Categories / iPhone

SteelSeries Stratus

SteelSeries Stratus is a wireless gaming controller for iOS devices – $79.99

When Apple announced Bluetooth controller support in iOS 7 I got excited about all the possibilities that this would bring. I play a lot of games on my iPad but I have stayed away from most of the ones that require advanced, on-screen controls. Virtual controls just don’t work as well as I’m used to, growing up with Nintendo, SEGA, XBOX and Playstation gaming systems. But now, with this new move by Apple, everything would change for iOS, right?

Well, a few quite good gaming controllers have been released lately, but most of them are just hardware add-ons for the iPhone. Since I do most of my gaming on an iPad I wanted a standalone, wireless controller and that’s exactly what SteelSeries have made with the Stratus. It connects to your iOS device using Bluetooth and gives you about 10 hours of gameplay on every charge. Despite the relatively small design it still packs dual analog sticks, a d-pad and all the buttons you will ever need in a game.

There is still no way to filter out games that support gaming controllers in the App Store, but two of my favorite games are Oceanhorn and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Now let’s all hope that Apple decides to make an App Store for Apple TV and lets us use these gaming controllers to play iOS games on our TVs. This would be a serious competition to XBOX One, Playstation 4 etc.

Get SteelSeries Stratus now

Photo by: Pixels & Objects

Apple Lightning & Micro USB Nomad Cables

Nomad Cables are highly pocketable USB cables for your iOS or Android devices – $15-25

In order to be prepared for anything that the day brings I usually carry a lot of gadgets and accessories in my bag. To reduce its weight and size, and because I just like it this way, I prefer to keep most of my gear small and light-weight. USB cables is no exception and I really like them as short as possible. After trying out a lot of different options, I have come to the conclusion that Kero makes the best Lightning and Micro USB cables for my needs.

The Nomad cables are short but can still bend a lot, something that is convenient when used together with devices like the Dark Energy Reservoir.  The build-quality is good and the Lightning version is of course Apple MFi certified. There’s not much more to be said, they are just cables after all, but I can’t recommend the Nomads enough. This is a great gift for anyone who owns a smart phone and it’s something you can keep in any bag or jacket pocket and hardly notice it’s there until you need it.

Get Apple Lightning & Micro USB Nomad Cables now

Photo by: Pixels & Objects

Dark Energy Reservoir

Dark Energy Reservoir is a powerful external USB battery pack in a sleek design – $129

Our mobile devices make our life so much easier and more fun, but without power they’re totally worthless. When at home or at work most of us are able to keep our phones and tablets charged up, but power isn’t always as easy to find while on the go. You can always bring a wall charger and hope to find an outlet somewhere but why not bring your own little box of power along instead?

The Dark Energy Reservoir isn’t the first device of it’s kind but it’s one of the best portable battery packs I have come across so far, and also one that I use myself on a daily basis. It launched as a Kickstarter project in early 2013 but it is now available to anyone to purchase. The Reservoir has a very nice and slim design, excellent build quality and it can recharge an iPhone 5S almost five times in a row.

I keep one lightning cable (to charge my iPhone and iPad mini), one mini-USB cable (to charge the battery pack itself) and a Dark Energy Reservoir in my bag at all times. This little device has been a blessing to me while using my phone as a personal WiFi hotspot at coffee shops, on long flights and on hikes far away from power outlets.

➤ Get Dark Energy Reservoir now

Photo by: Pixels & Objects

Peek Calendar

Peek is an iPhone calendar app with unusual but very natural controls and a stunning UI – $1.99

No one can argue that there has been an overload of calendar apps for iPhone recently. I have tried a lot of them but so far none of them have really made me ditch the default iOS Calendar app. Apple’s own solution is working well for me but it sure has a few annoyances and unnecessary steps to access basic actions. So every time a new competitor shows up I’m checking it out.

Peek Calendar was released today and it looks like a winner to me. The official website uses the tag line “The calendar humanized” and even though that’s a bold statement I think they’re on to something. Peek has a very neat and flat UI that reminds me a bit about the to-do manager Clear. What’s even more important is the way you browse though the information and access the different controls. You can touch on a day to fold out all your calendar entries for that day and then touch again to close it. Touch and hold your finger for 0.5 seconds to create a new entry and then use all kinds of sliding controls to enter information. It feels very natural even though it’s a pretty different UI compared to most other apps.

I highly recommend that you watch this video because it made me buy the app:

Not only did Square Mountains create a good calendar app but they did a good job on the website and promo material as well.

➤ Get Peek Calendar now

Photo by: Square Mountains