Driving and smartphones don't mix well. While you can get a lot done using voice commands with Siri on your iPhone, you still have to activate her. If you're driving, that can take valuable seconds away from paying attention to the road. The AirDock Kickstarter project is looking to make Siri air-activated rather than fingertip-activated.

AirDock is described as "in-car, eyeless Siri." That means you don't have to take your gaze off the road to use it. The prototype version of the AirDock involves a suction-mount dock you put your iPhone into. A plastic tube with a squeeze bulb on the end sticks out from it. Squeeze the air bulb to push the home button, turn on the phone, and activate Siri.… Read more

Cable clutter is the bane of gadget hounds everywhere. If you can find a way to ditch a cable, it's a beautiful thing. I guess that makes the Orobis Transform cable a beautiful thing. It combines an Apple Lightning connector with a Micro-USB connector leading to a standard USB connector on the other end.

The idea of a 2-in-1 cable isn't new. What's cool is how the Transform handles it. Inspired by the Transformers, the Lightning part of the cable fits over the Micro-USB part. To expose the Micro-USB, you slide a small latch, fold it over, and plug it in. It's cute and functional.… Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Smartphone accessory maker Mophie may have launched the Juice Pack Helium two weeks back, but the successor to its iPhone 4 and 4S Juice Pack Air case has just been revealed at Pepcom's MobileFocus Global event here at Mobile World Congress.

While the Juice Pack Air looks similar to the Helium, we're told that the Air is slightly heavier (helium floats because its lighter than air). Not that we could tell, both cases felt pretty light in our hands. The Air sports a 1,700mAh battery, and the Helium has a charge of just 1,500mAh. Both … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--We stopped by Powermat's booth at Pepcom's MobileFocus Global show (which happens just before the first day of Mobile World Congress) and found that the company was showing off a new prototype of a wireless charging case for Apple's iPhone 5.

Like the Powermat Receiver Case designed for the iPhone 4 and 4S, the iPhone 5 version will let you put your smartphone on a wireless inductive charger from Powermat, but it isn't quite as thick as the older model.

It does, however, have a strange design, with two gaping holes at the bottom of … Read more

Long before autotune was popularized in pop music, there was a phenomenon known as the talkbox. The talkbox helped guitar god Peter Frampton come alive. With the Wee-Wow for iPhone, you don't have to be Frampton to get the same effect with your iPhone.

A talkbox is a unit consisting of a tube that goes into an effects box. You hold the tube between your lips and shape the sound with your mouth. It gives off a strange sound that is part robot, part alien. It's pre-autotune at its finest.… Read more

The funny thing about headphones and earphones is that sometimes the same product costs much less depending on its color. That's the case for the V-Moda Remix Remote earphones, which carry a list price of $79.99, but the pink version goes for $38 on Amazon (the standard Remix model without an inline remote and microphone is only $30).

We've generally given positive reviews to V-Moda headphones, and like some of the full-size models, the Remix Remote features a sleek design and big bass.

I've been listening to a black version for a few weeks and the … Read more

The good: Your iPhone has a pretty decent camera. Better than decent, in fact, if it's an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5.

The bad: Not everybody likes using the iPhone's screen to frame their shots, especially outdoors, where the ambient light can wash out the display. What's more, anyone accustomed to old-school, SLR-style photography no doubt misses their old-school, SLR-style viewfinder.

To the rescue comes the Photojojo iPhone Viewfinder, which combines hardware and software to give you a more traditional camera experience.

The kit consists of a round, black eyepiece that uses a suction cup to affix … Read more

LAS VEGAS--I love power tools. I also love smartphones. Finally, my two passions came together on the show floor of CES 2013. Amzer makes the ShatterProof line of screen protectors for electronic devices. They invited me over to go nuts on an iPhone protected with this thin urethane film.

The available objects of destruction were a power drill and sander. There would have been a hammer, but it had been stolen from the booth. I felt like I was building a set of cabinets rather than testing out a tech item.

Shatterproof is .2 millimeter thick and sticks on with the help of an included wedge. It has already been through a battery of ASTM tests to prove its tear strength and hardness. Now, it was my turn.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--In May of last year I did a quick post about an innovative iPhone connector called the Twig, which was a Kickstarter project. That project was funded and the 30-pin version of the Twig actually shipped toward the end of 2012 and is now available on Amazon for $20.

Jason Hilbourne, the guy behind Twig, stopped by the CNET trailer at CES to show off prototypes for his next-generation Twigs, which include a micro USB version and a Lightning version for the iPhone and latest iPads (apparently, when bent into a stand the Twig does support the iPad Mini, … Read more