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UAG teases new straps for Apple Watch

NEWS – UAG (aka: Urban Armor Gear) is well known for making ruggedized cases for your devices that ensure they survive everything you put them through. Well it appears that UAG is now looking at how they might apply their brand to accessories for Apple Watch as you might have guessed from the above photo.

This care package arrived at my doorstep last week sporting two different straps.

Here’s a closer look. The leather strap is a soft leather in a warm cocoa color with some internal padding and beefed up hardware that has that survivalist vibe. The snap in the second strap keeper and the debossed UAG logos are nice touches.

The nylon strap is a grey camo pattern with bolder sewn-in labels, sturdy lugs the same width as the watch itself and a big pivot link for easily securing your watch with the velcro strap.

There’s no mention of these mysterious straps on UAG’s site yet, so if you’re interested and want to find out more, hit the site up regularly or let us know in the comments and we’ll pass it along. – Cheers!

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UAG teases new straps for Apple Watch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 8, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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The Togvu Batfree is an Apple Watch band that charges your watch while you wear it

 

NEWS – All of the Apple watch bands, be they rubberized for sports and everyday activity or leather/metal for the fashion conscious, have one thing in common: they can’t charge your watch. Because of this, most users must slap their watches on a charger overnight. The Batfree by Togvu aims to increase the time you can wear your Apple watch by building a wireless charger into the watch band itself.

 

 

Made of silicone, the Batfree band has two Li-polymer batteries embedded into the sides of the strap that supply power to a wireless charging coil. The band doesn’t provide constant power to the watch, however,  and the user must press a button by the watch crown to activate charging. According to Togvu, the band should supply an extra 27 hours of run time to the watch’s existing 18.

The Batfree is available for pre-order from Togvu for $49. Once the pre-order period is over, the full price will be $79. It’s available in red and black for Apple watch series 2, 3 and 4 and for various sizes. Pre-ordered Batfree bands are expected to ship by the end of May.

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The Togvu Batfree is an Apple Watch band that charges your watch while you wear it originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 1, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition review

REVIEW – Looking for an alternative to Apples now defunct Airpower wireless charging pad? I finally got my hands on Nomad’s Base Station Apple Watch Edition, and it just might be the perfect replacement.

What is it?

The Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition is a wireless charging pad for Apple iPhones and AirPods with an integrated Apple Watch charger.

Hardware specs

  • 3 Qi-certified coils at 7.5W wireless charging each
  • Integrated MFi-certified Apple Watch Charger
  • Padded leather wireless charging surface
  • LED charging indicators
  • Ambient light sensor dims LED’s at night

What’s in the box?

  • Wireless charging pad
  • A/C adaptor
  • International EU & UK adapters

Design and features

I reviewed Nomad’s Base Station Hub Edition back in November, and the Apple Watch Edition uses the same design. It retains the sleek lightweight aluminum chassis and the soft padded leather charging surface. 

There are 3 LED charging indicators on the front and an ambient light sensor on the back.

On the bottom of the device, there are two no-slip grip rubber feet.

The only obvious difference is the integrated magnetic Apple Watch charger. Its located on the back left of the charging pad. There’s even a small rubber pad that cradles the bottom of your Apple Watch when it’s on the charger.

Charging

Like the Hub Edition, the Apple Watch Edition has 3 Qi-certified charging coils, allowing multiple charging orientations for your phone.

Or you can simultaneously charge your phone and Apple AirPods with wireless charging case.

Charging with this device is simple, all you have to do is center your phone over a coil, and it begins to charge.

To charge your Apple Watch just place it onto the magnetic charger.

The built-in Apple Watch charger is compatible with Apple’s Nightstand Mode. This allows you to see the time, date, and your alarm. You can interact with Nightstand Mode by tapping your nightstand.

It’s great for me because I don’t use an alarm clock and my previous charger wasn’t compatible with Nightstand Mode. It’s now nice to roll over and tap my nightstand to see what time it is without having to pick up my phone.

No more clutter

The best thing about the Apple Watch Edition, it instantly decluttered my nightstand. I went from having separate chargers (and their cords) for my Apple Watch and iPhone XS Max to one single beautiful charging pad for both. Thank you, Nomad.

What I like

  • Premium design
  • Compatible with Nightstand Mode
  • Decluttered my nightstand
  • It’s made by Nomad

What needs to be improved

  • Nothing

Final Thoughts

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Nomad’s products and the Base Station Apple Watch Edition is no exception. If you charge your Apple Watch every night like I do It’s the perfect bedside companion.

The Apple AirPower charger is dead, long live the Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition!

Price: $139.95
Where to buy: Nomad and B&H Photo
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Nomad.

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Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 18, 2019 at 10:34 am.

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Dress up your Apple Watch with the Golden Knight stingray strap

CROWDFUNDING NEWS – Apple Watches are everywhere.  Most people like the sporty look, but there are many folks that prefer a dressier look.  Golden Knight has just launched a Kickstarter campaign for their genuine stingray watch strap.  It is designed to give the Apple Watch, or any watch with a 22mm spring bar lug (Tag Heuer Carrera and others), a classy, dressy look.

The strap has the following features:

  1. High-quality stainless-steel Apple Watch Connectors that are compatible with all watches that use 22mm spring-bar straps
  2. Genuine vegetable-tanned cowhide leather backing
  3. Dual-deployment stainless-steel butterfly clasp with laser etched logo
  4. Sustainably-sourced Genuine Stingray Leather

The strap will be available with stainless steel hardware in three colors, silver, black or rose gold.

The straps will all be hand-assembled and inspected in south Florida and will come with a limited lifetime guarantee.

Golden Knight is very, very early into their Kickstarter funding campaign, having launched on March 12.  As of March 15, early AM, they have only raised $1,356 of their all-or-nothing $50,000 goal.  Pledge rewards are a strap in your hardware color choice for $125, a large strap in your hardware color choice for $150, or a strap with all three colors of hardware for $175. The funding period runs until April 21, 2019. The shipping target is July 2019.

If you’re looking for a dressed-up look for your 22mm strap watch, this might just be the strap you’re looking for. If their funding campaign takes off, this might be a stingray of sunshine for your wrist. You can learn more from Golden Knight, and Kickstarter.

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Dress up your Apple Watch with the Golden Knight stingray strap originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 15, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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Meridio Vintage Apple Watch Band review

REVIEW – When Apple debuted their Watch nearly 4 years ago, one of the selling points was the option to swap out the bands … sporty silicone, stainless steel links, and of course, classic leather, like Meridio’s Vintage Apple Watch Band.

What is it?

Meridio’s Vintage style watch band is a rugged, stylish leather watch band specifically made for the Apple Watch. It comes in several colors and includes matching hardware to fit the style of your Apple Watch’s finish.

Fine leather, nice details.

Hardware specs

  • Color: brown
  • Materials: soft calf’s leather
  • Origin: Italy
  • Hardware color options: Gold, Silver, Space Grey, Black, Rose Gold, Stainless
  • Designed for Apple Watch Series 4, works with all previous versions
  • Optional initial engraving

What’s in the box?

  • the leather Watch band (Watch not included, obviously)
The packaging is nice but maybe a little excessive.

Design and Features

One of my favorite features of my Apple Watch is how easy it is to swap the bands. I have around 5 different bands that I cycle through depending on what I’m wearing that day or what I’ll be doing. So I was excited to get my hands on what would be my first leather band, Meridio’s Vintage style Apple Watch band.

The construction and quality of this band is very good. It is made from thick, Italian soft calf’s leather (which may be a turn-off for some). So it’s sure to last for quite some time and look better with age. Indeed, when I first started wearing it, there were no marks on the band, but after just a couple weeks of daily wear, there were a plenty of creases and nicks. I love that worn look.

You can see the creases and wear from as little as a couple weeks of normal use. They even punched my initials into the end of the band.

During the initial break-in period, the band was fairly stiff, even uncomfortable, until it started forming to the shape of my wrist. The hardware used in the buckle and watch fasters matches the finish on the watch and comes in several colors. Being a belt-style fastener, it offers the possibility of being either a little too tight or a little too loose. My wrist always seems to fall into that trap, but I usually just go with the looser option.

Overall, I really like the band. The color of the fine leather is practical for casual or formal dress, and it has nice details in the hardware and the thread looped near the base of the watch. The only negative I could think of would be the price, as is the case with most leather goods. You’d be looking at just over $100 for the band.

But, there are plenty of individuals who end up spending more money on watch bands than on the Apple Watch itself. Since nearly all bands have been compatible ever since the Series 1, and likely will be with future iterations of the Apple Watch, owning a band that will look even better years later is an attractive option for many collectors.

Like with any other belt style attachment, it could run a little loose or tight.

What I like

  • very handsome, goes with everything
  • will certainly last longer than your Apple Watch
  • looks better with age

What needs to be improved

  • may take a while to break in
  • expensive

Final thoughts

One of the best parts about owning an Apple Watch is collecting bands to adjust your style and function to your activity or mood. And Meridio’s offering adds a touch of class that will likely last longer than your Watch, albeit for a high price of entry.

Price: $104.00 (but currently on sale at $76)
Where to buy: You can pick up a Vintage Watch Band in several colors directly from Meridio’s website.
Source: The sample of this Apple Watch band was provided by Meridio. You can find out more and check out their other fine leather products on their website.

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Meridio Vintage Apple Watch Band review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 20, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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