type of deep integration. Every service wants to be the one to act as the hub for your life.

What remains to be seen is whether Apple is going to open iOS up to the Facebooks of the world and allow that type of customization, or whether they’re going to continue to control the user experience.

I, for one, hope it’s the latter. Because at the end of the day, Facebook isn’t my home. It’s just a place I go to be harassed to play Farmville and look at funny pictures of cats.

Those three words are either Apple’s most brilliant marketing campaign ever or an albatross around their neck, ever tightening.

When Apple claims that their products just work, it creates a heightened sense of expectation. Computer neophytes like my mom expect to be able to open their MacBooks and fire off an email, bypassing the normal computer learning curve. Veteran users expect to be able to plug in Apple products and go without having to fiddle with complicated settings.

They expect their products to ‘just work’.

And there’s no Apple product or service that they expect to ‘just work’ more than iCloud.

iCloud, Apple’s cloud service touted as a solution for all of our computing woes, has been taking a beating lately. Bloggers seem to see it as a convenient whipping boy, a representation of all that’s wrong with a post-Jobs Apple. From security breaches to outages, iCloud bashing is becoming something of an online sport.

But is iCloud really a failure? I’m not sure. A better question may be: does iCloud ‘just work’?

Apple’s forays into the cloud have taken many forms. From iTools to .Mac to MobileMe, Apple has been trying to get cloud service right for a while. While I never used .Mac, I did use MobileMe and iDisk. As a writer, I loved the ability to sync my documents to the cloud ensuring that even if my computer spontaneously combusted, the work I’d toiled over would be safe.

MobileMe, unfortunately, suffered from some issues. I constantly had to delete my iDisk and resync, an annoying process that often took hours. It was plagued with conflicts that never seemed to resolve themselves the way I wanted them to. My address book was never synced between devices, and the web-based services (iCal, Address Book, iWeb) were pretty, but never ‘just worked’.

When Apple discontinued MobileMe in favor of iCloud, I was skeptical. With two desktop computers, a laptop, iPhone, and iPad, I was desperate for a cloud service that could unite all my data. I wanted one address book, one calendar, one place to store all my documents. I wanted what Apple was selling. And I wanted it to ‘just work’.

My transition to iCloud was pretty seamless. The first thing I noticed was that I no longer had to worry about duplicate contacts. I could start reading a web page on my MacBook Air and pick it up later on my iPhone. My calendars synced for about the first time in forever. I had access to all the apps and media that I’d ever purchased from iTunes (some of which I’d actually forgotten about!) I no longer had to plug my devices into a computer to back up or sync them.

The real test, however, came just recently when I had to restore my iPad Mini. Since I’d been backing up to iCloud, I expected that I could return my iPad Mini to its last backed-up state without having to plug it into my computer at all.

After completely erasing my iPad Mini and returning it to factory defaults, my iPad Mini asked if I wanted to restore it from my iCloud backup. I did. It asked me for my iCloud username and password. I entered them.

And then I watched as all my apps were downloaded to my iPad Mini. My contacts, emails, calendars, passwords, messages, settings, and even my wallpaper were restored. Within an hour, my iPad Mini was exactly as it had been at the moment of my last backup. I didn’t have to re-enter wi-fi settings, I didn’t lose the high scores in any of my games, I didn’t need to make sure all my documents were where they belonged.

It just worked.

Head in the iClouds?

The brilliance of iCloud is that when I purchase the iPhone 5S or the iPhone 6 or the next iteration of the iPad Mini, I won’t have to spend hours setting it up. It’s all in the iCloud, ready to go. It means that Apple has removed yet another barrier between us and our devices. They can do what they’re meant to do without requiring a tech degree to get them up and running.

Apple’s not perfect; MobileMe and Apple Maps are perfect examples of that. But those three little words, “it just works,” aren’t just a promise, they’re a philosophy. It means that while Apple may not get it right the first time, they’ll keep trying until they do.

And as far as I’m concerned, that ‘just works’ for me.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRIS SHIPMAN. Credit http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/kettlebell-workout

Is the KettleBell iPhone 5 Case safe?

The KettleBell case in not for everyone. We have created a Fit Test that each person must complete before being allowed to purchase the KettleBell case. This will determine if you are able to use the case without injury. If you experience an injury while using the case, it was most likely user error.

I’m not losing any weight; is this thing working?

Most test subjects reduced their body fat by 5000% within the first 90 days. However, we do acknowledge that there were some data input inconsistencies. The amount of change you see will depend on how often you use your phone to call and text.

What do you mean this case causes retinal damage?

This is just a precaution that appeared in a small number of our test subjects (72%); it is not indicative of something that will happen to every user.

Why are my arms burning?

This is completely natural. As with any new routine, your body needs to adjust. Continue to use your KettleBell case until you no longer feel a burn. When the burn stops, you may want to purchase an add-on weight that clips right to the handle of the KettleBell case.

Can I touch the KettleBell case?

Due to the sophisticated blend of asphalt, concrete and carbonite, the KettleBell case omits some hazardous materials and is not recommended for direct human contact.

How do I remove my iPhone from the KettleBell case?

You can’t.

HOLLYWOOD, FL (April 1, 2013) — Marware®, renowned designer of cutting edge mobile accessories that combine style and functionality, today unveiled the all-new KettleBell case for the Apple iPhone. The KettleBell case is the world’s heaviest iPhone case, and also the world’s first kettlebell weight iPhone case. Made of a sophisticated blend of concrete, asphalt and carbonite, the KettleBell case provides rugged good looks in and out of the gym. The KettleBell case is now available in black/yellow at www.Marware.com.

“We’ve been working on this case for a long time”, said Marware EVP of Research R.J. Cuhdarin. “With the rising popularity of various fitness training programs, we felt this was the perfect time to release the KettleBell case. There is a strong demand for an iPhone accessory that allows you to continue your disciplined training regiment throughout the day. We listened to what people had to say, crafting a unique, revolutionary iPhone case that will transform the industry. Obviously there were some minor features we had to sacrifice in order to bring such a remarkable product to market, but we are confident our customers are willing to forego those minor luxuries in order to enjoy a kettlebell case. We even created a FAQ page to alleviate any concerns customers may have about using the KettleBell iPhone case.”

The Marware KettleBell case is easy to install and provides peace of mind protection. By incorporating the KettleBell case into your daily routine, you can potentially reduce your body fat by up to 5000% within the first 90 days. Marware uses a special rubberized paint that will not chip or scrape. The product has been introduced to two test markets, and the response has been overwhelming. Marware is currently working on KettleBell cases for other devices such as the iPad mini, Kindle Fire HD 7”, iPad Retina and Samsung Galaxy SIV.

The Marware KettleBell case is available for the iPhone 5, with a MSRP of $401.13. For more details please visit www.Marware.com/kettlebell.html.

About Marware

Marware, Inc. is an independently owned, U.S.-based corporation that designs and manufactures innovative mobile device accessories that enhance the user experience, with a special focus on mobile accessories for the kettlebell market. Deeply rooted in the South Florida culture, Marware captures inspiration from the community’s refined, idyllic lifestyle, as well as the ancient Russian kettlebell training program. Celebrating 20 years of innovation, Marware has evolved along with the tech industry to meet the demands of the mobile community with products that provide the perfect balance of style and functionality, thus enhancing the lifestyle of our customers. Leading a wave of responsibility, the company remains committed to national charities, community development and academic programs including its own Marware Montessori Academy for children. Marware is one of the leaders in environmentally safe manufacturing procedures, resulting in its own line of eco-friendly accessories. Marware embraces and drives change in the industry through continuous improvement in everything it does. For more information, visit www.Marware.com.

For more information call 954.927.6031, fax 954.927.2477 or write to Marware, Inc., 2402 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, FL 33020 USA. © Copyright 2013 Marware, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple and the Apple logo are registered trademarks of Apple Computer in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other brands and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.