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Totallee is selling iPhone 11 Pro cases ahead of Apples September iPhone event

NEWS – On Thursday, Apple sent out invites for an event September 10th at the Steve Jobs Theater. There the company is expected to introduce the world to the iPhone 11 Pro. Case maker Totallee is getting the jump on everyone by introducing cases designed for Apples newest smartphone.

Totallee already has cases for sale made for the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max. Each case sports the now-familiar square cutout. The case maker is banking that the two higher-end models will feature the rumored triple-camera design.

The cases are being offered in 3 different finishes, matte, transparent, and black leather. If you’re looking for a little color the matte finish is available in Frosted White, Frosted Black, Solid Black, Navy Blue, and Red.

As for prices, the matte and transparent options are $29 while the leather case sells for $39. The prices are the same for all models. Totallee does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. So if the case doesn’t fit the newest iPhone, you can always return it.

The cases are expected to ship on September 5th, five days before Apple’s big announcement.

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Totallee is selling iPhone 11 Pro cases ahead of Apples September iPhone event originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 30, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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PSA: Opt-out of Apple Card’s Arbitration Provision

NEWS – If you snatched up a fancy new Apple Card in the past week or so, you might want to take a good look at the terms and conditions, particularly under the Arbitration Provision section near the end of the document.

Therein it states:

By accepting this Agreement or using your Account, unless you reject arbitration as provided below, you acknowledge that YOU ARE GIVING UP THE RIGHT TO LITIGATE CLAIMS (AS DEFINED BELOW) AND THE RIGHT TO INITIATE OR PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION.

That basically means if there happens to be any sort of class action lawsuit against Apple or Goldman Sachs, or if you have a personal issue with the card, you waive the right to have a jury trial or be heard in a standard court.

Fortunately, it’s extremely simple to opt out of this provision, in this case. All you have to do is send a message to Apple through the Wallet app within 90 days of applying.

Simply select your card from the Wallet app, tap on the three dot icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, and tap on the “Message” icon. This will open up a chat window, and all you have to do from there is type out something like “I would like to reject arbitration.” Below is a record of my conversation with the Goldman Sachs representative who is probably dealing with a lot of these requests.

Yep, it’s that easy.

The whole process took all of 5 minutes. I not, however, receive any email or Wallet app notification, so I took a screenshot of the conversation and saved it in a note, just in case.

But it’s nice to see a very quick way to reach support. All in all, I really like the Apple Card so far, especially its unique interface built right in to the Wallet app. If I find any more tips or tricks I’ll have to keep them in mind for a future post.

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PSA: Opt-out of Apple Card’s Arbitration Provision originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 28, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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Flösku Remote Case and Halo Apple Homepod stand review

REVIEW – Flösku is a relatively new company based in England and their first accessories are precision crafted for Apple products. We’re taking a look at their Remote Case for Apple TV and the Halo Stand for Apple Homepod.

What are they?

The Remote Case is aptly named as it’s a two-piece case that encloses the Apple TV 4k remote. The Halo Stand is a perch specifically for the Apple Homepod. Both products being reviewed are made entirely from wood and more specifically, walnut.

What’s in the boxes?

  • Each product is lovingly packaged in the equivalent of a jewelry box and includes instructions.


Hardware specs

  • Both products are 100% walnut and assume you own the corresponding Apple product; the Apple TV remote for the Flösku Remote Case and the Apple Homepod for the Flösku Halo Stand.

Design and features

Flösku clearly both enjoys and is proficient working with wood as evidenced by these two accessories. They also create in aluminum which they use for a stand machined for the Apple Pencil, but let’s look closer at these wooden gems individually.

The Remote Case is made with two separate pieces.

A recessed frame allows the remote to nestle into place with a cut-out windows for the IR blaster at the front and the lightning charging port at the bottom. The back is perfectly flat with a machined edge that slides into grooves along the inside edges of the frame and closes completely flush. The Flösku logo is recessed into the back panel very tastefully.

Flösku added a neodymium magnet in the back panel for attaching the remote to metal objects nearby.  You’ll notice the installed remote will now have a walnut lip around the top surface, but you’ll still have full access to all the remote’s controls.

The Halo Stand is a remarkably clean and elegant donut shape (yes, there are elegant donuts out there) with a rounded surface that faces up toward the Homepod and a flat side for resting against your table.

Flösku added a small round sticker just to help easily identify which side is down as the two sides are pretty similar in profile.

Setup

Remote: Slide the back from the case towards the end where you can see there are two parts to the case. When removed, gently place your Apple TV remote face down into the frame with the charging port on the open end.

It’s a precision fit, so you may need to push the remote around the edges to seat it evenly. When done, slide the back panel back into the case from the charging end.

Halo: Place the stand flat side down and then place your Homepod on top making sure that its foot sits inside the top surface of the Halo.

Performance

When the Homepod originally launched it wasn’t too long after that there was rumbling on the interwebs of the elastomeric foot leaving discolored rings in the surfaces of wooden furniture. I didn’t experience that issue myself, but can tell you that the Halo would definitely prevent that from occurring since you’ll now have a wood-to-wood relationship. Additionally, I prefer the look of the Homepod with the Halo underneath. We have a large selection of dark woods around our house and it fits right in.

There’s no further adjustments or interactions required, unless you’re moving your Homepod from room to room for some reason, so performance critique is really deciding if anything has changed with Homepod use. I haven’t noticed any issues with the stand affecting Homepod’s sound for one. I was originally concerned that foregoing the soft rubbery foot might lead to some vibration or other rattle. Nothing of the kind presented itself. No issues either when it comes to moving the Homepod when dusting. If anything, it’s actually easier as I can slide it out of the way and back again without having to upend the Homepod and clean the rubber foot.

As for the remote, there’s a little more performance to consider looking at the case as it’s now in your hand constantly.

The walnut just feels great to hold. It’s warm and smooth and the raised perimeter allows you to hold it without accidentally  hitting the touchpad area until you’re ready to actually do so.

The IR blaster at the front of the remote lines up with the hole beautifully, as does the charging port with enough clearance for lightning connectors with overmolds larger than Apple’s own cables. The remote doesn’t need to be charged often, but it’s certainly nice to not need to remove the case for charging.

The magnet feature in the case doesn’t offer much functionality, as it’s not strong enough to hang the remote on any surfaces and doesn’t seem to aid keeping the back cover in place either. It could provide some stability if your side table is metal, but even that’s a stretch.

What I like

  • Warm walnut color and feel
  • Quality precision build
  • Compliments the Apple products they’re for
  • Remote case can stay on for charging

What I’d change

  • Remove the magnet on the Remote Case (no benefit)
  • Offer more wood and color options on both products

Final thoughts

Making accessories for accessories can be really hard for many different reasons. Flösku has found a way to create a family of products that are beautiful, compliment each other and enhance functionality (or at a minimum without impeding it). If you’ve got some of the aforementioned Apple accessories and like natural materials, these are worth a look.

Price: $43.81 – Flösku Remote Case for Apple TV, Walnut | $50.08 – Flösku Halo Stand for Apple Homepod, Walnut
Where to buy: Flösku
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Flösku.

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Flösku Remote Case and Halo Apple Homepod stand review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 12, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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Why did Apple’s AirPower fail?


ARTICLE – In 2017, Apple made a rather astonishing and equally exciting announcement during the iPhoneX/8 launch event. It would be bringing an innovative Qi-enabled wireless charger to market called AirPower.

Wireless chargers were nothing new at the time — they’re certainly rampant now — but the AirPower stood out because it could simultaneously charge several devices. Purportedly, it would be able to charge one of the newer iPhone models, an Apple Watch and the company’s second-generation AirPods all at once.

Another reason the Apple-branded charger was significant is that most third-party chargers require a special adapter or configuration to work with Apple devices. With the AirPower, one could simply place their devices on the pad.

However, on March 29, 2019, Apple officially announced its plans to cancel the product. It’s no longer coming, ever, and that’s a huge bummer. The company says it’s because it could not deliver the quality of products it is known for. Then again, that is changing — considering more recent developments about the longevity of Apple AirPods and misconceptions about the company’s planned obsolescence with its smartphones.

What Really Happened to the AirPower Charging Pad?

It’s unlikely we’ll ever know the full story behind AirPower, but it must be long and convoluted considering how much time transpired before Apple canceled the project. It was originally announced in September 2017 and meant for release in early 2018, yet the company didn’t cancel it until March of this year. More importantly, during that entire time, product demonstrations, updates and information were almost nonexistent.

Apple’s official statement is not very telling, either. “After much effort, we’ve concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have canceled the project. We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward,” said Dan Riccio, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering.

Some reports have suggested that overheating was a major concern, which does happen with powerful chargers of this caliber. Another possibility is that because the charger had to accommodate so many devices, it required more coils and that meant RF exposures would be too high — unable to stay below FCC limits.

Whatever the case, this is a pretty embarrassing event for everyone at Apple headquarters. Mistakes and errors happen, of course, but it’s the fanfare with which the charger was announced that is so questionable. The company went so far as to include references on other products — the second-gen Apple AirPods were delayed and even teased the AirPower on its packaging — and also promote the new product on its official site.

This does bring up one important question: How early should Apple be announcing products?

Sometimes, it is beneficial to know a new product is on the way, as this can prevent people from upgrading to an older or obsolete model shortly before launch. With things like AirPower, however, announcing too early causes confusion and embarrassment. It could have avoided this simply by not talking about the product until it was ready for distribution.

However, when you have a tech giant like Apple constantly pushing the envelope, these things are bound to happen eventually. The AirPower was not the only problematic launch for Apple, and it won’t be the last.

What’s Next?

Undoubtedly, this is an opportunity for Apple to reflect on the future development of its products and the company’s engineering process. It may be a little more conservative about announcing products early — at least, one can only hope.

The worst-case scenario is that rampant errors and failed launches become a normal occurrence, but it’s still way too early to say whether or not that’s a possibility. It’s more likely this is a rare event, and the company will continue to launch successful, innovative products its customers enjoy.

Photo by Ben Kolde

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Why did Apple’s AirPower fail? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 12, 2019 at 12:00 pm.

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Apple Airpad cancelled, Nomad offers alternative

NEWS – Apple has just announced that they are putting the final nail in the AirPad coffin. (Photo credit for above shot goes to The Verge.) Matthew Panzarino at TechCrunch has the dirty details: “After a delay of over a year since it was first announced in September of 2017, the AirPower charging mat has become something of a focal point for Apple’s recent habit of announcing envelope tickling products and not actually shipping them on time.” Sometimes, Physics wins over engineering hubris. So it goes.

So, what shall we do, if we want a single device that can handle the terrific trio of charging (iPhone, Apple Watch, and wireless AirPods)? Our friends at Nomad have an answer. Their Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition has three Qi-certified charging coils across the charging pad. (The photo below is a promo shot from Nomad’s product listing.) The pad itself can charge two iPhones or an iPhone and AirPods in a wireless Charging Case at the same time thanks to 7.5 watts of power across those coils, according to an iMore review.

Did you, like me, rush to buy the wireless AirPods, thinking that the AirPad was just over the horizon? Are you going to use a different wireless solution, or take advantage of Apple’s 14 day return policy and fall back to a wired charging pair and spend the extra $50 on a nice steak dinner? Let’s discuss the Nomad solution and any others in the comments. Maybe we can get some of these solutions into the hands of willing Gadgeteers to test and review.

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Apple Airpad cancelled, Nomad offers alternative originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 31, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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