Image by Rob Schultz/Macworld
This week’s roundup includes a couple of app-controlled vehicles—one for the ground, the other for the air. Plus: New bands for Apple Watch, a new line of HomeKit accessories, and more.
Image by Sphero
Pixar fan? Love your remote-control vehicles? Then bring your passions together with the Ultimate Lightning McQueen Vehicle. ($300) It has animated eyes, an animatronic mouth, and emotive suspension — and, oh yeah, you can race this app-controlled car, too.
Image by DJI
The Spark ($500, available on Amazon) is an iOS-controlled mini drone that lets you capture amazing video and still images using an onboard camera that transmits back to your iPhone. It even has ActiveTrack technology that lets you track a moving object while keeping a smooth, steady frame. The device is expected to ship in mid-June.
Image by Garmin
The Garmin VIRB 360 ($800) is “a compact, rugged and fully spherical 360-degree camera” designed for capturing spectacular outdoor scenes. It’s waterproof, comes with its own tripod-handgrip, has four built-in microphones—and it can all be controlled from your iPhone using the Garmin VIRB app.
Image by Nike
The venerable sportswear giant has announced its new line of Day to Night sport bands for the Apple Watch ($49). “Each of the colors is inspired by a shade of the sky, from dawn to dusk, and allows runners to–for the first time–make a statement by matching their Apple Watch Nike+ bands to their footwear.”
Image by Prynt
The new Prynt Pocket ($150) snaps onto your iPhone and prints photos directly from it, creating a kind of modern-day Polaroid. (Don’t worry, you won’t have to shake it. Unless you really want to.) There are also editing tools: You can apply filters and frames, as well as adjust lighting and add text to your photos. You can even embed a video viewable on your iPhone. It comes in three colors.
Image by Wemo
This isn’t an accessory, exactly, but a whole suite of them: Wemo announced it’ll make its line of smart home products compatible with Apple HomeKit. Users will be able to use Siri to give commands to Wemo products including smart plugs, switches, lighting products, cameras and other devices. Wemo will introduce the Wemo Bridge to enable the integration later this fall.
Image by White Rock
The Smart Fast Quick Charger USB Wall Outlet ($15) adds two USB ports to any wall outlet in your home—it takes just 30 seconds to install, the makers say—so you can power up your iOS devices without having to unplug any of your other home appliances.
Image by Bitplay
Bitplay’s Snap! 7 case ($53) promises that you can use it to take better pictures with your iPhone than you can with an regular camera. It has a physical shutter button and a one-handed grip, and is compatible with a variety of add-on lenses.
Image by Humixx
The Slimshell ($10) is, um, a slim shell for the iPhone 7 plus, a “second skin” that protects the phone without making it bulky. It even contains a bumper for your camera lens, to protect it from damage and scratches.
Image by CaseBuddy
The name of the Rugged Super Smart Case ($75) kind of sells itself, doesn’t it? It’s child-oriented, and CaseBuddy promises the rubber foam iPad case is more drop-resistant and grippier—easier to handle—than other cases. It even comes in a variety of kid-friendly colors.
Image by Targus
The VersaType ($100; available on Amazon) is a 4-in-1 keyboard case that delivers four distinct configurations―closed protection, open laptop, viewing, and reading.” Targus says there’s a “seamless transition” between the modes, and that the case offers plenty of protection—it’s passed “military grade” test drops from four feet.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.