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The Daily Grind: Can you get immersed in an accessible MMO?
I like Elite: Dangerous. The game's not a revelation at this point, but it's a solid space shooter that could grow into something more. My favorite thing about ED is the docking. I imagine that most people find it tedious, but personally it adds an extra layer of escapism and conjures plenty of old-school flight sim nostalgia. And, of course, it's mechanically satisfying to fly an efficient approach, squeak a big boat through the slot, and micromanage your thrusters all the way down to the landing pad. All I do in ED is take courier missions, investigate unknown signal sources, and dock. Technically I guess I'm progressing toward a bigger bank account and thus bigger ships, but my particular gameplay experience is pretty simplistic and pretty slow-paced. Is it sandboxy? Eh, not really, but at least it doesn't feel directed, linear, or otherwise pre-planned even when I'm purposely repeating gameplay patterns. There's this sense of being a small part of a larger world, which allows ED to deliver -- somewhat paradoxically -- bite-sized chunks of deep immersion. What about you, Massively readers? Assuming you're a fan of immersion, have you found it in accessible games or do you think it mostly stems from prolonged engagement with more feature-rich titles? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
New in Yosemite: Dark Menus
You might not have noticed it, but hidden away in the System Preferences General tab in Yosemite is a new feature called 'Dark Menu Bar''. What it does is simple; it darkens the menu bar and the dock, making icons and text really stand out. It does the same to any menus in any applications. I particularly like the look of Photoshop menus with this feature turned on, because they are not as distracting as bright white menus. The menu bar and dock are still a bit translucent, but the look is very striking. The only downside is that some menu bar icons disappear when dark menus are turned on because they have black icons. Some programmers were smart and sense the dark menubar and turn their icons and text white. I like the look of the dark menus, and with Yosemite's new typeface it makes for a striking visual experience. Not everyone will want the change, but give it a try and see if it strikes your fancy.
Meet your new OS X Yosemite dock icons
This year's WWDC event brought with it the announcement of Yosemite, Apple's latest edition of OS X. Beyond Yosemite's new features and abilities, the operating system also showcases a general makeover of the look of the user interface, including brand new dock icons. Below you can take a glance at what you'll be looking on your home screen when Yosemite is released this fall. Here are Finder, Launchpad, Safari, and Mail: Here are Calendar, Notes, Reminders, and Contacts: Here are Maps, Messages, Facetime (with new Phone icons for iOS calls), and Preview: Here are iTunes, the App Store, iBooks, and Services: Finally, we have Applications and the new recycled plastic Trash bin: I, for one, will miss the old wire Trash bin:
Surface Pro 3's accessories include a new Type Cover and a 4K-ready dock
A professional tablet like the Surface Pro 3 deserves some equally high-end accessories, don't you think? Microsoft certainly thinks so, as it just introduced some add-ons built with demanding users in mind. To start, it has a new $130 Type Cover keyboard add-on with a much-improved trackpad -- the new design has a 68 percent larger area than the Type Cover 2, and 78 percent less friction. It's better for lap use, too; you can lock in the cover so that it won't wobble around so much while you're typing on your legs.
How to tell how much space your trash is using in OS X
Are you a trashophobe? I am. I delay, delay, and delay some more when it comes to emptying my OS X trash because I always worry about throwing something away that I'm going to need to recover later. I've made enough mistakes in life that I'm really cautious about hitting that Empty Trash option. This morning, when I checked my system in preparation for writing up this how-to, I found endless old software betas and more screenshots than you could possibly imagine clogging my trash can. In total, I had more than 100 GB sitting in my bin. It was time for a deep cleanse. For many Mac users, it's not immediately obvious how to check how much space your OS X trash occupies. You don't get much help from the Dock's contextual pop-up menu in Mavericks. What you need to do instead is this. Open the trash to a new Finder window, and with that window frontmost select File > Get Info (Command-I) from the Finder menu. If you're like me, it may take a minute or two for Finder to finish calculating the size. Once I realized exactly how much space I was using, I knew it was time to move on. And now my Trash looks like this. It won't last like that for long, but it's nice to have the confidence to make a fresh start every now and then. Thanks, robotive
Hands on with Henge's Gravitas: one hefty dock, many devices
If Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics had been focused on a more mundane technological achievement, like iOS device docks, the first law might well have been "A dock shall not cause harm to a device, or through instability allow a device to come to harm." By that standard, the US$89 Gravitas dock from Henge is fully compliant; its ample mass and interchangeable inserts mean that your iPhone or iPad are staying exactly where you put them. (Development of the second and third laws of device docks is left as an exercise for the reader.) The Gravitas, which we first saw on display at Macworld/iWorld in 2013, is now available in either Lightning or 30-pin flavors. It's a dense hunk of metal that's almost uncomfortably heavy to hold in one hand (mass of 1.17kg, weighing 2.54 pounds). The cylindrical dock has a downward-angled face bisected by the device slot, which is designed to adapt to any compatible iOS gadget (depending on the port type) by swapping in the appropriate plastic insert. The dock's desk-hugging textured bottom and sheer heft mean that you can confidently insert or remove your iPad without worrying that it may go flying across your cubicle. The back of the Gravitas features a USB "A" connector (more on that below) and a 3.5mm audio-out jack, allowing you to connect the Gravitas to conventional powered speakers or even headphones. I used the Gravitas with both an iPhone 5 and an iPad Air on my desk, and, as befitting a not-particularly-inexpensive chunk of gear, it certainly caught the eye of passerby. Both devices fit into their assigned inserts (which are easy to swap once you get the hang of pulling on both sides of the dock at once), and showed to best effect. The iPhone in particular looked very sharp, like a museum piece on a plinth. The iPad, however, ended up a little bit more vertical than I liked for easy viewing when I was sitting at my desk -- I resorted to tucking my Smart Cover under the front edge of the Gravitas to provide a little shimming and tilt the dock back. Your individual ergonomics, of course, may vary -- using the Gravitas as a charging station with a photo slideshow on the iPad lock screen is bound to elicit appreciative murmurs from your neighbors. About that USB connector, though: the Gravitas comes with and requires an unusual USB A female - A female cable, which is rarely seen in the wild. Most older peripherals like printers and hubs use an A-B cable, so buyers are likely to have a few of those kicking around; a USB mini or micro cable (often used for non-Apple phones, scanners, microphones or external battery packs) would also be a lot easier to source from the junk drawer, if necessary. Building the dock to use the A-A cable means that anyone wanting to deploy the Gravitas in multiple locations/with different computers needs to be packing a spare cable or remember to take the supplied one along. The thing is so massive, though, that I don't see many users relocating it frequently. There are certainly cheaper docks on the market with a good deal of flexibility, but if you want to showcase your iDevice in a set-it-and-it's-grounded way while preserving the ability to change out inserts on the fly, the Gravitas delivers. You can order one direct from Henge for $89, or two for $149. (Your UPS guy may give you a cross look if you order more than two.) Rating: 3 stars out of 4 stars possible
Fuse Chicken's togoDock and PLUGdock: Variations on a theme of useful
Design house Fuse Chicken had a huge winner in the iPhone dock space a few years ago with Une Bobine, a very unique "stiff cable" that could be coiled up in a variety of ways to hold an iPhone while it was charging. The design went from 0 to over 1000 percent funded ($212,265 raised for a $9,800 goal) in just 19 days, and the product continues to sell quite well. The company is now on the way to repeating that success with an Indiegogo project for another product called togoDock, which had an add-on goal to produce yet another dock called PLUGdock. The company sent us a few prototypes to test, and it looks like both new products will not only make it to market but could be quite successful. togoDock The "togo" in the name of this cool little magnetic dock is pronounced with long o's, although the idea is that you have a dock that is ready "to go" anywhere. The product can be used in a car, on a wall, basically anywhere you have metal that a magnet will stick to or where you can stick a one-inch diameter metal disk. That disk has adhesive on one side for easy placement on your car dashboard or on a wall. The device itself consists of a single piece of molded plastic with some powerful magnets embedded in it, and features a spool around which a USB to Lightning charging cable can be wrapped. The Lightning adapter sticks up where an iPhone can sit upon it for charging, although togoDock can also be used to charge up any Lightning-equipped device. For use in the car, a plug-in adapter is provided; in the home or office, any AC to USB adapter or powered USB port can be used to charge your favorite iOS device. One final touch to the design is a little notch on the bottom that holds the "tail" of the cable in place. There's also a curved "backstop" that your iPhone can rest against when you're using togoDock in a car, ensuring that the iPhone isn't going to flop around while plugged in. I've reviewed a lot of charging docks for cars, but togoDock is the first one I'd actually consider buying. It is small and lightweight, stays in place but can be easily removed for use elsewhere, and there are no moving or mechanical parts to break or come loose. The only thing you're giving up if you use togoDock in your car is the space where the metal disk will be attached for togoDock to stick to. The design is brilliant in its simplicity. It's a simple product, but one that reflects a lot of knowledge of materials and of how the Lightning connector works. togoDock will retail for US$30 as soon as the Indiegogo campaign reaches the goal of $20,000 -- it's over 80 percent funded at this time with 23 days left in the campaign. Rating: 4 stars out of 4 stars possible PLUGdock The next item is also a dock, but it's primarily made for use with Apple's tiny cube-shaped AC adapter. The PLUGdock turns any AC outlet into a dock. We're not sure if the PLUGdock will be produced, but you can add $5 to an Indiegogo pledge and get one of these tiny accessories that has been manufactured on a 3D printer in your choice of colors. Mine came in a nice blue color and had some rough spots that were obviously an artifact of being 3D printed. Nonetheless, the PLUGdock worked perfectly. It's essentially a squared-off spool that a Lightning charge cable wraps around, with a receptacle on one side that you push the Apple AC adapter cube into, a slot for the USB connector on the other side, and a small spot on top where the Lightning adapter is held securely in place. For a minimalist dock, PLUGdock is brilliant. It takes up very little space, essentially giving your standard Apple AC adapter a second life as a dock. Whether it's printed on a 3D printer or eventually comes out of a mold, the PLUGdock once again highlights Fuse Chicken's ability to create incredibly useful products that demonstrate how good design compliments simplicity.' Rating: 4 stars out of 4 stars possible
Mac 101: How to use Stacks effectively in your Dock
New OS X users may not be aware of the power of stacks as only one is included in the Dock by default. If you've never used it, a stack is a Dock item that gives you quick access to a folder. Each OS X installation includes one -- the "Downloads" stock on the right-hand side of the Dock next to the Trash. Creating a stack is as easy as selecting a folder or files from the Finder and dragging it onto the right-hand side of the Dock. Once the stack is added to the dock, you can view its contents or customize how it looks and sorts the items that it contains. You can quickly and easily view the contents of a stack by clicking on it. One click will display the contents and a follow-up click will cause them to collapse. It's a quick and easy way to glance at the contents of a folder without opening up finder and browsing to the folder's location. Stacks can be customized right-clicking or control-clicking on the stack's icon in the Dock. You can change the sorting criteria for the contents of the stack as well as modify how the stack appears in the Dock, either as an icon or a folder. The most important option is how a folder contents are displayed when you click on it. You can view each stack as a fan that opens up as a series of icons arranged in fan or a simple list. You also can choose a grid which shows a scrollable matrix of icons that are arranged according to your sort criteria.
These five surprisingly pointless OS X mods may amuse you
I recently went hunting for interesting OS X mods. For every useful item that turned up, I found lots of dead ends. Many items read by the OS X preferences system (through, for example, calls to CFPreferencesCopyAppValue) have little or no application to end-user needs. They're there primarily for the app's internal state or as remnants of Apple's development process. I've curated a bit of a slush pile for items that are interesting enough to take note of, but haven't quite made the grade when it comes to utility. Here are five of my favorite "interesting, but not very handy" tweaks that I've encountered while scanning for defaults or, in the case of the System Preferences one, that I've stumbled over while using an app. 1. Reset the Dock The OS X installer regularly leaves debris in your Dock. OS-promoted apps include such items as Mission Control, Safari, Photo Booth, iLife apps and so forth. Now, with a simple system command, you can restore all those apps in the Dock that you laboriously removed at least once before. Tip to the wise: Make sure you back up com.apple.dock.plist in ~/Library/Preferences before applying this one so you have a reference guide of your prefs to help you move back to. In the Terminal app, enter the following. defaults write com.apple.dock version -int 0 ; killall Dock Once the Dock restarts, it returns itself to its newly installed default glory. Admire the jam-packed contents before spending the next 10 minutes editing it back to the way it's supposed to look. 2. Prevent edits to the Dock If you're in a particularly evil mood and this is not your Dock, you might want to add this little default tweak. It prevents users from further editing the Dock contents. defaults write com.apple.dock contents-immutable -bool yes ; killall Dock To restore end-user editing, switch off the immutability: defaults write com.apple.dock contents-immutable -bool no ; killall Dock 3. Reveal desktop background paths This next tweak shows the paths for your desktop backgrounds on each of your screens. Why would you want to do this? One of my testers suggested it might help when you have a regularly rotating desktop background. For most people, it's not very handy at all. defaults write com.apple.dock desktop-picture-show-debug-text -bool yes ; killall Dock and going back: defaults write com.apple.dock desktop-picture-show-debug-text -bool no ; killall Dock 4. Remove pane icons from the main System Preferences window The System Preferences app consists of rows and rows of icons, which you tap to access individual settings panes. Did you know that you could tweak this presentation and remove items? I have no idea why anyone would ever want to use this feature, but it's a standard part of the app. To choose which panes to view, select View > Customize. Uncheck any item to hide it. You can still access all the panes from the View menu. Another option, View > Organize Alphabetically, replaces the category grouping with a large mash of alphabetically presented icons. 5. Add a useless debugging menu to iBooks for OS X This tweak does just what it says on the wrapper. If you've ever dreamed of a special secret app menu, then this is the system mod for you. (Similar mods exist for several other apps, so Google around to find some other exciting suggestions.) At the terminal, enter: defaults write com.apple.iBooksX BKShowDebugMenu -boolean yes And then launch iBooks. The new Debug menu appears to the right of other options. And there you have it. Five obscure and not-very-handy tweaks. Got any more tweaks you've stumbled across and want to share? Drop us a note in our tips line. We may cover your OS X mod in a future write-up.
Just Mobile unveils its fine-point capacitive stylus, expands dock and battery lineup
Just Mobile was back at CES to sprinkle some magic dust on its new accessories, and this time it involves a mixture of batteries, Lightning docks, cables and styli. We're most excited by the company's AluPen Digital, a fine-point capacitive stylus that works on any modern mobile device, without the need of Bluetooth or any additional sensor. We also got an exclusive look at the upcoming AluBolt Pro Lightning dock for the iPad, along with the Lounge Pro and Lounge Ice iPhone docks, the AluCable Flat and the aluminum refresh of the Gum++ battery. Read on to check them out.
Mac 101: Supercharge your dock in OS X with these simple key combinations
The OS X dock is invaluable to any Mac user. It's a dedicated spot for you to place shortcuts to apps, files, and folders that you access on a regular basis. Besides just clicking on an icon in your dock to launch it, there are a variety of key combinations you can use to extend the utility of your dock. Command-Option-D to hide/show the dock Press Command-Option-D to hide or show the dock. You can accomplish the same task by choosing dock from the Apple menu and then Turn Hiding On or Turn Hiding Off from the submenu. You can also set the dock to automatically hide or show in the dock Preferences. Click on a dock item to open it Clicking on a dock item brings the item forward, or opens it if it is not already open. It also opens minimized windows. Shift-click on a dock item to slowly open it (minimized windows only) This will open a minimized window in slow motion. You can also minimize a window in slow motion by pressing Shift while minimizing it. Command-click on a dock item to locate the item in Finder Press Command and then clicking on a dock item will reveal the original item in the Finder. Control-click on a dock item to view contextual menu Control-click on a dock item reveals the contextual menu for that item. What you see in the contextual menu varies based on the application or file. You can also long press or use a two-finger press on a dock item to reveal the contextual menu. Use Option to change items in the contextual menu Pressing option when viewing the contextual menu allows you to replace "Quit" with "Force Quit" and "Hide" with "Hide Others." The "Hide" option will hide the app on the screen, while "Hide Others" will hide all other apps. It's very useful when you are working with multiple windows and want to focus on one. Command-Option-click on a dock item to hide other open items Command-Option-click will bring the app that you clicked on to the front and hides all other open items. It's very useful when you are working with multiple windows and want to focus on one. Control-click on the dock separator to access dock preferences Press control and then click on the dock separator to reveal the dock preferences. There you can turn magnification and hiding on or off, change the position of the dock on screen, and change the minimization effect. You can also use a two-finger press on the dock instead of control-click to access the dock preferences. Shift-drag on the dock separator to move it Press shift and then hover your mouse over the dock separator. When the dock arrow appears, you can drag your mouse to any side of your screen to move the dock to a new position (left, bottom, right). Option-drag on the dock separator to adjust its size in pre-set increments Press option and then hover your mouse over the dock separator. When the dock arrow appears, you can click and hold and then use a pinch gesture to adjust the size of the dock. Using the option key sets the dock to common icon sizes (128 by 128, 64 by 64, 32 by 32, 16 by 16). You can also adjust the dock to a custom size by clicking and holding on the dock separator and then using a pinch gesture to adjust the size. Drag a file to an application's dock icon to open it In Finder, you can select a file and drag it to a dock icon to open it. You can only drop the file onto an app that supports that file type. Command-drag a file to an application's dock icon to open it In Finder, you can select a file and use command-option-drag to drag the file to a dock icon. OS X will attempt to open the file with the application you selected, regardless of file type or what application the file is associated with (if any). The application may or may not be able to open the file. Command-drag a dock item from the dock to another location Select command, then click and drag a dock item to another location in Finder. This allows you to copy a dock item to another location without removing it from the dock. This key combo is handy if you have a folder in your dock and you want to move the contents to another folder on your Mac. Command-drag an item to the dock to put it into a folder When you drag items to the dock, sometimes it will move (slide) existing dock items to make room. If you want to drag an item to a folder on the dock, for example, you should select command before you select the file you want to drag to the dock. This command-drag option will allow you to add a file to a folder without accidentally shifting other dock items.
Revisiting Single Application Mode in light of Mavericks' App Nap feature
I have known about OS X's "Single Application Mode" for a long time, but a new feature in Mavericks has me testing it out again. According to an article on TidBITS, Single-Application Mode was introduced in 1999 with the (then) new Finder in Mac OS X. "Single-Application Mode" meant that when you switched from one app to another using the Dock then the new application that you had selected would come to the front, and the other applications would automatically hide. According to the TidBITS article, this was initially intended as the default behavior for the Finder, but public reception was so bad that so Apple dropped it as the default. However, the feature has continued to exist ever since. Now, 14 years later, Single-Application Mode brings a new benefit for people using Mavericks thanks to the new "App Nap" feature which will reduce the CPU/energy/battery usage of applications. The easiest way to take advantage of the App Nap feature is to have all of the windows of a background application completely hidden. (For a fuller description of the App Nap feature, see Siracusa 9:13 and 9:14 over on ArsTechnica.) These two features seem like a match made in Timer Coalescing heaven. To enable this feature, you have two options: The easy way is to download and install the Secrets preference pane and search for 'single' in the Finder preferences. Check the box, and then restart the Dock. The nerdier option is to go into Terminal.app and enter these commands: defaults write com.apple.dock single-app -bool true ; killall Dock which will enable the feature and restart the Dock (which is necessary for the new setting to be registered. If you later decide that you do not want to use this feature, use defaults write com.apple.dock single-app -bool false ; killall Dock or defaults delete com.apple.dock single-app ; killall Dock to disable it. If you enable this and need to see two different apps at the same time, use ⌘ + Tab to switch between the apps instead of clicking on the dock icons. Keyboard Maestro offers the same idea for those who prefer to switch apps using the keyboard instead of the dock. There is another way to do this without using the Dock method if you use Keyboard Maestro. One of the default macros that comes with Keyboard Maestro is a ⌘ + Tab replacement. It has several enhancement options as shown here. "Hide other applications when switching" is the feature that relates to our main topic here. With that enabled, any time you switch between apps using ⌘ + Tab, Keyboard Maestro will hide other apps. That gives you effectively the same functionality as Single-Application Mode without changing your dock settings. If you use this feature, you can see multiple app windows by switching between apps by clicking on the dock icons instead of using ⌘ + Tab. Just be careful that you don't enable both of these options at the same time unless you always want to use Single-Application mode! Keyboard Maestro gives you some other useful features such as: "Place switcher under mouse" means that the icons will appear wherever the mouse is, so you can easily choose one of the apps with your mouse if you prefer. You can also choose some applications which will always appear in the ⌘ + Tab list, even if they are not running. For example, I have added BusyCal, BBEdit, Messages, and MailMate, which means that I can switch to those apps, and if they are not already running, Keyboard Maestro will launch them. So now I no longer have to keep apps running just because I might want to use them again later. In fact, after trying both methods, I decided that I preferred to use Single-Application Mode via Keyboard Maestro instead of the dock, because I switch between apps using ⌘ + Tab much more often than by clicking on the dock icons. On those occasions when I do need to see more than one app at a time, I find it easier to just click the necessary dock icon. How much battery life does this save? The answer is that I really don't know. Trying to do comparisons of real life battery usage would be nearly impossible, and probably a waste of time. So far, I find that I prefer this "Single-Application Mode" most of the time, and so the energy benefits are just a nice fringe benefit. Then again, I spend most of my time using a 13" MacBook Air. If you use a 27" Cinema Display or multiple monitors, it might not be as useful for you, but as Apple's emphasis on energy usage shows, they are seeing a lot of growth in the number of MacBook users. If you're one of them, especially if you are trying to squeeze as much battery life as possible out of your MacBook, maybe it's time to give Single-Application mode another look.
These £999 stereo speaker horns will go nicely with your gold HTC One
We've come across all kinds of electronics-free acoustic amplifiers in the iPhone accessories market, but stereo horns for a non-Apple device? That's a double-first for us. For the debut act of HTC's "Here's To Creativity" campaign to support young artists in the UK, the phone maker commissioned designer Justin Wolter to come up with an HTC One edition of his mono Gramohorn, which was originally made for -- you guessed it -- the iPhone. The result is the Gramohorn II, a large 3D-printed stereo speaker dock that loudens the One's BoomSound front speakers by 50 percent, as well as adding some bass to the music. Oh, and it can be hand-painted in any color you desire. The damage? A hefty £999 (about $1,610) which is also, by the way, just £580 shy of the price of a 24-carat gold HTC One. But if you're feeling generous and aren't fond of the plaster resin build, there's also a milled stainless steel limited edition going for £4999 or about $8,030. Here's to crazy! Update: We've just been told that the cradle is interchangeable, so you can also fit a One Mini or a One Max.
Grove Dock for iPhone: Solid beauty
When packages containing review items show up at my office, they're usually quite lightweight. So I was really surprised when a package arrived recently from Grove in Portland, Ore., and it was heavier than usual. Like "someone sent me a brick?" heavier... However, I was pleasantly surprised and relieved when I opened the box to find a Grove Dock for iPhone (US$99) inside. One of the standout features of the Grove Dock is that it is heavy, so it's not going to move when you try to unplug your iPhone one-handed. How heavy? Three pounds. So what's it made out of, depleted uranium? No, just good, old steel and wood. The steel is used for the bottom of the Grove Dock, providing a heft that is rare in iPhone stands. Channels are machined into the top and bottom of the Dock -- the bottom channel provides a route for the charging cable you supply, while the upper channel holds a molded plastic piece that holds the top of your charge cable. Don't worry, as Grove has thoughtfully provided the plastic inserts for both the 30-pin Dock connector and Lightning connector. That upper channel also provides an outlet for sound, cleverly routing the sound to the front of the Dock. The plastic piece also serves to squeeze on the connector and hold it into place. This is useful if you need to extend the connector above the plastic a bit so that it works with a case. Once it's inserted into the metal channel, that connector isn't going to move one bit. Lest you think that this dock is just a hunk of steel, it's not. Grove is famous -- well, at least in my mind -- for its use of beautiful bamboo in their products. In this case, there's a laminated bamboo "case" that goes over the top of the metal, so that you have an attractive metal and wood stand. The entire thing requires no tools to assemble, just your two hands. Your iPhone can be pulled out of the Dock without the Dock moving a bit. There are rubber feet on the bottom of the Dock so that chunk of steel isn't going scratch furniture. The steel can be finished naturally and also comes in black or white if you want a finish that matches your iPhone. The wood comes in one finish, but if you have a corporate-sized order of these lovely docks, Grove will laser-engrave a logo on it for you. Watch this video for more details on why you'd want one of these, then read on for a chance to win one courtesy of Grove and TUAW. Conclusion With a price tag to match the care in design and construction, the Grove Dock for iPhone is a solid and beautiful dock that holds your iPhone in style. Pros Weight ensures that the Dock won't move when you pull out your iPhone. Design accommodates all models of iPhone from the iPhone 4 to the 5s and 5c. A choice of metal finishes provides a way to match your decor, while the naturally finished bamboo top is perfect in almost any situation. Design of the Dock works well in channeling sound from the bottom speaker of the iPhone to the front of the Dock. Cons Definitely not in the price range for everyone, but as I've said before, you get what you pay for. Who is it for? The discerning iPhone owner who wants the best dock possible for their device. Giveaway Yeah, you guessed it. We have one of these lovely Grove Docks ready to head your way. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before October 28 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a Grove Dock for iPhone valued at $99 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
EverDock Kickstarter universal dock blasts by funding goal, looks great
With rare exceptions, I prefer not to write about Kickstarter and Indiegogo projects until there's a good possibility that the project will be funded. In the case of a new, truly universal dock created by Utah-based FŪZdesigns called the EverDock, the project is not only well past its funding goal of US$50,000 with 20 days to go, but the design looks so good I may end up backing it. The idea is that too many times, smartphone owners purchase a dock only to have their needs change in a couple of years. For many iPhone and iPad owners, the advent of the Lightning cable made old docks obsolete, and there are people who switch from micro-USB-based Android phones to those Lightning-connected iPhones and vice-versa. With each switch of device or charging technology, users usually end up buying a new dock. EverDock is designed to allow easy, tool-free swapping of the electrical / data end of the charging and sync cable. For example, it will support a 30-pin dock connector device, and can then be set up for a new iPhone with a Lightning connector in a matter of minutes. Need to charge both an iPhone in a Mophie Juice Pack Helium battery case (micro-USB) and a new iPad mini (Lightning)? No problem -- they've designed a dual dock that will hold both. If you have a case on your device, that shouldn't be a problem either; the EverDock is designed to accept most cases. At this time, backers can pre-order one of the aluminum EverDocks in silver, space gray or gold for a pledge of just $49. The EverDock Duo (two-device) model is just a bit more at $69. If FŪZdesigns reaches a $200,000 stretch goal, they'll let purchasers select the color of the silicone inserts that cover the top of the dock.
Latest Surface Pro accessory rumor points to a desktop dock
Microsoft is supposedly working on a desktop docking station that's compatible exclusively with Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 slates (following yesterday's rumor of a battery packing keyboard cover), according to reports from Neowin and WinSuperSite. So what could the Docking Station bring the Pro and its (still unannounced) sequel? Possibly, USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports as well as gigabit Ethernet and audio in / outs. Even if your typical workflow requires multiple monitors, Redmond has you covered thanks to an external video output. These are box-standard features on any recent PC, sure, but they could help fix the issues we had with the Pro's basic usability. We don't have price or availability info, but there's likely an announcement coming soon -- we are over a year out from the Windows 8 tab's reveal, after all.
Acer Extend concept is a smartphone workstation, we go hands-on (video)
In addition to letting us get our hands on all its IFA announcements today, Acer pulled back the curtain on a concept device. The Acer Extend prototype works similarly to the ASUS Padfone, letting you connect your smartphone to a clamshell-style dock with a display, keyboard and a 6,000mAh battery to recharge your handset. For the purposes of the demo, a modified version of Acer's Liquid E2 smartphone was connected to the Extend dock via an MHL cable, though company reps said a market-ready version could include a retractable cord. Even more compelling, though, would be a wireless, Bluetooth-based solution. In addition to offering much more screen real estate than a phone, the dock solution nets you a full-size, tactile keyboard, and Acer's optimized island-style layout to work with a smartphone's operating system. To that end, there are buttons for Mail, WiFi, Bluetooth and more -- more or less the options you'll find in an Android phone's Settings menu. Though the keyboard is tailored to a smartphone interface, the Extend lets you view apps such as Gmail in tablet format, meaning you'll reap the full benefits of the larger display. There's also a full-size touchpad on board.
Twelve South HiRise for iPhone gives iOS devices an adjustable perch
There's an abundance of iOS device docks, but many aren't well-suited to deskside use when they sit too low and limit use of the audio jack. Twelve South's new HiRise for iPhone bucks that trend. The stand raises smaller iOS devices closer to eye level, where they're well-positioned for video chats and listening to music with headphones. Owners have to bring their own Lightning cables for power, but they won't have to worry about case or device compatibility thanks to an adjustable rear support. That flexibility helps justify the HiRise's relatively high $35 price -- it won't be obsolete the moment that Apple and accessory makers change form factors.
Firefox's latest update includes a special feature for OS X
Mozilla's great Firefox browser has been updated to version 22. In addition to support for 3D gaming, video / voice calls and file sharing without the need for any extra plugins, the team has added something for OS X users. Whenever you download a file, the progress bar will show up right on the icon in your Dock. That's fun, and it means you can monitor the file's progress, even when the regular meter isn't on your screen. Of course, the 3D gaming is probably the biggest part of the update, and Firefox has also released a game demo called BananaBread to show off the new features. But that OS X feature is a nice little gift to those of us using the browser on a Mac. Firefox is available as a free download as always.
iPhone biosensor cradle brings us one step closer to having tricorders (video)
It seems like every day we're getting a little bit closer to having tricorders, and today's no exception. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have designed hardware and software that turns the iPhone into a powerful biosensor that's useful for toxin and pathogen testing as well as medical diagnosis. The package consists of a cradle that contains an assortment of lenses and filters which line up with the handset's camera, along with an app that guides the user through the testing process. At the core of the device is a photonic crystal slide which basically turns the iPhone into a high-resolution spectrometer. While the cradle only contains about $200 worth of parts, it's just as accurate as laboratory equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars, with the added bonus of being hand-held. The team just received an NSF grant to explore other applications for the device and is working on a cradle for Android phones. Hit the break for a demo video and a peek into the future.
