The Gadling gift guide for the iPhone and iPad traveler

Shopping for iPhone or iPad accessories is never easy – unlike any other device on the market, the assortment of extras for Apple devices is just insane. Whether you need an iPod toilet paper dispenser, or one of over 1000 different types of headphone, you’ll never run out of options.

So, we are here to help, and share some of the best products we’ve come across in 2010. There is something for everyone in this list. Got something better you use with your iPhone or iPad? Leave a comment, and share your favorite product with the world!

Soundmatters foxL speaker

Why? You’ll have a hard time finding anything that sounds this good without investing in a massive home theater system. This compact battery powered Bluetooth speaker is simply amazing.

Review: April 19, 2010

Product page: Soundmatters foxL

Price: $199

Jawbone Icon Earwear

Why? Top notch sound, noise cancellation, Bluetooth music and apps. Bluetooth headsets don’t get much better than this.

Product page: Aliph Jawbone

Price: $99

Product review

Mophie Juice Pack Reserve

Why? Power boosting battery pack small enough for on your key chain. Built in LED flashlight.

Product page: Mophie

Price: $39.95

Review: September 16, 2010

Creative Labs Bluetooth speaker

Why? Compact room filling Bluetooth audio. Can be powered off AC or batteries

Product page:Creative D100 Bluetooth speaker

Price: $79.99

Joby Gorillamobile for iPhone 4

Why? Multi-functional case lets you use it as camera tripod, movie mount and more.

Product page: Joby Gorillamobile for iPhone 4

Price: $39.95

XtremeMac 3-in-1 Microdock

Why? The smallest portable speaker and alarm clock you’ll find for your iPhone. Install the (free) XtremeMac Alarm Clock app and you can forever forget about lousy hotel alarm clocks.

Product page: XtremeMac 3-in-1 Microdock

Price: $59.99

Scosche motorMouth II

Why? The smallest Bluetooth hands-free system in the world. Stream Bluetooth stereo music and phone calls to your line-in equipped car radio.

Product page: Scosche motorMouth II

Price: $79.99

Scosche sneakPEEK II

Why? The Schosche sneakPEEK II is the only 2-in-1 iPhone/iPad video cable on the market. In a single cable, you get component and composite outputs.

Product page: Scosche sneakPEEK II

Price: $59.99

Otterbox Defender Series iPad case

Why? Because your iPad isn’t designed to battle the elements, Otterbox steps in to help. The Otterbox Defender series cases for the iPad protects it from all corners, plus its rear cover slides off to protect your screen.

Product page: Otterbox Defender Series

Price: $89.95

Gelaskins

Why? Gelaskins protect your device, and offer thousands of different designs. Their 3M adhesive material provides a barrier against scratches, while keeping your device looking cool.

Product page: Gelaskins

Price: from $14.95

V-Moda Vibrato Remote headphones

Why? Good looks and good price, without sacrificing sound quality.

Product page: V-Moda Vibrato remote

Price: $129.99

Urbanears headphones

Why? Instead of radical new designs, Urbanears sticks to great old school designs with superb audio quality.

Product page: Urbanears

Price: from $40

Case-Mate cases

Why? Because Case-Mate designs some of the best looking cases on the market. Plus, if you don’t like their designs, you can design and submit your own.

Product page: Case-Mate

Price: from $24.99

Bioserie cases

Why? It isn’t easy being green, but these cases sure can help. Instead of plastics, Bioserie cases are made of a plant based matter, and are fully bio-degradable.

Product page: Bioserie

Price: from $29.95

Kensington PowerBack iPad case

Why? Protection, power and sound from a single case. The PowerBack features a powerful built in battery pack, amplified speakers and a kickstand.

Product page: Kensington PowerBack

Price: $129.99

Dexim P-Flip

Why? Nightstand and movie stand plus a battery pack in a single product. Brilliant and compact.

Product page: Dexim P-Flip

Price: $69.90

iMainGo X

Why? Rechargeable sound for on the go. Access to the touch screen of your iPhone, even when it is inside the case. Speakers can be daisy-chained for massive volume.

Product review

Product page: Portable Sound Labs

Price: $69.95

Grace Eco Extreme

Why? Going to the pool or beach no longer means you need to leave your iPhone or iPod behind. Loud, clear music from a waterproof amplified case.

Product review

Product page: Grace Eco Extreme

Price: $49.95

Griffin PowerDuo Reserve

Why? Wall, car and battery power from a single product. Never find yourself with an empty battery again.

Product review

Product page: PowerDuo Reserve

Price: $59.99

Future Sonics Atrio Special Edition

Why? Better sound than you’ve ever heard from a pair of headphones. Pricey, but not insanely expensive given how great the sound.

Product review

Product page: Future Sonics

Price: $229

Griffin Travel Stand

Why? An all-in-one case that acts as a movie watching stand and a headphone case.

Product review

Product page: Griffin Travel Stand

Price: $14.99

Gadling gift guide – photography gadgets

An essential part of any trip is photography, and an essential part of photography is good photo gadgets. In this fourth and final Gadling gift guide, we’ll recommend a couple of great photo gadgets that will make even the most amateur photographer happy.

Be sure to check out our previous gift guides:

Gift guide for the lightweight traveler
Gift guide for famlily travel and kids
Gift guide for the business traveler
The top ten travel products of 2009

Hyperdrive Colorspace UDMA photo backup unit

The Colorspace UDMA is one of the fastest photo storage devices on the market. Available with up to 500GB of space, the Colorspace UDMA supports most RAW photo formats and accepts SD and CF memory cards. It’ll do up to 250GB off a single battery charge, and can even be programmed with user scripts to automate certain features.

Price: From $249
Product page: HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA

Joby Gorillapod

The Joby Gorillapod is the perfect travel photography gadget. It is small, lightweight, and lets you take photos using it as a mini tripod, or by attaching it to a solid object (like a tree). The Gorillapod comes in several versions, including one for SLR cameras and a version with interchangeable mounts.

Price: From $21.95
Product page: Joby Gorillapod

Gigapan EPIC robotic imager

If you want to take your photos beyond the dull and boring, consider investing in the $299 GigaPan EPIC imaging robot. By attaching your camera to the unit, and setting some basic options, the GigaPan starts shooting away, turning 100’s of photos into massive panoramic photos. The unit includes the free stitching software from GigaPan, and image hosting on their site.

Price: $299
Product page: Gigapan EPIC

Epson Artisan 810

Making great photos is fun – but with a good photo printer, you can take them beyond the screen and show them off the old fashioned way. The Epson Artisan 810 features a sheet-feed scanner, fax and triple-source printer tray. It’ll print on blank CD’s and comes complete with Ethernet and Wi-Fi.

Price: $199 (after temporary $100 instant rebate)
Product page: Epson Artisan 810

Eye-Fi Wireless SD memory card

Eye-Fi cards turn your camera into a Wi-Fi enabled device. Photos and videos can instantly be uploaded to your PC or a variety of online photo/video sharing sites. The card is available with Wi-Fi geotagging and hotspot access.

Price: from $49.99
Product page: Eye-Fi

Epson P-6000 multimedia photo viewer

The Epson P-6000 is the professionals choice for a photo storage device. It features a large 4″ Premia LCD display with support for 16.7 million colors. Inside the unit is an 80GB drive. Photos can be loaded off one of the memory card slots, or directly off the camera with USB host and a neat tethering option.

Support is built in for almost every RAW format on the market, and the unit even allows for several powerful photo editing procedures, right on the device. Plus, at the end of the day, you can use it to watch some movies or listen to music.

Price: $599.99 (+ $75 mail in rebate)
Product page: Epson P-6000 multimedia photo viewer

Ipevo R7 Wi-Fi enabled photo frame

The Ipevo Kaleido R7 is another great way to view the photos you make. The R7 looks fantastic, but inside is where the real power is – thanks to Wi-Fi, you can view live photo channels, or even read the latest news through RSS. The unit features touch sensitive controls and its hi-resolution screen makes photos look fantastic.

Price: $149
Product page: Ipevo Kaleido R7

Manfrotto ModoSteady

The Manfrotto ModoSteady grabbed a top spot in our lineup of best gadgets of 2009 – and rightfully so. This 3-in-1 device works as a mini tripod, shoulder grip and steady-cam mount. Best of all, it is lightweight and can fold up into a compact unit.

Price: $115
Product page: Manfrotto ModoSteady

Manfrotto Modopocket

The final product in our gift guide is another Manfrotto invention – the ModoPocket is a tiny folding tripod, designed for smaller cameras or Micro Four/Thirds cameras. The ModoPocket screws to the bottom of your camera, and allows you to angle it up or down. When you are done, you simply fold it back up.

Price: $29.99
Product page: Manfrotto ModoPocket

Gadling’s gift guide for the frequent / business traveler

Unlike what many people think, business travel is not the jetset playboy lifestyle the TV makes it appear to be. You are frequently stuck in bad hotels, flights are delayed or canceled, and the little spare time you have, is wasted to create expense reports.

In this Gadling gift guide, we have compiled some of the best business traveler kit on the market. Some are there for your entertainment, others just help get some work done more efficiently, leaving more time for fun.

(Photo from Flickr/garybembridge)Callpod Fueltank Duo

As we become more dependent on our gadgets, we also become dependent on battery life lasting as long as a work day. The Callpod Fueltank won a spot in the Gadling top 10 gadgets of 2009 – and rightfully so. It can charge 2 gadgets at the same time, using the same power tips as on the Callpod Chargepod multi-device charger.

Price: $49.95
Product page: Callpod Fueltank


The Art Of Shaving travel kit

When you are on the road a lot, you tend to miss the comforts of home. One way to pamper yourself (or a loved one) is with some nice travel friendly toiletries. The Art Of Shaving produces a lineup of high quality shaving products, as well as some great travel friendly sized kits.

Their TSA friendly shaving kit contains a badger hair shaving brush, pre-shave oil, shaving cream and some after-shave balm. That way, even in the crappiest of hotels, you’ll be able to get a really nice comforting shave.

Price: $50
Product page: The Art Of Shaving

Briggs & Riley Baseline 20″ Upright

Frequent travel requires good reliable luggage. When you start traveling for business is when it is usually the best time to dump that old $40 rolling bag you got when you were 18. The Briggs & Riley Baseline collection consists of some great looking luggage, designed for the rigors of the airport and overhead compartment.

Price: From $259
Product page: Briggs & Riley Baseline Collection
Gadling review: September 2009

Moshi voice control alarm clock

The Moshi voice control travel alarm clock is the cure for the common hotel alarm clock. Most hotels provide an alarm clock that requires a complicated array of button presses to get the time set correctly – and if you are lucky, it will actually work. The Moshi clock lets you program the time, and alarm using your voice. With simple commands you get the right wake up time programmed. It can even tell you the temperature in your room.

Price: $24.95
Product page: Moshilifestyle.com
Gadling review: November 2009

NeatReceipts Moible Scanner + filing system

The NeatReceipts system is perfect for people who have to deal with the hassles of complex expense reporting. Instead of collecting all your receipts in a plastic bag, you simply scan them with the portable scanner, and let the filing software take care of the rest. At the end of your trip, you let the software produce a report, ready to file and speed up your reimbursement.

In addition to expense report creation, the scanner and software can scan regular documents and business cards.

Price: $199.95
Product page: NeatReceipts

HP Mini 5101 Business class netbook

The HP Mini 5101 builds on the runaway success of netbook size computers, but adds a touch of business friendly features. A specially coated full-size keyboard, 3D driveguard protection and options for integrated 3G make this the perfect companion for someone that wants to travel lighter, without compromises.

Price: From $399 (depending on configuration)
Product page: HP Mini 5101
Gadling review: November 2009

Sling Media Slingbox Solo

Even the most workaholic business traveler needs some entertainment every now and then – and the Slingmedia Slingbox can be the perfect tool to accomplish that. This $180 devices takes your home TV signal, and streams it directly to your PDA, iPhone, laptop or Blackberry, anywhere in the world you can get online. You get full control over your home cable box or TiVo, and even get remote access to a TV guide.

Price: $179.99
Product page: Sling Media Slingbox Solo

hField Technologies Wi-Fire

Crappy Wi-Fi signals are one of my biggest hotel pet peeves. It doesn’t matter how upscale the brand, when you have a room with limited Internet connectivity, it can screw up your entire evening. The hField Technologies Wi-Fire adapter clips to your laptop screen (or sits on a table), and greatly boosts your ability to pick up a signal. In some cases, by more than 10x.

Price: $59.99
Product page: hField Technologies
Gadling review: September 2009

Plantronics Voyager Pro

Forget about every experience you ever had with a Bluetooth headset. The headsets of yesteryear were usually horrible for the listener, and the wearer. In some cases, the Plantronics Voyager actually sounds better than using your handset. Stylish design, great battery life and dual noise canceling microphones make for a very reliable headset. Of course, no amount of stylish design can prevent you from looking like a dork – so only wear your headset when you actually need to.

Price: $99.99
Product page: Plantronics Voyager Pro

Aaxa Technologies P2 Pico Projector

Gone are the days where you had to drag a 20lb projector through the airport in a flight-case. The Aaxa P2 is about the size of the iPhone, and produces enough light to display your presentation in a moderately dimmed room. And at the end of the day, you pop in a MicroSD card and watch some movies in your hotel room.

Price: $359.99
Product page: Aaxa Technologies P2
Gadling review: December 2009

Ipevo Skype phones

If your travels take you outside your local calling area, or anywhere else where a simple phone call costs a buck a minute, then you have probably already found the joy of Skype. Ipevo make a line of great Skype hardware, from the most basic handset, to a full conference phone with DSP noise cancellation.

Price: From $14.99
Product page: Ipevo
Gadling review: October 2009