AppCraver » Gear & Accessories

Altec Lansing’s Back Beat Pros are Better than Apple’s Cheapos

Michael Alexander — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:30:18 +0000

Altec Lansing Back Beat Pros — What really matters when it comes to earphones for the iPhone and iPod touch is: “Which brand of earphones sound better than the cheapos that came with the Apple iPhone or iPod touch I just bought?

Last year, I bought a pair of V-Moda Vibe for about $100. I bought them based on reviews because I didn’t have the option of trying a many different models before buying. I got lucky and I’ve been more than satisfied with the way they sound.

Recently, I had a chance to compare the new Altec Lansing’s Backbeat Pro earphones, better known as the UHP606, with the Vibes.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Altec Lansing, going back to my college years when I sold hi-fi gear for a summer job. Although I’ve never heard a pair of AL speakers that sounded just right, I’ve always liked the color of their sound.

The Back Beat Pros earphones sound to me like the company’s speakers. Bright and lively highs and lots of chaka-chaka, boom-boom. With earphones for portable devices, that’s actually a good thing, considering the music source and device are poor.

The other thing I like about Altec Lansing Back Beat Pros is that they use energy efficiently and it doesn’t take much to drive them to cochlea-crunching volumes.

Altec bolsters its Back Beat Pros with a dizzying discussion about armatures in each earphone and how they’re balanced. Armatures to create the vibrations that you hear as music? I get that. The armature on one side is equal to the armature on the other side? I get that too. Do balanced armatures make a difference in sound quality? Beats the heck out of me.

Will you like them? If you like a bright lively high end, and wake-the-dead booming bass, and a mid range that seems to be stapled to the airspace between your ears, then you’ll probably like them. The earphones come with four different pairs of neoprene ear tips that do a good job of keeping outside sounds from leaking in.

MSRP for the Altec Lansing Back Beat Pro is $99.99 and I would expect street price should be around $79.99.

In a side-by-side comparison, did I prefer one over the other? Not really. The V-Moda’s have tighter bass than the Backbeat Pros but the highs aren’t as bright, which aging ears like mine tend to prefer. They don’t sound much alike but I like them equally well.

There is one big difference worth noting, however. The Altec Lansing Back Beat Pros do not have a remote or a mike, which is a significant consideration for iPhonies.

Company: Altec Lansing
Product: Back Beat Pro, UHP606
MSRP: $99.99

app_name: Altec Lansing Back Beat Pro
rating: 8/10

OS 3.0 Puts More Automation into the Smart House with Universal Remote Controls

Michael Alexander — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:00:42 +0000

Ever steadily, the iPhone and iPod touch are transforming into universal remote controls for home automation gear such as home theater PCs, lighting, security and other hardware systems.

OS 3.0, which Apple will release this week, has hardware interfaces that which will certainly step up the pace at which developers and manufacturers will introduce new apps and hardware with remote features and functions for the iPhone/touch. Because they work over Wi-Fi and 3G, a system in one room can be controlled from your handheld in another room.

Last week, Savant Systems, a home-automation company introduced a new family of media docks capable of distributing audio, video and lighting to any Savant interface. The company already markets ROSIE Home Automation in the App Store (for $199.99) to control it’s many HA devices.

Savant also announced Rosie On The Road, a remote access control 3.0 app featuring full access to all features and services within a home or anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi or 3G data connection. The application auto-discovers services in the home with Bonjour, Apple’s zero-configuration networking protocol.

“Every kid in the world is living with Apple… so Savant is on to something,” says David Weinstein, head of Lutron’s residential (lighting and automatic shades) system division,

Also last week, Pioneer Electronics (USA) began shipping A/V Receivers that seamlessly integrate Apple’s revolutionary iPhone and iPod into a customer’s home theatre.

Music and movies are automatically muted with incoming calls; compressed music files are greatly enhanced with Advanced Sound Retriever; consistent volume is maintained with Auto Level Control – all while the control of your media remains in the palm of your hand through the iPhone itself or the VSX-819H-K’s remote.

The real fun begins with OS 3.0 but here are some apps that already put home control in the palm of your hand:

Dozens of apps are available to control your Mac and PC and the audio and video that reside on them. No list would be complete without Apple’s Remote Control, which enables you to control music and your Mac and PC and Apple TV. Evan Schoenberg’s Rowmote is similar but is also capable of being used as a track pad. Install XBMC on your XBox, Apple TV or desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux) and control your music and TV from anywhere.

But that’s nothing compared to what’s to come.

If you own a TELETASK HA system you can view driveway cameras, automatically open the front door to let in a handyman, lower electronic shades and more using ISGUI Home Automation app.

Saturday night, when you take your weekly soak, Unique Automation’s Bathomatic will lower the plug into the drain and fill the bathtub with water to the right height and temp.

Indigo markets home light systems and with the complementary TLA Investments iHome Remote for Indigo, you can turn off the lights when you forget and turn them on on the way home.

Control4 home automation systems connect with Control UI’s Control4 My House enabling you to manage your whole-house audio/video, lighting and HVAC systems.

Exceptional Innovation’s Life|ware can also be used to control HVAC, lighting and security systems as well as Tivo DVRs, DVD players and receivers.

The list is already long as you can and we’re only scratched the surface. Most of these apps are free – mainly because they operate with usually proprietary home automation gear, but that will soon change. It could be as early as Wednesday, the official OS 3.0 launch date.

Golla Guard Pouch for iPhone

Michael Alexander — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:30:07 +0000

Golla Guard Pouch for iPhone — One of the first things I did when I bought my iPhone last year was to buy a case. It’s since broken down so I decided to replace it with something more durable and flexible. What I really wanted was a case that could be used to double as an iPhone case and a wallet because I’ve become tired of lugging both as though I were a Nepalese Sherpa.

Golla makes several pouches for the iPhone and iPod touch. They’re padded and made from Cordura or ballistic nylon or something like that. I can already tell it will stand up to almost anything and easily outlast my old, once-stiff, leather case.

The Golla pouches are fashionable too — even though some tend to be a bit geeky, like the one I bought for about $20, plus shipping. You might be able to find it for less. I didn’t shop very hard for this one because the price didn’t seem out of line with other cases I’ve looked at.

It’s a top-loading pouch, but similar to a bill fold when held horizontally. In addition to a pouch for my device, there’s a kangaroo-style pocket for credit cards and a zippered pouch on the back for cash or your earphones – it’s also large enough a small Bluetooth headset. Velco keeps the pouch’s flap closed.

Golla Guard Pouch is fitted with a belt loop and a removable carabiner, although I don’t plan to use either much, if at all. Only dweebs where the phones and pagers on the belt, in my opinion, but I won’t mock you if that’s the way you roll. It also has a lanyard, which could be the way to go if you’re worried about pickpockets outside a train station in Milan or Barcelona.

The Golla cases come in a variety of colors and patterns.

It’s taking me a bit of time to get used to using the Golla pouch compared to my last case, but so far, so good. I recommend it, especially for travelers, outdoors people, runners and sport nuts and anyone else who needs a padded case. It also looks like it would stand up in the rain, but I’m not going to try it unless I have to.

Model: Golla Guard Pouch for iPhone
Maker: Golla
Price: $19.95
Buy the Golla Guard Pouch Online

rating: 8/10
app_name: Golla Guard Pouch for iPhone

Mobi Products Touch Screen Stylus Pen Makes Typing Better

Jennifer Beam — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:30:55 +0000

Touch Screen Stylus Pen – If, like me, your biggest gripe with iPhone and iPod touch is the tedious process of touch-to-type on a tiny keyboard, check out Mobi Products Touch Screen Stylus Pen. This nifty little gadget is tipped with a soft, rubber-like product specifically designed to work with touch screens. I personally couldn’t wait to give it a try and now I’m just hoping and praying I don’t lose it.

Mobi Products Touch Screen Stylus Pen is designed for typing on the iPhone and touch keyboard, not for gaming. That’s not to say there isn’t a game out there that it wouldn’t work out for, it just isn’t meant for swiping, only tapping. So if you’re thinking your iPod touch can act like a Nintendo DS, stop. However, if you’re thinking you can compose quicker emails and jot down quicker notes in your note and to-do-list applications, then you’re right on target.

The tip of Mobi Products Touch Screen Stylus Pen is about ½ the size of the tip of my finger tip and is the perfect size for the keys of the standard iPhone/touch keyboard. The soft tip doesn’t scratch the screen and it also helps minimize fingerprints and smudges. The touch screen does recognize the touch, but it requires pretty firm contact. That’s not to say that you have to jab the keys forcefully, but a light tap does not always prompt the device. It certainly helps though if you have a clean screen to start with. Regardless, once you get the hang of it, typing is indeed faster and more accurate – at least it is for me.

If you use your device purely for games and mobile entertainment, Mobi Products Touch Screen Stylus Pen isn’t gong to do you a whole lot of good. But for those of us who use their device for storing info, sending email, organizing lists, social networking, or other applications that require data input, this iPhone stylus is oh-so-handy. What I need to do now is find a case that the side clip of the pen will slip over or a case that has a pen pocket.

If you need to do more swiping than tapping take a look at the Pogo Stylus from Ten One Design, which reviewed last year.

Maker: Mobi Products
Model: Touch Screen Stylus Pen
Price: $19.95
Buy the Mobie Products Touch Screen Stylus Pen

rating: 8/10
app_name: Mobi Products Touch Screen Stylus Pen

Mr. Handsfree Family Charger is Ideal for Organizing

Jennifer Beam — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:30:31 +0000

With all the devices floating around my house – and there are a lot – I sought out a way to keep them better organized while they charge. Instead of having them lay around on the kitchen counters, end tables and dressers while they charge and having the cords hanging out all over the place where the dog can chew on them, I decided to give Mr. Handsfree Family Charger a try.

After unpacking the box, I discovered it came in pieces rather than fully assembled. Surprisingly, even though I have female DNA I don’t read directions. This proves to be a mistake about 90% of the time, but in the case of the Mr. Handsfree Family Charger, it was pretty obvious where the parts go. You have the option of assembling this charging station to be wall-mount or desktop. I chose desktop, but even though the device holders slide securely into place on the base, you can easily invert the holders to switch back and forth.

The Mr. Handsfree Family Charger device holders have adjustable side arms that you can make narrower or wider with a scroll wheel on the back. I was able to adjust the holders to snuggly hold a variety of devices including: an iPod touch, a Blackberry Pearl, a Nokia flip, some Nextel walkie-talkie phone thing my husband has for work, and my TV remote. (Ok, I was just curious on that last one and it seemed like a good idea at the time.) It didn’t narrow quite enough to hold an iPod nano though.

To use the charging station, you simply plug your device’s existing wall charger into it and then plug the charging station itself into the wall. The power cord on the charging station had ample enough length for anywhere I might choose to use it. On the underneath side of the base there are compartments with snap off covers that you can tuck the wires into, although I wrapped mine around the actual holder instead.

Mr. Handsfree Family Charger is a nice enough caddy and is kind of like a power-strip with organizational features. If it had four holders and plugs instead of just three, it would have been nearer to perfect for me, but as it is, I can still use it to neatly cradle my phone, my husband’s phone, and my youngest son’s. My oldest doesn’t set his phone down long enough to care anyway.

As a device caddy, Mr. Handsfree Family Charger is a suitable way to organize charging gadgets and only occupies one electrical outlet while doing it. If you have a large family or numerous devices, I would suggest buying two, which isn’t that much of a stretch at the AppCraver Store price of $14.95. All in all, it’s a pretty decent way of organizing cell phones and gadgets.

Maker: Mr. Handsfree
Model: Mr. Handsfree Family Charger
Price: MSRP $30; On sale for $14.95
Mr. Handsfree Family Charger in the iPhone Accessories Store

rating: 8/10
app_name: Mr. Handsfree Family Charger

Griffin Technology’sTuneJuice Gives You More Go Go with Lady Gaga

Michael Alexander — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:30:49 +0000

Griffin TuneJuice – If you count on your iPod (standard, mini or nano) to provide a nonstop soundtrack for your life, then you know there will come a time when you’ll be hearing your music machine wheeze to a stop instead of listening to Weezer.

What you need is more battery juice. Griffin’s TuneJuice puts the go go in your Lady Gaga by giving you up to an extra 14 hours of audio play and up to 2 hours of video play.

It’s a simple gadget. Add four triple play batteries to a small hard shell case, plug it in to your standard, mini or nano iPod and that’s all there is to it. TuneJuice comes with four AAA batteries, so you’re immediately ready to go.

I also tried using TuneJuice with my iPhone—the plug is the same—and it apparently work, but only in Airplane mode, which means having to turn off my cellphone. Obviously, that’s not going to work for many people. Anyway, the best it could do was slightly slow the iPhone’s battery drain. I’ll assume the same is true with a the iPod touch, but I didn’t have one to use for a test.

Griffin makes a unit specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch but I didn’t try it and for MSRP of $70 (street price $20-$29), I’m positive that it won’t be trying it either.

When you want to rock on, press the Griffin TuneJuice’s silver button, slide the plastic case off and stick in the batts. The case is a hard-shell with a matte black finish so you won’t see finger prints.

I don’t have a scale small enough to weigh it, but figure on the weight of four AAA batts, a short wired plug. It’s small, unobtrusive and weighs practically nothing. The only complaint you might have is having the add-on dangling from your iPod like a new born dangles from an umbilical cord.

Play time could be conceivably as much as 14 hours with a fully charged iPod and a fresh set of alkaline batteries, which tend to live longer than conventional and rechargeable batteries. If your iPod is partially charged, you might get as much as 10 hours of audio and 1 1/2 hours of video. That’s probably enough to carry you from one AC outlet to another, where you can recharge your iPod.

It has a one-year warranty, although it’s hard to image that you’ll need it because there’s nothing to the Griffin’s TuneJuice that is likely to malfunction of break.

Maker: Griffin Technology
Model: TuneJuice
MSRP: $30.
Griffin TuneJuice the iPhone Accessories Store

app_name: Griffin Technology TuneJuice
rating: 7/10

Smartphone Experts Screen Protectors Aren’t Brand-X

Michael Alexander — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:00:03 +0000

Smartphone Experts Screen Protectors (3-Pack) for iPhone — When I unboxed my iPhone for the first time, I caressed its gleaming surfaces and I said to myself, “Yo, this is a thing of beauty!” I would have kissed it except I didn’t want to smudge its immaculate reflection.

Then I got real. I immediately ordered off eBay a rigid leather case, which cost me $25 plus shipping, but I didn’t care. I needed a guard to forever protect my iPhone’s pristine beauty and price be damned!

As a sweetener, the seller tossed in a screen protector that, when laid down over the face of the iPhone, protects its surface like a sci-fi force field. Best add-on I’ve gotten so far.

That was about a year ago. The $25, plus shipping, leather case has since given up on me. The top half flaps around like the wing of a wounded albatross. I also got a nick on a corner exposed by the case’s failure.

But the screen protector has stayed steadfast against the wet; rugged in the face of hours of daily use; wary of the two kids hungry for their own iPhones; and sympathetic to the poor suffering wife who couldn’t understand what the hoopla was all about.

One protector must be the same as another, or at least I reasoned. It’s not true. I just finished testing Smartphone Experts Screen Protectors for iPhone and it just doesn’t measure up to the no-name screen protector that I’ve been using.

These SPs come in a three-pack for a pricey $15.95. My free Brand-X model came with a small microfiber cloth to wipe the phone’s surface before placing the film, unlike these new SPs.

Smartphone Experts Screen Protectors for iPhone doesn’t lay down as smoothly as my Brand-X version, and it kept trapping air bubbles, no matter how gently I tried to position it. It’s too stiff. After two costly failures, I reached into my desk and pulled out another Brand-X SP that I had purchased for $4.95 with shipping off eBay because I was so pleased with the first. I wish I could tell you the maker but its name is Chinese and the item name is “Screen Protector.”

Regardless, pass by Smartphone Experts Screen Protectors for iPhone and look for something else—do doubt for less money and with a freebie cloth. Nota bene: The SPs vary for each model.

rating: 5/10
app_name: Smartphone Experts Screen Protectors for iPhone

BlueAnt V1 Bluetooth Headset: Excellent Audio Quality in a Lightweight Package

Michael Alexander — Sat, 30 May 2009 01:00:46 +0000

BlueAnt V1 Voice-Controlled Bluetooth Headset for iPhone 3G, iPhone – I haven’t been a big fan of Bluetooth headsets. I’ve tried a couple and I’ve never managed to get comfortable with them. Anyway, walking around with a gadget jacked into the side of my head when I’m not using it reminds me too much like wearing a pocket protector or a pager on my belt.

Blueant V1 Voice-Controlled Bluetooth Headset changed my mind. I love this thing. It’s tiny and unobtrusive and it doesn’t make me feel like a dork. It’s so light you’ll forget it’s hanging off that funny-looking blob of cartilage on the side of your head that you think passes for a human’s ear. Better still, the audio quality is excellent.

The BlueAnt V1 is a voice-controlled headset that does not require training, which in itself makes it unique. Pushing one button activates voice recognition and gives you control of all the functions of the V1, merely by your speaking. If you need assistance, ask for it and the headset will verbally help you get the commands you want.

Fire BlueAnt V1 up the first time and you get audible instructions on how to pair it with your iPhone and how to use it. If you need to refresh your memory, check out the glossy quick start guide or the handbook.

The auto voice dialing worked pretty well but not always correctly. I’m not sure why that is but I suspect it has something to do with my having several contacts, each with at least a couple of telephone numbers. Even I get confused.

BlueAnt claims its headset has up to 10 meters of RF coverage, but it didn’t perform anywhere near as well as that in open space (no walls to pass through).

As long as you’re within 5-10 feet of your iPhone, the sound will be terrifically clear. There’s no noticeable difference than speaking directly into the phone’s mouth, according to the people I’ve been calling. In fact, it often sounds clearer on both ends, thanks to noise suppression and echo cancellation tech.

BlueAnt claims up to 5 hours of talk time and up to 200 hours of standby time. I’m still working on finding out whether those claims hold up.

I like being able to charge the BlueAnt V1 through a USB port or with the supplied wall charger, just like my iPhone. I also like it has a shirt clip so I can keep it handy when I’m not using it, thereby making me look less like an Okie. You get four ear ear tips – two rubber, two foam. I found one that fits fine.

MSRP is $129.99. You can pick it up in our iPhone Accessories store for about $70.

My only real complaint is the BlueAnt V1 came in plastic packaging so thick that it was capable of withstanding a blast from a blowtorch wielded by one of the guys on American Choppers.

BlueAnt
Blueant V1 Voice Controlled Bluetooth Headset
MSRP $129.99

rating: 8/10
app_name: BlueAnt V1

Sonos iPhone App Makes Multi-Room Sound System Even Better

Barbara Holbrook — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:00:07 +0000

What could be better than accessing your entire music library from a set of high quality speakers in any room of your home? How about adding internet radio, local radio stations, Pandora, Last.fm and the ability to connect to subscription services such as Napster, Rhapsody and SIRIUS?

Now, what if you could also ditch your remote and control all of these music services from your iPhone? Welcome home to Sonos.

The Sonos sound system takes a multi-room approach to music in the truest form. Rather than just broadcasting the same music throughout the house, Sonos actually lets the listener have complete control over how and where the music plays. Reggae in the rumpus room and country in the kitchen? No problem. Little Mikey’s head-banging metal too loud? Control the volume from any room in the house.

In addition to desktop software to manage the music, the Sonos system already has a portable controller. Now by adding an iPhone app too, Sonos proves their attention to detail and customer satisfaction. The Sonos App is just one more way the company is letting customers manage music on their own terms.

I haven’t used the Sonos Controller hardware, but the Sonos Controller iPhone app is great. I love being able to control the music from my phone. I can hang out in the kitchen and still skip songs, change albums, or bypass my music library entirely and switch over to a local radio station for a while. And, since my iPhone is always in my pocket I never have to look for the remote.

Once the Sonos music system is set up, adding the Sonos app to control it is no big deal. Just launch the free app, push two buttons on your ZonePlayers and your iPhone or iPod touch will be connected to the system. If you have multiple zones set up — living room, kitchen, den, etc — you can choose which zone to control using the Zone Menu.

Managing your music with the Sonos app is just as simple. Once you’re in a zone, use the Music Menu to choose the source of your tunes: music library, music service (it comes with trials to Rhapsody, Naptser and SIRIUS), radio or line-in sources. Keep drilling down and eventually you’ll be presented with a standard play button which will start the sounds flowing.

The whole process behind Sonos is pretty intuitive. The only task I had problems with was setting it up to shuffle and play continuously. This option wasn’t immediately obvious. From the “now playing” screen tap the album cover and a new screen will pop up that allows you to shuffle and/or repeat songs in your current queue.

One of my favorite features of the Sonos App can be found in the Radio category. There are 15,000 free Internet radio stations all categorized so that you can find exactly what you’re looking for. But, to my joy, there’s also a category for Local Radio. Type in a location using city or zip code and the Sonos App provides access to a list of local stations. With just a few taps I was able to find all the local stations from San Francisco. Hella sweet.

The Sonos App works well and it’s easy to be mesmerized by the technology and start gushing. After all, it’s pretty much exactly what I expect from top-of-the-line software. You plug it in and it just works. There are a few downsides though.

The first is an issue that is more of an iPhone issue than a Sonos issue. If you don’t use it for a few minutes, the device goes to sleep. On a phone this is a battery-saving feature, but in a remote it’s a pain in the whatoosie. Each time it wakes up, you need to wait around 20 seconds for the app to reconnect to the wireless network.

The other thing to note: the Sonos App is free but the Sonos Multi-room Music System is not. And of course, the app only works with the music system.

The bundle I tested — the Sonos Speaker Bundle with two speakers, a zone 120, zone 90 and controller — is $1149. I think it’s worth the price. The speakers are great with rich, room-filling sound, the two zone devices let me connect my music library wirelessly to any room in the house. And, like I said above, it’s a system that just works. Good technology is worth the price, provided you’re in a position to afford it.

If you have a Sonos system already in your home, then don’t wait. Download the Sonos App now. If you’re in the market for new quality home sound system then Sonos is definitely worth a listen.

app_name: Sonos Controller
rating: 9/10

PhoneView Does File Storage and so Much More for iPhone

Barbara Holbrook — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:30:06 +0000

PhoneView (formerly MegaPhone, formerly Phone Drive) is the simplest way we’ve tested so far to access all the files, notes, music, videos, photos, contacts, call logs and sms messages. In short, it’s a cool drag-n-drop tool to access all the data on your iPhone or iPod touch.

The iPhone has a lot of neat apps for working and playing on-the-go. And, it has a pretty good system built-in for syncing contacts, calendars, photos, apps and music. While this is enough for most users, the built-in system doesn’t have everything.

PhoneView is the next step for users that are ready to delve deeper into the syncing process of their iPhone or iPod touch. In addition — and this is the feature many iPhone owners are clamoring for — PhoneView lets users shuffle documents by using their iPhone as a storage device.

Once installed, getting started with PhoneView is easy. Launch the app to get a Finder window. On the left of the window is a list of all the areas of iPhone you now have access to.

Disk: for using iPhone as a storage device.

Contacts: browse or search the info for your contacts — name, email, phone number. You can’t edit individual contact files, but you can export them as vcards for use in another program.

Notes: edit notes you’ve already written, delete notes, write new ones or create notes from a variety of sources such as plain-text, RTF, Word, PDF or HTML files. When creating notes you not only have your choice of fonts, but can also use bold, italic, and adjust text size. Sweet!

Call Log: browse your call history, archive or export your call log.

SMS: the same browsing, archive and export capabilities as found in the Call Log with the additional ability to print selected SMS messages. I can think of lots of reasons to love this feature.

iTunes (Music, TV Shows, Video, Audiobooks, Podcasts): access items from your iTunes library to copy to your desktop machine or play directly from PhoneView.

Photos: copy iPhone photos or iPhoto albums from your device to another computer.

PhoneView has a heady list of features for an application that is so surprisingly simple to use. There are some downsides though. PhoneView is Mac-only software. Also, you must have PhoneView installed on each Mac that you want to use with your iPhone or iPod touch. So you’ll need to install it at home, at work, and even on your laptop.

PhoneView is available from the Ecamm Web site, where you can also download a free demo of PhoneView.