British

Two 'British' stories October 2013 - May 2014

Review: Traditional handmade BUKcase for iPad and iPhone beat expectations

BUKcase creates handmade cases for Apple products. Each of their products is made-to-order by local master bookbinders in Manchester, England, who use local materials and traditional machinery. Each product comes with a unique personal ID number and a birthday.

To make its products more unique, BUKcase even offer custom engraving options. Since appearing on the television show Dragons’ Den, (the British version of Shark Tank), the company has had tremendous sales growth despite the lack of funding. We had the opportunity to review several of their products below…

The perfect gift for British gadgeteers: the iKettle

We Brits are famous for the copious amounts of tea we drink (as well as for the fact that we drink it with milk, a habit which puzzles us as much as it does the rest of the world). But who has time to stand around your kitchen, waiting for the kettle to boil? A problem neatly solved by the iKettle.

Simply use your iPhone to switch the kettle on from wherever you are in the house, and it will alert you when it’s boiling. Wander through to the kitchen, and you can be drinking tea within seconds. Loose-leaf Earl Grey, naturally.

The app also offers to put the kettle on as soon as your iPhone comes within wifi range when you’re arriving home. All terribly civilised.

Ok, it’s $160/£99, and only available on pre-order for delivery in 1-2 months, but if I didn’t already use a Wemo plug to switch on my kettle from my home-office, I’d be seriously tempted …