360 DEGREES Weblog

With most, if not all iPhone cases that provide superior protection comes the caveat of added bulk.  And by added bulk we mean an unsightly bulge in your pocket.

The iPhone 4 LifeProof case however, sports a full IP-68 military rating yet only adds 1.5mm of thickness to your Apple handset.  While we’re always skeptical about submerging any electronic device, the maker says that it can withstand 6.6 feet of water in addition to a 6.6 foot drop to the ground.  They’ve even got an optional adapter that allows the use of waterproof headphones.

But, one thing.  The iPhone 4 Lifeproof case is under production.  So yes, we’re a bit skeptical since they might be trying to draw enough preorders to fund the case’s development, but I suppose it might be worth the leap of faith, especially seeing as your credit card will surely refund you if the case never sees the light of day.

The LifeProof iPhone 4 case is available now for $69.99

We’ll just keep it real simple for you: the object you’re looking at above is the Revive II charger, but slimmer, and with a rechargeable battery pack thrown in rather than a wall / cigarette adapter. Got it? Good. The goBAT II contains a 5000mAh rechargeable lithium ion battery, and it offers a pair of USB ports for charging. One’s a 10-watt (2.1 Amp) port capable of handling high-maintenance devices like Apple’s iPad, while the other is a more conventional 5-watt (1 Amp) socket. Scosche is also throwing in a USB adapter for the Galaxy Tab, theoretically letting those with divided households charge both an iOS and Android tablet at the same time. Brain melting, we know. It also works with the company’s Revive charging app, which indicates how long a device will take to charge on any of Scosche’s chargers and can also be configured to send an email notification once a device has been fully charged.

$89,99

Tired of all the same-looking iPod speakers out there? Grab yourself a Thodio iBox (€359 and up; roughly $490). This unique portable speaker solution features two front-mounted, uncovered speakers with a central bass port that creates a “mouth” of sorts, a body made from MDF, oak, teak, mahogany, or a host of other types of wood, your choice of amplification up to 2 x 70 watts RMS, a rechargeable battery good for 15 hours of playback, an 3.5mm auxiliary input and output, and an optional top-mounted iPod dock — pretty much a necessity, unless you like lower resale value.

The WALdok is a perfect example of form meets function.  It’s a portable speaker system designed specifically for the iPod Nano that plugs into any US wall outlet and provides what is supposedly an ample amount of sound despite the rather small form factor.

Inside the device is a 40mm driver, that is complemented by a bass chamber, and hopefully produces a wide enough spectrum of sound it doesn’t sound like your listening through a tin can.

This isn’t the first telephoto lens we’ve seen for the iPhone, but it’s probably the most practical seeing as it only costs $35.  It boasts an 8x optical zoom, which is a significant jump over the iPhone 4′s crappy digital zoom and includes a mini tripod.  Digital zoom?  Who uses that crap anyway. One caveat, though.  It requires a case for mounting, which is included in the $35, but an annoyance nonetheless.

These Razer Ferox ultraportable gaming speakers could provide some attractive relief the next time you want to hit up a crowded LAN party. Boasting 360 degrees omni-directional sound, you might reconsider those front-facing speakers you’ve been lugging around.

The Ferox speakers open up when powered on, a feature that Razer claims makes for improved bass and a richer sound. They can be plugged into any media device with a 3.5mm jack, and come with a nifty little carrying case. And at a reported 12 hours of battery life, you’ll definitely put them to good use without needing a charge. Look out for them later this month for $59.99.

There’s something about those little LEGO bricks that stand up to the test of time. Even as an adult, I love the opportunity to play with them. I always figured I’d outgrow such childish toys, but what can I say, I’m still a kid at heart. If you still share my love for them, you can now turn your iPhone 4 into a LEGO building surface.

No, this isn’t an “officially licensed” LEGO product, but your little bricks will attach themselves to this BrickCase just the same. I’m really not sure why you would want to do this to your phone, though. I mean, I love LEGOs, but I have no desire to turn my phone into part of a creation. Either way, $20 will get you this interesting case in black, white or clear.

Years ago we searched the Internet with hopes of finding a set of plugs to fill the iPhone’s headphone jack and 30-pin dock connector to prevent lint and other debris from entering the device.   Unfortunately, our search was to no avail.  Now, years later a company called iCorkz has developed just that, a 30-pin dock and headphone jack plug with a built-in SIM card remover tool.  The site has a bit of fear mongering copy since they point out that Apple has installed sensors in these ports to determine if you have exposed your device to liquid and thus voiding your warranty.  Nonetheless, it’s truth be told.

$9.95

After all these applications and new functions that some of the iOS devices put out, you begin to wonder if they will eventually be able to wake us up and make us breakfast. One of which they can already do. Until our iPhones, iPods, and iPads learn how to cook, we can definitely settle on our devices also becoming a universal remote.

The RedEye Mini is a little plug-in, that when combined with an app will turn your Apple device into a universal remote. Convenient yes? With this new remote you can control your TV, stereo, Sky/digibox, DVD player, and any other IR signal device you have laying around. It has a 30ft range, and can really be used just about anywhere. Imagine how awesome it would be to show up at your channel-hog friends house and secretly change the channel if there’s something you’d rather watch. But you didn’t get that idea from me. The device will set you back around $77.

Back in 2009, when Apple announced accessory support for iPhone OS, they proposed an at-home medical device capable of sending data to doctors. The iHealth dock is that device, and it could totally transform your relationship with your blood pressure.

There are plenty of reasons people take their blood pressure at home, and a blood pressure gizmo can be had at any local drugstore for as little as $30. But the iHealth dock—a non-descript white charging station for iPhones and iPads—and accompanying Blood Pressure Monitor app update the self-administered blood pressure test for the 21st century. It doesn’t just simplify the act of getting a blood pressure reading and streamline the process of sending that data to a doctor; it makes the whole idea of doing potentially scary health stuff at home a lot less intimidating. It’s a small but significant step in what could be a big paradigm shift in medicine, leveraging the power of the connected devices to make staying healthy more convenient and more efficient.

The iHealth dock, which charges the iPad when it’s plugged in and runs on a battery when it isn’t, comes with a customary blood pressure arm cuff which can be detached and stored when not in use. The app itself—colorful, touchable, and friendly—does the rest of the work, keeping track of your readings, showing ‘em to you in easy-to-read graphs, and beaming them to your doctor via email.

Strapping the cuff on in the Gizmodo office felt kind of weird—there’s some strangeness to doing things you’ve only ever done in a doctor’s office not in a doctor’s office—but it’s a pleasant weirdness. The app doesn’t look any more foreboding than any of the other apps you’re used to using on your iPhone or iPad—in fact, it looks more inviting than most—and generally makes taking your blood pressure understandable and unintimidating. After the familiar squeeze of the arm, the app informed me that my blood pressure was a bit high—thanks, CES!—and logged it along with the date and time for future retrieval. It was easy, it worked, and it didn’t complicate matters by making deal with anything resembling a scary hospital procedure.

iHeath plans to expand their line of devices with a glucose monitor and connected scale later this year. The company hopes that the products won’t just appeal to people who need to take their own medical data but also to people who just want to. And while the doctor’s office will always has its place, giving people the tools to check up on themselves on their own time is an incredibly powerful idea.

The iHealth blood pressure dock is on sale now at Health99.com for $99.95 and will be available at Apple Stores later this month.

Thanks Gizmodo