Todd Bernhard is a bestselling (6+ million downloads) award-winning (AARP, About.com, BestAppEver.com, Digital Hollywood, and Verizon) developer and founder of NoTie.NET, an app developer specializing in Talking Ringtone apps including AutoRingtone. And his profile photo is of the last known sighting of Mr. Bernhard wearing a tie, circa 2007!
An iPhone is almost always attached to his hip or in his pocket, but over the years, Mr. Bernhard has owned an Apple Newton, a Motorola Marco, an HP 95LX, a Compaq iPaq, a Palm Treo, and a Nokia e62. In addition to writing for iPhone Life, Mr. Bernhard has written for its sister publications, PocketPC Magazine and The HP Palmtop Paper.
Now you can print photos directly from your iPhone, either wirelessly or by docking your iPhone on the PD-480 Photo Printer Dock PD-480 ($139.99) from Kodak. The dock can even charge your iPhone as well. Kodak also sells an Android version, although the iPhone version has a microUSB to Lightning adapter, so that may be the only difference.
By Todd Bernhard
There are a lot of Bluetooth trackers out there, but the Pixie Finder (starting at $29.99) from Pixie has an interesting twist. Pixie has added Augmented Reality to the process of finding your missing gadgets. To accomplish this, one of the trackers needs to be attached to your iPhone or iPhone case. To Pixie's credit, the company gives away a custom case with your order.
By Todd Bernhard
There's a lot to like about the Deadbolt 02 ($199) from igloohome, especially once you get it installed. I particularly liked the "magical" way you can enter, just by holding your hand over the touchscreen, as long as you have your phone nearby. The sleek device uses Bluetooth 4.0 to recognize that you are close by, and then unlocks the deadbolt when your hand is placed in the right spot. This could be great for entering with groceries, etc.
By Todd Bernhard
It's hard to earn a five star review from me, especially for something as mundane as a charging hub. But the Nomad USB Charging Hub (starting at $39.95) does the job of a hub, and hides the cables inside to prevent accidental disconnection and look good at the same time. Speaking of cables, Nomad has some of the most rugged cables you can buy, so when you're on the go, you can take Nomad quality with you.
By Todd Bernhard
USB-C is the future, whether the iPhone 8 supports it or not. Apple has embraced USB-C across its latest MacBooks, and the cable has a lot of advantages, including reversible connectors and quick charging. To bridge the gap until we get USB-C for iPhone, there's the NIFTY Mobile Charger ($79.99).
By Todd Bernhard
Looking to learn how to open a private tab in Safari? Private browsing mode allows you browse the internet without your device logging your page history or storing cookies. We'll cover how to enable and disable private browsing in Safari.
By Todd Bernhard
I have an Apple Watch, but there are times when I don't always wear it. That's why I was pleased to try the Activity Tracker app (free) from Bits&Coffee. Even as I type this, my Apple Watch battery has less than 10 percent left. This is why I can't always wear it, but I almost always have my iPhone with me. When combined with the Activity Tracker app, I can keep track of steps via the built-in pedometer independent of my Apple Watch.
By Todd Bernhard
I was able to try the IonSlim 5K for USB-C ($54.95) from Moshi before it was released. Like other Moshi products, it's elegantly designed, with quality materials, including anodized aluminum. At 8.5 mm, it's also incredibly slim, almost as slim as an iPhone 7, yet it provides 5,150 mAh of power and Fast Charging at 15 Watts (5 volts at 3 amps), which is impressive given the thickness (or lack of thickness.)
By Todd Bernhard
I finally broke down and bought a new MacBook Pro with USB-C ports, which meant it was time to get an adapter so I could plug in my legacy equipment. Some vendors offer USB-C to USB-2 or USB-3 adapters, or USB-C to HDMI adapters, but I prefer the USB-C Multiport Adapter ($79.95) from Moshi. This way, I can plug in one USB-C cable and instantly connect to my HDMI monitor (up to 4K) and my seven-port USB hub (for keyboard, mouse, hard drive, and more) while also connecting to USB-C for power.
By Todd Bernhard
The folks at Pixie have done a lot of research into lost devices, in preparation of the company's launch of the Pixie Bluetooth tracker and app. The results of that research have been condensed into an interesting infographic, below. Here are some of their findings:
