iLounge | All Things iPod, iPhone, iPad and Beyond

Review: C4 Electronics Dolry HiFi Stone 30-Pin AirPlay Adapter

Jeremy Horwitz — 2013-05-23T21:48:04+00:00

Glossy on the front and matte-finished on the back, Dolry is as elegantly designed as wireless adapters get. Oval-shaped with a white light on the front and a 30-pin port on the bottom, it also goes by the name “HiFi Stone,” which appears on the unit’s back. There are no buttons to press or cables to worry about; you just plug it into a Dock Connector speaker, wait for the white light to go solid, and connect your iOS device to the…

Review: Boombotix Boombot Rex Bluetooth Wireless Speaker

Nick Guy — 2013-05-23T21:20:49+00:00

Boombot Rex is the latest speaker from the company that brought us the very unique-looking Boombot2; this one has a more geometric shape that’ll likely have greater appeal. The rubberized plastic 3.5”-hexagonal speaker contains a pair of 36mm drivers, as well as a pill-shaped bass woofer that projects forward, and a noise-canceling microphone. At about 1.5” deep, it’s a very portable unit, with a built-in clip for attaching…

Review: Nuu Splash Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker

Nick Guy — 2013-05-23T21:20:45+00:00

Review: Scosche boomBottle Weatherproof Sport Wireless Speaker

Nick Guy — 2013-05-23T21:20:29+00:00

Mac: Brother MFC-9130CW Digital Color All-in-One Printer with Wireless Networking

Nick Guy — 2013-05-23T18:50:08+00:00

If there’s one peripheral category that the term “necessary evil” fits more than any other, it’s printers. Despite the digitization of pretty much everything, sometimes you just have to put ink on a sheet or ream of paper. To that end, Brother today introduced a new line of all-in-one printers, notably including its MFC-9130CW Digital Color All-in-One Printer with Wireless Networking ($400), that are worth considering if you’re…

News: Apple WWDC Keynote set for June 10

Phil Dzikiy — 2013-05-23T18:35:17+00:00

In case there was any ambiguity on the matter, Apple has confirmed that it will open its annual Worldwide Developers Conference with a keynote speech on Monday, June 10. By all accounts, Apple will be showing a preview of iOS 7 at the event, as well as the next generation OS X operating system for Macs. It’s still unclear if Apple’s “iRadio” streaming music service will debut during the conference, which runs from June 10-14.…

First Looks: Speck CandyShell Edge for iPhone 5

Nick Guy — 2013-05-23T18:15:08+00:00

As similar as some of its core products may look from generation to generation, Speck definitely works to improve its already best-in-class designs. The most recent example is CandyShell Edge for iPhone 5 ($40), the newest member of the CandyShell family. Like the others in the line, it combines layers of rubber and plastic in a thoroughly protective, yet slim, body. The big update this time is to the buttons: now, instead of rubber jutting out of…

First Looks: Speck SmartFlex for iPhone 5

Nick Guy — 2013-05-23T18:08:11+00:00

If Speck's SmartFlex for iPhone 5 looks familiar, that's because it's essentially the same thing as PixelSkin HD. The all-rubber case includes volume and Sleep/Wake button coverage, and dedicate holes along the bottom for the Lightning and headphone ports. One big difference is that instead of the "pixels" -- the raised squares on the back -- running in in straight rows and columns, they're positioned diagonally, and tilted slightly to create…

News: Apps: Foursquare 6.2, Hyper Breaker Turbo, Pandora 4.3 + Shazam 6.0

Phil Dzikiy — 2013-05-23T18:01:42+00:00

Foursquare Labs has introduced a number of new search features to its Foursquare (free) app in version 6.2, letting users filter searches by price, places that users have saved, places users haven’t been yet, places open at that time, and more new options. These advanced filters were added to the desktop version of the site a few weeks ago; now they’ve made their way to Foursquare’s mobile app. “Fearless” isn’t…

Tip of the Day: Dealing with troublesome autocorrect entries in iOS

Jesse Hollington — 2013-05-23T17:52:15+00:00

If you’ve been using your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch for a while, you’ve probably had an “autocorrect moment” where your device repeatedly insists on mistakenly “correcting” something you’re trying to type into some other obscure word. Most often this is the result of the device learning a word from past usage, and while iOS doesn’t offer any way to directly edit the autocorrect dictionary, there are…

News: Apple patent application details interactive AirPlay, TV

Phil Dzikiy — 2013-05-23T16:47:55+00:00

A newly-published Apple patent application discusses an interactive AirPlay update—one that lets a single AirPlay-enabled app simultaneously show multiple, different user interfaces on multiple display devices, coordinating separate interactivity with each display. User input through any display can make changes to the central app and/or modify the app’s data. In short, an app running on an iOS device could also be controlled via the…

News: Report: iWatch pushed to late 2014?

Phil Dzikiy — 2013-05-23T15:05:31+00:00

Previously believed to launch in late 2013, Apple’s iWatch should arrive in late 2014, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo claims that the iWatch will use a 1.5- or 2-inch display and GF2 touch technology, components similar to ones previously found in the iPod nano and iPad mini, respectively. However, Kuo believes the iWatch won’t be seen until late 2014 because Apple does not have the resources necessary to develop…

News: Griffin releases iPhone 5 Survivor + Catalyst Waterproof Case

Phil Dzikiy — 2013-05-23T15:00:01+00:00

Following a quiet announcement at CES, Griffin has released its Survivor + Catalyst Waterproof Case for iPhone 5 ($70). Submersible down to three meters of water, the Survivor + Catalyst is a polycarbonate hard shell case that uses a silicone gasket to keep water sealed out, with shock-absorbing bumpers and an integrated screen cover inside. Survivor + Catalyst also protects from dust and dirt, and the case is shockproof for a drop up to six feet.…

Ask iLounge: iMessages showing as Delivered when iPhone is out of coverage

Jesse Hollington — 2013-05-22T23:39:28+00:00

Q: My girlfriend only has very limited data on her iPhone, so she often turns off cellular data near the end of the month to avoid going over her plan. We use iMessage, and I know from reading your article on setting up iMessage that this requires data to be on, but you also mention that it should “fall back to sending a standard SMS/MMS message when Wi-Fi or cellular data coverage is unavailable.” The problem is, this doesn’t…

News: OtterBox acquires LifeProof

Phil Dzikiy — 2013-05-22T22:34:57+00:00

OtterBox announced today that it has acquired fellow case maker LifeProof, one of its main competitors in the protective case market. “This is a big strategic move for us,” OtterBox CEO Brian Thomas said. He said the LifeProof name will remain part of the brand. Thomas cited the move as a way for OtterBox to get further into the waterproof case market — the company decided to integrate rather than compete with LifeProof. Interestingly,…

Review: HMDX Jam Plus Bluetooth Wireless Speaker

Jeremy Horwitz — 2013-05-22T21:59:46+00:00

Jam Plus tapers upwards from a 3.25” base to a 2.75” top, mixing matte plastic, swirled metal, and shiny anodized-style metallic finishes in a combination that we can only describe as regrettably cheap-looking—large seams around the unit’s base, as well as it integrated lights and volume and play/pause buttons, contribute to the less than impressive build quality, as do HMDX’s choice of yellow, purple, blue, pink,…

Mac: Cole Haan 11” Reflective Tote for MacBook Air

Nick Guy — 2013-05-22T20:39:22+00:00

Coming in bright summertime colors, Cole Haan’s 11” Reflective Tote for MacBook Air ($250) is sure to appeal to fashion-conscious Apple users who are willing to drop a good chunk of change on a carrying bag. Seen here in blue, this Apple Store exclusive also comes in white and peach variations. The large purse is made to carry an 11” MacBook Air along with plenty of other stuff; at a little over a foot tall, you shouldn’t have…

Review: Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity & Sleep Wristband

Nick Guy — 2013-05-22T19:39:35+00:00

Rather than selling different sizes of its band individually, Fitbit thankfully packs two options in with each Flex, both featuring the same simple, elegant design. The smaller band has an internal diameter of about 7.5 inches, and the larger measures almost 9 inches. A single Flex sensor arrives pre-installed in the large band, with a square plastic latching system in place at one end. If you want to move to the small band, you must remove and reinstall…

News: LifeProof debuts Frē case for iPad mini

Phil Dzikiy — 2013-05-22T16:54:15+00:00

LifeProof has introduced its Frē case for iPad mini. As expected from a LifeProof case, Frē for iPad mini is billed as waterproof, dirtproof, snowproof, and shockproof, notably sharing its name with the previously-released Frē for iPhone 5 rather than the Nüüd for iPad. The company says the iPad mini case is fully submersible in water up to 2 meters deep for one hour. Frē also meets a military standard of withstanding drops from 4 feet. No pricing…

News: Logitech debuts Wired Keyboard for iPad

Phil Dzikiy — 2013-05-22T16:08:19+00:00

Logitech has introduced its Wired Keyboard for iPad ($60), which the company is billing as “[t]he first wired keyboard for iPad specially designed for the classroom.” The keyboard comes in two versions, with either a Lightning or 30-pin connector. It features a spill-resistant design and a promised key lifespan of more than five million strokes. Unlike many of the keyboards that have been designed to match the sizes and shapes of various…