The COBURNS iPad Stand is a new Kickstarter project that caught our eye this morning. It's comprised of two wooden blocks, each with a pair of magnets and a slot — if one didn't know what they were, they might think they were looking at some sort of puzzle. The magnets hold the blocks together when not in-use, and when separated, the…
Runtime is a new run-tracking app for iPhone, built specifically for iOS 7 and the iPhone 5s' M7 chip. It records the places, routes, and even altitudes where you do your running/hiking/jogging/etc. For each session tracked, it will show you where you ran (in orange), where you walked (in yellow), and how many steps you took. Each 'run' can also be shared…
Written by Nathan Barry and Jeremy Olson, The App Design Handbook is an eBook package that guides app makers through the process of designing their apps for iOS 7. With 126 pages of great information, video interviews with nearly a dozen app experts, and a handful of tutorials and other resources, this is the best starting place for anyone who wants to…
Before I describe the Encounter Collection itself, I should mention that the main reason I wanted to talk about these items on T&T was this incredible video that was filmed to promote the collection. With its gorgeous cinematography and a story centered around a father's heartfelt letter to his son, it's something worth watching whether or not you even want to buy…
The other day, our good friend Matt Alexander launched his long-awaited startup, Need. To sum it up, Need is a monthly, curated retailer and lifestyle magazine for men. What does that mean? Well, the way it works is that each month, Need unveils a line of awesome, limited-quantity products – such as attire, books, artwork, coffee, and more – that they've partnered…
The new BookBook Travel Journal from Twelve South allows you to carry an iPad and additional gear around without looking like that's what it's doing. What appears to be vintage leather hardcover book on the outside is actually a clever, hi-quality case with internal storage for your iPad, USB drives, stylus, power adapters, and even large headphones (provided they fold flat). $99…
Our friend and photographer John Carey of fiftyfootshadows has been the creator of some of our favorite wallpapers over the years. For the last month or so, he's been meticulously experimenting with many of these wallpapers, searching for the optimal photo resolution that can take full advantage of iOS 7's parallax effect and maintain their crispness. He's taken his findings and assembled…
I'm not sure Letters of Note needs any introduction, but for anyone not in the know, it's a blog dedicated to finding and sharing amazing examples of written correspondence throughout history. These letters – whether they're written by an ex-slave to his former master, a Pixar director to a young fan, or even a copywriter looking for a job in the 1930s…
The Phiaton Chord MS 530s are a Bluetooth 4.0-enabled, 98% active-noise-canceling pair of headphones that look great, sound great, and allow you to pair with two devices simultaneously. The audio driver unit is titanium-coated for better sound, a microphone cable is included for phone call usage, and the headphones can be used for up to 30 hours before needing to be recharged…
There's a lot of denim that gets wasted around the world. Every day people are throwing out old pairs of jeans for various reasons, and even the big denim factories are discarding a good deal of unused fabric. Rather than letting all that good material go to waste, the people at Ikku have decided to repurpose the stuff to make awesome gadget…
In early 2012 ,the original Capture Camera Clip System became an interesting and very popular alternative to wearing a camera strap. The company behind the project, Peak Design, has taken their success and ingenuity and poured them into creating a new version of the product: the Capture Camera Clip System v2. Like the original model, the Capture is a two-piece system: A…
I've seen some interesting watches before, but one made almost entirely out of wood, down to the single-piece flexible band? That's a new one on me. And yet that's exactly what Analog Watch Co. have come up with for their Kickstarter project, which they've dubbed The Carpenter Collection. Sporting an eco-friendly and gender-neutral design, the bodies of these watches are CNC-carved from…
The Impress Coffee Brewer is a combination coffee press and travel mug that aims to make the brewing process a breeze. Put some freshly ground coffee in the press, pour in some hot water and let it brew for a few minutes, then insert the "cup" piece and push down all the way. It's a lot like brewing with an AeroPress, except…
I've often heard good things about the bags sold by Topo Designs, but to be honest, I never could get into their design aesthetic. Thankfully, they recently partnered up with the people at Woolrich (one of the oldest flannel companies around) and together they've produced a line of awesome-looking bags that are definitely more my style. These are essentially the same bags…
Learning how to play guitar is something I've always wanted to do, but like so many skills, getting started from scratch seems daunting. The gTar (pronounced with a soft 'g') aims to make this part of the experience a lot more fun. It's like a real-world version of Guitar Hero that actually teaches you something. What you do is dock your iPhone…
The Killspencer Daypack is a handsome backpack made from premium materials and capable of carrying just about everything you might need on a daily basis. The exterior of each Daypack sports a suede bottom, with the upper exterior being made from either leather or waxed canvas depending on which model you choose (each with matching, foam-padded strap material). The interior is equipped…
It's not been mentioned here before, but unless I'm mistaken, all of us here at Tools & Toys use Delivery Status Touch to track our various shipments. I certainly can't think of a better option, because you can add tracking numbers from just about any delivery service out there and it will work like magic. The app just got even better too,…
Personally, I like to toast marshmallows one-at-a-time, catching each one on fire and letting the exterior burn to a crisp. But most people I know seem to prefer only a slight toasting, and if you're going to be making a bunch of s'mores at once, you might as well use something like this stainless steel S'mores Roasting Rack by Charcoal Companion. It's…
Designed in Japan (or by bees, we're not sure yet), the Aero Sphere Fan sports a unique look that can only be described as a "honeycomb teardrop". Supposedly this honeycomb design allows the fan to cool a larger room than you might expect, but if nothing else it will certainly be a conversation starter. It's admittedly not a very cheap fan, at…
One of my favorite apps (and one of the best reasons to own an iPad) is Paper by FiftyThree. Combined with a Cosmonaut stylus, it's a super fun way to doodle, sketch out ideas, and generally make awesome stuff. And now, FiftyThree has partnered with the people at Moleskine so that you can have your Paper notebooks custom-printed in Moleskine form, directly…