Reviews

Oct 24 2008

ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD for 2G iPod touch

Typically, when first buying an iPod, you spend a day or two blissing over its beauty. This fades quickly to paranoia over protecting that beauty. The world of iPod accessories has no shortage of options for protective cases, but most of them hide the beauty they were designed to protect. There are some nice looking cases out there, but few if any are as nice as the naked iPod form.

FGAPIPTOUCH2FB 20081024 192258 ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD for 2G iPod touch

This is where the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD comes in. It’s is light, thin, transparent and, thus, barely alters the iPod’s appearance in any significant way. What it does do is change the degree to which the iPod is susceptible to scratchs and dings. The material from which the InvisibleSHIELD is made is a durable adhesive film that is exclusive to ZAGG. You may find other protective films available, but they’re not the same. This stuff seems to almost absorb a strike that would have otherwise produced a nasty scratch and turns it into a glancing blow. It won’t keep your iPod screen from breaking if you mishandle it, but would you ever put an iPod touch in your pocket with your house keys? I do all the time–no problem.

The film comes adhered to a paper backing and you apply it by removing the backing and spraying the sticky side of the film with a spray ZAGG packages with the InvisibleSHIELD (I suspect the spray is just simple water). Making the film wet puts a liquid barrier between the extremely sticky adhesive and your iPod and gives you more opportunity to slide the film around until you find the possition it was meant to take on the device. Once you have the InvisibleSHIELD where it’s meant to be, you use the squeegee (also provided) to squeeze out any water or air that might remain trapped between the film and your iPod. Pesky edges and tabs that refuse to stick down are to be heated and dried with a hair dryer (not included) set on low until they submit to your will.

nakedipod 20081024 192128 ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD for 2G iPod touch

zaggis 20081024 191602 ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD for 2G iPod touch

If I were to advise you on areas where the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD doesn’t quite measure up, I’d say that on the version I got for the 2G iPod touch, the screen protector didn’t fully cover the screen area. It seems like it could have used another 1/8-inch of material on the right side when the piece was perfectly lined up with the touch’s menu button. Also, even using the hair dryer maneuver, corners seem to be a sticky spot with the InvisibleSHIELD… uhr… actually… a “not so sticky” spot: mine puckered irrepairably at the corners creating rough edges that eventually had to be cut off with a razor blade. The fact that the InvisibleSHIELD leaves the corners of your iPod bare might be considered a weak spot too. The edges of the film also attract lint a great deal, but that is fairly easy to remedy with a bit of glass cleaner.

With these problems aside, I really do like the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD. I love that my iPod looks like an iPod without being left totally unprotected. I also like that I don’t have to remove the device from a case in order to dock it. That is a big plus for me. ZAGG offers a 30 Day Money-Back Satisfaction Guarantee as well as a Lifetime Replacement Guarantee. If you don’t like the InvisibleSHIELD, return it with 30 days for a full refund or if your invisibleSHIELD ever becomes scratched, torn, or damaged in any way while protecting your device, ZAGG will replace it at no cost to you, for as long as you own your device.

The ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD for 2G iPod touch is available for USD$24.95 for “full body coverage” or USD$14.95 for just protection of the front of the device.

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Sep 13 2008

mophie juice pack – Power for your Pod (iPod touch and iPhone)

There’s no question that the iPhone and iPod touch deliver an
unparalleled user experience. The problem with creating an experience
you can’t get enough of is that it always ends too soon. In the case
of the iPhone, iPhone 3G and the iPod touch that experience includes
the battery-draining bliss of wifi, Edge, 3G and GPS.

From my first moments with the iPod touch, battery life was my first
complaint. And the folks at mophie have felt the paint too. While its
no secret that many USB battery packs will recharge the touch and
iPhone, mophie’s juice pack is the first one to embrace the
form-factor, literally.

The concept is perfect – you want to protect the metal or plastic back
of your i-whatever and you need some more power to sustain your
browsing. mophie hits the spot with a combo half-case and
battery-booster in the juice pack.

mophiejuicepack1 mophie juice pack Power for your Pod (iPod touch and iPhone)

Form Factor and Features

The juice pack delivers its power boost from a matte-black
case-battery that you slide on to your touch-phone. It sports a
four-led green battery charge indicator. It commandeers your
dock-connector and headphone jack (iPod) and adds in their place a
mini-USB connector and headphone jack (iPod).

These are both great touches – you can assess the charge of the juice
pack with the touch of a button. Even more useful, you charge the pack
with a standard USB cable (that probably came with the old Razr you no
longer use). You can now use standard USB-to-mini USB cable to sync
your iPhone/touch with your Mac.

mophiejuicepack3 mophie juice pack Power for your Pod (iPod touch and iPhone)

As if it couldn’t get any better, you will find the juice pack is much
less finicky about its power source, allowing you to charge the pack
and iPhone from power sources it would normally snub its nose to. With
the juice pack strapped on, I found that I could sync without an iPod
sync cable and I could use the car charger that my touch had rejected
previously. Awesome.

The pack isn’t bad looking, though it doubles the thickness of an iPod
touch. It is also a little weird-shaped at the top, where the case
stops early, leaving the top of the touch hanging out (this could be
for the sake of the wiki antenna). The feel of the juice pack is solid
and fits nicely in your hand.

Performance

And that pretty much wraps the physical features. Now, on to
performance. I think the key to predicting the performance of the
juice pack is to understand how it works with the iPhone. And I still
don’t exactly. In my experience, I found the battery life claim exceed
the promise that it would double the battery life of my touch.

The juice pack doesn’t actually act as a battery to the iPhone. It is
recognized as a power source – as if the iPod were plugged in to a Mac
or a power adapter. This is different, because your iPhone or touch
acts differently on the juice pack than it does on its own battery.
So, while the juice pack powered my touch for hours of constant use, I
would pick it up later to find it completely drained. I attribute this
to my touch not sleeping as it would on the internal battery. Even
after I’d realized this and intentionally powered off the iPod during
non-use, I am still occasionally finding the pack empty after periods
of non-use. Not sure yet if it is my reminders waking the device or
what.

The upside of the iPhone treating the juice pack as a power source
(and not a battery) is that the juice pack will sacrifice its own
power first, and even use its juice to recharge the iPhones own
battery before giving up the ghost. So, even when I experience a freak
discharge (wow) my touch’s battery is full. In the long term, this
behavior is also saving your battery’s cycles, lengthening the life of
your internal (and non-replaceable) battery.

Complaints and Quirks

It is tough to complain about a device so fully dedicated to the
longevity of your beloved iPhone or iPod, but I did notice a few
glitches. I noticed several times (over the course of a couple week’s
use) that my iPod wouldn’t recognize the juice pack. This is quicky
resolved by removing and reinserting the touch. Also, there were a
couple episodes where headphones plugged into the juice pack received
a mono signal, and (if I was plugged in to a power source) a buzzing
sound. This was also quickly fixed by pulling the touch out and
putting it back in.

mophiejuicepack2 mophie juice pack Power for your Pod (iPod touch and iPhone)


Conclusion and Purchase Information

The mophie juice pack is both a unique and well thought out solution
to perhaps the most common complaint of iPhone and iPod users. It is
not without quirks (which may get ironed out in future versions) but
it also includes some very thoughtful features that give you
flexibility that will change the way you use your touch/iPhone. It
isn’t cheap, but considering the added utility, it is worth it.

The mophine juice pack is available for the iPod touch,
iPhone (first gen) and the iPhone 3G for
about $99 (at press time the touch version was reduced to $86 at
Amazon (see link above). Product information at mophie.com.

Brian

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Aug 12 2008

Logitech MX Air Wireless Rechargeable Mouse

Not much has changed in the world of the Graphic User Interface for the mouse, but with the advent of the Wii, we can see there’s a place for movement in screen-based navigation.

Logitech figured this out too, and has used it to get your mouse off the desktop. It doesn’t hurt that the mouse is also a stunner in terms of looks. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

A Mouse in the Air

The hallmark feature of the MX Air is the ability to pick it up and move your curser without a hard surface. It is ideal for presenters and couch potatos alike. The control you experience with the Air is similar to that of a Wii remote. Rather than hold down arrow keys on a traditional remote, you whisk your arrow across the screen with the flick of your wrist.

mx air2 Logitech MX Air Wireless Rechargeable Mouse

This mouse is natural and intuitive in its air-based maneuvering. It is direction independant, so you can be pointing away from your screen, but still move up and down it naturally (think presenting facing the screen with your back to your MacBook). It takes a little getting used to for precision control (and may even require an adjustment to your tracking controls). All in all, the airborne function of the MX Air is an unexpected surprise, and a killer for natural control of your media center or Keynote slideshow.

The Air on the Desktop

The MX Air makes a great mouse too. Its comfortable, and works well without drivers. I’ve had bad experiences with mouse and keyboard drivers from Logitech and others, so I appreciate a set that works ‘driverless’. Of course, if you’re in to reassigning all your buttons go grab the drivers and reassign to your heart’s content. The MX Air has a good balance of buttons. Right and left click, scroll (more about that later), volume, mute and back.

Mac Compatibility

As I mentioned above, the mouse gets good marks on compatibility. Without drivers, the mouse works great. The buttons mentioned above all worked as advertised.

Construction and Feel

The packaging Logitech put together is nothing short of Apple-esque. You get the feeling even before you get the mouse in your hand that you have something special. There’s a polishing cloth and brief instructions. There’s a charger that requires no syncing or setup. And then there’s the mouse.

mx air1 Logitech MX Air Wireless Rechargeable Mouse

I saved this part for last. The Air is probably the coolest looking mouse you’ll ever see. The thing is so sleek. When charging, glowing bars indicate the charge level. Those lights are accompanied by button labels and marks under the plastic skin that you won’t notice until they illuminate. These indicators light when the mouse is in motion and gently fade away when the excitement stops. I know its a little thing, but it gives you the feeling that you’re using something designed by Jonathan Ive.

The scroll wheel isn’t a wheel, its a panel you glide your finger up and down. It works well too. Audible ‘scrolly sounds’ replace the tactile feedback you’d get from a moving wheel.


Conclusion and Product Information

My immediate impression using this mouse was “why doesn’t everyone have one of these?” Then I looked up the price and found out why. It is not a cheap mouse. The whole experience – from the VIP packaging, and the amazing design to the ease of use (and price) – smacks of Apple. It is not cheap, but once you get it in your hands you won’t want to put it down. It is also a very forward-thinking peripheral as desktop Mac’s evolve into entertainment machines. You can tell I loved it. It is probably the coolest mouse our there – on the desk or in the air.

More at Logitech.com or buy it now at Amazon ($136 at press time).

Brian

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