Gadzooki

Last Minute Holiday Gifts for the Apple Geek

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Christmas is just a few days away. The malls are crowded, the stores are out of stock, and you still haven’t bought a gift for your special someone.  If he or she happens to be an avid Apple user, then you’re in luck. There are lots of gadgets and gizmos that you can get within hours of ordering. These are the perfect last-minute gifts! [Read more…]

BookBook Case for the iPhone 4

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BookBookiPhone

The iPhone is definitely one of the most sought after mobile phones in the market today, and it is also one of the most expensive. In most parts of the world, unless you get the iPhone linked to a telecomm provider contract, the price of the phone can be rather ridiculous. Then again, it does serve as more than a phone, so many people consider the price worth it.

When it comes to buying expensive gadgets, it is also worth purchasing accessories that will help protect the gadgets from normal wear and tear. The iPhone 4 is no different. And if you are looking for an iPhone 4 case, here is an excellent choice: the BookBook iPhone 4 Case.

There is no dearth of iPhone 4 cases in the market – that is for sure. From plastic cases to leather cases to rubber cases – you can find practically any kind at a wide range of prices. If you want to go for the vintage look, though, the BookBook iPhone 4 Case is perfect. As you can see in the image above, the leather is worn beautifully, making it look as if your grandfather had used it lovingly for ages. If you are a bookworm, this case will appeal to you even more.

The BookBook iPhone 4 Case is more than a phone case, though, and this is what really appeals to me.

BookBookiPhone_LeftBookBookiPhone_Left

BookBookiPhone

Taking a look at the image above, you can see that there the BookBook iPhone 4 Case has pockets for other important stuff – things that you would normally put in your wallet. As such, this iPhone 4 case doubles as a wallet! This is actually exactly what I have been looking for. If you think about it, when you do not want to have much with you when you go out, the two items that you will most likely carry is your phone and your wallet. Now if you can put them together, that would just be perfect! And that is exactly what the BookBook iPhone 4 Case does.

This iPhone 4 case is being sold by TwelveSouth for $59.99, which is a very competitive price. If you are in the US, you are in luck as they offer free shipping.

Lexar Releases USB 3.0 Card Reader

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If you’ve ever owned any kind of portable device with removable storage then you will be quite familiar with the interminable wait you will have to go through when transferring large volumes of files from your memory card to your PC. If you are working in a field where constant file transfers are a necessity (for example, photography) or you are just the type who accumulates large files in your device then a fast transfer solution is what you need. How about a USB 3.0 card reader?

This is precisely what Lexar has recently developed and released to the market. The company has come out with a new card reader that discards the standard USB 2.0 with the new tech, and high-speed USB 3.0. The Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual Slot Reader is the answer large file hogs have been praying for. This new generation Dual Slot Reader still sports the dual slot design the first gen Reader had. This means compatibility. You can insert Secure Digital and Compact Flash cards into this baby. Of course Micro SD is also supported as long as you have the SD card adapter. The Lexar Dual Slot Reader also features a pop-up design that protects the innards from dust, which ensures accurate reading capabilities for this product.

The bump from USB 2.0 to USB 3.0 is, of course, the big development here, and the improvement is quite noticeable. Standard USB 2.0 transfer rates are only clocked at about 40MB per second. Compare it with the blazingly fast speed of 500MB per second and you’ll immediately realize that USB 3.0 is THE answer to the constant transfer of large sized files to your computer. And this is most evident when you take pictures. Larger resolution pictures translate to larger file sizes. With the standard high resolution photos now reaching 10MB in size, a reader like this one from Lexar is what is needed.

Sanyo Eneloop Mobile Booster Gets a Boost

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Sanyo Eneloop

Until recently, I never realized just how quickly the battery goes when your main mobile device does all the work of a phone, mp3 player, portable games device, and e-book reader. That’s due to the fact that I used different devices for different purposes. Then the iPhone entered my life. Truth be told, it’s been lurking for the past several years, but I finally gave in. And I discovered just how quickly I run out of juice. If you have an iPhone or any similar smartphone, then you know just how critical it is to charge your battery everyday. It is a pain, but it is more of pain to have an empty battery in the middle of the day without a way to charge it.

That’s where the Sanyo Eneloop Mobile Booster comes very very handy. This accessory is primarily meant to provide a means of charging the battery of your device without having to plug into a wall socket. The underlying concept is simple: the Sanyo Eneloop Mobile Booster stores energy when plugged into a computer via the USB port or a wall socket. Once charged, the energy stored in the Sanyo Eneloop Mobile Booster can be transferred to your iPhone, or any USB-compatible device.

The news-worthy thing is that Sanyo has released two new models of the Sanyo Eneloop Mobile Booster, namely the KBC-L2B and the KBC-E1S. The former is the most powerful of its kind you can find in the market today, with two Lithium-Ion batteries of 5000mAh. This model can charge two devices at a time, which makes it perfect for those who have lots of gadgets. More so, it also has a micro USB plug, which allows you to charge even more devices. You can charge this booster by plugging it to a wall socket (7 hours) or to a computer via the USB port (14 hours).

The latter model, KBC-E1S, has two Ni-MH batteries. This can be charged by plugging it to your computer via USB, which takes about 4 hours for a complete charge.

The new Sanyo Eneloop Mobile Booster models will be available in Japan in September. They ought to find their way to the rest of the world pretty soon after.

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Cocoon CLS456 Sleeve for All Your Apple Gadgets

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Cocoon CLS456 Sleeve Red Front

How many Apple gadgets do you have in your possession? The chances are that, if you are an Apple head, you would have a Mac (MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air – it doesn’t matter which one), an iPad, an iPod, and an iPhone. Or at least a couple of those items.

If that’s you, then you would also know how much of a pain it can be to lug around all those gadgets. Of course, there is the option of leaving most of them behind, but there are instances when you do need to have them with you. There are a lot of bags you can buy for all sorts of gadgets, but so far, there does not seem to be a lot which are especially made to handle the variety of Apple gadgets in one carrier.

Enter the Cocoon CLS456 Sleeve. While it is called a sleeve, as far as I can see, it practically functions as a bag as well. You have the option of using the hand strap, of if you prefer to make better use of your shoulders, the Cocoon CLS456 Sleeve has an adjustable shoulder strap as well.

What is great about the Cocoon CLS456 Sleeve is the fact that is meant to be carry and protect a MacBook or a MacBook Pro, plus an iPad. You can also add your iPhone and/or iPod into the mix. The edge this bag has is that the gadgets will fit perfectly. It’s not too small, neither is it too large.

Cocoon CLS456 Sleeve Red Back

Cocoon CLS456 Sleeve Red Back

As you can see, the compartments are enough to carry most – if not all – of your Apple gadgets. Unless you have two or three of each Apple gadget in the market, this should be more than enough!

Another cool thing is that the Cocoon CLS456 Sleeve comes with GRID-ITTM, a rubberized woven elastic mesh that allows you to organize your gadgets inside the compartments. No need to worry about your iPhone and iPods rattling around. You can even add other digital devices – GRID-ITTM is fully configurable.

There is a downside to the Cocoon CLS456 Sleeve, though. It only fits the 13-inch laptops. If you have something bigger than that, then you just have to look elsewhere for the perfect bag. As for me, I am seriously considering getting one. For $69.99, it is a good buy.

Glasses Designed To Reduce Eye Fatigue

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My work is one hundred percent reliant on a computer. What this means is that I spend an inordinate amount of time facing a monitor, typing away. I usually clock in 12 hour days so by the end of the day, I’m really tired and my eyes are so fatigued I sometimes have difficulty focusing on objects. [Read more…]

HI-Fi Speakers From a Brand Favorite

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Computer speakers are usually one of the PC components that are not usually given much attention. It’s a peripheral so as peripherals go, it is set aside for other upgrades the computer owner feels are more essential. But if you use your computer a lot and also use it for entertainment purposes like listening to music or watching videos then a good pair of speakers is essential. [Read more…]