TECH: APPS AND ACCESORIES
You may think your tablet is all singing and all dancing – but there is nothing that can’t be improved upon. Caramel Quin suggests accessories and apps to super-boost your device
ACCESSORIES
1 OSPREY CYBER PORT
£70 ospreyeurope.com The Cyber Port rucksack lets you use your tablet without taking it out of the bag. Unzip the front flap and the iPad will be facing you, ready to use yet protected behind a touchscreen-friendly window. Whether you’re on public transport or queuing at passport control, you won’t be in a rush to put it away. The 18-litre bag also has a padded laptop sleeve and plenty of pockets inside.
2 RAVPOWER WD02 FILEHUB
£50 ravpower.com The size of a pack of cards, this versatile gizmo has a 6,000mAh battery, which is enough to recharge your smartphone two or three times over. It also features USB and SD card slots that let your devices wirelessly access memory cards and portable hard drives. Plus, it’s a “travel router” – plug it into a wired internet connection in a hotel or conference room and it creates a private wifi network that multiple devices can share at the same time.
3 OLLOCLIP 4-IN-1
From £48 olloclip.com These clever clip-on lenses are available in various versions to fit recent iPads and iPhones, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5. The wide-angle lens doubles the field of vision your camera can capture and the fisheye produces striking 180-degree images. Get close to subjects for stunning detail shots with the 10x and 15x macro lenses – all in a package that fits in the palm of your hand.
4 GRIFFIN SURVIVOR
From £13 griffintechnology. com Griffin makes seriously tough cases for iPhones, iPads and all major Android brands. Survivor Slim cases protect against drops of up to two metres and offer screen protection. Survivor All Terrain cases meet military standards thanks to a shatterresistant polycarbonate frame clad in impactabsorbing silicone – protecting against dirt, sand, rain and vibration.
5 BOWERS AND WILKINS T7
£300 bowers-wilkins.co.uk British audio manufacturer Bowers and Wilkins has launched its first-ever Bluetooth speaker, which is compatible with any brand of smartphone or tablet. It’s the size of a hardback book, weighs less than 1kg and boasts an impressive 18-hour battery. What’s more, the honeycomb design is more than merely an aesthetic addition – it reduces resonance for a cleaner, more precise sound.
6 BELKIN QODE ULTIMATE PRO KEYBOARD CASE
£150 belkin.com/uk This is both a case and a keyboard for the iPad Air 2, turning your super-slim tablet into a touchscreen laptop. Its small size is perfect for travel, backlit keys let you work in the dark and you can pair it with two devices at once – receive a text on your phone and you can type a response quickly before returning to work on your iPad. You can even rotate the screen. Battery life is incredible – up to a year.
7 SUCK UK SKETCH STYLUS
£5 suck.uk.com The pencil is mightier than the finger. This stylus from East London designer Suck UK is a leaded pencil at one end and a stylus disguised as a rubber at the other. It works on all touchscreen devices and beats a finger hands-down (excuse the pun), whether you’re an artist or a designer, annotating a document with handwritten notes or simply find it easier to navigate the screen with something more precise.
8 NEST THERMOSTAT
£249 nest.com/uk This isn’t a gadget to take with you on your travels – it sits in your home and allows you to control the central heating from a distance. Linked to an app on your smartphone or tablet, you can turn it off completely when you’re travelling but programme it to turn on a few hours before you get home to warm the place up. You’ll save a fortune on bills and need never return to Siberian conditions again. (Pictured with stand, £30.)
9 TWELVE SOUTH BOOKBOOK TRAVEL JOURNAL
£75 twelvesouth.com This travel case has enough pouches and elastic straps to carry all your travel essentials, including an iPad. The neat little package zips up to resemble a vintage leather-bound book. It works with all iPads, whether or not they have a smart cover on, and also has space for chargers and headphones, even large ones, as long as the ear cups fold flat. You’ll never have to rummage through your carry-on again.
10 MOPHIE JUICE PACK UNIVERSAL RESERVE
£40 amazon.co.uk Small and stylish, this matchbox-sized emergency battery charger may not have a huge capacity, but its 1,350mAh is enough to get you out of a pickle. Its handy size also means you can always carry it with you (just remember to keep it charged). It is available in two models: Lightning, for recent iPhones and iPads; and Micro, for non-Apple devices that charge via a micro USB.