When you consider the fact that users are starting to embrace mobile based photography more and more, and mix it together with the diverse world of iPhone based accessories, then you get a perfect opportunity for innovative and unique products to take center stage. The Creative Focus Lens by Lensbaby Inc. is one such product that is attempting to break into that world.
A neat new thermometer, which plugs directly into a mobile device's headphone jack, can provide immediate and accurate readings of the temperature in your specific location - a marked improvement upon the GPS-based estimates that most of us are accustomed to. The Thermodo, brainchild of Robocat (of Haze fame), is compatible with both iOS and Android, and although certain handsets are already equipped with such facilities as standard, this compact package is both reasonably-priced and practical for those that aren't.
With so many innovative products out there intended to help you keep your treasured devices free from the scrapes, scratches and bumps that they may encounter on a daily basis, it's little wonder that the makers of these cases and covers are short on ideas for unique sales pitches. A company by the name of Sir Lancelot's Armor launched an interesting product this week in the form of the Holy Grail - an iPhone case comprised of bulletproof glass - and although it was never stipulated that the film would itself be bulletproof, the guys over at Ars Technica couldn't resist putting it to the test.
There has been a noticeable increase in the number of apps, devices and peripherals catering to the health and fitness-conscious of late, but a new product by the name of ToneFone, created by British company DesirableBody, has taken things to the next level. Playing on the idea that we spend far too much of our time with our devices in hand, the ToneFone essentially weighs down your iPhone, doubling it up as a dumbbell, and we can't for the life us, decide whether it's about the craziest idea for a phone case we've ever seen, or a mere stroke of genius.
The first wave of MFi (Made For iPhone) accessories may not win awards for design innovation or aesthetic beauty, but they did manage to highlight the power of what is possible with mobile gaming, and draw serious attention to Apple's Game Controller APIs that launched as part of iOS 7. MOGA, the company behind the MOGA Ace Power iOS 7 controller, has taken on-board the lessons learnt from the initial launch and have gone back to the drawing board to build their next MFi product, as shown in the company's official teaser image below.
Historically, Mobile World Congress isn't the place where iOS gamers go to get the lowdown on what they're going to be itching to buy soon. Full of more Android phones than any sane person would ever want to look at as well as all kinds of things far too technical for us, iOS gaming doesn't tend to be on the agenda. Thanks to Mad Katz though, 2014 is a little different.
The LaCie Fuel storage device, which is as compact as it is stylish, allows you to store up to 1TB of data, which can in turn be wirelessly beamed to your Apple devices such as your Mac, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Not only can you store a whole bunch of media, but with AirPlay support, you can actually stream your favorite movies and TV shows to your Apple TV, or hook up to your AirPlay-ready speakers for a music-listening session.
Wireless charging is commonplace among many higher-end Android and Windows Phone handsets, but in typical Apple fashion, the Cupertino company has yet to bite. Just like the lack of NFC and the late showing of 4G LTE, Tim Cook's firm doesn't tend to jump aboard newer technologies until later on in the day, but WiTricity's wireless charging solution, which improves upon the widely-used induction model for a more versatile wireless power-up experience, could theoretically provide something for those who love iPhone and long to be able to charge without connecting to a Lightning connector.
If you loved Orbotix's Sphero Robot Ball then the likelihood is that you'll be positively thrilled with their latest introduction at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The originally released Sphero was a quirky, fun and innovative smartphone controlled robotic sphere that provided hours of fun and entertainment. The latest edition to the Orbotix family is the Sphero 2B, a new cylinder shaped toy that takes on a slightly different form factor but still manages to pack in all of the fun and innocent glee that you would imagine a Sphero device would have thanks to its "mad speed" and "sick tricks".
There's been a great deal of speculation and chatter about game controllers ever since Apple launched the updated MFi ("Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad") program alongside the introduction of iOS 7 last year. Mobile gaming has taken off in a big way over the last twelve months, meaning that having the ability to interact with powerful games directly on one of Apple's devices through an officially supported controller was always going to ring the excitement bells of a lot of iOS users. In an effort to capitalize on that excitement, SteelSeries have introduced the first wireless gamepad controller ever to be supported by iOS 7.
