Studio Neat’s Apple TV Remote Stand

Studio Neat's Apple TV Walnut Stand

The folks at Studio Neat, known for making some super stellar and nifty products, have just announced a new product for the new Apple TV that went up for pre-order earlier today.

The Apple TV Remote Stand is a beautiful stand milled from a piece of solid walnut. The bottom of the stand features a micro-suction pad so that the stand doesn’t slip and adheres to nearly any flat surface. You prop up your Apple TV remote upright, so it’s easy to grab when you want to use it. The stand is manufactured in Austin, Texas (USA) and is priced at just $12.

If you’re picking up an Apple TV, you should totally get this Apple TV Remote Stand. They also have a lovely product video for it.

October 26, 2015 ✚ Permalink

Western Digital Acquires SanDisk for $19 Billion

Matt Burns reporting for TechCrunch:

The deal values SanDisk at $86.50 a share, which is a 15% premium on the previous day’s closing price, giving the company a value of $15.4 billion. SanDisk is currently up 4.78% in pre-market trading.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you already know how much I love Western Digital’s products. On one hand, all my computer storage has been handled reliably by Western Digital while on the other hand, all my camera storage has been handled reliably by SanDisk. I’m excited to see both these companies come together.

October 21, 2015 ✚ Permalink

OnePlus to Start Manufacturing Phones in India

OnePlus, the company behind the immensely popular phones OnePlus One and OnePlus 2, has announced that it will start manufacturing phones locally in India. The company will be using Foxconn’s Rising Stars Factory in Andhra Pradesh at Sri City: Integrated Business City by the end of 2015.

Foxconn, which will also start producing handsets for Micromax and Gionee, operates the 30,000 square feet facility in Andhra Pradesh with a cumulative peak capacity of producing up to 500,000 units per month and is poised to generate employment for over 1000 full time workers there.

Pete Lau, Founder & CEO of OnePlus, said:

Today is a big day for us. Producing smartphones in India is one of the most important decisions that we have made so far at OnePlus, and we are thankful to the Government of Andhra Pradesh and Foxconn for helping us make this happen. India being one of our biggest markets worldwide, we are committed to a long term sustainable growth path. This move will strengthen our presence and help us step up momentum in India.

The OnePlus One is currently on sale on Amazon India for INR 17,999 whereas the OnePlus 2 is still invite-only and costs INR 24,999.

October 15, 2015 ✚ Permalink

Twelve South Introduces Forté — A Luxury Stand for Apple Watch

Twelve South

Twelve South is one of the coolest companies out there making accessories exclusively for Apple products. I’ve talked about a few of their products in the past and personally own a couple myself. Today, Twelve South has introduced Forté — a beautiful luxury stand for the Apple Watch.

Forté is the most luxurious Twelve South product to date. The weighted base mirrors the graceful, rounded edges of your Watch’s face. Rising from the base is a slender chrome arm that prominently holds Apple Watch for charging and viewing notifications, while concealing the charging cable. It perfectly compliments the stainless steel or new aluminum finishes. A genuine leather pad protects Watch bands, from the sport band to the 18-karat yellow gold Edition bands, and all those in between.

Forté for Apple Watch is available now for $59.99 via the Twelve South website.

October 15, 2015 ✚ Permalink

India is the most expensive place to buy an iPhone 6s

Daniel Van Boom writing for CNET about the high pricing of the iPhone 6s in India:

[The iPhone lineup] will cost more in India than any other country, starting out at 62,000 rupees for the 16GB 6S — that’s the equivalent of $955, AU$1,310 or £620 for the entry-level model.

On the other end of the spectrum is the top-of-the-line 128GB 6S Plus, which will cost 92,000 rupees, which converts directly to about $1,415, AU$1,950 or £925.

He adds:

Ironically, the high pricing could prove a costly move for Apple, with analysts saying that such expensive smartphones will alienate almost all of its prospective userbase in India. Though Samsung and its Galaxy S flagship devices have a presence in the Indian market (with the S6 starting at around 40,000 rupees — $615, AU$840 or £400) the most popular smartphones are budget, sub-$200 devices like Chinese handset maker Xiaomi’s RedMi range and products made by local brand Micromax.

I don’t know about others, but I’m fairly certain that I’m waiting it out for iPhone 7. Unless something happens to my current iPhone 6 and these prices drop over the next few months.

October 12, 2015 ✚ Permalink

The Original LIFX Smart Bulb Gets a Price Cut to $60

LIFX Smart Bulb

LIFX is a family of LED Smart Bulbs. These bulbs connect to your router over Wi-Fi and can be controlled using an app on your smartphone or tablet. Because these bulbs are always connected to the internet, you can use the power of IFTTT recipes to customize their behavior and mould them to your liking. These bulbs also do not require any ‘Hub’ and work independently.

Currently there are 3 products in the LIFX family:

  1. The Original — 16 Million Colors and 1000 lumens
  2. White 800 — 1000 shades of white and 890 lumens
  3. Color 650 — Full Color Downlight and 650 lumens

I presently have two LIFX Original bulbs in my house, with a third one on its way. I purchased the first one 18 months ago and I love everything about it.

Today, the company has just announced that The Original LIFX bulb has received a price cut from retailing at $99.99 to just $59.99 now. If you’ve been on the fence about smart bulbs, now’s a good chance to grab one.

You can order The Original LIFX Smart Bulb from Amazon or directly from their website, with both offering you Free Shipping in the US.

October 8, 2015 ✚ Permalink