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Newer Technology's GripBase Podium is perfect for hands-free iPad use
There are going to be a lot of very happy musicians, public speakers, and presenters around the world now that Newer Technology has introduced the US$49.99 GripBase Podium. Combining an adjustable-height stand with a sturdy base and a protective iPad case/holder, the GripBase Podium makes easy to keep an eye on an iPad or iPad mini screen while keeping your hands free. Design You know what a microphone stand looks like, don't you? Or a music stand? Yeah, high-quality versions of both have a heavy, flat base with an extendable vertical stand ending in either a microphone holder or a flat tray for the music. To extend the stand, you loosen up a twist lock and pull the top of the stand up, then lock it again. The GripBase Podium is identical in most ways to the microphone or music stand, except for what is attached at the top. That's where one of Newer Technology's GripBase cases attaches. The company includes a case that fits the iPad 2 through 4; if you have an original iPad or a mini, you'll need to purchase the appropriate case seperately. That case locks onto the top of the GripBase Podium, so it's not going anywhere unless you plan on picking the entire thing up. That's not exactly going to be easy, since the base weighs over 12 pounds, and the entire stand is almost impossible to tip over. Trust me, I tried. The case also rotates in 90 degree increments, so you can easily spin it into a landscape or portrait orientation depending on your needs. As a teleprompter using an app like Teleprompt+ for iPad ($14.99, not included), you can keep the screen in landscape mode, while reading music from an app like the free Musicnotes Sheet Music Viewer you may want to rotate the screen into a portrait orientation. Functionality There's not a lot to say about the functionality of the GripBase Podium, other than to say that it works exactly as advertised. The stand is quite sturdy with the heavy base, and it stays put. Any vibrations caused by tapping on the screen of the iPad are quickly damped out, even when the stand is extended to its full length. For those of you who watch TUAW TV Live on Wednesday afternoons, you'll know that bringing my guests or cohost onto the screen now requires me to connect to the other person using FaceTime HD or Skype, then grabbing their image with software for insertion into the video stream. One idea I had when I saw the GripBase Podium would be to actually use the iPad to have my guest talking through FaceTime on the iPad, "floating" next to me. Don't be surprised if you see the GripBase Podium being used for other TUAW productions in the future. The GripBase Podium can also be used as a portable kiosk mount for an iPad. You won't be able to lock down the iPad as you can with kiosks designed for professional use, but if you just need a temporary kiosk and can keep an eye on the device to make sure it's not going to walk away, you should be in good shape. Conclusion If you're a public speaker, presenter, videographer, or musician who wants a sturdy extendable stand for your iPad, the GripBase Podium is an affordable and well-designed solution. Pros Reasonably priced, considering that similar microphone stands with heavy bases sell for as much as $65 Adjustable both in height and in iPad orientation Very well built, includes the GripBase Case to hold the iPad Configurable at extra cost to fit the iPad mini and first-generation iPad Cons None Who is it for? Anyone who needs to record or read from an iPad and keep both hands free to move
NewerTech crams an optical drive in the miniStack Max, combines SD reader and up to 4TB storage
It's no secret that Apple is trying to push the optical drive the way of the Dodo, but if you have a need for the legacy technology, then you might consider going all out with the miniStack Max from Newer Technology. Like other products in the miniStack lineup, it shares the same footprint as the Mac Mini, which makes for a perfect stackable solution. There are a number of options for configuring the miniStack Max, starting with the optical drive, which extend from a DVD writer, to a Blu-ray drive or even a Blu-ray burner. Likewise, the base configuration lacks storage, but can be configured with drives that range in size between 500GB and 4TB. Rounding out the miniStack Max, you'll find an SDXC reader, three USB 3.0 ports, one eSATA port, two FireWire 800 ports and a Kensington lock slot. The miniStack Max is available now for $249.99 with a DVD burner and 1TB storage, and ranges in price from $149.99 for a bare unit (sans optical drive and storage), to $569.00 for the model with a Blu-ray writer and 4TB storage. %Gallery-187869%
Newer Technology's NuGuard KX case: MIL-STD drop protection for iPhone 5
While I was at Macworld/iWorld 2013 last month, I had the pleasure of meeting with the folks from Newer Technology at the OWC booth. One item that they were showing off at the booth was NewerTech's NuGuard KX for iPhone 5 (US$35.00), a case that manages to provide MIL-STD-810G drop protection while not adding a lot of bulk. Let's take a look. Design Looking at the NuGuard KX, you'd probably think that it's just another iPhone case, but the special characteristics of the design are built into the case. Rather than being a two or three piece case, Newer Technology has managed to cram all of the protection into a one-piece structure. There's a "X-Orbing" gel that absorbs impact energy and distributes it to keep your iPhone 5 from being damaged, surrounded by a hard (yet flexible) shell. I recall watching OWC spokesman Alan Bitterman tossing his NuGuard KX-protected iPhone 5 onto the ground at the expo, and figuring that he wouldn't be doing that if he didn't have a lot of confidence in the design. NewerTech had Quanta Laboratories perform and film the drop testing required to get the MIL-STD designation, and the company also dropped a phone from the top of the OWC wind turbine. I can see where Bitterman got his confidence. The NuGuard KX comes in a variety of colors: Darkness (black), Trooper (white), Midnight (blue), Roulette Red, Buzz (yellow and black), Rose (magenta and white), Eagle Shield (tan and brown) and Nubar Forest (forest green). Functionality The NuGuard KX is a piece of cake to install and remove, perfect if you want protection for those times you're hiking but don't want a case on your iPhone 5 all the time. The case has a nice felt-like material on the inside to keep your iPhone 5 from being scratched, a wide hole for the camera and flash, "pass-through" buttons for volume and sleep/wake/on/off, and holes for the speakers, Lightning port, headphone port, and mute button. %Gallery-178897% So, did I go out and test the NuGuard KX by dropping it from the top of the nearby Aspen Grove Apple Store (Littleton, CO) or throwing it on the floor? No. Hey, I need this phone for work... Conclusion Newer Technologies has developed a lightweight, thin, and durable iPhone 5 case that will definitely protect your investment. The NuGuard KX is perfect for any iPhone 5 owner who wants the maximum in protection at a reasonable price and minimal bulk. Pros Relatively inexpensive for a MIL-STD iPhone 5 case Comes in a variety of colors Easy to install and remove Has a lifetime warranty and 30-day money back guarantee Cons None to speak of Who is it for? Any iPhone 5 owner who wants great protection and less bulk Giveaway We have one of these hardy cases available as a giveaway. 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 February 17, 2013 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a NuGuard KX iPhone 5 case (Eagle Shield color scheme) worth $35.00 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Newer Technology Guardian MAXimus mini portable RAID solution
Newer Technology produces a wide variety of storage solutions for the Mac OS X world, and one new product is sure to be popular with anyone who needs the security of RAID storage in a portable package. The Guardian MAXimus mini is a rugged pint-sized RAID box using a pair of 2.5" SATA hard disks or solid-state disks to provide RAID-1 mirroring for mobile Mac users. Design The design of the Guardian MAXimus mini is what I've come to expect from Newer Technology. The storage solution features a rugged aluminum case measuring about 5.25" deep, 3.5" wide, and 2" high. On the front of the case is a backlit 2-line blue LCD and a set of tiny buttons that are used to check the status or change the settings of the array. There are also a set of LEDs to indicate activity and status of the two drives. The review array came with two 7200 RPM Hitachi 500 GB drives installed in a RAID-1 mirrored configuration. For maximum storage, the array could be configured as a 1 TB RAID-0 striped set. On the back of the unit are two FireWire 400/800 ports, a USB 2.0 port, and one eSATA port. When connected to a Mac via FireWire 400/800 or USB 2.0, the array is bus-powered and doesn't require external power. If you're using eSATA, you'll need to either plug in the included AC adapter or use a FireWire cable for power. Using FireWire 800, you can daisy-chain a number of the arrays for ultimate portable storage. Cables for all three interfaces are included. The array is fanless and very quiet, making just a slight noise that would disappear when filled with SSDs. Pricing of a bare Guardian MAXimus mini is US$114.99 if you wish to supply your own drives; Newer Technology also sells the array pre-loaded in mirrored configurations of 5400 RPM 320 GB ($219.99), 500 GB ($249.99), 750 GB ($319.99), or 1 TB ($394.99) hard disk drives; 7200 RPM 500 GB ($329.99) or 750 GB ($394.99) hard disk drives; or 120 GB ($449.99), 240 GB ($829.99), or 480 GB ($1659.99) solid state drives. Changing out drives requires a standard Philips screwdriver to remove two screws on the back of the case. Once those screws are removed and a small door is opened, the two drives are visible and easily accessed. Benchmarks TUAW uses a standard industry benchmark to compare the I/O capabilities of disks and arrays. The benchmark uses the AJA System Test, which simulates reading and writing video. The specific test I used was the Disk Read/Write test, also known as the DiskWhackTest, set at a video frame size of 720 x 486 8-bit and a file size of 128 MB. I tested the array in both RAID 1 and RAID 0 configuration. The test results are compared to the internal SATA drive of the test iMac. What's odd is that the RAID 0 configuration (striped set) is supposed to be faster than the mirrored set. At least in the testing I performed, RAID 1 was faster -- particularly in writing to the drive where it was almost twice the speed of RAID 0. Compared to some other FW 800 drives and arrays I've tested, the Guardian MAXimus mini in mirror mode was slightly slower in writing data but one of the fastest I've encountered in reading data. Conclusion For those who use Apple's MacBook Pro or MacBook Air notebooks in their daily work, the Guardian MAXimus mini is a perfect redundant storage companion. Being bus-powered means there's no need to drag along another power supply, and the RAID 1 capability provides a complete backup of your data at all times. Personally, I'm thinking seriously about purchasing a pair of these little arrays to replace a much larger and more problematic array in my office. The Guardian MAXimus mini won't take up as much space, won't require a separate power supply, and will certainly be much quieter. The small size means the array can also travel with me, useful for trips where I need high-capacity and relatively fast storage for video work. With the pricing, design, and performance of the Guardian MAXImus mini, Newer Technology has unleashed another winner product on the world.
Reinventing the Spudger
Here's a basic Apple geek test. Spudger. If the word means nothing to you, move on to the next post. Okay, just us now? If the term spudger means something to you -- and you know in your inner geek heart that it does because you're still here reading -- just wait 'til you hear what we have for you. TidBITS reports that the folks at Newer Technologies have re-invented the spudger! The soft, thin, pliable manipulation tool has been reimagined as an ultra thin, stainless steel weapon of Mac destruction. It's handmade in Italy of the finest rare Tuscan steel, so you can be assured of years of quality spudging (OK, I made up the "rare Tuscan steel" bit. So sue me.) Retailing for US$9.99 (slighly less street price), the iSesamo (great name, yes?) is reportedly "ideal for pros and DIYers." I haven't had an opportunity to try one out, but the TidBITs write-up suggests that it easily surpasses the standard nylon units I have in my toolbox. As a final note, a TUAW investigative team has discovered that CultOfSpudger.com, TUSpudgerW.com, 9to5Spudger.com, and SpudgerRumors.com are all available for anyone who wishes to create a dedicated spudger blog.
Newer Technology's NuTouch Gloves are a warm way to use your mobile devices
Going outside to get some exercise doesn't necessarily mean I leave my techie toys at home. In fact, I take my iPhone 4S with me everywhere so that I can keep track of how many steps I'm taking, the distance I'm walking, and so on. In the winter, I need a way to keep my hands warm and still be able to use the iPhone without taking the gloves off, and that's where the NuTouch Gloves (US$19.99) from Newer Technology might come in handy (no pun intended). These gloves are made of a dark gray cotton/Spandex mix that gives them a light feel and a lot of flexibility. Since cotton isn't conductive itself, the gloves have a conductive fiber woven into all 10 fingertips so that you can continue to use multi-touch gestures even while wearing them. NuTouch Gloves come in four sizes, so you can get a glove that fits perfectly on your hands. The gloves are warm enough for some brisk days, but won't work on their own in extremely cold weather. That's fine -- they're thin enough that they'll work as a liner inside full cold weather gloves. How do they work? Perfectly. My previous "iPhone gloves" were made by Freehands, and feature folding fingertips that reveal your thumb and forefinger when you need to touch the screen. The only problem is that this exposes your fingers to the cold during those moments when you're using the device. Not so with the NuTouch gloves, which keep those fingertips and hands warm even when you're dialing your iPhone in the freezing cold. There are other gloves of this type: TUAW blogger Michael Grothaus reviewed a similar pair of gloves from Mujjo a few weeks ago and was quite happy with them. However, the Mujjo gloves cost about $32 and don't appear to be much different from the much less expensive NuTouch Gloves. I had only one complaint about the NuTouch Gloves -- the pair I was sent for review had a rip atop the right thumb. Despite that cosmetic flaw, the gloves worked wonderfully in testing on the iPhone 4S. I've even worn them on cold days in my house, since they work great with the Magic Trackpad. I'm giving the NuTouch Gloves a warm two thumbs-up!
Newer Technology Power2U AC/USB Wall Outlet: More power to your USB devices
I'll admit that I'm not the best person to be writing about a do-it-yourself project involving electricity. After all, I've zapped myself more than once while replacing wall switches and installing light dimmers, and I once had smoke pouring from my kitchen ceiling after installing a new light fixture. But I'm going to get out my insulated gloves and screwdriver to install a Newer Technology Power2U AC/USB Wall Outlet (US$39.95) to replace a standard AC outlet in my home. The Power2U is an innovative AC wall outlet that adds two USB 3.0/2.0 ports to the standard three-prong grounded outlets. Installable on any standard 15A electrical circuit, the outlet is fully listed and approved by Underwriters Laboratory (UL). You can plug standard home fixtures such as lamps and clocks into the two AC outlets and still have two fully-powered (10 Watt) USB ports perfect for charging up your iPad, iPhone, or other favorite electronic toy. What's also nice is that you can dispense with the "wall warts" -- the power bricks that you need for every device. The Power2U has a Smart Power feature that outputs just enough power to match whatever the device being charged requires, and the USB ports have Safety Shutters that close and turn off the ports when the cable is removed. For do-it-yourselfers who are less likely to electrocute themselves than I am, the Power2U comes with a complete step-by-step manual for installation. %Gallery-140406% Before you try to install the Power2U, you might want to check the size of your receptacle box. The outlet requires a 16 cubic inch or larger receptacle -- Newer Technology notes that you should power off the existing outlet, remove the faceplate cover, and then measure the height, width, and depth of the box to get an idea of the volume of the current box. If it's too small, or if you have a fear of being zapped, contacting a licensed electrician to put in a new receptacle box and install the Power2U is a good idea. If I was building a new home, you can be sure that I'd ask the homebuilder to install at least one of the Power2U outlets in every room. The Power2U wall outlet is a new take on an old standard, and a great way to bring order to the proliferation of USB power cables in your home.
Newer Technology's GripBase and GripStand an iPad dynamic duo
There are plenty of iPad cases on the market right now, as well as iPad stands by the droves. In that respect, the Newer Technology NuGuard GripStand (US$29.99, left in photo above) is nothing really new. But the handy iPad protective case / display stand / hand grip does have a unique quality -- with the purchase of the NuGuard GripBase ($19.99), the case can be transformed into a solid desktop workstation base or iPad kiosk. Newer Technology sells the two products as a bundle for $39.99, perfect for those who are looking for a way to keep their iPads protected and close at hand both when mobile or seated at a desk. Read more for a look at how this protection system works, and be sure to browse the gallery below for photos of the GripStand and GripBase working together. %Gallery-124575%
NewerTech adapter turns eSATA into USB 3.0, makes legacy external HDDs feel young again
There's a powder-blue USB 3.0 port on the side of your shiny new computer, whispering your name, but you simply can't afford to replace your perfectly good eSATA external hard drive for the sake of compatibility. You could simply resist the urge entirely, but if you have the need for speed, there's a USB 3.0 to eSATA adapter with your name on it, and it just might come in a NewerTech case. Sure, Addonics, Siig and Bytecc sell similar, but as Everything USB points out, NewerTech did the legwork here, benchmarking the cable to be sure it could handle 206.4MB / sec writes and 247MB / sec reads. That's enough to handle most solid state drives, and you should be completely covered when it comes to anything with spinning magnetic plates. You'll find it for $30 this week at the likes of OWC.
NewerTech releases the iFolio luxury iPad case
With just a few days to go before we can actually get our hands on an iPad, Newer Technology Inc., better known to us as NewerTech, has introduced quite a fancy custom handcrafted Brazilian leather protective carrying case for the iPad. It's made in the US and comes in either black or red at an introductory price of US $99.99 (down from the MSRP of $129.99), for shipment on April 5th. It seems to be built like a battleship and is backed with a lifetime warranty. It comes with a double stitched leather handle and a shoulder strap that extends from 24" to 48". The left side, sports a 7" X 10" hard backed document sleeve and two taffeta lined pockets so you won't mar whatever you decide to put in them. The right side features 4 elastic, non-marring leather restraining straps which give you enough room to hold an iPad that's already in a silicone case. Belt and suspenders might be overkill, but can you really be too safe? Probably not, since there's also a hard shell sewn in, surrounded by soft padding and a heavy duty nylon zipper to keep it closed. The only online seller of the case so far seems to be our friends at Other World Computing. I can see one of these in my future.
Macworld 2007 Show Floor Showoff: Newer Technology
Grant Dahlke from Newer Technology took a few moments out of his busy day on the Show floor to talk to us about some of his cool products. I especially liked the USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter,which I am going to have to order soon. Grant also showed off some replacement iPod batteries that'll keep your iPod rocking for hours longer than the stock battery.If you want to watch this on your iPod, or in QuickTime, check out the interview in iPod ready video.
