2 days ago
Category Archives: reviews
A (pen) Quiver for your Moleskine notebook
Despite the overwhelmingly digital nature of my life these days, I am still in love with paper and pens. Granted, I don’t get to use them as often as I used to when I was in school but I still enjoy a well-balanced pen that writes smoothly and crisply and a fresh pad of paper. To satisfy this need, I have a Moleskine notebook and a Pilot Hi-Tec-C pen and I try to keep them close to me wherever I go to jot down quick notes and thoughts. However, keeping a pen with that notebook has always proven to be harder than I thought, at least until now.
I came across the Quiver, a product by Quiver Global thanks to The Gadgeteer. It’s an elastic and leather contraption that attaches to a hardcover notebook and holds a pen or two for you. The single-pen version slips over the spine of your notebook and the double-pen version slips over the front cover. Though I only wanted a single-pen holder, I didn’t want that version interfering with my ability to keep the notebook open and write in it, so I opted for the double-pen version since that slides on over the front cover instead of the spine.
The picture above shows what it looks like on my 5-inch by 8.25-inch Moleskine notebook (a Le Petit Prince limited edition version that I purchased through Amazon
I find that it works very well and doesn’t interfere much at all with my ability to write in the notebook. I use my notebook to jot down to do lists, outline projects and sometimes a little poem or bit of prose here and there. When I leave the house, the notebook almost always goes with me if I’m carrying a messenger bag and/or my laptop.
You can order the Quiver from Amazon here
The version of the Quiver I have fits notebooks with covers between 8 inches and 9.25 inches tall. It does not fit the Morris Lessmore Dodocase for the iPad that I reviewed recently, in case you were wondering (its cover is 10 inches tall).
Given how little I use pens these days, my pen collection is very lackluster at the moment. However, I do have a unique stainless steel pen with a neat holder and a Hi Tec C cartridge heading my way eventually thanks to Kickstarter. I backed the Pen Type-A back in September and they’ve been having trouble with fabrication so delivery is taking far longer than expected (which seems to be normal for every Kickstarter project I’ve backed to date) but I’m looking forward to receiving that. I’ll definitely post about that when I receive it since it’s a unique item not yet available anywhere else.
Review: Morris Lessmore DODOcase for the iPad 3
Every time I get a new gadget, I am tempted to buy a new case or other accessory for it, and I usually succumb to this temptation. This was definitely the case (see what I did there?) for my new iPad 3 and I ordered the Morris Lessmore DODOcase for it. I’ve now had it for a few weeks and have been enjoying it quite a bit.
The Morris Lessmore case, which costs $64.95, was made in partnership with Moonbot Studios in honor of the Oscar-winning animated short film, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. (You can buy the short film directly from the iTunes Store here and there’s also an interactive iPad book app for it here.)
The case looks and feels just like a hardcover book on the outside and is made by hand using traditional bookbinding techniques. The exterior of this particular model (DODOcase offers several different models with different materials and color combinations) is faux red leather and it has a cream linen cloth interior. As with all of DODOcase’s cases, it has a bamboo frame on the inside to hold the iPad, with rubber pads in the corner to grip it and cushion it within the frame.
Here’s my video review of it:
DODOcase has made improvements since the original version I owned for the first-generation iPad (you can see my review of that version here on my old site) – the iPad is very secure in the frame and the rubber pads are solidly stuck to the frame, which was not quite the case with the first case I had from them a couple of years ago.
I know my video reviews can be very, uh, thorough, so here are the pros and cons in case it’s TL;DR for you:
Pros:
- Sturdy and well-made
- Lovely, looks just like a book
- Excellent iPad camouflage
- Holds iPad securely but not so tightly that it’s too difficult to remove
Cons:
- Expensive
- Hard to stand up in landscape orientation on slick surfaces
If you’re looking for a high-quality, well-made case for your iPad, I definitely recommend DODOcase’s products. Though it’s a bit expensive, the Morris Lessmore DODOcase is both pleasing to look at and use and holds and protects the iPad well. It’s compatible with both the iPad 3 and the iPad 2 and can be purchased directly from DODOcase here.
Disclosure: I purchased this case with my own money. It was not provided to me by Dodocase or any of its affiliates for review purposes.
I recorded this video with my iPhone 4S and a neat stand/tripod mount accessory called the Capta, provided by BiteMyApple.co. You can see more information about the Capta here and it’s next on my review list.
Related reviews:
Treegloo case for the iPad 2
Portenzo case for the iPad 1
Review: Acme Made Skinny Sleeve for Apple’s MacBook Air
Image courtesy of Acme Made
I’ve always loved the look and feel of Apple’s aluminum laptops and while they’re pretty sturdy, they’re not immune to scratches and dents, even when they’re carried inside another bag. Though I have several laptop bags with dedicated compartments, my 11-inch MacBook Air is small enough that it can fit into other bags I have that lack a dedicated space for a laptop. For these bags, I wanted a slim yet protective sleeve for my MacBook Air and chose the Acme Made Skinny Sleeve
There are ton of sleeves out there for the MacBook Air but the Acme Made Skinny Sleeve caught my eye for a few reasons. First, it has some additional reinforcement built into walls of the sleeve to provide even more protection against dents. Second, it’s a very slim, low-profile sleeve that adds little bulk to the already-thin MacBook Air. Third, though I’m not the kind of girl who’s drawn to pretty colors, I really liked the dark eggplant color available as a nice alternative from the black cases and bags I usually buy.
So far, the Acme Made Skinny Sleeve is definitely living up to my expectations and is keeping my MacBook Air protected, all while looking sleek and professional in the process and I have only a few tiny gripes about it. Read on or watch my video review after the break to find out more.
Review: Case-Mate Pop! With Stand for the iPhone 4/4S
Through Google Offers, I recently had a chance to get a Case-Mate product at a discount and chose the
iPhone 4/4S Pop! Case with Stand. There are a few different cases in the new Pop! line and this one has a pop-out stand on the back to hold the iPhone upright in landscape or portrait orientation. This case retails for $40 and comes in a variety of colors. I chose the all-black color option and after using it for a couple of weeks, I’ve found it to have some great features combined with a handful of negative aspects that put it just out of the running as my go-to case for my iPhone 4S. Read on to find out why.
Review: Just Mobile AluCube + AluPen
If you couldn’t already tell, I have a bit of a thing for styli. One of the first styli I acquired last year was the Just Mobile AluPen, a chunky stylus reminiscent of the fat Crayola crayons I used as a child. To go along with this stylus, Just Mobile has created a desk stand called the AluCube to store the AluPen in ready position while matching your other Apple products at the same time.
Just Mobile has been lauded for its product designs before and the AluCube + AluPen combination appears to be no exception when it comes to sleek minimalism. Read on my for my review to see if this package is a worthy addition to your desk.
Review: Just Mobile’s Lazy Couch keeps your laptop cool
I have a Rev. B (late 2008) MacBook Air. While I love it, it runs a bit warm, as the early MacBook Airs were known to do. From what I understand, it doesn’t get as toasty as the first-generation MacBook Airs, but its temperature does get up there. I’ve used Just Mobile’s Cooling Bar (see my review of it here) as both a passive cooling method and ergonomic accessory for some time now, which has worked quite well for me. But I’ve just found something better thanks to the kind folks at Just Mobile.
Review: Fabrix’s ‘Fifth October’ Steve Jobs tribute iPhone case
The Steve Jobs tribute case by Fabrix that I mentioned earlier this month has arrived. Fabrix began offering these cases as a tribute to Steve, designing them out of denim and black cloth as an homage to his penchant for jeans and black turtlenecks. It’s called the Fifth October case to note the date of Steve’s death.
Review: Quirky PowerCurl – a power cord organizer for your Mac laptop
While I admire the split design of the power cord for Apple’s portable computers, they’re not the easiest to wind up neatly when you’re using both of the included cords. I find myself carrying and using both of them when I’m about and about so that I can reach power outlets that are more than 5 feet away from me and to avoid blocking an outlet that could be used by someone else with the power brick.
To solve this problem, designer Jeff Scholen created the PowerCurl, a product idea that was submitted to, refined, and created through Quirky. I helped influence the PowerCurl (a tiny, tiny bit) during the design phase and purchased one when they became available for retail sale and it has been a staple in my gear bag ever since. Read on for my review and a video overview of it in action.
Review: Adonit’s Jot Pro Stylus for the iPad
Image courtesy of Adonit
I’ve now spent a couple of weeks with the Jot Pro stylus and like it a lot – enough to get rid of the other styli I’ve collected over the past year and a half or so since the iPad first came out. It offers more precision than the other rounded-rubber-thing tipped styli currently on the market. And it has an ingenious hidden feature: a magnet that lets you attach it temporarily to your iPad 2 to prevent it from rolling way if you need to take a break from writing for a few moments.
The Jot Pro’s tip is metal with a clear plastic disc over it. You can see where you’re writing more easily and it writes very smoothly, feeling almost like you’re using a pen on paper.
My detailed review is now up on YouTube – it’s embedded here after the break.
Review: Just Mobile’s Laptop Cooling Bar
Image courtesy of Just Mobile's Flickr
Have you been looking for a highly portable way to prop up your laptop and improve its ability to cool itself while on the go?
This is a product that has actually been out for quite a while now but is still a staple in my gear bag when I travel and I even use it at home. It’s simply a bar of solid machined aluminum made by Just Mobile to prop up your laptop to allow air to circulate under it to keep it cooler, and to raise the keyboard to a more ergonomic angle for typing.
The MSRP of the cooling bar is $39.99 and you can find it on Just Mobile’s site here or on Amazon. Read on for my full review so you can determine if it’s worthy of a spot in your gear bag too.
