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Reviews by The Church of Apple

Monthly Archives: November 2012

Kanex Sydnee iOS Charging Station

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The Sydnee, from Kanex, is a four device charging station available direct for $149.00. This sleek, minimalistic and space saving machine will charge four iOS devices at maximum charging speed, providing a full charge to your smaller iPod touch/iPhone devices in an hour or so to a full charge to your big boy devices, your iPads, in about two hours. If you have a shortage of cords, don’t worry, they provide you with three small but long enough cords to charge with so you only need to come up with one more. Let’s see if this charger is worth it’s high cost.

Form

I have very mixed opinions on this one. The Sydnee has it’s positives and negatives to it’s design, the negatives mostly applying only to those who receive a poorly constructed product. First off, the Syndee, out of all the multi-device chargers I’ve seen, takes the least amount of space on my desk. It is compact, allowing it to be stored anywhere. The product is made out of what seems to be a hard plastic with rubber pieces. It is very elegant in design and looks particularly great on my black glass desk, as the one I received is black, it comes in white as well. It does look tacky from the back having four cables coming from the back of it but if the Sydnee is against a wall, you won’t see them anyway. Also, the charger is light, consisting of a lot of air so it is easy to carry around. There are a few problems with the form of the case, not what it looks like, but how it was built. The rubber piece inside of the charger, as soon as I took Sydnee out of it’s box had already come off. Now this isn’t a small rubber piece, it’s a padding for any device that it has in it. If this said device did not have a case, it could be scratched, therefore that space would be unusable. Also, let’s not forget that you pay $150 for this charger and as soon as you open it, it already is falling apart. However, I will give the product the benefit of the doubt, provided that I probably just received a faulty product, and not all are. However, zoom up a few weeks later, and a provided cord had the connector part come out partially when I unplugged it from the iPad. It did go right back in and was still usable but the point is, it shouldn’t do that. It is not a good pattern. In addition to these two incidents, there is another thing that bugs me as well. The whole thing is black, chrome black, except for one part that is yellow. The rubber part that is yellow, a part that is actually quite useful to the charger (I will explain it in a bit), does not fit with the rest of the charger. It’s just there and it looks a little weird. It is a little nit-picky but it is not to be discounted as everything goes in a review. As a wrap-up, the Sydnee has it’s highs and lows, (more lows than highs here) in the Form category but will it be so in the Function category?

Function

The answer is no. The function of the charger is much better than its form. First of all, like I mentioned before, the charger does charge devices incredibly fast, faster than the Apple chargers, at least to what I have seen with it. The charger takes up little room whether on a desk, shelf etc. The charger has a pretty neat cord system as to hide the cords as much as possible. Because of the amount of power this charger provides, 2.1 amps per device, it can charge 4 iPads at the same time from 0-100% in a little over two hours. This is pretty good. Of course, not everyone has four iPads so you can charge a mixture of different Apple products and some other non-Apple products as well. The product is mainly for Apple products but it does charge other companies products as well, provided the charger is compatible with the said product(s). The device itself is pretty well protected, though I recommend that you make sure that there are cases on any device that you put on or in the Sydnee considering that they can fall right off/out of it. Fortunately, Kanex thought of this and they made it so that the device can be small enough to go anywhere, but yet open enough to where an iPad with just about any case could fit, allowing it to keep it’s protection should it fall out. I think that the best thing overall, is it’s ability to charge four iPads at the same time, charging them all in a short amount of time. That, after all, above all else, is what they advertise it will do, and it does it well.

Conclusion

Pros

-Charges FAST, up to four devices, the most I have seen out of one product
-I use it everyday
-Cord management is effective
-Takes up little room
-Simplistic, yet useful design
-Sleek black color looks great on any surface

Cons

-Pieces falling off (Big problem for me)
-Not a lot of protection for the iPads themselves
-Yellow piece doesn’t match with the rest of the charger, subtracts from elegant look of the charger
-Three cables, four ports. Why?
-HIGH Price

Out of all the products I have reviewed, this charger is a true test of Form vs Function and which one is more important. I believe that if a product doesn’t perform well but looks great, it isn’t as worth as it as one that works really well but has cosmetic issues. This is the case with this charger. The charger isn’t the greatest in the form, but it does everything it promised it would do. The product definitely received a 5/5 in what it does but it receives a 3.5/5 in its form, it would have been a 2/5 with the pieces falling off, however I realize that most people’s chargers would not fall apart like mine. At what point does the Form influence the final score? I think that as long as Kanex doesn’t send out chargers with rubber pieces coming off, then I will give the benefit of the doubt and give the Kanex Sydnee a 4/5. I believe that there is not a product quite like this one on the market at this time, considering the low space it takes up and the amount of things it can charge at one time. However, the price and the poor construction make it so that I can’t give it anything higher than a 4/5. I hope that Kanex can just put a little more glue on their product and take a little less money for the product and I would definitely raise the final score. Good job Kanex on a product that performs well and meets and exceeds it’s advertised abilities.

Thanks for reading,

Joe

Acme Made Clutch MacBook Bag

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The Clutch is a laptop bag designed to fit a MBA or MBP 13 inch made by Acme Made. It is only available to those who have a 13 inch MBA/MBP. However, I do believe that anyone who has not seen the light of Apple and owns a Windows 13 inch laptop will still be able to fit their laptop just fine in the bag. The bag is available for $99.99 direct from Acme Made (interesting name for a company, they must have been the ones behind the falling pianos and 20 ton weights). All kidding aside, this bag is no joke. It is probably the best laptop bag I have ever used, and that is saying something. Allow me to explain why this is a great laptop bag for anyone who needs a laptop bag.

Form

Aesthetically, the AcmeMade Clutch is very well thought out and very good looking. It definitely has it’s curb appeal. On the outside, the case is a beautiful brown leather canvas exterior. It has a nice black strap that any shoulder would be proud of having on it. The bag has a darker brown trimming that has a good “alliance” with the rest of the bag. The whole bag is designer designed so you know it has been approved by someone who you know can actually design. Because of it being a designer bag, it does have it’s own “designer name”. On the front of the bag, there is a button on it that says “Acme Made San Francisco”, which having the city in front of the name of the company is very common with designers. My point is, the case is very well designed on the exterior. The interior is just the same. The inside is a black twill nylon quitted material, which looks very nice and sophisticated. The bottom quarter part of the case has a brown part that comes up from the outside of the case and looks really nice. It doesn’t necessarily contrast the black, it just fits with the black. There are 2 main pockets, presumably to carry 2 laptops if needed. There are also 5 other smaller pockets in addition to two pen holders, which depending on the size of the pen, hold up to 6 pens (three on each pen holder). The pocket to hold the MacBook(s) in are very protective and thick. Should you drop the bag off your shoulder by accident, the MacBook will not break, especially if it already has a case on it. The other pockets are multi-purposeful and they too are very protective of the items they hold. The case, if you haven’t guessed already, is very detailed. Here are a few more examples on how exact they are: the stitching on the case is beautifully done, there is not string hanging loose from it. Also, on one of the pockets there is a zipper, and the even the “grip” of the zipper, the part you hold on to when your pull the zipper, looks really nice. It too is made out of leather and has a black button on it. It is to be noted that this case can be used by both men and women and looks good with either one. As you can tell, the aesthetics of the case are beyond superb and there is absolutely nothing I can point out that is bad about this case.

Function

The abilities of this case is absolutely extraordinary. In this bag I was able to fit 8 different devices, including their chargers. This included my MBA in the main MacBook pocket, an iPad in the secondary pocket, an iPod touch in one pocket, an Apple TV, iPod nano and my cell phone in another, 2 iPod nanos and the Apple TV remote in three more pockets. In addition to all of that, I was able to add two styluses and ALL of the cords necessary to charge ALL of those products. Even with all of that, I was still able to close it and carry it on my shoulder. Now, I understand, A. carrying that around is an invitation to be robbed and B. no one, besides a small group of extreme geeks, would carry that amount of stuff in their bag on a day to day basis but it does give you an idea as to what you can store in what looks like a small bag. This small bag is no small bag. If it fits all of that, it is not a small bag, but take all of those things out and you’ll wonder to yourself how you were able to fit everything in there. As I said in the Form paragraph, this bag is very protective and I would trust that it would protect my stuff in the event of a fall. Of course, the bag slings around your neck so in less the strap fails, it’s not going anywhere, but it is good to know that it is well protected. In speaking of the strap, there are a few things that I like about the strap. One, if you want to just carry the bag and don’t want the strap on it, you can take it off. Another thing is that it is completely adjustable so if you want it close to your chest, you can do that, or if you feel more comfortable with he bag at your waist, you can do that as well, or anywhere in between. The hardware on the strap is custom made by Acme Made and they did an excellent job on it. On a side note, the metal hardware on the strap, unlike the cheap plastic hardware I have seen elsewhere is durable and looks stylish. Back to the inside of the case, the cover that folds over everything is held down by two black strips of velcro that while stay almost hidden on the black part of the case, is probably the best thing to use for a “locking” mechanism for the bag for two reasons. One, velcro is very durable and can stand a lot. It is also very sticky. The velcro is designed to easily open when you open it, but it would be difficult for anything that would bump into it to open it. Two, velcro is loud when you open it. Therefore, if someone is sneaking up behind you or to the side of you without you knowing and the person is trying to steal out of your bag, you will be greeted with the sound of opening velcro and a running away would-be-robber. Talking about robbers, be careful as to how much you put in the bag, you don’t want to make it a goldmine for any robber who would steal it. As a side note, with any purse or bag, exercise caution and diligence. All in all, this bag is the most functional I’ve ever used.

Conclusion

Pros

-Stylish design
-Designer made means everything is spot on
-May be available in only in one color but once you see it, you’ll realize why you wouldn’t want to ruin it with other colors
-Very durable
-Very protective of all the things stored in it
-Many pockets, so you can store many things
-Velcro gives it a “theft alarm” and keeps the bag closed

Cons

-For the first time ever, there is nothing that fits in this category

The last sentence says it all. There are no cons to this bag, therefore there is no reason to give it anything lower than five stars. In my opinion, the bag is perfect. There is absolutely nothing they can do to make it better. They only need to keep doing what they are doing. $100 may be a lot for a laptop bag, but after you buy it and get in the mail, you’ll see it was worth every penny. Absolute fantastic job Acme Made, I am very impressed.

Thanks for reading,

Joe

Hammerhead Ballpoint Pen Stylus

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The Hammerhead Ballpoint Stylus isn’t the BEST stylus that I have reviewed but it is cheaper than other styli I have reviewed. It is the best cheap stylus I have reviewed. Let’s see if price will make up for lost features. The stylus is available for $14.99 direct from Hammerhead. The stylus features a stylus tip at one end for touch screen devices or a pen for writing the old-fashioned way. Let’s find out if this stylus is for you.

Form

While many styli have a reputation for being made out of cheap plastic, this stylus breaks that rule. This stylus is made out of a smooth chrome material. It isn’t a great Apple design look, but it doesn’t have to be to look nice and it certainly looks nice. The stylus is light-weight, a lot lighter than the Wacom Bamboo stylus a little while ago. There are four colors to choose from with the stylus and they are as follows: dark red, silver, dark blue and black, all of which look really nice with silver lining added to them. The top of the stylus has a silver chrome color as well as the shirt clip and the thing that holds both the pen and the stylus tip in and it adds to the overall design of the stylus. Even the brand name on the stylus looks cool! Personally, I have not found any cosmetic problems from this stylus.

Function

There are a lot of things that I like about this stylus. First, the stylus is thin and light and won’t break anything if it falls but yet if it falls it won’t get scratched either. The stylus is doubled as a pen, which I have found to be very useful. The stylus tip itself is very responsive on the iPad and the iPad picks it up every time it touched the screen. One thing that I really like about this stylus that I have not found on another stylus yet is an attachment that goes into the headphone jack so it attaches to your iPad and you won’t be able to lose it. So if you want to attach it to your shirt, you can through the clip or you can attach it to your iPad into the headphone jack. Another thing, you can replace the ink in the stylus should you need to. There is one problem with the stylus, however. The stylus tip does not come out. I learned that the hard way. I took it out, thinking you can it put right back in. It went back in but only after an hour of forcing it back in. This is not the best thing to do since should the tip need to be replaced, you can’t replace it and you have to buy another $15 stylus. To me, that is not what I would want do. However, should that ever happen to me where I need to replace it, I would buy another one because the stylus is brilliantly done at a relatively low cost.

Conclusion

Pros

-Great form factor, light, durable, great colors
-Very responsive on the iPad etc.
-Pen clip to attach to your shirt or a headphone jack clip to attach to your device
-A stylus and a pen
-Pen ink replaceable
-Low cost for what you get

Cons

-Stylus tip not replaceable (don’t find that out the hard way)
-Styli are not for everybody

This stylus definitely ranks among the top of low-cost styli. Despite it’s sole flaw of not being able to replace the tip, everything else about this stylus would make you want to replace it if and when the stylus tip is worn out. This happens to all styli, eventually this stylus will become worn out but don’t worry about it too much, you’ll get a lot of use out of it before that happens. It is to note as well that styli are not for everyone, as I talked about in my last stylus review. I believe that styli are only for people who would use them such as teachers, artists, note takers among others. Of course, that flaw applies to every stylus so if you want a stylus that is stylish, functional and cheap in price only, then this stylus is for you. With that I give this stylus a five star rating. Great job Hammerhead for delivering a great stylus.

Thanks for reading,

Joe

Hammerhead Capo iPad Case

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The Hammerhead Capo Case is a case for the iPad 2,3 and 4. The case is available for $39.99 direct from Hammerhead. Personally, this is the case I use everyday. Allow me to explain why.

Form

The case does not excel in the form section of this review. The case is available in 5 two-toned colors. All cases feature black trim. The available colors are as follows: White, orange, blue, red and black. The black case is all black with no color, including the trimming. The case is a one-fold that flips around the back and the clip attached goes into one of the holes on the back to form a very functional case. The case is also comfortable on the hands. In terms of colors, I think the two-toned color scheme is nice. It gives the case a uniqueness, unlike many uni-colored cases on the market. The case provides a lot of protection for your iPad but it still is light and thin. However, there are a few issues cosmetically with it also. The case sent to me (this may not apply to all cases) was not completed, in my opinion. The white part on the case was not pressed in all the way, forming raised parts where the white part was not pressed in all the way. After a short time of using this case, I was already getting loose string hanging on the case, something that happened to my last case a year or more after I received it. Also, while I appreciate the black part of the case, I do not appreciate the fact that it is painstakingly clear that it is metal. The bi-fold on the case that folds back is metal (it’s the black bar that goes across about 1/3 the case). It’s not the bar itself that bothers me, but it’s the fact that you can see the metal of it (little bolts that hold it together, the line that separates the two pieces). To me, it is a little tacky. Despite these tacky issues the case still does what it is meant to do, protect.

Function

This case does what it is meant to do, protect. Despite it’s light and thin profile, this case provides the most protection I have seen out of any case this form factor. The case is made out of polyurethane material which always does a great job in protection. The case is a hard-shell case that will protect against falls. The case holds onto the iPad extremely well, probably one of the best grasps I have see on an iPad case thus far. The case also protects the ports better than any case I have reviewed thus far. There is only an opening to put the ports into and thats it, and even the case that surrounds the port is raised. It is very port protective. The case also has the best stand out of the cases I have reviewed so far. The case has a stand with five different options. Three, tall landscape stand options (more choices than most cases, allowing you to choose your perfect viewing angle), one for typing (which has been placed at the perfect angle), and one for a upright portrait stand. The case of course has the standard auto lock/unlock feature that would be a bad thing not to have. There is one thing that I like and dislike about the case. The case has a clasp that holds it closed. While the clasp ensures that the case will not accidentally open, there are some people who won’t be able to open the case. The clasp is the reason why people who have arthritis in their hands will not be able to use the case. It is a great case, but it’s a great case for people who can open it. For me and anyone else without weak hands, it’s great but I would not recommend it for a person with weak hands only because of the difficulty of opening the case. Despite this flaw, the case is still probably one of the best I have reviewed thus far.

Conclusion

Pros

-Very durable
-Thin and light
-Best stand on a case I have reviewed
-Clasp keeps case closed
-Colored nicely
-Comfortable to the hands to hold

Cons

-Case would be difficult to open for anyone with weak hands, especially senior citizens
-Some tacky aesthetics

The reason people buy a case is not for it to be the nicest case ever, but to be durable, light, thin and functional. This case passes all those and more. It delivers on it’s protective abilities and stand. The case I mentioned earlier was the case that I have been using for a long time and it is the case that was replaced by this one. I use this case on a daily basis; it is my primary case. Considering the pros and the cons, this case receives a 4 and a half star rating from me. Great job Hammerhead!

Thanks for reading,

Joe

OS X Pad iPad Theme Review

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We at The Church of Apple love Apple but even we have gotten a little tired of Apple’s restrictions, at least I have anyway. That is why I have jailbroken my devices. No, not to pirate apps or music but to be able to more with our devices in our everyday use. You can use different settings and tweaks and employ many themes. There are some OK themes, there are good themes and there are some that are fantastic and fantastic is what we have here. This theme, called OS X Pad, is available through the Theme Outlet (source: http://fnetdesigns.com/cydia/repo/) for $3.50 via PayPal. To me, this is the only Mac OS X theme worth the time. So, if you are a Mac user, or want a taste of the Mac OS on the iPad, then I will tell you why this theme is the only Mac theme to buy, perhaps the only theme to buy.

Form

The one thing that struck me about this theme was it’s ease of use and it’s beauty. First off, the theme comes with a slide to unlock screen that looks almost like a start-up screen on a Mac. Just a warm welcome to your new theme. Right after you leave the home screen, the first thing you’ll notice is the articulately detailed wallpaper, the same one that is used on the Mac. You can also change the wallpaper in the settings. As your eyes look down, you’ll see a dock that looks exactly like the one on the Mac. In the top left-hand corner you’ll see the Apple logo on a light gray bar and see the words “Finder”, “File”, “Edit”, “View” “Go”, “Window” and “Help”. Yup, you guessed it, this theme has a full fledged Finder Bar, just like the Mac. It even has the name of the user (you will set this up in the very beginning of receiving this theme) on the top right along with bluetooth, wifi, volume, date and time and the magnifying glass. You will see the overall “Mac-ness” of this theme. It absolutely is incredible. Going inside the theme, you will find that the Finder button on top left will prompt a window that looks almost exact to the Finder window on the Mac. In it you will find folders that you can store apps in (just like Mac Finder) and a feature called quick links that allow you to go to that application that it says. There is an Applications folder that has all your applications in it and the other folders you have to add the apps themselves but is awesome once you do. Every app icon is enwrapped in a blue border and an tiny Apple logo on the bottom right. Also, the Finder window is draggable just like the window on a Mac. Also, when the Finder window is open, the Finder icon on the dock has a blue dot under it, signifying it’s open, just like a Mac. Moving on to the dock, you have exact Mac icons, such as Finder and Safari icons. When there are notifications for a particular app, it will show the same red dot with a white number in it. Moving on to the settings app, when you click on the Settings icon, it will pop up with a prompt box very similar to the one you get when you double click the settings application on the Mac. You are greeted with a series of options, including iPad settings and Theme Settings, clicking on iPad settings will bring up the Settings app but clicking on the Theme settings will bring up a window that looks very similar to the settings app on the Mac. Going up to the Finder Bar, you will find that it acts just as the Finder Bar on the Mac would. It looks and feels like a Mac Finder Bar and is just awesome. The design of this theme is very articulate and very complex, the best I have ever seen.

Function

One thing that this theme does that almost every other theme I’ve ever used can not, is preserve the functionality of the iPad. A lot of themes take away from the functionality of the iPad while quite the contrary, I think this theme adds to the functionality of the iPad.

Now as we look at the function of the theme we will start where we left off in the Form section. In the finder bar, under the Apple menu, you have the option to restart, shut down, and log out (and yes these functions will actually do what they say but you have to download a tweak from Cydia called MultiBoot). In addition, from within the Apple menu, you can select “About this iPad” (instead of About this Mac) and will open a window telling you the basics of the iPad. Also, Software Update will open a Settings screen that will allow you to update the theme right from the theme, without having to leave it, which is really nice and adds to the functionality of the theme. There is also a button to open the App Store and a button to open System Preferences which will open Theme Settings.

Now, the Finder menu has the ability to give you an “About Finder” window, Edit Finder Folders, which I will discuss in a minute, and Finderbar Preferences which allow you to customize the Finderbar as to whether you want it translucent, if you want a 24 hour clock, and if you want to use the Weather in the clock.

The Edit menu allows you to go into desktop edit mode, which is the mode required in order to customize where apps/folders go, it allows you to change your wallpaper and it pulls up SB Settings. The “Go” menu will allow you to open The Theme Outlet, Cydia, Messages, Safari, Music, Videos and Contacts.

The Help menu pulls down “OS X Pad Help” which, if opened, will give you information about how to use the theme and another with an option to contact the developer for support.

Going to the right, you will see your username. Clicking on that will pull up the Accounts Settings window and from there you can change the Username. Also, clicking the Bluetooth button will evoke settings. The date and time button will prompt a pull down that will tell you the date and time and also give you the weather if you should so desire. One cool feature of the theme is that you can click on the magnifying glass on the top right and will pull up all of your applications. Unfortunately at this time, it does not have Launchpad but it will have it once the developer updates the theme. Once he does so, I will update this review to show so.

Wow, that was a lot to take in. As you can see the FinderBar does many things and retains some of the same functionalities as the Mac FinderBar.

Now, on to the Finder itself. As I mentioned earlier, the Finder menu is very clean and nice. On the left, there is a drop down menu called Places that lists seven folders. Applications being one them has all of your applications in one folder. The other six are completely customizable as to the names of the folders to the apps in it. All you have to do to add apps in is click on Customize from within the Finder window and then click on an empty space and fill it with an app. It’s that simple.

Going on to the Desktop Edit Mode, you have the option of putting 7 customizable folders which can each store 80 apps. That is more than plenty enough space to put apps into folders. Unfortunately, folders you make in Finder cannot be transferred over to folders on the desktop, which is a pain but may be a new feature in the future. You can also put up to 30 apps on the desktop (note that 6 of these 30 are folder spaces, so that would be 24 apps in addition to 6 folders).

In the settings you can see that the theme is very customizable. First, you are able to customize your OS X Pad with 70+ wallpapers that are wallpapers that Apple uses (including the stock Mountain Lion Space wallpaper). As for the Finder Bar, as I mentioned earlier, you are able to make it translucent, you can make the clock 24 hours and you can make it show the weather in the clock’s drop down menu. As for the dock, you can customize it with 10 icons. You can choose from some of the stock icons or even add your own custom icons. In addition to being able to add your own icons, you can make the customize the dock style from 25 different colors. As aforementioned, you can change the name of the folder in Finder. Here is where you can do that. Software Update is a feature that allows you to update the theme in-theme, just enter your PayPal email address and you are set. As for accounts, you can change the name of the User, the Username or whether or not you want the username displayed on the finderbar.

Conclusion

Pros

-Fully working Finderbar
-Finder and Settings work like on the Mac
-Very customizable, in some cases, more customizable than the Mac itself! (Dock style)
-Folders and apps on the desktop
-Help menu and it’s contact of the developer is Apple-style customer service
-The most detailed theme I have ever used
-It is my new operating system
-Theme is worth a lot more than the cost, I feel like the developer could fairly charge $10-$15 maybe $20 for this theme

Cons

Despite all the pros of this theme, there are a few peculiarities

-No Launch Pad (granted, there is one coming, once it comes, I’ll take this con off)
-Can not take folder made in Finder and transfer the work you did to the desktop
-No Dashboard, other Mac themes have this (probably coming, we’ll see what 2.1 brings)

As I mentioned earlier, this theme has become my primary OS. I only boot into iOS now to download an app or Cydia tweak or what not. It truly is Mac OS X on your iPad and I do not believe that any theme can match this theme, even non-Mac themes and there are a few reasons. But I won’t tell you those reasons. Instead, buy the theme and you WILL find those reasons on your own. It is for the reason that the theme delivers in form and function that it earns a easy 5 star rating. Great Job Fnet Designs, I look forward to update 2.1 and I hope to remove. the few cons listed above.

Thanks for reading,

Joe