With Hurricane Sandy disrupting the nation’s supply chain, leading to possible shipping delays, this is the year to dump that last-minute holiday shopping habit.
Here are three tech-related gift ideas to help with that early start. They all happen to be tied to Apple’s iPhone.
The Dot
Kogeto’s Dot is on the fast-growing list of so-called appcessories — gadgets that work in conjunction with smartphone programs and games.
The Dot attaches to the back of an iPhone and enables its rear camera to record 360-degree video. The panoramic videos, or ” dotspots” as the New York-based company calls them, are recorded via Kogeto’s free Looker app. The program also allows users to instantly share videos on social networks. The Dot is easy to install — it snaps onto the phone — though calibrating the camera with the device to ensure videos are in focus can take a few tries.
Video quality isn’t great, but that is quickly forgiven after a swipe on the iPhone’s screen reveals the amazing 360-degree footage. The Dot sells for $49 and works only with the iPhone 4 and 4S, though Kogeto says a version compatible with the iPhone 5 is in the works. kogeto.com
Hey Mosaic
Mosaic isn’t a gadget, but rather a new service that allows you to easily create a photo book with an app and images on your iPhone. I absolutely love how simple the company has made it to create a photo book. It takes no more than 5 minutes, so long as you don’t spend too much time picking the 20 photos for the Mosaic.
If you’ve ever used Shutterfly or other online photo services, you probably know that the process of creating one photo book can take up a couple of hours, from uploading images to cropping them to designing the book itself.
But with Mosaic, there is no need to design or trim photos, and the result is still exceptional. The app lets you pick how the cover collage will appear. Even that decision is simplified, with the program automatically swapping photos until you’re satisfied with an arrangement. A 20-page (one photo per page) Mosaic costs $20, plus $5 shipping. The book I created while the service was still in beta arrived in four business days. Ordering and tracking the package can all be done from the Mosaic app. heymosaic.com.
Speck kickstand case
I checked out about a half-dozen Speck cases for the iPhone 5, and the best of the bunch is the SmartFlex View. Each case has its own specialty, such as a cardholder or grips.
Other than protection, the feature I find most useful from an iPhone case is a kick-stand, which is the special feature of the SmartFlex View. The kickstand is retractable and useful for viewing videos in landscape mode and hands-free Facetiming in portrait mode. The case is flexible, making it easier to remove, but it is a little bulky because of the kickstand. The case costs $35. speckproducts.com.
Andy Vuong : 303-954-1209, avuong@denverpost.com or fb.com/byandyvuong
