The iWatch dream took a bit of a hiding a few weeks back with Apple's decision to enlarge the iPod nano which previously, was looking like it could - with some work - be morphing into a future iOS-based watch device. As we wait in hope, Casio has delivered the next best thing with its latest G-Shock - a watch that hooks up with your iPhone and pushes notifications right through to your wrist.
The iPhone is an accomplished example of polished engineering, but as with all great devices, it's far from perfect. Like many of the large mobile vendors, Apple drip-feeds the features by year, so while the general consumer response is one of positivity - Apple's customer satisfaction regularly scores highest in most fields - it's not like there aren't features out there we still crave. The style of build with any Cupertino device - particularly the iPhone - tends to make hardware modification or upgrade a no-no, but the folk of Photojojo have once again come through with their intuitive wrist strap for the latest and greatest Apple smartphone.
You don't need to be heavily involved in the music business to have heard of the Black Eyed Peas or indeed will.i.am who is generally considered to be the front man for the group and the main inspiration behind their success in recent years. It also doesn't take a lot of brain processing power to understand that will.i.am isn't exactly one hundred percent committed to his music career and likes to grab any possible opportunity to dabble with new and emerging technologies. It's that technology driven passion that has prompted William James Adams to launch his own branded 'i.am+' accessories to accompany mobile smartphones in the hope of making the experience better for consumers.
Last month, we told you of the grand return of the famed BookBook case. Looking like a book, but functioning as a wallet accommodating credit cards as well as your iPhone, creators Twelve South delighted long-time users by taking the wraps off the iPhone 5 version. As well as having been adjusted to snugly embed the longer, slenderer Apple smartphone, the new BookBook finally offers a hole for the camera, so your device no longer needs to be slid upward in order for the pointing-and-shooting to commence.
olloclip, the company behind the self-named 3-in-1 photo lens attachment for the iPhone recently named an honoree at the CES Innovations Awards, has now readied a version for the iPhone 5 and it's ready to preorder. The iPhone is utilized by many as the only means of photography, and with innovative peripherals like the olloclip at large, it's not too difficult to see why.
The Lightning dock has been on the market for six weeks now, with the iPad mini and iPad 4 joining the iPhone 5 as the first devices with the new proprietary connector. As is always the case with new Apple gadgets, sites like eBay are awash with thousands of Lightning connector accessories, and while some are more reputable than others, none have yet been released by any of Apple's official accessory partners. Belkin does fall under that umbrella though, and in showcasing a series of accessories for the aforementioned devices, is the first company to officially announce Cupertino-authorized Lightning goods.
Another Apple media event has been and gone, this time bringing multiple product announcements as well as the obligatory update on how existing devices like the iPhone, Mac and iPad are faring in the marketplace. Although, most of the attention will rightly be paid to the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and the release of not one, but two new iPads, we mustn't forget that a number of important accessories were also mentioned during the keynote, albeit extremely fleetingly.
The iPhone 5 may have been out for a number of weeks now, but accessories and peripherals for the new device - at least from Apple - have been at something of a premium. As has been documented numerous times, there's no official dock for the new Lightning-connected device as yet, and perhaps surprisingly, no iPhone 5 cases retailing in any of Apple's Stores. While there's not likely to be a Lightning dock anytime soon, the Cupertino company's official retail stores have begun stocking cases for the brand new smartphone.
The first batch of iPhone 5 units have been plagued with the purple lens flare issue while taking photos with the embedded rear-facing camera, which has left a lot of users of disgruntled. The manufacturers of the camHoodie iPhone 5 case are hoping to capitalize on the issue with the release of their product which hopes to minimize the purple hazing significantly.
We already know that Apple has taken the decision not to produce any official dock for the iPhone 5, while it came as a bit of a disappointment to those who love to have their iPhone stand upright on their workstation; it didn't cause too much of a fuss considering we pretty much knew there would be an influx of third-party docking stations hitting the market that would work harmoniously with the official Lightning to USB cables. iPhone5mod, a Chinese accessory supplier, has gone one step further and launched a full dock-plus-cabling solution.
