For just $9.99 you can stuff a stocking with the cool, practical HiJack Headphone Splitter Keychain.
(Credit: ThinkGeek)What do you get for the iPhone user who has, well, an iPhone? After all, the device itself is the gift that keeps on giving. Am I right?
Anyway, I've rounded up five iPhone-friendly items for the holidays. Whether you're shopping for a Secret Santa gift for a co-worker, a stocking stuffer for your hubby (or missus), or something to round out the latter nights of Hanukkah, one of these should fit the bill.
1) A gift card...that later turns into an iPhone stand! Start with any gift card--Starbucks, iTunes (duh), or whatever--then tell the recipient to bring it back to you after it's used up. Following these simple Instructables instructions, do a little waving-your-magic-wand thing and turn that card into a cute, clever, portable, and virtually indestructible stand. Who knew a gift card could keep on giving?
2) The world's best (?) battery pack Blogger Josh Bancroft calls this Monoprice iPhone Backup Battery Pack the "best $15 you can spend," and I'm inclined to agree. For just $15.23 you get a 2200mAh battery, which is good for roughly two full iPhone charges. Just one problem: It's currently on back order. Well, you can always print a photo from the product page, write "coming soon," and stuff that in the stocking.
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The iBend stand from Widget Factory has been around since last year, but I missed it when it first came out, and I gotta say: it's a pretty nifty, little accessory for your iPhone or iPod Touch if you use your device to watch videos.
The key here is that the thing is superslim. It's a flat sheet of plastic that you can store in your wallet or the back of your iPhone's protective cover (slip it between the cover and the back of your iPhone) and bend into a stand when needed.
It's also cheap: the original iBend costs $4.99 for two stands and the just-released iBend Artist Series (pictured), which features designs from three "renowned artists" from New York, California, and Canada, costs $7.99 for a two-pack.
Anybody think this is cool?
The Lack comes in a variety of colors.
(Credit: Ikea)
This Ikea TV stand looks nice and sturdy.
(Credit: Ikea)Made of particleboard and ABS plastic, the Lack rack comes in a variety of painted colors (and "birch effect"); it's 21.3 inches wide and deep, and 17.75 inches high. Ikea doesn't present the Lack as audio furniture; it's a side table, but audiophiles all over the world have used it to support their prized possessions. Build quality is surprisingly sturdy.
Granted, the Lack won't handle macho 100-pound high-end amplifiers, but it'll be just right for a CD player stacked on top of a cool running receiver or integrated amplifier. Or get two Lacks, sit 'em side-by-side, and put your turntable on one and the electronics on the other.
Oh, you're more of a home theater enthusiast? Ikea's got you covered. Check out the matching Lack Corner TV-bench ($59.99) that will support up to 143 pounds.
(Credit:
TwelveSouth)
Apple has created a monster. No, we're not talking about growing iPhone sales or the success of its imposing chain of retail stores. We're talking about the almost oppressively beautiful design of the product packaging and marketing of Apple products. In addition to the acclaimed look of Apple products themselves, their boxes and accompanying packaging border on the obsessive. Laptop boxes unfold gently and present fitted trays. iPhone boxes unfurl like Chinese puzzles.
It's no surprise, then, that Apple accessories have gotten in on the game, too. TwelveSouth's BookArc Desktop Stand for MacBooks promises a "cleaner, less cluttered Zen-like workspace" and that it can actually "boost the performance of your laptop." What it is, simply, is a laptop stand--a curved piece of metal that a MacBook can slot into like a piece of toast into a toast-rack. And that is it. But, of course, it is also a beautiful laptop stand.
Read the full review of the BookArc.
On Sale Now: $49.95
View the latest prices for Twelve South BookArc Desktop Stand for MacBook
Whether you're watching a movie on an airplane or interacting with your iPhone while it's charging on your desk, some kind of stand is essential. That's why I read David's Mobile Xtand review with great interest.
Pretty cool product--but $40? That's way too rich for my Cheapskate blood. Fortunately, there are iPhone stands that cost significantly less--and some that cost nothing at all. Here's a look at three way-cheaper alternatives:
- The business-card stand Far and away my all-time favorite, this 60-second Instructables project turns any business card (the thicker, the better) into a perfect little stand. It can return to your wallet when not in use, and it has an unbeatable price. Be sure to read the accompanying comments for lots of other DIY ideas.
- The Crabble OK, it has arguably the worst product name since the Sony Clie. But this cool $4.99 stand is essentially a hard-plastic version of the previous one, and it can hold your iPhone for either portrait or landscape viewing. Plus, it folds flat, so it's just as wallet-friendly. See it in action in the above video.
- MovieWedge The bean-bag chair meets the iPhone. This soft-sided, microsuede-covered stand is ideal for uneven surfaces--including your dashboard, for those times when your iPhone is pulling double duty as your GPS. It's $9.95.
OK, your turn: What's your preferred method of propping up your iPhone?
iHome iStand Notebook Media Bundle for Mac.
(Credit: iHome)We've reviewed a few iHome computer speakers in the past, but the company is now making a bigger move into the computer accessories market after signing a licensing agreement with LifeWorks Technology Group.
The new line is expected to launch "this summer," and we've highlighted a couple interesting looking products, the iStand Notebook Media Bundle with an integrated iPod/iPhone dock ($299.99) and the iConnect Media Keyboard ($149.99). The Mac version of each is colored silver and white, while the Windows version is black. iHome-branded mice, headsets, and Webcams are also in the works.
For more info check out life-works.com.
Comments?
iHome iConnect Media Keyboard for PC.
(Credit: iHome)
(Credit:
Randall Munroe)
Munroe's Kindle stand makes it easy to read while lying in bed.
(Credit: Randall Munroe)XKCD's creator Randall Munroe has come up with a pretty ingenious solution to those of us who have a Kindle, and who like reading sideways when lying in bed (and if you don't know what XKCD is, it's a very clever online comic strip with stick figures as characters and a healthy dose of geek humor).
I used to read like this all the time when I was a kid, by holding the book sideways in my hands, and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. Munroe recently purchased a Kindle 2 and tried to do the same thing, but it wasn't quite perfect because the Kindle kept toppling over. So, in the pursuit of laziness, he created this makeshift Kindle stand out of a steel coat hanger and a pair of pliers. He also folded it in such a way that a small part of the hanger would press the Next Page button with a small twitch of his thumb. Genius!
I imagine you could also create a regular upright Kindle stand with a coat hanger, but this one looks like it'll fit my needs better. Now excuse me while I attempt to make one.
Forget your laptop stand and hideously mismatched secondary display, because Samsung's Lapfit series offers external LCD monitors that will match your laptop beautifully. The Lapfit External Display, which coordinates with the design of Samsung's latest laptops and comes in 19- and 22-inch versions, connects to your notebook, considerably enlarging your workable display area.
(Credit:
Samsung Korea)
The pair of low-profile, wide-screen monitors, the LD190G (19-inch) and LD220G (22-inch), sit at the height of your typical laptop and have adjustable tilt angles from 10-30 degrees. Both monitors offer 1,360x768 pixel resolution (16:9 aspect ratio), 4ms response time, and a 20,000:1 dynamic-contrast ratio.
There's nothing groundbreaking about these monitors, but their USB 2.0 graphic connectivity and low power usage is a nice boon. We'd recommend a notebook with a beefy graphics card to go along with this if you want to take full advantage of the features.
The 22-inch LD220G will purportedly see a March release in Korea, with a retail price of $215, while the 19-inch LD190G will sell for $165. No announcements were made about a U.S. release.
So, is anyone hoping to chuck their laptop stand in exchange for one of these?
A side view of the DIY iPhone stand. The name Diana doesn't have special meaning; it just happened to be written on a piece of Lego found in one of Patrick's sets.
(Credit: Stephen Sheehan)Apple might want to keep an eye on 8-year-old Patrick Sheehan. When dad Stephen wasn't finding the right stand for his 3G iPhone, Patrick stepped in to help design a colorful and creative solution--made of Legos.
The father-son pair from Halifax, Nova Scotia, conceived of the Lego iPhone stand several weeks ago, and Patrick brought it to life over the weekend, assembling about 40 Lego pieces of various sizes and colors in less than two hours. "He has a lot of projects and homework in Grade 3, so we had to put it off for a while," his dad said of the slight production delay. Dad helped Patrick create space for the phone cord so it could run underneath the base without disrupting the balance. Other than that, it is purely a Patrick Sheehan original.
Between this contraption and the pencil iPhone stand we showed you Monday, we're eager to see what our imaginative readers will come up with next.
The young creator displays his stand, which used about 40 Legos of various sizes and colors.
(Credit: Stephen Sheehan)
(Credit:
Ponoko)
I just spent the past week vacationing in a rural area of Hawaii, where I was surrounded by palm trees and dense tropical foliage. Now I'm back in my office, surrounded by plastic computer cases and peripherals, all atop a white laminate desk. It's bad enough that my vacation's over, but the sudden withdrawal of natural materials is really bringing me down.
Which is why the wooden Stiletto laptop stand spoke to me when I saw it on shopping blog Mighty Goods Wednesday morning. The unique stand is quite a bit more stylish than the usual plastic riser, and it can be self-assembled without any hardware or glue. Best of all, it has two ledges: one to lift your laptop to a more comfortable height, the other to hold papers, pens, and other materials you'd want to keep close at hand.
If you're likewise enchanted, the stand will set you back $49 plus shipping (contact designer for shipping rates). But hey--it's cheaper than most wooden computer accessories.
