Tag Archives: Apple

Review: Touchfire Keyboard for iPad

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Touchfire started out as a Kickstarter project. Kickstarter is a crowd-funding Web site that enables people to help bring promising new products to life. Touchfire ended up raising over $200,000, which is incredible!

The Touchfire keyboard is made from a high-performance silicone rubber, which makes it very easy to clean (rinse in sink), and it is very easy to store. Touchfire uses the magnets in the iPad 2, 3, & 4 to automatically align in place, and on the iPad 1, the non-slip bottom keeps it in place.

So is this new keyboard easier to type with? Can it replace the Apple Bluetooth Keyboard as your go-to keyboard for your iPad? All of these questions will be answered in my review of the Touchfire Keyboard for iPad!

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Quality

The materials used in Touchfire are of very high quality. In my 2 weeks of testing, the Touchfire showed no signs of scratches or tears, which is very impressive considering my iPad goes everywhere with me and I use it 24/7.

How it works

The Touchfire aligns automatically using the iPad’s magnets that are used to attach with the Apple Smart Cover. This is a brilliant feature, because you won’t have to worry about the Touchfire moving or shifting during typing as the magnets hold it in place very strongly. On the iPad 1, the Touchfire sticks on to the iPad using the non-slip button on the bottom of the Touchfire. I don’t have an iPad 1 on hand to test this with, but here’s a video from Touchfire demonstrating how this works.

Usability

Typing with the Touchfire keyboard on the iPad was a breeze. The Touchfire adds tactile feedback to the typing experience on the iPad, which makes it very much like a computer keyboard, and is definitely more easy than typing on the iPad without the Touchfire installed. With the tactile feedback of the Touchfire, I found that I was making less typing errors than normal, which saved a lot of time from having to go back and correct my mistake as I would have to do normally.

Cleaning

The Touchfire can be easily washed by running the keyboard under tap water & drying it with a towel and this is something that I found myself doing a lot of during my two weeks of testing. The Touchfire can get really dirty, very quickly. It accumulates tons of hair, dust, & other particles because of the sticky rubber keyboard. I would find myself washing the Touchfire keyboard every 2-3 days of use, which isn’t bad considering all the typing and work I had done on my iPad in the last few weeks.

Overall

Overall, the Touchfire is an excellent addition to any iPad. It allows you to type faster, decreases errors in your typing, and it is lighter & easier to travel with than a big, bulky Apple Keyboard. If you travel a lot, or write long emails, stories, or notes on your iPad and you don’t want the hassle of bringing along a bluetooth keyboard, and if you don’t mind washing the keyboard every 2-3 days, this is the product for you.

You can read more about and purchase the Touchfire Keyboard for iPad here.

Review: Apple iPhone 5

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The Apple iPhone 5 – a smartphone that has been rumored, wished, and talked about – is finally here and it’s packing a huge punch with a brand new A6 processor, bigger screen, new design, and super fast 4G LTE. Not a bad upgrade from the iPhone 4S!

Apple is one of the leading tech companies all around the world, with their vast product line of Macs, iPods, iPhones, & displays. Every year, there is always that one must-have smartphone and most of the time, Apple’s iPhone is that particular device.

Can this new iPhone 5 keep up that must-have smartphone standard? Is it that much better than the iPhone 4/4S to warrant an upgrade? Is 4G LTE that much faster than 3G? All of these questions and more will be answered in my review of the Apple iPhone 5 below.

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Design
Apple has always been known for their unique sense of design and in particular, their design used on the iPhone 4 & 4S smartphones. The iPhone 4/4S had people from all around the world ranting and raving about the sleek, glass and aluminum combination of the smartphones. These Apple devices set a standard for smartphone manufacturers to not only release high-quality products, but high-quality products with a great design and the new iPhone 5’s design takes Apple quality to a new level of craftsmanship.

Apple added a bigger screen to the iPhone 5 coming in at 4 inches (9 millimeters taller than the iPhone 4/4S). The iPhone 5 is the same width as the iPhone 4/4S, so typing with one hand is just as easy. With this added screen real-estate, the iPhone 5 also has 18% more pixels than the iPhone 4S for an impressive 1136-by-640 resolution, which makes playing games, watching movies, and even checking email, a vivid, visual delight! The color has also received a boost compared to previous iPhone models with a color saturation that is 44% greater than before.

The Apple new smartphone is just 7.6 millimeters thin and weighs in at 3.95 ounces, which despite the iPhone 5’s added screen size, makes the phone feel very thin & light in the hand; without feeling cheap or inexpensive. The iPhone 5 is 18% thinner, 20% lighter, and there is 12% less volume than the iPhone 4S.

Apple introduced a new design with the iPhone 5 as well, as the back of iPhone 5 is made of anodized 6000 series aluminum (same material used in Apple Macs) with the inlays along the top and bottom made of ceramic glass (white & silver model) or pigmented glass (black & slate model). This new design for the iPhone 5 makes it an even more beautiful device to look at and it truly is a work-of-art.

Hardware


The iPhone 5 is a beast of a smartphone, complete with 4G LTE, a blazing fast new A6 processor, and well as an 8 megapixel iSight camera on the back & an 1.2 megapixel FaceTime-ready HD webcam on the front.

The new A6 processor on the iPhone 5 makes almost everything faster. Opening apps, multitasking, editing movies or music, or creating Keynote projects, is now a breeze; without any lagging or hesitation. You might not think that the A6 processor does much on paper, but when you get your hands on an iPhone 5, you’ll realize how important it is for everyday things.

I reviewed an iPhone 5 running on Verizon’s 4G LTE network, which is one, if not THE fastest data network for a US mobile phone carrier. Downloading apps, movies, & music was very quick and again, it is a massive improvement over the 3G network that the 4S and iPhone 4 run on.

I didn’t really notice that much of a difference between the camera on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5. What I did notice was a huge difference in the photo quality of the front camera on the iPhone 5 compared to previous generations, however. Photos using the front camera were much clearer and less pixel-y than before, which is perfect for people who enjoy taking pictures of themselves or FaceTiming friends & family.

Software


The software that is shipping with the iPhone 5 is Apple’s brand new iOS 6, which was announced at WWDC 2012 back in June and was released to the public on September 19th.

iOS 6 isn’t as much as a revolutionary software update as iOS 4/5 were, but is more geared to tweaking and creating a better user experience around all iOS devices. Some of the new features include; updated UI (from grey to light blue/silver) in the standard Apple apps, Passbook, Do Not Disturb, brand new Maps, Facebook integration, FaceTime over 3G/4G LTE, new emojis 🙂 (LOL), and many more updates as well.

Passbook is an app that allows you to save boarding passes, movie tickets, retail coupons, loyalty cards, and more are now all in one place. You can add passes to Passbook through apps, emails, & website from participating businesses. It’s a great idea and I love using it with my gift cards, as I don’t have to go digging through my car’s pockets to find my gift card. Passbook will also send you push notifications when you arrive at a location that you have a Passbook pass for, which is very handy if your at the airport or walk into a store to redeem your favorite gift cards!

Do Not Disturb has to be my most used feature on iOS 6. Do Not Disturb allows push notifications to come through to your phone, but when the notifications come in, the screen will not turn on and a sound will not be played. However, when you turn the screen back on, all your notifications will be waiting on your lock screen. I use Do Not Disturb regularly! Another great feature about Do Not Disturb is that you can allow your “Favorites” calls and text messages to come through normally but still collect other notifications not set as your Favorites in the lock screen.

Apple has redesigned their Maps application from the ground up, which means they have completely gotten rid of their Google-hosted maps, which is a good and bad thing. The good is that it looks stunning, but the new Maps app isn’t as updated as the Google Maps with driving directions and correct locations. Also added in the new Maps app, is visual and spoken turn-by-turn directions as well as real-time traffic updates.

Overall, the new iOS 6 software isn’t REvolutionary but more EVolutionary. With all these new features and tweaks, it makes using the iPhone 5 even easier & faster than before. Every year, Apple makes its iOS software even better, and this year is not any different.

Overall


The new iPhone 5 is a beast of a device – with the new design, upgraded hardware, bigger & brighter screen, faster 4G LTE speeds, and new iOS 6 software, the iPhone 5 has yet again set the smartphone bar very high for competing mobile phone manufacturers.

The iPhone 5 is available in two colors: Black & Slate, or White & Silver. Prices for the iPhone 5 on a cellular contract are 16 GB ($199), 32 GB ($299), and 64 GB ($399).

The new iPhone 5 is available on Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and Sprint.

You can read more about and purchase the iPhone 5 on Apple’s website.

Review: LifeProof Case for iPhone 4/4S

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Are you one of those people who like to tweet in the shower? How about Facebook in the bathtub? Taking pictures in the pool? There are tons of reasons, weird and not, why people would want to do these things, and that’s where the LifeProof iPhone case comes in.

A little about LifeProof:

LifeProof is a young, vibrant company based in San Diego that designs, manufactures and markets LifeProof cases for all-environmental protection, functionality and interactivity to SmartPhones and Tablet PCs.

The registered brand name ‘LifeProof’ is inspired by the protection and fully functional convenient operation of the device in rain, in water while swimming or surfing, in mud, sand, dust, snow or ice. The company mantra is ‘Freedom’ – freedom to be connected anywhere with your mobile device; freedom to build relationships, gain knowledge, exercise, and juggle work; freedom for all people anywhere to go everywhere.

So can this LifeProof case really protect your iPhone from all these elements? To find out, keep reading my review of the LifeProof case for iPhone!

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Quality

The LifeProof case is made out of very durable, hard plastic, that will protect your precious iPhone from scratches, drops, and more. All of the materials used in the LifeProof case are of very high-quality, and your paying for it. After my two weeks of testing the LifeProof case, I saw no signs of deterioration, scratches, or any of the color chipping or rubbing off, something that I feel is pretty incredible after all the torturous things I put the LifeProof case through. (If you don’t believe me, look at the image gallery.)

Usability/Design

Usually adding this much protection in one case makes your iPhone very bulky and heavy, but the LifeProof case manages to keep a sleek-profile by adding only 1/16 inches (1.5mm) to your iPhone.

The LifeProof case is also very light, weighing in at 28 grams, so you don’t have to worry about it adding any extra weight to your iPhone. Also, the LifeProof case is available in 4 unique colors; Black, White, Pink, & Purple.

The designers at LifeProof did an excellent job creating the LifeProof case as well, by adding slots for the charging port as well as the headphone jack at the top of the iPhone. Also on the back, the designers did a great job with the camera by making sure that it was very protected while taking away from the clarity of the 4S’ 8 megapixel and new optics.

Protection

This is the main thing that everyone cares about for the LifeProof case. Can it protect your iPhone if you drop it? What about going underwater? What happens if you run it over?

LifeProof has run many tests on their new LifeProof case (videos here), and so have I, and I can whole-heartedly say that the LifeProof case is a tank of a iPhone case.

LifeProof states on their website that the LifeProof case “has a unique design that makes it waterproof to a rated depth of 2 Meters (6.6ft)”, and I tested that thoroughly and I can prove this statement true, having submerged my iPhone many times in pools, bath-tubs, sinks, coolers, etc… and each time my iPhone came out of the LifeProof case dry as a bone.

LifeProof also states on their website that the LifeProof case “is designed for a high degree of shock and impact protection and has been tested to Military Specifications MIL-STD-810F-516.5. Meaning that it can be dropped on all surfaces and edges onto concrete from a height of 2 meters (or 6.6ft).” I can also say this statement is true and more so, as I have dropped my iPhone from greater distances and it came out of the LifeProof case perfectly fine.

Overall

Right now this is THE iPhone case to beat in terms of protection, functionality, and design. LifeProof has done an amazing job in creating their first product and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. You can read more about the LifeProof case and purchase it on LifeProof’s company website here.

Review: Puurco iPhone Wallet Case

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I love using my iPhone without anything on it. Who doesn’t? But to keep your iPhone protected from scratches, dents, or accidental drops, you might want to look into buying a sleeve or case for your precious iDevice, and that’s where the Puurco iPhone Wallet Case comes in to play!

A little about Puurco:

PuurCo is a European label for handmade sleeves and bags for your electronic devices. It was founded by Susan and Martin in the beautiful city of Prague, in the heart of Europe, in 2012.

The history and tradition of the Czech Republic has inspired them to make quality, handmade products from natural materials. Due to the time-consuming handmade process, though, their production is limited.

Want to know if the Puurco iPhone Case is the answer to all your “iPhone Accessory Dreams”? Keep on reading my review to find out!

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Style / Design

Made from a combination of anthracite 100% Merino wool felt from Germany and high quality leather, the Purrco iPhone case feels and looks great in your hand or pocket. Also, the credit-card-pocket is made from high quality 100% vegetable-tanned leather and hand-stitched to base, which gives it a very soft and elegant touch.

Usability

The iPhone 4 and 4S have a spectacular design and who would want to cover that up with a big, bulky case? A lot of people wouldn’t (myself included), and that’s where Puurco iPhone Case comes into play.

Using the Purrco iPhone Wallet Case on your iPhone is the best of both worlds – you protect your iPhone from getting scratched, dented, or dinged when you’re not using it, but when you are, you still get the amazing feel and look of the iPhone itself. Another great thing about the Puurco Wallet case is that it is super easy to fit into pocketbooks, purses, man-purses, pockets, or even briefcases!

It’s super easy to get your iPhone out of the Wallet Case, just pull the top half of your phone, and it slides right out of the case. No confusing pulley systems or flaps on this iPhone case!

Overall

Overall, the Puurco iPhone Wallet Case is an amazing sleeve for your iPhone. It looks stylish and sophisticated all while protecting your iPhone whenever you’re not using it.

Another great feature about the Purrco iPhone case is that it also has a wallet, so you can carry around your money, credit cards, hotel room keys, or frequent-Froyo-customer cards.

If you want to purchase or read more about the Puurco iPhone case, you can do all of  that on Puurco’s website.

Review: Boxwave KeyboardBuddy iPhone Case

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Millions of people are very happy with Apple’s on-screen virtual keyboard, but many still desire a tactile response only a physical keypad can provide. Apple has stated in the past that it sees no point in adding a hardware QWERTY keyboard onto the iPhone, but the company goes back and forth so many times with iOS products that no one knows what to believe.

Knowing this, BoxWave thought of a way to use the iPhone’s Bluetooth technology and build a case that had a physical QWERTY keyboard. It’s great for people who want Apple to add a QWERTY to the iPhone, but will it lure over virtual-keyboard-users over? How is it compared to the other Bluetooth Keyboard Cases for the iPhone? I’ll answer all of these questions and more in my review of the BoxWave KeyboardBuddy case for iPhone 4 & 4S.

Design

Design wise, the Keyboard Buddy is very sleek, especially considering that it adds a full hardware keyboard to the back of the device. The sliding mechanism is very solid, and there’s an enthusiastic click as you open and close it. It’s reminiscent of the slider on a device like the T-Mobile Sidekick – and that’s a good thing!

There’s also more than enough room to hit the top row of number keys, something other sliding cases often have trouble with. It charges via miniUSB, and BoxWave claims you should be able to go a huge 45 days without having to re-charge. The whole kit has a matte white, soft touch finish that adds a nice grip to the all-glass iPhone. Pairing the Keyboard buddy was an uneventful affair; the BoxWave was up and running in about 30 seconds after typing in a passcode. That’s when I could start putting this thing to the test!

Keyboard

The actual keyboard on the Keyboard Buddy is very similar to the one found on the Droid 2 or 3. Keys are laid out edge-to-edge, and there’s a decent amount of give with each click. The space bar is perfectly placed in the center of the keyboard, unlike some of the other Bluetooth keyboards on the market today. There’s a home key on the top left as well as a lock key right below it, two nice touches for sure.

It’s important to point out that when you choose to use a physical keyboard with your iOS devices, you lose all autocorrect functionality. I longed for things like automatic capitalization of “i” for example, and wish that it would automatically add apostrophes to words. Hopefully this is something Apple could enable as an option in a future version of iOS.

Overall

Overall, the BoxWave KeyboardBuddy case is an excellent option for BlackBerry users wanting to switch to the iPhone but not wanting to sacrifice their physical keyboards, as well as for older iOS users who have trouble seeing the letters on the iPhone’s virtual keyboard and like the satisfying click of a button when using a physical keyboard. I can type faster on the iPhone’s virtual keyboard, but I do like using the KeyboardBuddy to type out long emails or blog posts when I’m on my iPhone. You can read more about the BoxWave KeyboardBuddy and purchase it here.

Full gallery below:

Quick Review: Motorola Xyboard 10.1

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The new Droid Xyboard is a beast of a tablet. Motorola’s newest tablet runs on Verizon’s super-fast 4G LTE Network, it runs on Android’s 3.2 Honeycomb (4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Upgradeable), as well as having two cameras; 5 megapixel on the back with a HD Webcam on the front, and a huge 7,000 mAh battery. All that said, can it compete with Apple’s third-generation iPad? Keep on reading for my review of the Droid Xyboard 10.1 running on Verizon’s 4G LTE Network.

Highlights

  • Verizon  – Verizon’s 4G Network is easily the fastest LTE network in the United States. In my testing around the Dallas Area, the Xyboard never dropped below 2 bars of LTE. I consistently received download speeds of around 19 MB/s and an upload speed 10 MB/s.
  • Display – The display on the Xyboard 10.1 is another high point, responding to touch input quickly and loading websites, apps and videos sharply, clearly and brightly. Unlike the iPad or the Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Xyboard has a mini-HDMI port built-in, which makes it easy to hook the tablet up to a TV set.
  • Camera – The 5.0 MP back-camera on the Droid Xyboard 10.1 is one of the best cameras on a tablet to date. The addition of the LED Flash is what makes the Xyboard’s camera stand out. Lowlight pictures were perfect – never overexposed nor too bright.
  • Software / Specs – On other devices, Android 3.2 Honeycomb always seemed to be very slow and laggy, but with the help of the dual-core 1.2 GHZ processor, the Xyboard flew through webpages, emails, apps, and homescreens. I never had an app force-quit or crash while using the Xyboard 10.1, and I credit that to Motorola by putting great specs into the Xyboard to get the most out of Honeycomb.

Lowlights

  • Size – Holding the Droid Xyboard 10.1 in landscape orientation is just fine, but when switching it over to portrait it felt awkward to hold and touch the screen. When using the iPad, the transition from landscape to portrait is seemless, but on the Xyboard it feels more like a liability.
  • Software – Honeycomb is a lowlight and a highlight of the Droid Xyboard. While it runs very fast, the User Interface is very clunky and not easily learned by all people.

Overall


This is THE best Android Tablet, no doubt about it! Great display, amazing camera, super-fast processor, and running on Verizon’s 4G LTE Network, the Droid Xyboard absolutely smokes the other Android Competition and in some ways, even the Apple iPad.

I would recommend the Droid Xyboard 10.1 for Android enthusiasts, business people, or teachers. But if you are a first-time smartphone or tablet user, I would recommend checking out something else. You can read more about and purchase the Motorola Xyboard here.

Review: Olloclip lens for iPhone

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Designed by a startup duo in California, the Olloclip was a project successfully funded by Kickstarter.com. The accessory brings the functionality of three lenses to your iPhone 4 or 4S, macro, fish-eye, and wide-angle, and it almost does that well enough for you to leave the professional equipment at home! I had a blast shooting with the Olloclip, and I think you will too. Read on in my review of the Olloclip to find out why!

Usability

The Olloclip is very easy to use. You don’t need to install any software, though it’s compatible with any and all iPhone apps. And mounting or swapping lenses just takes a second. I also want to point out that using the wide-angle lens for shooting video was a completely different experience than without the lens. When shooting video, you can definitely see what you’re missing when shooting without the Olloclip. (See video and image samples below)

Appearance

At first glance, the Olloclip only appears to include two lenses, but unscrewing the wide-angle reveals the cleverly hidden macro lens. To use any of the built-in lenses, simply slide the Olloclip over the iPhone’s camera. The Olloclip fits quite snug, so you can rotate the phone, walk around, and even slip your phone into a bag without worrying about the lens slipping off. It’s also easy to reposition — to swap the wide-angle for the fisheye, for example, just flip the entire clip around so that the lens you want to use is facing forward.

The Olloclip comes with lens caps for both primary lenses, and a small carrying pouch that also doubles as a microfiber cleaning cloth. The device is available with either black or red barrels – both constructed from high-quality aluminum. The multi-element lenses are constructed of precision-ground glass, and that’s clearly reflected in the image quality I was able to achieve.

Image Quality
Pictures I shot with all three lenses were sharp and vibrant, and very distinctive from those captured with the iPhone’s native lens. Some pictures had barrel distortions, but for the fish-eye lens, that’s the point right?

I was most impressed with the macro lens, which basically functions as a powerful magnifying glass for your iPhone. I was able to capture incredible detail with this lens. This point alone is enough to justify the expense of adding the Olloclip!

Sample Pictures

Overall

Overall, the Olloclip gives the iPhone’s camera a much-needed lift with three filters and fun effects. I’d especially recommend it for both professional and novice photographers who love adding effects to their photos while keep the quality of their images very high. You can read more about and purchase the Olloclip here.

Review: Colcasac Zagora iPad Sleeve

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I love using my iPad without a case or skin on it. I could never understand why people want to add bulk and weight to a beautifully thin and light device. That’s why I have always been a sleeve-type guy – something to keep my iPad from being scratched or dented while being transported, yet something that easily allows you to take the iPad out and hold it in your hands the way Steve Jobs intended. That’s the reason I started my search for a new iPad sleeve. Most of the sleeves on the market now are very sterile and boring in their appearance.

My search for the perfect iPad sleeve ended when I discovered the ColcaSac iPad sleeve. ColcaSac is a small company based in Salt Lake City, Utah that makes five different iPad sleeves, as well as numerous iPhone and MacBook sleeves. Their designs are simple, yet sophisticated. The ColcaSac I am reviewing is the Zagora model, which is available to purchase for $35.

The outside of the sleeve is made of a beautiful basketweave hemp canvas that gives it a slight rugged look and the inside of the Colcasac has a soft cotton interior that helps the iPad screen stay free of fingerprint marks or smears. The feature I like most on the exterior of the Colcasac iPad sleeve is the pocket on the front – it’s perfect for holding your iPhone or your iPad charger while on the go.

Alot of the iPad sleeves on the market now have a pretty big flaw – they don’t hug or protect the iPad tightly. That’s not a problem with the Colcasac. With ColcaSac’s new sleeve I can open the sleeve (it uses a Velcro fold to close), hold it upside down, and have the iPad slide out nice and slowly.

Considering the design and quality materials they use, the $35 price tag for the ColcaSac is an absolute steal. It’s also a smart and beautiful choice for iPad owners who want something aesthetically different from the usual offerings of iPad sleeves found on Amazon or in Apple Stores.

Overall, this is THE sleeve to beat for the iPad. Tight fit, pocket on the front, and high-end materials used all for $35. You can read more about the Colcasac iPad sleeve or purchase it here.

Review: Ted Baker iPhone Leather Style Pouch

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Are you a trend-setter? What about fashion? Looking for a new, stylish iPhone case? Well look no further – Ted Baker, the famous London designer, has partnered with Proporta to create a new pouch for your iPhone 4 or 4S. The new iPhone pouch is available in two unique colors – Black with an orange Bulldog lining or Brown with a red Spacemen lining. The newly released Ted Baker Pouch is made of the highest quality faux leather, and each is handmade for your pouch. Is new always the best? Can this pouch stand up to other competitors in the iPhone Accessories market? More on this in my review!

Product Quality

The leather in the TB iPhone Pouch is custom-made for your individual case. The leather of the TB Pouch is very soft and subtle, but thick and hard enough to protect your iPhone against scratches or accidental drops. The Ted Baker iPhone Pouch is truly a high-quality case, from the hand-made leather, to the Ted Baker design on the inside of the case, there is no doubt that the effort and keen eye of design is what makes this pouch so beautiful. I couldn’t find anything that I didn’t like about the quality of the product, it was a very high-quality iPhone accessory.

Function

The TB iPhone Pouch uses a unique string pulley system to get the iPhone out of the pouch – to get the iPhone out of the case, you need to pull down on the lace charm and then that pushes the iPhone up out of the case. This works very well for normal, everyday use, but when you want to access your iPhone more quickly, such as answering a phone call, or responding to a text, the pulley system adds another step to using your iPhone.

Overall

The Ted Baker iPhone Leather Pouch is a very stylish, high-end accessory for the iPhone 4 or 4S. The leather, albeit faux, used in the product is second-to-none. The interior design of the case is terrific as well, but, the pulley/lace system used to take your iPhone out of the case is cumbersome and adds another step to getting your iPhone out of the case. I would recommend this pouch to people who love to have great quality, design, and protection in an iPhone case. You can read more about and purchase the Ted Baker iPhone Leather Pouch for $50 on Proporta’s website.

Review: MacBook Air (13 inch model) [Mid-2011]

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The original MacBook Air was more of a style symbol than a computer. Yes it could fit into a manilla envelope, but the $1,799 laptop  trailed behind other ultra-portables in performance, lacking USB ports or a SD slot, and packed a small and slow hard drive. For most people, there were just too many cons over pros for the high asking price.

Then came the major revision,  the second Air was priced significantly less at $1,299 ($999 for the 11-inch version) and included very fast solid state drives, and added one more USB port and a SD card slot. If you didn’t need an optical drive, it had almost about everything it needed to be both a ultraportable business as well as a primary computer, but the older processors still didn’t offer quite enough performance to do the job for some people. Also, in an oversight, the keyboard wasn’t a backlit one.

Which will now bring us to Apple’s 2011 version of the 13-inch MacBook Air. The new Air now has a with a snappy dual-core Core i5 processor (with an i7 option too), a back-lit keyboard, and a new Thunderbolt port, as well as booting Apple’s brand new Mac OS X (10.7). It may look the same as the last Air, but the additions change a lot more than you’d think so. Read on after the break for my full review.

Hardware & Design

The new 13-inch MacBook Air doesn’t look any different than its predecessor – but I don’t think anyone is going to complain about that! When closed, the Air is thicker at the back of the device and tapers like a tear drop, measuring 0.11 inches at the thinnest point and 0.68 at the thickest.

The Air is still stocked with two USB ports (on opposite edges), a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an SD card reader. One big thing that the new Air is still missing is a Ethernet port to connect to the internet while traveling, but Apple offers a USB-to-Ethernet adapter for $29.

Keyboard & Touchpad

Why change something when it’s perfect, right? Well, Apple agrees with that philosophy and kept the chiclet keyboard style, added a backlight and the LaunchPad and Mission Control function keys, which took the place of the Expose and Dashboard shortcuts on the top of the computer. Bottom-line is that the new MacBook Air keyboard has it all!

It’s hard not to go on and on about Apple’s glass touchpad — it simply is the best in the business. The 4.2 x 3.0-inch pad is plenty wide for accommodating all the new multitouch gestures supported in Lion. Not to mention, the sensitivity and responsiveness is just right. Two finger “natural” scrolling, three-finger pinching to bring up LaunchPad, and horizontal swipes to move between desktops, are all effortless and don’t require that extra pressure like most of the Windows 7 laptops.

Display & speakers

There’s no change to the 13.3-inch, 1440 x 900-resolution display. It still has the amazingly wide viewing angles, and though it’s glossy, it doesn’t appear to be as distracting or mirror-y as the MacBook Pro’s display. The speakers and webcam have also been untouched. Sadly, the VGA camera hasn’t gotten the FaceTime HD upgrade, but it served up plenty clear and well-lit images when I put it to the test with some FaceTime calling and PhotoBooth pictures. The Air’s speakers are one of the best laptop speakers in the “Thin Laptop” category. Sure, it’s not going to replace your desktop speakers, but it sounds perfectly pleasant when listening to some music.

Performance

Apple claims that the new Airs pack double the performance of last-years model, and that’s not a stretch. My review unit’s 1.7GHz ultra-low voltage Core i5-2557M processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD showed some impressive benchmark results — even besting a handful of higher spec’d PCs because of its SSD. In actual use, it is twice as fast as the old 13-inch Air. Thanks to the Core i5 muscle and a speedy solid-state drive, apps open almost instantaneously and running multiple applications doesn’t cause any lag. The laptop also boots in a quick 18 seconds.

The entire OS just purrs along and all those worries I once had about using an Air as my primary system have gone away in the past two days of heavy use. There’s no doubt this Air could easily replace my current Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro.

Battery life & Software

When I first saw the benchmarks and felt how much faster the Air was in everyday use, I was worried about the impact on battery life. However, my worries were put to rest. Apple’s 50Wh battery lasts just as long as it did before. I could easily get a day’s usage out of the computer without any need for rushing to go get my charger on an outlet.

The MacBook Airs are the first laptops to be sold with Apple’s new OS X 10.7. I’m not going to get into the software here, but the iOS-influenced operating system seems likes it was built exactly for a system like the Air. As I’ve mentioned above, the new gestures work like a charm and the solid state drives have things speeding along very quickly. I love the new “Natural” Scrolling and the new Mission Control as it gives me a better layout as to what I have open and running on my computer. I’ll also give props to the new Safari, which looks awesome in full screen mode, and the new mail app, which pulls on a lot of the iPad’s UI.

Conclusion

You will be forgiven for thinking that this new MacBook Air isn’t all that it has hyped up to be. It is much more than that! Sure, if you look at it on paper; Apple has only added Lion, a new processor, and a ThunderBolt port. In reality, it’s much more than that: it’s the first Air that’s capable enough to replace not only the old white MacBook but also the MacBook Pro for some mainstream users. The new processors are fast enough for almost any day-to-day task, and the Thunderbolt port allows the system to expand to almost full desktop strength using just a single cable. Oh, and Apple added the backlit keyboard back in.

One thing is clear: you can no longer write off the Air as merely a status symbol or secondary system. This is a grown-up laptop with the kind of horsepower and battery life that will make a lot of users very happy. And yes, it still fits in a manila envelope!