I recently reviewed the SmartCine Complete Universal Smartphone Kit. It's a handheld mount that holds a smartphone in place for use in videography. I was intrigued to see how the "complete" kit could get better when Movo sent me its SmartCine Wireless All-in-One Video Kit ($149.95) to try. It turns out there was quite a bit more that could be added. First, Movo added a wireless lavalier microphone option. When combined with an added telephoto lens, this makes it easy to record a distant subject while keeping them in the picture. The kit has a convenient headphone jack as well to check audio levels. Make sure you have your own Lightning to 3.5mm audio converter to accept the output of the wireless receiver.

Informant 5: The Calendar App to Rule Them All

(Sponsored Post) By Tamlin Day on Mon, 02/10/2020

Apple is pretty good about updating its products, but it seems to have forgotten about the Calendar app. The makers of Informant 5 remember, and the latest update to this calendar and task-management app are a productivity game changer. Unlike Apple's Calendar, Informant 5 is updated regularly with improvements based on customer feedback. Just check out the newest feature; the Time Picker.

Get Stable Backups with the Mercury Dock

Backing up your photos, videos, music, and other media can be stressful, but it doesn't have to be. The Mercury Elite Dock quickly charges your iPhone, Mac, Macbook, and iPad, and it makes it easy for you to store and backup everything that matters. With its multiple hard drives, you can enable the Mercury to save several versions of all your files. This redundancy keeps your most important data safe and secure. Available now from OWC.

Submitted by Tamlin Day on Mon, 02/10/2020 - 09:11

If you don't like either of the Apple Pencils that Apple offers, the folks at Adonit have a wide range of Apple Pencil alternatives. They even have a chart on their website to help you decide which one is right for you, with eleven models from $10 to $100. I previously wrote about their Adonit Note, and they sent me the upgraded Note Plus Stylus ($69.99) to try and it answers several of the issues I had. For starters, it uses USB-C instead of microUSB to recharge. This is important because, since my previous review, Apple has moved to standardize on USB-C for the iPad Pro. The fewer cables I have to carry around, the better, and microUSB has always been a pain because it's not reversible.

The Rocketbook Everlast notebook is a smart notebook that's conventional in look and feel, but is built for the digital age. The Everlast makes it easy to digitize and organize all your notes in an instant. Writing is the same as with any other notebook—with one main exception. Adding a bit of water erases all your notes so you can start from scratch, making it 100 percent reusable (yay for the environment).

I have been a fan of Pitaka's iPhone cases and car charger for some time. The company has a unique design combining aramid fiber (which looks like carbon fiber) and metal and magnets to not only look good but also to keep your phone and accessories connected, in place, and fully charged. But if you want an extra battery pack to carry with you, Pitaka also has the MagEZ Juice ($89.99), which Pitaka sent me to try.

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