accessories

Despite the emphasis on convergence for certain tech categories, the sheer number of gadgets many of us continue to schlep around can be rather astounding. I can tell you from experience that carting devices around in bags specifically designed to organize and protect them makes the whole task less daunting (the Built Travel Organizer has saved my sanity on more than one trip). Plus, if you're a woman who has been using a standard purse to carry a vast array of heavy items, I'm sure you've had your fair share of visits to the cobbler.

But hey, … Read more

The Breffo Spiderpodium is a simple, yet effective way to hold your small gadgets in place during any of a variety of activities ranging from driving to biking to just watching a movie, but only if you have the imagination to make it work for you.

The Spiderpodium consists of eight flexible, rubber-coated wire arms protruding from a rubber center. These arms can be bent and posed in pretty much any direction, orientation, or shape and will hold their position. Breffo's plan is that you'll use the arms to wrap around your small electronic devices, holding them in the orientation of your choosing.

We were able to, for example, attach a smartphone to a vehicle's dashboard air vents for easy access to the screen for selecting music, answering calls, and viewing maps for turn-by-turn navigation. People who use their GPS navigator in multiple vehicles can leave the bulky suction cup cradle in one vehicle and use the Spiderpodium to hold their device in place in other cars.

We were even able to successfully suspend a GPS device and a smartphone from our vehicle's vents during testing. The Spiderpodium's stability during spirited driving will ultimately depend on your skill in positioning the spindly widget, and the anchor to which it is attached, but we experienced no catastrophic failures with a variety of devices.… Read more

There are many differentiating factors between an iPad and a Netbook, but none so obvious and useful as a physical keyboard.

We've remarked several times since owning the iPad that the addition of a dedicated Bluetooth keyboard really helps the little slate become a pretty good mobile writing tool. Though a virtual onscreen keyboard does the job fairly well, especially in conjunction with a raised case like Apple's own microfiber one, it's no substitute for the rapid-fire feel of physical keys. I use an Apple Bluetooth keyboard with my iPad, and it's a great combo; the only problem is, even with its small size, carrying yet another gadget around ruins the appeal of the iPad's simplicity.

We've wondered why Bluetooth keyboard cases weren't immediately conceived for the iPad from day one, but six months later we've finally got one that's real. The Kensington KeyFolio is a leather-bound booklike case that bonds a thin silicon-covered Bluetooth keyboard to its inner lid, unfolding to turn an iPad into a veritable mini-workstation. For $99, the KeyFolio is cheaper than the sum total of most keyboards and cases on the market. Is it worth the investment? And more importantly, could a keyboard case turn an iPad into a valid Netbook replacement?… Read more

Computing may indeed be reaching a crossroads where ultraportable devices become as easy to tote as a softcover book or a thick issue of GQ. It certainly seems that way when toting an iPad or a thin Netbook around. Unfortunately, neither has solved the problem of making a bag for these devices that's not semi-humiliating.

The joke about "iPad murses" has circulated the office for months now, yet there still hasn't been a clear-cut bag that's conquered the stereotype. We tried on a few recent offerings for some quick impressions, along with what we call … Read more

Recording with your iPhone's built-in microphone is a quick and easy way for musicians to sketch out song ideas. But if you're really bent on transforming your iPhone or iPod Touch into a mobile, multitrack recording studio, you'll need to drop some money on a quality recording app, and some kind of adapter for connecting instruments or mixers.

Professional, affordable apps such as FourTrack and FiRe recorder solve the first half of the equation, but shrinking a professional audio interface down to a pocketable iPhone adapter is a tall order.

Fortunately, the folks at Sonoma Wire Works are working on one of the best solutions we've seen yet. The GuitarJack ($199) is due out this fall, and offers a 1/4-inch instrument input, stereo line input, and headphone output, all in an adapter that fits in you palm. More importantly, the line and instrument inputs offer selectable gain pads, 60dB of continuous analog level control, and can be separately assigned for simultaneous dual-mono recording.… Read more

The iPhone may be many things, but it's no steering wheel. Much as I love using accelerometer controls in racing games such as Jet Car Stunts and air-combat sims like F.A.S.T., the iPhone is just too small to grip comfortably. Consequently, I end up getting frustrated with the games I should be enjoying.

I was skeptical that PosiMotion's Helix Gaming Grip accessory could change that. It looks pretty goofy, and at $19.99, it seems pricey--especially considering that the aforementioned games have a combined price tag of just two bucks.

I was wrong. The Gaming … Read more

Whether it's your first iPhone, your fourth, or somewhere in-between, an investment in Apple's latest iPhone 4 also means dropping some cash on accessories.

Our CNET roundup of accessories for the iPhone 4 includes some newcomers (Bluetooth keyboards) and some products that are tried and true (headphones). There's a little something for everyone, though--so if you're thinking about jumping to the Apple iPhone 4, it's definitely worth a look.

Check out our gallery of Apple iPhone 4 accessories.

Remember the Novophone, that nifty retro handset that plugs into your iPhone for old-school, crook-of-the-neck gab-fests? It was cool, but it was only half the picture.

The iRetrofone completes it, combining a similar corded handset with a big, black, 50s-style base. It looks like something right out of a Humphrey Bogart movie, one with private eyes, dangerous dames, and a big old office desk.

As you can no doubt guess from the photo, the iRetrofone is essentially an iPhone dock. You plug an included cord into the audio jack, connect your existing sync cable to the dock connector (too bad … Read more

The first time I saw the Novophone, I laughed. Then I mocked. Then I got a little thirsty. Finally, after thinking about it for a while, I started to develop some genuine interest in the thing. Desire, even. Is it crazy, or am I?

As you can tell from the photo, the Novophone is a handset--a full-size, old-fashioned, haven't-seen-one-since-the-'80s corded handset.

Just plug it into your cell phone, then enjoy a trip down Nostalgia Lane as you cradle it comfortably on your shoulder, stretch and twirl the coiled cord, roll around on the couch, and tell your BFF … Read more