A little swag

I’ve been fortunate enough to have owned or tested a lot of different devices. I’ve been exclusively Apple for some time, after coming to the realization that the benefits of homogeny far outweigh the benefits of piecing together my arsenal of tools, toys, and oddities. While I get a lot of use out of my collection of electronics, one thing has been a constant- to get the most out of your stuff, you need some swag. There are numerous categories, but regardless of what you have there’s always a little something extra to help make it better.

Take the iPhone for instance: one of the most popular devices Apple has ever made; powerful, versatile, and durable. Yet those with even momentarily clumsy fingers know the outcome of dropping an unprotected iPhone 4 or 4S- shattered Gorilla Glass on either the front or back of the handset. Even the aluminum-encased iPhone 5 can take a beating from unintended drops. Accidents like these (and the universal desire to personalize possessions) is one of the reasons I’ve recommended to just about every iPhone owner that they should find the iPhone case that suits their needs best. Whether it’s maximum protection, extra utility, or personalization there’s a case out there to suit your needs.

As for the iPad, not only would I recommend a case (although it’s not as risky using a la carte in my opinion), I would also point out the galaxy of other iPad accessories available. Whether it’s the larger screen size or the different form (tablet versus communication device) I used my iPad for many tasks that could have been done with my iPhone, but not as well. Bluetooth keyboards, speaker docks, mounts, styluses, the list goes on and on.

Then there’s the flagship of Apple’s portable lineup, the MacBook. While not as sliver thin or light as the iPad, all but the now discontinued 17 inch MacBook Pro are excellent full computers for those on the go. The Air lineup excel in this role, especially the diminutive 11 inch model (although I’ve been more than pleased with the portability of my 13 inch Retina model). Just as with Apple’s other mobility-minded devices, you may want to consider a case, sleeve, or bag for your MacBook. I’ve seen many owners sporting the Speck Candy Shell on their laptop- while the unibody aluminum construction is very strong, it’s not immune to scratches and considering the typically long life of the MacBook, it doesn’t hurt to protect the resale value for when you’re ready to upgrade. I’ve written recently about my Brenthaven ProStyle Plus; the combination of protection, extra portability, and storage made it the perfect choice for what I use my MacBook for. Just as with iPhone cases, there’s a plethora of options out there to suit your specific needs.

If you’re going to invest in a quality device like an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook, logic dictates that you’d want to both protect and enhance that investment. Best of all, the popularity of these devices has drawn innovators and manufacturers from every corner of the globe just waiting to provide a solution to any problem you can think of (and often some that you may not have). Whatever your need, be it mobile, tablet, or laptop, give friend of the blog GearZap (and sibling to MobileFun) a look. I think you’ll be glad you did.

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Some practical advice for the Mac curious

Back from a short but cold business trip to Wisconsin. It may not have been that frigid to the locals, but to a Florida native highs in the 20′s with constant snow is one of the undiscussed circles of Dante’s hell. A couple of quick observations while spending time in airport terminals waiting on connecting flights:

Half of all the laptops I saw in use were Macbooks. A bit surprising, considering that the majority of users were business travelers.

I saw as many iPad Minis as regular iPads. Not that surprising given the news of the Mini’s popularity, even without a retina display. Pundits that like to echo the mantra that Apple can’t be successful without Steve Jobs should stop and consider that he was firmly opposed to the iPad Mini.

I saw a few of the latest Samsung ‘phablets’ (the Galaxy Note). Good god are they huge; forget about carrying it anywhere but a purse or backpack. If you own one and enjoy it, rock that party my friend; I can’t imagine any informed consumer picking up something so ungainly.

Something awaiting me when I landed home and was able to take my iPhone off Airplane Mode was another request for help from a coworker looking to switch to a Mac instead of buying into the bag of hurt that is Windows 8. While my knee jerk answer would be to just head over to your local Apple Store and talk to one of the associates, not everyone has this option.

So for the Mac curious lacking any informal help on choosing the right model, let me humbly offer the advice I gave to my coworker. As with just about any major purchase, the right choice depends on your needs. While I’ve been using an iPad with a keyboard (currently a Brydge) for all my mobile purposes, it’s not idea for everyone. There are some tasks that call for a full fledged laptop, and many that are possible on an iPad but require a change in your workflow that not everyone will find acceptable.

For general computing use, your best choice is the workhorse model of Macbook Pro, the 13 inch base model. The most recent model offers a powerful Intel i5 processor, adequate memory and hard drive space, and very good battery life (up to seven hours) coupled with the lowest price of the Pro lineup. As with all of Apple’s laptop line it sports a unibody aluminum case, making it very durable. The large trackpad (considerably bigger than most competitors) is perfect for OSX’s multitouch controls. Should you need more memory it’s easily upgraded; I’d recommend for all but the technophobic to do so themselves rather than ordering extra memory from Apple as they tend to charge considerably more to preinstall it.

If you need more horsepower or screen space then move up to the 15″ Pro. The entry model sports a quad core processor instead of the 13′s dual core (four ‘brains’ on the chip rather than two, providing more stability and multitasking prowess). The larger laptop also comes with a discreet graphics card making it a much better choice for the amateur photo or video editor, or those that want to explore the Mac’s growing gaming options.

If you plan on using your laptop on the go and/or don’t need an optical drive (Apple’s Superdrive, the DVD and CD slot on the Pro model) I’d recommend the Macbook Air. The 11 inch model is small enough to fit in a large purse but still sports a full sized keyboard and trackpad. Both the 11 and 13 inch models are ridiculously thin and light, but still offer a considerable amount of power for just about any everyday task. Other than screen space the primary difference between the two is battery life; the 11 advertises five hours, the 13 matches the 7 hour life of it’s Pro sibling. While they lack in internal DVD drive, if you truly need one but covet the Air’s portability you can always pick up an external drive like Apple’s own USB Superdrive (matching the aesthetic and slimness of the Air). The biggest caveat of the Air (other than lack of optical drive) is that they aren’t user-customizable; you are stuck with what you purchase. All the components are permanently affixed to the motherboard, and none but a professional should attempt to access the Air’s internal workings. That being said, even the first generation Macbook Air that I’ve owned was capable of just about any task that I had without a complaint.

I wouldn’t advise opting for any of the new retina display models of Macbook Pro unless you truly need the higher resolution or have some extra cash you don’t mind parting with. Much like the iPad Mini beside a full iPad, you only notice the difference in resolution when you place a non retina screen beside a retina one. While the visual clarity of the retina Macbook Pros is stunning, it’s an expensive upgrade unless you truly will exploit it. Bear in mind, all of the retina display Pros lack optical drives like the Airs.

For those of you that are shopping for both a desktop and a laptop, allow me to make one last suggestion. Your new Macbook (regardless of model) sports an important and versatile technology- the Thunderbolt port. Via this port you could easily connect to one of Apple’s beautiful (but pricey) Thunderbolt displays, instantly transforming your laptop into a desktop (along with your choice of bluetooth keyboard and mouse/trackpad). For those of you wanting a less expensive method of docking, there are multiple options. You could simply connect directly to a third party monitor via a Thunderbolt to HDMI or mini DVI adaptor and control your laptop via USB or Bluetooth inputs. If you’d like something a bit more elegant there is Belkin’s new Thunderbolt Express Dock. One cable to your Macbook connects it to a wide range of ports and inputs: Gigiabit ethernet, USB, audio/mic, and two serial Thunderbolt connectors.

While you can’t go wrong with an iMac or Mac Mini, unless your budget isn’t constrained you would be well served by a Macbook running in clamshell mode if you really need the desktop experience at home as well as a full laptop on the go. There are many accessories to optimize your experience as well, like 12South’s BookArc, Raindesign’s mTower, or Just Mobile’s clever AluRack (hiding your laptop behind your desktop monitor!).

I’ve owned and built a lot of Windows computers, but there’s nothing to rival Apple’s Mac lineup. When I considered the quality of construction, power and ease of use of OSX, and Apple’s top notch customer service there’s no other computer I’d recommend. While they do cost more than your run of the mill $500 Dell, you get what you pay for. For long time Windows users looking to purchase a new system I urge you to give Macs a look; Windows 8 will require you to relearn how to interact with your computer and may have a steeper learning curve than a better constructed, more stable and more secure Mac would.

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iPad or Laptop?

I’ve discussed iPad keyboard cases earlier, but since that time more accessories have come to market, offering multiple aspects of using the iPad for productivity. Most notable is the Brydge, a Kickstarter-funded accessory that does more than folio-style keyboard cases to turn your iPad into a faux Macbook Air. The device is impressive, offering both a model with stereo speakers that are touted to be superior to the iPad’s existing mono speaker and a bracket that holds your iPad firmly.

Another accessory offering the Macbook Air experience with your iPad is the ClamCase, affording full protection for your iPad along with a fully positionable keyboard that can fold behind your iPad. The ClamCase would be an excellent choice for those that want to quickly transition between laptop and tablet functionality without having to remove the iPad from the accessory.

While both of these products are excellent accessories (to go along with the folio-style cases discussed earlier) there is an elephant in the room that hasn’t been recognized: is this option a worthy investment? Even if you choose the least expensive iPad (16 gigabyte storage, wifi-only), adding one of the two keyboard cases above (ClamCase at $149, Brydge at $210 for speaker-equipped and $170 for speaker less) raises the price to around $700. That’s very close to the entry level price for a Macbook Air that offers a full OS as well even more cloud storage options than the iPad. Pick up a larger capacity iPad or one with LTE capacity and you could easily surpass the price of the least expensive Air. Bear in mind, if you don’t need the portability of an ultraportable and aren’t devoted to OSX there are options far less expensive than the Air (caveat emptor!).

So what’s your best option? The answer depends entirely on what you need to do. If you need network connectivity from where ever you are, the iPad/keyboard case is likely your best option provided you don’t need the power of a full OS. The latest generation of iPad’s LTE connection is blazingly fast, and even 3G connectivity is  sufficient for most productivity tasks. More than a few businesses have switched to using iPads as their primary device, relying on proprietary apps for ordering and inventory; in cases like this a ClamCase would work perfectly. If you need the best battery life possible the iPad/keyboard case might be your best choice as well. While the Air offers great battery life, it can’t touch the iPad’s 10 hours (I routinely use my iPad for a full business day, including constant Pandora play without falling below 50% battery charge).

There are some tasks that are simply better on a full fledged laptop, however. I can attest that while the WordPress app in iOS is fine for quick posts, it’s much easier to collect all of the references and information I like to use in a typical post on my iMac. Having the ability to have multiple apps windowed (even on the smaller screen of the 11 inch Air) is a great productivity tool. Then there’s the physical form of your device- while the ClamCase and Brydge are solid, there are times that the aluminum unibody of the Air offers an advantage. The form is even slimmer than the combined iPad/case and offers a slightly wider screen to go along with the more powerful processor and multitasking ability. Then there’s the far greater range of applications available to the Air, all the way to being able to boot or emulate a different operating system. While the Air typically has a smaller hard drive than other Apple computers, it does afford the ability to use Bootcamp or a virtual environment like Parallels to provide access to Windows or Linux.

The question of what setup provides the best experience is actually a good problem to have. More choices for consumers is always an advantage, allowing users to tailor their devices to exactly what their needs are. The only requirement is that customers be aware of their options and have all of the information needed to make an informed decision as to what best suits their needs.

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Pain-free ways of expanding iPad or MacBook Air storage

Apple‘s super thin flash memory lineup (the iPad and MacBook Airs) has made its mark through their combination of power and portability. Their sleek, featherweight forms have come with a trade off, however- there’s a limit to how large their internal flash-based hard drives can be. The iPad maxes out at 64 gigabytes (including space used by the operating system); the Airs are limited to 128 gig in the 11 inch model and a whopping 256 gig in the 13 inch. While cloud-based solutions often provide excellent solutions to limits on internal storage, what’s a user to do when they want more local storage space?

The MacBook Air may be sleek but it’s still a fully functional laptop. The latest model’s USB3 and Thunderbolt ports allow for all sorts of external hard drives for the data hoarder. If you want to preserve the aesthetically slender profile of your Air (or an external drive just isn’t practical) you may want to look into this budding Kickstarter campaign. The Nifty MiniDrive reached its goal of $11,000 almost immediately, and as of this writing there are 23 days of fundraising left and their campaign is close to $150,000. The concept is a very simple one- instead of the arduous and warranty-voiding task of cracking open your laptop and replacing the hard drive, the creative team behind the Nifty MiniDrive decided to rely on the laptop’s SD card slot. While SD cards provide cheap and readily used memory, the cards aren’t designed to stay in the Air’s port. The cards protrude a couple millimeters to facilitate removal but could damage the laptop’s internals if left in as even the best laptop bag can allow for sliding and jostling. The Nifty is an adaptor for a microSD card that fits flush with the laptop’s chassis, preventing possible damage or snags. The makers suggest using the Nifty plus a sizable microSD as an internal Time Capsule drive, providing a set and forget backup should your laptop be compromised.

The iPad is another matter. The tablet doesn’t sport any port other than the standard 32-pin sync port all iOS devices use. While the Camera Connection Kit can allow an SD card or USB drive to be connected, it’s only meant to allow importing of photos and video to your iPad’s existing internal storage (although clever users have many other uses). If you need more storage for your iPad media but you’re not hack-inclinded and can’t rely on a cloud storage solution, Seagate may have the answer to your needs (courtesy of Cult of Mac). The GoFlex Satellite is an amped-up version of Seagate’s standard GoFlex external hard drive, providing a connection to your iPad via an internal wifi hotspot. The GoFlex Satellite isn’t a perfect solution (the iPad doesn’t have a file browser, after all) but it will provide ample space for streaming music or video to your device. the downside is that the connection replaces your normal network connection, so you’ll have to manually switch between the hard drive an your normal network connection for other uses.

While an interesting solution I’d much rather rely on streaming options for my iPad, although I am rarely away from a wifi hotspot. I haven’t had a MacBook Air for some time (after graduation and my first iPad purchase I found I didn’t need a full laptop) but I am fascinated by the Nifty. While not a solution for everyone, it is positioned perfectly for those that need some extra hard drive space or would like a Time Capsule drive while out and about.

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Keep safe when using public WiFi

Mobility is one of the primary focuses in the development of new computers. A quick glance at the numbers of iOS devices Apple alone has put into the hands of consumers over the past five years supports this assertion. The trend becomes even more apparent when you factor in other devices designed with portability in mind- competing Android and Windows 8 tablets, the MacBook Air and competing ultraportables, all the way to the new MacBook Pro Retina Display (clocking in at less than an inch thick closed and weighing just under four and a half pounds- less than some textbooks I’ve had to lug around).

Plenty has been done to make your portable computing experience possible, but with that portability comes risk. All of those portable devices need a network connection to be fully functional, and that connection is often of the free public wifi version. While handy, that free wifi can leave you vulnerable to snooping, and depending on what transaction you’re conducting that snooping could lead to far worse repercussions. 

Lifehacker has some helpful information on how to better safeguard your communication when using public wifi. The article covers both Windows and OSX tips, and covers factors that you might not consider when out and about like turning off filesharing.

If you use your device for both home and mobile tasks, the article is a worthy read. Some tips are obvious to most tech-savvy users, but due diligence in computer security is everyone’s responsibility.

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Twelve South isn’t focused solely on iOS devices

Twelve South is the maker of the BookBook iPhone case reviewed earlier and has had an impressive lineup of accessories for iOS devices for quite some time now, ranging from cases to power supplies. While their iOS-focused products were what originally caught my eye, their offerings are much more comprehensive.

I was first introduced to some of their other products via an email from the company touting their iMac/iPad fusion device HoverBar. This simple yet clever accessory mounts your iPad to a flexible arm attached to the base of your iMac, turning it into a second workstation or monitor (via apps like Air Display). Don’t have an iMac? No worries, the HoverBar clamps securely to any any steady surface of similar thickness, like a cabinet for kitchen iPad usage or podium for giving lectures.

If you’re one of the many that have purchased a MacBook Air but want more presence out of the ultra slim laptop’s speakers Twelve South offers the BassJump. This USB-powered subwoofer promises to dramatically improve your Mac’s sound quality. While advertised for Apple’s ultra book, it’s listed as compatible with any of their Mac lineup including the Cinema Display and Thunderbolt Display. While I’m happy overall with the quality of sound that my iMac produces, I’m tempted to invest in a BassJump to better enjoy my ever-expanding iTunes library.

Have more than one device that needs charging? The PlugBug is for you- this simple but elegant device replaces the wall outlet portion of your MacBook’s power supply and adds a USB port, allowing you to charge both your laptop and an iOS device at the same time. The PlugBug’s USB port offers 10 watts, allowing it to charge both the iPhone and iPad (anyone using an iPhone wall charger to attempt to recharge an iPad knows the frustration of seeing the dreaded “Not Charging” warning after plugging your tablet in).

Even the 11 inch MacBook Air has plenty of power for a majority of computing tasks, but sometimes you need some extra screen or crave a full keyboard and mouse. Whether you use one of the newer Thunderbolt ports or a DisplayPort output to drive your larger monitor, running your laptop in ‘clamshell’ mode with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse/trackpad is a quick and easy way to change that laptop into a desktop. Twelve South makes the effort simpler and elegant with the  BookArc. The BookArc is a laptop stand holding your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro vertical freeing desktop space and keeping your power, monitor, and any other cables securely in place whether connected or ready for the next time you need the desktop experience.

Lastly, Twelve South improves both the aesthetics and long term condition of your MacBook with the SurfacePad. The SurfacePad is a leather covering for the palm rest areas of your MacBook, shielding your laptop from the dirt and oils of your hands and providing a more comfortable place to rest your hands. The soft, padded SurfacePad is touted to make long term usage of your MacBook ergonomically easier and more comfortable without interfering with the closing of your laptop’s screen or its auto sleep function on closing.

As I’ve mentioned I’m not only fascinated by new technology, I’m an absolute sucker for something that’s both functional and clever. Twelve South embodies Apple’s commitment to product aesthetics and the equation of design to function. While I’ve collected a respectable library of accessories over my Apple blogging time, few have produced products that I’m as impressed with as Twelve South.

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