I recently looked at my iPhone's usage statistics and noticed Spotify was using 1.1 GB. For an app that is supposed to be about streaming music—I don't download anything locally—that seemed like a lot. I've run into this situation before. Over time, Dropbox and Google Drive can grow to 800-900 MB without much effort. I used to deal with this by deleting…
As much as I love my iPhone and iPad, their limited storage space makes traveling feel like a juggling act. Do I transfer this movie or that movie? Should I delete several podcasts to make room? Which games can I bear getting rid of? Forget all the data juggling and just get a Kingston MobileLite Wireless. This portable media reader can take…
The SpeakerSlide is a Kickstarter project that reminds me of the SoundBender from a while back, but modernized for today's iOS devices. It plugs into your Lightning port, placing a curved space directly over the device's speaker so that its audio redirects to you rather than going sideways out into the air. No more cupping your hand over the speaker like an…
The Scosche Strikeline is a retractable Lightning cable for iPad and iPhone. Extends to 3ft long, retracts to about the size of a watch face for travel purposes. Simple! The black version is $18, the white one $21.
After yesterday's post about the NomadPlus external battery, reader Josh Hogan wrote in with another suggestion: the Trent iCarrier. It doesn't come with a wall adapter of its own, but it has other advantages: 12,000mAh power capacity, meaning it can charge your iPhone and iPad a couple times each before needing its own recharge. If you have just an iPhone, you could…
(Readers, take note of the promo code at the end of this post.) There are a number of ways to deal with device battery life issues while traveling. I personally like using a Mophie Juice Pack Air on my iPhone because I can just flip the power switch when I need a boost. It does have its downsides though: Not everyone wants…
As the title suggests, the Kanex DoubleUp is a wall adapter that accepts two USB cables. It's powerful enough to charge two iPads relatively quickly, thanks to each USB port's 10.5-watt output, and it has helpful status LEDs on the front to let you know if your device is fully charged (green) or still charging (orange). I like that it's small enough…
The Rotring 800+ is a combination of stylus and retractable 0.7mm mechanical pencil. Give the cap a small twist to extend or retract the mechanical pencil—while retracted the 800+ acts like any other stylus, perfect for use on an iPad. The hexagonal metal barrel adds a certain heftiness and quality that feels great in the hand, and thanks to its knurled grip,…
My latest gaming obsession is Fates Forever—a 3v3 MOBA game in the vein of League of Legends and DoTA, but built for touchscreens. You choose one of nine unique heroes (with more slated to release soon) and are placed on a team with two other characters (bots or online players, depending on the mode you choose). As you face off against another…
The Maglus Stylus Black is a touchscreen stylus that works the same as its popular silver predecessor, but sports a sleek, anodized black finish. As before, the silicone tip is removable and replaceable, or you can easily swap it out for the reduced-friction microfiber model. The body of the stylus features a magnetic flat side so you can attach it wherever it's…
The Mod Folio is a leather case for securely carrying an iPad mini and other small items such as cards, pens, earbuds, and more. What makes it really interesting is that they have all these various inserts—each designed with a different purpose in mind—that magnetically attach to the inner spine of the folio. Say you buy the Traveler Mod to start with,…
Oh man I'm excited. Broken Age—a PC game I wrote about not long ago—is now available for iPad. If you've already played it, this is the same point-and-click (point-and-tap?) adventure you know and love. The wonderful soundtrack and voice acting are all still there, as well as the gorgeous, hand-painted design aesthetic. If you haven't had the chance to play this delightful…
This one could come in handy for those of you lucky enough to be at WWDC this week. The Limefuel Blast is a handy external battery pack for charging a full-sized iPad, iPad mini, or iPhone while on the go. It can charge two devices at once, even while being charged itself. When the battery isn't being recharged (which should be most…
This 5-port USB charger by Anker gets everything right. It lets you charge up to five gadgets at once—iPads, iPhones, Kindles, cameras, you name it—and intelligently adjusts the output of each port based on whatever's connected (or disconnected, for that matter). Awesome for families with a lot of stuff to charge. It draws very little power while idle, and it has built-in…
Editorial, the powerful text editor for iOS, updated to version 1.1 today. It might as well be called 2.0 though, given the sheer number of changes, overhauls, and improvements that went into it. On top of having a redesigned interface for iOS 7, Editorial is now a Universal app so it works on iPhone as well as iPad. Editorial on iPhone is…
From the makers of the popular (and super addictive) iOS game Dots comes its new sequel, TwoDots. The basic gameplay is the same: connect vertical or horizontal rows of same-colored dots to remove them and allow other dots to drop down, or connect them in a square pattern to eliminate all dots of that color from the screen. As you progress through…
The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover remains one of my favorite iPad accessories. The one I own is practically a part of my iPad at this point, and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in using their iPad as a primary writing device. Logitech produced a version of the Ultrathin for iPad Air last Fall, but now there is a new-and-improved edition that…
Cargo Works' MacBookAir + iPad sleeve is a military-style polyester canvas sleeve that holds—you guessed it—a MacBook Air and an iPad of any size. The laptop compartment is lined with protective padded neoprene, while the iPad rests in an easily accessible front flap pocket. The exterior sports a series of elastic straps for holding pens and other small items. This sleeve comes…
My day-to-day bookmarking needs are already covered by Pinboard (and happily so), but I must say Stache is an interesting alternative. It's a brand-new bookmarking app for the Mac that makes it easy to archive entire webpages and find them again later. Unlike Pinboard, which is displayed as a simple list of links, Stache takes a more visual approach by attaching a…
The AluCable Flat is a 4-foot flat Lightning cable for iPad and iPhone. It costs the same as Apple's own 3-foot Lightning connector ($20) but you get an extra foot out of the deal, plus durable aluminum connectors at either end. If nothing else, it just looks cooler in general. Get the white cable with gold connectors on Amazon, with other color…