Volume Number: 25
Issue Number: 11
Column Tag: Kool Tools

Kool Tools: JustMobile Xtand and iDowell's iBox

By the MacTech Editorial Staff

Like Apple, there are some companies that have paid attention to the design angle of products that could be, well, boring. JustMobile and iDowell are two of them.

JustMobile (http://www.xtand.net/) makes stands for iPhones, iPods and Apple laptops that look great while doing their job. In other words, the products are Apple-esque.

The Xtand for the iPhone and iPod touch is designed to offer a hands-free viewing experience. The $40 stand is simple, but rugged. The aluminum construction of the Xtand has a more solid feel than any plastic stand, and you can adjust the viewing angle. It offers 360 degrees of rotation, an adjustable viewing angle, cable management and non-slip feet

With the stand, you can view a vertically positioned iPhone or iPod screen for reading emails, tweets, etc. Or you can place your Apple device horizontally for viewing of videos, movies, Safari, and more.

The Just Mobile Xtand Pro is an $89.90 stand for raising your notebook's display to an ergonomic eye level. It's designed to relieve wrist and neck pain and has the additional benefit of looking great with its similar metal finish to the MacBook Pro.

Made of solid aluminum, it matches the metal finish of the Apple laptop. The low profile bar provides you a different height to enjoy the ergonomic comfort without an external keyboard or mouse. JustMobile also makes the $44.95 Cooling Bar, which raises your notebook computer to a more comfortable typing level. It's crafted from — you guessed it —- solid aluminum with a diamond-cut design that matches the style of MacBook Airs, MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

It also incorporates a cable management slot to keep your power cable organized. The folks at Mobis say the Cooling Bar offers cooler and quieter operation with improved air circulation. Grip rings keep your notebook securely in place and protect the surface from scratches.

iDowell's iBox UPS (http://www.idowell.it/index.html) is a stylish UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) that looks good. It's lightweight, compact and noiseless, yet can be a lifesaver if you live in a storm-prone area (like I do). And it comes with a lifetime equipment protection policy.

The iBox UPS ensures a constant AC power supply to your Mac and peripherals, protecting them against damage caused by blackouts and voltage drops. It's supported and automatically recognized, installed, and managed by Mac OS X, so you don't have to install any software.

It offers over 30 minutes of battery backup power, which lets you work through medium and extended length power outages. With its automatic voltage regulation (AVR) capability, the iBox can instantly correct input voltage, saving the battery charge for power outages when you need it most.

We looked at a couple of iBox models and found that both were fairly sensitive to power fluctuations, and in at least once case, it just shut off without warning. Since consistent power is so important for a UPS, this had us scratching our head.

With an outer shell of opalescent gray and glossy black, the iBox looks great alongside Apple products. But, as you often the case, you have to pay for style. The iBox costs US$237.