Mac Monday: Kensington Si670 Bluetooth Mouse

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Works very well, 1000 dpi so you don’t need a lot of room to navigate, not too big not too small, on/off switch on the bottom, soft grips, easy to open battery door, batteries are included, LED battery indicator.
Cons: It looks a little odd on the sides like radiator or grill of a car, wish it were available in different colors.
Overall: This is the exact mouse I have been searching for. A small notebook Bluetooth mouse that I can also comfortably use with my desktop.  Ultra smooth tracking and a four way scroll button makes this mouse very easy to navigate around multiple documents.  This is one of the best mice I have used; the fact that it is Bluetooth puts it in a class by itself and earns my Editor’s Choice Award.

You can purchase this and other items from Kensington by visiting their website.  The Si670 retails for $49.99 but savvy shoppers can find a deal online.

Video Review: H2O Audio Amphibx & Surge

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros for the Amphibx: Kept out all water & moisture. Provided a nice snug fit. A great design as far as placement of the touch screen window, very easy to access and completely responsive.
Pros for the Surge: Perfect accessory for the Amphibx armband. Sound quality is amazing. Provides a near perfect fit with the 5 different ear bud sizes to choose from.
Cons for the Amphibx: Slightly bulky and heavy. The latch tight area for device insertion and removal is too narrow.
Cons for the Surge: The cord is a bit too long and there’s no way to keep it out of the way.
Overall: I highly recommend thess products for those looking to safely listen to music in any water environment.

You can find more information as well as purchase H2O Audio products by clicking here

New GPS Navigation App: Navigon

The NAVIGON MobileNavigator transforms any iPhone 3G, equipped with the new Apple OS 3.0 operating system, and any iPhone 3G S into a complete navigation device. Some of it’s features include:

• 2D and 3D map displays
• Can be used in portrait and landscape format
• Precise voice announcements
• Intelligent address entry
• Reality View Pro (realistic display of motorway interchanges and exits)
• Lane Assistant Pro
• Speed Assistant with adjustable audio-visual warning
• Day and night mode for map display
• Direct access and navigation to contacts saved in the iPhone’s address book
• The latest NAVTEQ map material including more than two million (EU version) places of interest (POIs)
• Quick access to user-defined POIs in the area and along the route
• Take Me Home function with a single click
• Automatic language selection to match the iPhone’s user language

Here’s a video showing the North American version:

App Review: Adam’s Art by Sol Robots

Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros from Tom: Virtual coloring book, you can save your pictures on the fridge, keeps kids quiet in the car, increases hand eye coordination, prepares kids for the touch screen world of computers.
Pros from my 6 yr old: Very artistic and I like art, very fun, and the colors really jump off the page, 3 different paper backgrounds, a mini coloring book that you can take around very easily.
Cons from Tom: When you pick a picture to color, it seems hard to stay inside the lines.
Cons from my 6 yr old: I wish there were more colors to choose from
Overall: A great game for kids that will keep the occupied while teaching them to use technology that will certainly be implemented more widely in the future. A virtual coloring book that takes up much less space than a traditional coloring book and crayons that won’t melt in the car and embed themselves into your upholstery.

You can purchase Adam’s Art for 99 cents in the App Store by clicking here.

Video Review: Rivet Hard Leather Pouch

Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Very good protection and integrated loop for using with a Rivet Kingpin clip.
Cons: Very difficult to remove phone from pouch.
Overall: This case has a unique style that I haven’t seen on any other cases, the vintage leather definitely makes it stand out. Unfortunately, I think it would take some time for the case to soften up to where you could remove your iPhone from it more easily.

You can purchase this case directly from Rivet for $29.90

Video Review: Mophie Juice Pack Air

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Battery/Case combo, status lights on back let you know how much battery life is left.
Cons: Affects cell signal in some areas, not by much but I did notice I had less bars when using it.
Overall: The Mophie Juice Pack Air is much improved over the original Juice Pack, most in regards to protection of the iPhone. This case does add some bulk to your slim iPhone, but I think it’s a fair trade off to have a backup battery with you at all times. I surprisingly loved the Mophie Juice Pack Air. I thought the added bulk would be a annoying and cumbersome, but it actually made holding the iPhone comfortable for me, especially since I have big hands. This product is now one of my top favorite accessories for my iPhone and I’ve decided to award it our Editors’ Choice Award.

You can purchase the Mophie Juice Pack Air for $79.99 on Mophies website.

They’re also having a contest right now to win a Juice Pack Air. Go to their site and enter to win.

Video App Review: Zombies vs. Sheep

Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Very clean and good looking graphics.  Very stable, and has yet to crash on me.  Affordable price, along with a relatively high replay value.
Cons: Addictive, too addictive. Music can become annoying and repetitive.  Methods of “dying” aren’t very intuitive, and could have been improved.
Overall: This is a relatively fun game.  Considering the low price tag of $.99, it gives you a pretty high replay value making you come back for more.  If you like accelerometer based games such as Scoops, Sky Burger, etc., this is a game you will probably very much enjoy.

You can purchase Zombies vs. Sheep in the App Store for $.99 by clicking here.

August Contest

Video Review: MiLi Power Pack

Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: A lot more stylish than the other back up batteries out there, power in and USB out so it easily syncs and charges another device, battery indicator on the front, cool colors, charges iPhone at least 1 1/2 times from under 10% battery life.
Cons: Like most of these external batteries, it lacks the protection factor, scratches don’t show up on the white but I could see how they might on the black.
Overall: I am very impressed with the MiLi Power Pack and the customer service from Gadstyle.  I really dig the different color combination and the capacity at 2000 mAh gives you plenty of juice to get you through the day.  With charging priorities you use corded power 1st then the power pack charge and finally the iPhone battery.  At a price tag of $79.90 it is in similar range as other popular models but throw in the color palate and I think the MiLi rises above.

You can purshase the MiLi Power Pack from Gadstyle by clicking here and going directly to their online store.

App Review: Zingles

Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: If you’re a big Sudoku fan and looking for an app to change things up, this could be the app for you.
Cons: There are many sudoku applications to choose from & you can probably get one similar to this for free.

Overall: An app worth checking out if your a huge sudoku fan.