9to5Mac Reviews

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Review: Incipio iPhone 5 Kicksnap, DualPro SHINE, OVRMLD cases

Mark Gurman Nov 18 2012 - 10:04 am PT

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Left to right: OVRMLD, Kicksnap, DualPRO SHINE

A few weeks ago, Incipio sent us their new line of cases for Apple’s new iPhone 5. We’ve ben testing Incipio’s offerings over the past few weeks, and we’ve decided to share our detailed thoughts on the top three Incipio iPhone 5 cases that we recommend.

Incipio Kicksnap:

The Incipio Kicksnap is a very convenient iPhone 5 case as it offers a built-in kickstand. On the back of the case, there is a little area to open the flap for the kickstand.

The kickstand works very well for watching video on the large iPhone 5 display, and the stand is very reliable for that. Some kickstands that we’ve seen for other devices do not work so well, they either fall quickly or break easily. However, we’ve had neither of these problems. If you try pulling back on the flap, you’ll have a hard time breaking it, so it should provide some solid use for a while.

Besides having a stand, the case is very protective with its relatively-hard plastic back and sides. Cutouts are present for the camera system, audio controls, Lightning connector, and speakers. However, the front is not very protected, though the bezel of the case is raised so if you drop your iPhone on its front, it would not be directly impacted.

We recommend this Incipio Kicksnap case for those who want basic protection for the iPhone 5, but who also want a great and convenient kickstand feature. We tested the black version, but it comes in white as well. 

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First Nexus 10 reviews show off a laggy Android 4.2 (Video)

Jordan Kahn Nov 2 2012 - 10:25 am PT

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt1ZKiZaem8&feature=youtu.be&start=72]

Reviews are starting to hit the web for Google’s new Nexus 10 tablet, its first true 10-inch iPad competitor. Most reviewers are praising the device’s display—some even calling it equal to or better than the full-sized iPad’s Retina display. Hardware aside, it appears even the latest version of Android might be the biggest source of frustration as perfectly highlighted at 1:17 in The Verge’s hands-on review above.

Stay tuned for the 9to5Google review of the Nexus 10 this weekend.

• Apple News
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• MacBook
• iMac
• Thunderbolt Display

Hands-on with Twelve South’s new HiRise adjustable MacBook stand

Jordan Kahn Nov 1 2012 - 12:52 pm PT

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Twelve South already has its HiRise stand for iMac that we recently went hands-on with, but that product is aimed at increasing the height of your iMac or Thunderbolt display to a comfortable viewing level. Twelve South is launching HiRise for MacBook today—aimed at users who pair their MacBook with a display and/or keyboard and mouse at home. The stand adjusts from 3.7 inches to 6 inches, allowing you to easily align your MacBook screen with a paired iMac or Thunderbolt display (as pictured above) for a dual monitor setup. We’ve been playing with the new HiRise for MacBook over the past couple days and have nothing but great first impressions.

You can adjust the $70 stand’s height easily by loosening a screw at the back and pushing down on the spring-loaded arms. The arms cushion your MacBook with a layer of soft silicone that also provides traction and keeps your Mac from slipping off. We didn’t have any problems with the MacBook sliding, even when adjusting and moving the stand around, but Twelve South does not recommend typing on the device’s keyboard when mounted on the stand.

The stand has thin Teflon rails on the bottom, allowing you to slide it or adjust left to right without scratching your desk, but it’s quite a solid chunk of brushed metal at 1.75 pounds. It also resembles an iMac stand, which makes it fit in nicely next to an iMac or Thunderbolt display. If aligned just right, the stand seems to disappear and leave your MacBook floating next to the display.

If you’ve been looking for a product like this, you won’t be disappointed dropping $69 for the HiRise.

You can order it on Amazon or through Twelve South’s website today.

• Apps
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Review: WeatherSnitch 2 is a sleek, feature-packed weather app for the iPhone

Mike Beasley Oct 30 2012 - 7:55 am PT

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The iPhone comes with a pretty decent weather app, but many people find it to be lacking. Aside from the fact that it only predicts up to seven days of weather, many find its forecasts—which are powered by Yahoo!—to be somewhat inaccurate.

That’s a void that WeatherSnitch 2 is eager to fill. WeatherSnitch’s interface is packed with all the weather-related information you could possibly want, but presented in a neat and orderly way that makes sense.

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• iPhone
• Apple News
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• iPhone 5
• Smartphone

Review: Otterbox’s Defender Series case for iPhone 5 (plus iPhone 5 giveaway!)

Mark Gurman Oct 26 2012 - 2:31 pm PT

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Otterbox, the renowned creator of some of the best mobile device protective accessories on the market, recently released a version of its popular Defender Series case for the new iPhone 5. Like its Defender products for other mobile phones and devices, the number one priority of the iPhone 5 Defender case is top-notch protection all around the device. We’ve been using the case for a couple of weeks, and we think that it lives up to the Defender name…

(get 15% off Otterbox cases for iPhone 5 at 9to5Toys.com)

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Review: iPhoneography gear series: $15 Easy Macro Cell Lens Band

Élyse Betters Oct 20 2012 - 10:57 pm PT

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Photo-editing apps have dominated the App Store ever since Apple’s iPhone launched in 2007, but they especially grabbed ahold of pop culture after famous photographers and photojournalists—such as Damin Winter’s prize-winning Hipstamatic Afghanistan war series and The New York Times’ Instagram summer series—advocated the iPhone as a premiere device for capturing special moments.

Here’s the thing, though: there are plenty of ways to beautifully snap an image or film a video with the iPhone that will contribute to the after-effects of apps. How so? iPhoneography gear.

Yes, iPhoneography is an actual name (it even has a Wikipedia page), and it essentially, as one might guess, involves shooting and processing with an iOS device. With that said, the iPhone 5 launched almost one-month ago, and it’s 8-megapixel camera, Sapphire lens, Panorama mode, and 1080p HD video are making tidal waves in the iPhoneography world.

Photojojo.com offers an impressive, mouth-watering catalog of photography and videography gear for the iPhone 5, so we at 9to5Mac decided to get our hands on some of the site’s hot accessories. And, over the next month, we will test and review only what’s best for helping creative folks step up their iPhoneography game. Hopefully, as the holiday season is practically here, the series will inspire a few gift ideas. The previous-generation iPhone, by the way, is on par with the iPhone 5, in terms of the camera, so we will look at iPhone 4S-specific accessories too.

Check out the first review below on the tiny, yet ever-so useful, Easy Macro Cell Lens Band.

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Twelve South BackPack 2 mini review

Mark Gurman Aug 8 2012 - 6:11 pm PT

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Last week, we highlighted Twelve South’s announcement of its new BackPack 2 accessory for Apple iMacs and LED Cinema/Thunderbolt display. The accessory is the successor to its original BackPack, a device that allows you to store hard drives or other peripherals behind your large display. The new version expands on the original, adding the ability to securely store things like laptops, the ability to store items below the display, and adding improved cable management by way of built-in rails.

I’ve been testing out the BackPack 2 in our workflow for the past week, and it is a great accessory. I have never tested out the original version, though the basis of the BackPack is neat. As an LED Display user with a MacBook Air, it is so convenient to store the MacBook Air behind the display when I am at my desk. That way, my desk can be used to store other things. The MacBook Air can be safely placed on the BackPack with an included set of pegs.

With that in mind, the BackPack 2 is an amazing solution for clearing up the technology from your desk. Perhaps an extension of that sentiment are the new cable rails on the right and left sides of the unit. These rails are perfect for pulling your cables through for increased organization.

On that note, the BackPack 2 is also perfect for storing external hard drives behind your display. New in the 2.0 version is the ability to place items below your display. On the note of clearing up your desk, you can use the BackPack 2 to store your wireless trackpad, keyboard and/or mouse in an easy position for taking and placing when needed.

Overall, we’ve enjoyed using the BackPack 2 and we recommend it for those who need an easy and cost effective ($34.99) solution for clearing up their desk and storing their technology.

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California Headphones review

Mark Gurman Jul 28 2012 - 5:03 pm PT

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For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been testing out California Headphones, a new type of headset “designed for country and rock fans”. Headphones are not always an easy type of product to review because everyone has their own sense of sound and preference for audio-listening. Here are my thoughts and observations about the California Headphones (the Silverado model).

• Great construction. The earphones feel very durable and I don’t think these will easily break. On that note, a well-constructed (with a leather like material) carrying case is included with this model of the earphones.
• The industrial design (mainly metal and leather) is incredibly well-crafted. These earphones truly look awesome.
• The leather is a very nice touch to the rock/country California style that is trying to be be portrayed by these earphones.
• The materials that the ear covering portion of the headphones use are very comfortable. I have been able to wear the Silverado for hours and not feel uncomfortable like I sometimes do with other headsets.
• While audio is something that everyone has a different sense of, I feel that the quality is solid for casual-to-medium music listening. Solid bass is clearly present, but it could be better. These aren’t professional earphones for DJs but they aren’t even designed to be that. They are excellent for the intended use cases.
• The background noise blocking on these earphones is fantastic, one the set’s biggest pros.
• Another pro is that the ear-cups can be lifted up (without actually removing the set from your head) if you need to put a phone to your ear or hear something not coming through the earphones.

Overall, the quality of the California Earphones is as advertised. The premise of the California Headphones is its style that features a “California” feel based on rock and country music. The quality of sound is going to be up to the user, but in my tests they work and look great for the casual-to-medium music listener.

This particular model is priced at $225 – which we think is a bit steep – but the company also has a comparable model at just under $100. It’s worth comparing the two models at California Headphone’s website.

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Logitech BCC950 ConferenceCam review: the ultimate A/V conferencing setup

Mark Gurman Jul 28 2012 - 4:32 pm PT

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I’ve integrated Logitech’s BCC950 ConferenceCam into my workflow over the past couple of weeks, and I think it’s the ultimate audio/video setup for audio and video calls. I’ve been using the camera and microphone from Logitech primarily with Skype, and its a perfect companion for the ubiquitous conferencing software.

The product trumps the camera and microphone setup built-into any Mac or PC. The ConferenceCam offers 1080P video capture via a Carl Zeiss lens. The high quality optics also offer auto-focus, which is clearly important and present in our real-world testing of the ConferenceCam product.

The camera also offers wide-angle video capture, making it a true ConferenceCam. The wide-angle capture technology allows the camera to pickup multiple people in a single frame without panning. This is unlike webcams built into computers that are optimized to capture a single person in the video frame. After all, computer cameras are built for one-to-one video chats.

The sound (sending and receiving) quality from the ConferenceCam is well beyond built in Audio as well. With devices that help and enhance the work of people, the technical specifications don’t really matter. What matters is the overall quality of the product. And overall, the sound quality of my voice that people heard on the other end of multiple calls via the ConferenceCam sounded much better than calls via my computer’s microphone. The same goes for audio coming out of the ConferenceCam’s built-in speaker system.

While the A/V is fantastic, the coolest feature of the ConferenceCam is the ability for a user to rotate the camera angles with a click of a button on the unit itself or with the included wireless remote controller.

With the touch of a button, the camera can be tilted up, down, left, or right. This is also a nod to the camera being able to pickup many more people than the stationary web-cam built into many modern desktops and notebooks.

The ConferenceCam works on both Macs and PCs, and it integrates seamlessly with Skype via a plug-in available from Logitech’s website as well as with Logitech’s own software.

The camera runs for $249.99 and we recommend it for anyone who relies on multiple person video and audio calling solutions via their computers.