These days we’re all expected to keep our tunes to ourselves, though some youths rebel by playing the music from their smartphone speakers really loud, annoying all the people on public transportation with crappy, tinny music.

If you’re going to do all that, you need to go old school with it.

House of Marley is all about the old school charm mixed with new technology and Earth-friendly materials. The apex of this is the new Bag of Rhythm, a new take on the boombox idea. You can carry this one on your shoulder, too. The strap is way more comfortable than the boxy edges of old.

This isn’t just a good-looking showpiece. Oh heck no. I was party to several jam sessions at CES when this thing appeared and the audio quality is appropriately booming, bass-heavy, and bombastic.

The dock in the center connects to an iPhone or iPod touch like any other iSpeaker. There’s also a cable for connecting other handhelds and a pouch on the side for hiding the shameful non-iDevice away.

You get two sets of handles for easy carrying, but once you set the Bag of Rhythm down it can sit speakers facing forward without the iPhone falling out. It runs on a rechargeable battery that can be topped up at home or in the car.

The entire thing is made from recycled (or recyclable) materials. Yes, that’s real wood you see surrounding the speakers. The bag bits are made from cotton canvas.

The Bag of Rhythm costs $349. You can order it today from House of Marley’s website for delivery starting next week.

House of Marley’s Bag of Rhythm On Sale – Bringing Back The Boombox is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.

The benefits of their project include the following:

The Elevation Dock works with a case on your iPhone. Most iPhone docks have a special insert that forms the dock to fit your version of the iPhone without a case. To dock your iPhone you have to either take your case off or remove the form-fitting insert. Doing the latter makes the docks a bit unstable. I use a dual charging dock to top off the batteries on the two iPhones my wife and I use and I’m always afraid I’m going to break off the dock connector inside my iPhone because I use it without the inserts so I don’t have to remove our cases.

The dock also solves a second issue. When you lift your iPhone out of the dock, the dock will often come with it failing to disconnect from the 30-pin Apple Dock Connector. My dock is heavy enough and we don’t have this problem, but if you do, the Elevation Dock will be heavy enough (made of aluminum) to stay on your desk or nightstand when you take your phone off. It also uses a “low friction connection” making it easier to remove. The base has “tacky rubber feet” keeping it from skidding and making it stick the flat surface it sits on.

Finally, the project founder, Casey Hopkins, promises an “obsessive attention to quality” since most iPhone docks come with cheap plastic bases and flimsy dock connectors and/or USB connections. The will make the Elevation Dock out of aircraft grade aluminum that will “feel heavy, strong, durable and look gorgeous.”

The design looks like it will mimic typical aluminum Apple products like an iMac (see above), Mac Mini or MacBook. The phone will sit at an 8-degree angle, which sounds like a good fit for those using their phone for video chat.

You can fund the Elevation Dock at a price of $59 with a likely future retail price of $90. This version comes with a USB out port recessed inside the dock that you will have to insert into the dock (see below).

An advanced version called the Elevation Dock+ will cost $79 and will have a glass bead basted finish, a shielded line level audio out port and a USB adapter to plug into an AC outlet. They will retail for around $120.

At $85 you can fund the project and get the Dock+ in anodized Matte Black finish (see the first image above). You can order more than one at a higher level or get a colored Dock+ for $150 with a laser etched serial number showing that you were an uber-backer!

Other levels include $250 for multiple docks, $500 for even more docks and $2,000, $5,000 or $10,000 gets multiple docks with retail packaging if you want to go into business selling them yourself. All combined these three higher levels actually have 9 backers with 133 choosing to back the $500 level.

Check out the Kickstarter page yourself and join the large number of people funding the project.

Elevation Dock for iPhone Could Be the Best iPhone Dock Made is a post by Kevin Purcell from Gotta Be Mobile.

For nearly a year I’ve struggled to keep my iPad in place on the road. I love the large screen for easy viewing on the road, but because it’s bulky I need a good mounting solution. Otherwise my iPad jostles about too easily as I take turns or if some jerk suddenly stops in front of me.

Read: Why I Bought the iPad 3G

The mount fits tablets from 7-10 inches or it will fit your smartphone with one of two included cradles. The base fits into your car’s cup holder and the shaft lifts the device high enough to make it easily visible as you’re driving and to allow you to put your big 32 ounce Slurpee in the other cup holder.

The company mentions the iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab and Kindle Fire in their press release, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work with almost any 7-10 inch tablet. The cradle designed to hold a smartphone will work with your phone inside its case, something many other car mounts won’t do. It will fit the iPhone and larger Android devices too.

You can rotate the mount 360-degrees so you or the passenger can easily read the screen. It also tilts 180-degrees on both vertical and horizontal axis. The base expands to secure itself in almost any sized cup holder.

Order yours for $29.99 at either Satechi.net or Amazon.

iPad Cup Holder Mount Is Your New Travel Companion, Great for GPS is a post by Kevin Purcell from Gotta Be Mobile.

OtterBox is known for lending high-quality protection to Apple devices (we loved the iPhone 4 Defender case) with its Defender series case and it appears that that won’t change when the iPad 3 arrives in the weeks ahead.

Robinson exclaims that the company will introduce the best Defender series case yet when the next-gen iPad arrives. A fairly bold claim that we hope the company is able to deliver upon.

If you’re not familiar with the Defender series from Otterbox, it’s the type of case that you’ll want should you be the kind of person that travels around with your iPad. It’s a rugged case solution that will ensure your iPad will be protected from harm should you drop it or bang it against a hard surface in your travels.

It’s also good for those of you that may have children who like to toss around expensive gadgets.

You can see an older version of the iPad Defender series case in the video below:

Now, the company claims no knowledge of iPad 3 specifics. Hardware, release date or otherwise. However, lucky for all of you, we have what we think is a pretty good read on what may go down.

First, the name. OtterBox throws out the names iPad 3 and iPad 2S and those are both names that we have seen pop up. As for a release date, the latest pegs the iPad 3 as getting both announced and released sometime in March.

No exact date has been rumored just yet.

And what about the hardware?

Well, we’ve heard whispers of 4G LTE capabilities. That means data speeds up to 10 times faster then 3G. We’ve heard that it might employ a high-resolution Retina Display. There has also been talk of an Apple A6 quad-core processor being on board.

All seem fairly likely considering the state of mobile. We have a device on the market with a quad-core processor. We have high-res screens. And we certainly have 4G LTE devices available.

Thankfully, it should only be a few more weeks before we find out for sure.

If you’re thinking about picking up a case for your iPad 3 or otherwise, be sure to check out our 5 Tips for Picking a Great Smartphone or Tablet Case.

Otterbox Planning Cases Before iPad 3 Release Date is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

After using one for the better part of three months I’m sold on the value it provides, especially considering you can often find the units on sale for $99 to $150.

The Jawbone Jambox is a about 6 inches long, 2 and a quarter inches tall and an inch and a half thick, which is to say it is very portable, and at 12 ounces it’s pretty light too. In fact, you can get a free chain to wear it around your neck Flava Flave style if you are inclined.

There are three buttons on the top of the device which turn the volume up and down and can activate Siri or the call function of your phone. On the side there is a power button that doubles as an easy to use pairing button, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Micro USB connection for charging.

Available in a range of colors, the Jambox is great for taking out and about with you — and thanks to the 85db output it can fill up your hotel room, annoy those near you at the park and much more. The battery has a 10 hour rating and I found that tis pretty close to the real world use, allowing me to use the Jambox for a few days and charge it up when I want to.

I sought out the Jambox because I love to listen to music and audiobooks in the shower and on the road. Yes. In the shower. Smartphone speakers are barely heard over the water of a shower, and I don’t need something else with cords in the bathroom.

The Jambox connects over Bluetooth, allowing me to keep it and my phone safely away from water. The volume is more than loud enough to be heard over the shower and I’m impressed with the sound quality. While an audiophile friend gave a snobbish look at the unit when I filled the coffee shop with music it is certainly good enough for the masses. There is very little distortion even if you turn up bass heavy music all the way. You won’t confuse this with a 2.1 system that has a subwoofer, but there is enough of the low end to help me enjoy my music more.

From listening to Audible and Pandora to getting more out of movies on Netflix the Jambox is a great Bluetooth accessory. This doesn’t stop with your Android or iPhone’s entertainment. You can also pair it to Mac or Windows via Bluetooth so that you can bypass the crappy speakers that are in your computer.

The Jambox is made by Jawbone, which is known for bluetooth headsets and speakerphones, so it’s only right that you can use this as a speakerphone when connected to your computer or phone. Call quality is acceptable, but callers on the other end report a static sound or a muffled hiss. Callers sound good on the Jambox, and I choose to use this over the built in speakerphone on my Galaxy Nexus.

The $199 price of the Jambox may deter some buyers, but if you want a nice wireless audio solution that can go anywhere you do, this is the best product I’ve found. You can find the Jambox at Amazon for $180, and deals throughout the year.

Jambox Review: Loud, Portable Bluetooth Speaker is a post by Josh Smith from Gotta Be Mobile.

For the past month I’ve been wearing a smart watch, or as WIMM calls it, a wearable device. I want to share some of my favorite uses of a smart watch.

The smart watch I am using isn’t some concept that might come out, it doesn’t just offer a new watchface like the iPod Nano and it’s way more useful than the MotoACTV if you aren’t a fitness nut.

The WIMM One Developer Preview is a smart module that comes with a wriststrap that turns it into a smart watch, but we’ll soon see a number other accessories that allow you to connect it to your bike, hiking stick, neckband and more.

The WIMM One Developer Preview is available for an attractive $199 at Amazon right now, and according to the company we’ll see branded versions coming out from retailers in the near future.

Here’s a look at how I am using a smart watch in my everyday life, and why I can never go back to a dumb watch.

How I’m Using a Smart Watch

Receiving Notifications

One of my favorite uses of the WIMM One smart watch is the ability to receive notifications of calls and text messages on my wrist. When you get a text message or phone call on your Android or BlackBerry the watch vibrates and makes a noise, which you can turn off if you need quiet.

At CES this was a necessity given the noise on the show floor, and now that I am at home I still love the notification feature. Wether I am in line at the store, driving or just sitting around I can see why my phone is making noise without taking it out of my pocket. You can even see photo of your contacts.

Right now I can send a call to voicemail, but I have no response options. According to WIMM, they are working on a set of 10 predefined auto responses, so hopefully I’ll be able to respond soon.

Checking the Weather

Forget asking Siri what the temperature is today, just glance at your wrist to see the current temperature. Within a few taps you can even get a seven day forecast for multiple locations.

Paying for Coffee

The Starbucks Micro app lets you pay for coffee with your watch, just like you would on your smart phone. I love using this app to pay for my coffee — almost as much as the barista enjoys seeing it.

Checking My Calendar

Another nice feature is the ability to see my Google calendar on my watch This lets me get a look at my day without opening up my phone, and it sounds alerts for appointments, which I might not hear or see in noisy environments.

News Reading

Your watch isn’t the best place to read news, but if you want to catch up on a feed while waiting in line you can read your Google Reader feeds. The feeds sync over WiFi, pulling down new content based on your sync schedule.

5 Ways I’m Using my WIMM One Smart Watch Today is a post by Josh Smith from Gotta Be Mobile.

Right now the iPhone is the king of mobile phone photography, spawning the iPhoneography portmanteau. Apple made a lot of shutterbugs happy with the camera upgrades in the 4S — more pixels and a bigger sensor means an even better “best camera” to carry everywhere.

Want to take the iPhone even further than that? With some additional accessories and apps you can turn this device into a mobile photo and video studio.

Snag a more powerful lens, mounting cases or even a sweet mic and you can shoot photos and videos worthy of the pros. Whether you’re a serious mobile photographer looking for the very best kit or a hobbyist just looking for something simple to boost the quality of your everyday shots, you’ll find a great accessory in our roundup.

Gizmon iCA

Longing for the days of 35mm film and darkroom development? Show your old-school roots with the Gizmon iCA iPhone case. This neat accessory isn’t just an aesthetic improvement on the iPhone, it also adds a shutter button, lens mount, strap hangers, and optical viewfinder. The big lens on the front is just for show, but does include a mirror that makes taking self portraits with the rear-facing camera much easier. Zoom and fisheye lenses that attach to the case are also available. | $65 @ Four Corners Store

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12 iPhone Photography Accessories – Lenses, Stands, Filters and More To Enhance Your Photos is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.

These dongles make transferring files between the Tab and a drive or memory card pretty easy if you can figure out where that happens. A notification pops up in the tray, yet tapping it doesn’t do anything.

Don’t worry if you encounter this. The Galaxy Tab isn’t great at making the next steps obvious, so I’m here to help.

Transferring Files Between the Galaxy Tab and USB Drive / SD Card

Step One: Insert the USB drive or SD card into the adapter, then plug that into the Galaxy Tab’s port. Once the Tab recognizes the drive or card, an indicator will pop up in the Notification Tray.

Note: Android tablets can read USB flash drives or external SSD drives, but they cannot read traditional (spinning) hard drives. IF you’ve tried to plug in your external HDD and Android didn’t recognize it, this is why.

Step Two: Open the app drawer and find the My Files app.

Step Three: If the app opens into the Root folder, scroll the folder list on the left side of the screen until you find the Storages folder. Tap to expand it, then tap to expand the usb folder inside, then expand the sda folder inside that.

The sda folder is where the files on your USB or SD card live, not a new folder on the drive.

The app may open into the correct folder upon launch. If you’re already in the My Files app when you plug in the adapter the correct folder will open automatically.

Step Four: To copy or move files or folders to the Tab, tap the box to the left of the file name to select it. This will bring up editing options in the upper right corner.

The two pages icon is for Copy, the scissors are for Cut, and the trashbin is for Delete. In the dropdown menu on the far right you’ll find Rename and Details.

Tap on the Copy or Cut icon after you’re finished selecting. The icons in the upper right corner will change to a clipboard icon. This is the Paste command.

Step Five: Navigate to the folder on the Galaxy Tab (under Root) where you want to copy or move the file/folder. Tap on it to open, then tap the Paste icon. Your file is now in the new folder.

Note: A quirk of many Android file apps is that, unlike a computer, the clipboard forgets what it’s holding if you do some other command before pasting. Example: if you select another file or create a folder. If this happens just navigate back to the Storages folder and start over. For this reason, I usually Copy instead of Cut, then delete the files I don’t need on the drive later.

Step Six: To copy or move files from the Tab to the USB Drive or SD card, repeat the steps above but in reverse.

Step Seven: Once you’re done, click the USB icon in the Notification area. It will now say “Click here to remove drive”. Tap that and the folders will disappear from the My Files manager. You can now unplug the drive from the Tab’s’ port.

Pro Tip: You can connect a camera to the Tab without having to take the SD card out as long as the camera has a USB connection. Just plug the USB cable into the USB Adapter dongle. The Tab will simply recognize it as a drive and you can copy images to a folder on the slate quickly.

How To Transfer Files Between The Galaxy Tab and a USB Drive, SD Card, or Camera is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.

If you are like me and many others out there and don’t like using cases often, you need to make sure your screen is protected. You never know when you will throw keys or change in your phone pocket without thinking. I’ve done it so many times! That metal smacking up against your bare screen isn’t good!

GLAS.t is a screen protector unlike any other screen protector you’ve seen so far. Instead of a thin sheet of plastic to protect your iPhone’s glass, it uses more glass. Yes, glass… seriously.  The GLAS.t is 0.4mm thick and made with chemically treated, transparent tempered glass. The back of the GLAS.t is coated with a silicon adhesive making installation easier and if it’s applied correctly, you won’t have any gaps for dust and will not affect the screen’s sensitivity.

I wouldn’t want to try this myself, but this video shows some touch abuse of an iPhone using one of these.

The GLAS.t screen protector is being sold and marketed by Spigen SGP, a company out of Los Angeles that sells other smart phone accessories like cases and other screen protectors. They have products for many popular smart phones, but the GLAS.t is only available for the iPhone 4 and 4S currently.

The GLAS.t can be purchased for $27.99 from Spigen SGP’s website. You can get a look at what comes with the kit in a 1st Look over at iLounge as well.

If any of you have actually tried this product out, let us know. It sounds almost too good to be true.

Is GLAS.t the Ultimate iPhone Screen Protector? is a post by Chris Leckness from Gotta Be Mobile.

Enter Dash, a new car stereo that puts your iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S into the dash of your car, where it becomes the brains of your car sound system

The Dash system is on Kickstarter now, and a third fo the way to the$45,000 goal, but with looks like this, and a system that will support multiple faceplates down the road I think it is well on the way to being fully funded.

The Dash is a double DIN stereo, which means it will fit most cars without custom modification. The two part system includes a faceplate that mounts your phone and the body which houses the components.

Your iPhone is your stereo with the Dash.

The Dash stereo has four 50 W channels for your speakers and two 2V preamps that can be used to connect a subwoofer so you can really rock out.

The system uses your iPhone’s 3.5 inch display as the way to use your stereo, bringing your favorite apps and ability to make phone calls to your stereo. The creator is working on an app that will allow you to make calls while the iPhone is in landscape mode.

Because this is a two part system, you can purchase a new faceplate when you get a new phone, like the iPhone 5. No word on what that will cost, but it’s a nice touch, especially for people like myself who have to remove an entire car dash to change out a car stereo.

Choose the faceplate for your phone.

The current system is designed for the iPhone 4S or iPhone 4, but Paul Lizer, the creator is working on faceplates for top Android and Windows Phones, which he hopes will be available in July, or shortly after.

Right now you can contribute and pre-order your Dash for $250, a $50 discount off of the retail price. The system is expected to ship in July 2012. If you can’t wait for a faceplate that fits your phone, you can pony up $3,250 to get a custom made faceplate for your phone.

This looks awesome. Will you be getting one?

Via Engadget

Dash: Your iPhone Becomes Your Car Stereo (Video) is a post by Josh Smith from Gotta Be Mobile.

The iKeyboard is a physical, tactile keyboard that slides onto the iPad and fits exactly over the on-screen keys. In this way you don’t need to install a new app or learn to type a new way, just improve how you type on the keyboard you know.

I see a lot of benefits to this approach, especially for those who don’t want to carry an external keyboard or add bulk with a keyboard case. And again, you don’t have to learn a new way to type.

The drawback is a basic one: the keyboard on the iPad isn’t that great to use for extended typing sessions regardless of the tactile experience. It’s not positioned well, it’s a bit too big for the screen, and there’s no really good angle for comfortable typing.

However, people do love their pretend comfortable typing on the iPad, so this product will probably appeal to many. I will note that it could be useful for people with nails (like me) who can’t even hope for a semblance of touch typing on capacitive displays.

The iKeyboard has adhesive on the bottom to keep it in place while you type that won’t leave residue behind. It’s also thin enough that it can stay on the iPad even with some cases or covers over the screen.

Attendees of MacWorld who got a chance to try it out compared the tactile feedback to the Pop-o-matic dice rolling things from old games. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to find out soon.

The iKeyboard is $35 and will show up on Amazon.com in a few weeks in both white and black.

iKeyboard Adds Tactile Keyboard to iPad is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.

Still, the possibility has many all a-buzz with the possibility. I wouldn’t be sad to see a small stylus like the Note’s come with the next Tab as I’m a fan of stylii in general.

The ThinkPad Tablet’s stylus is one of the best parts of using the slate, especially when paired with note-taking apps,  handwriting recognition, and document markup. Bring that level of goodness to a Galaxy Tab and I’m on board.

Some may be inclined to dismiss the whole idea of  the stylus because Steve Jobs was famously not in favor of pen input. But a glance at the dozens of capacitive stylus products being marketed to and bought by iPad and iPhone owners is all you need to understand the power of the pen.

(Read: Hands-On With the Galaxy Note for AT&T)

Pen input isn’t the ideal method for every situation, of course. Bidan also discussed developing better voice commands, gesture control, even facial recognition. I think we’re coming up on a time when multiple intuitive and natural input methods revolutionize how we interact with our gadgets just as iOS revolutionized touch interaction with the iPhone.

Samsung Adding S Pen Stylus To The Next Generation Galaxy Tab? is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.

We know a lot of our readers love to ink with a stylus even though iPad isn’t optimized for inking. Ten One Designs agrees with you and makes one of the best styli I’ve tested and that’s a bunch.

They improved their already simple and economical design with the Pogo Sketch Plus, a design that uses a “new improved … Pro Tip technology” that they promise will result in a smaller tip, greater sensitivity and better inking. You still get the handy pocket clip, which is more important for keeping the stylus around than you’d think. I’ve lost a few styli because they didn’t have a good clip to hold it in place.

Despite playing with the Dagi Stylus, the Cosmonaut and a few others, I keep coming back to my old Pogo Sketch when I’m taking notes in meetings or just doing some drawing. My artist son also prefers the Pogo Sketch.

If you too love your Pogo Sketch, then you can get an upgraded Pogo Sketch Plus for 50% off the regular price. The offer lasts until the end of January. Take a picture of your current Pogo Sketch and send it to Ten One Designs (info@tenonedesign.com). Ten One Designs will send you a promo code that discounts the price of the stylus when you buy a new one directly from their website. To qualify your email must show up in their inbox by January 31, 2012 at 11:59 EST.

For those interested, the new tip should ink with greater precision because of the new tip which has “patterned structures within the tip itself.” I’ll be getting one soon and will let you know how much of an improvement the tip gives you, if any.

I’m amazed at some of the artwork created with the use of these excellent styli. You can see the amazing work by users at the Ten One Designs Pogo Sketch art gallery.

Art created using the Pogo Sketch Stylus from Ten One Designs

You can order a Pogo Sketch Plus Stylus in pink, green, orange or silver for the $14.95 full price or half off with your upgrade code. If you upgrade, you get to keep the old stylus.

Pogo Sketch Plus Stylus: Upgrade Your Old Pogo Sketch for Half Price is a post by Kevin Purcell from Gotta Be Mobile.

And anytime there is a licensing opportunity in the air there will be flash drives.

Right now you can grab an 8GB USB drive in the shape of your favorite bird or pig for just $20 at Staples. Well, if your favorite birds include the black, yellow, red, white or blue birds.

As Chip Chick points out there is no love for the green toucan. He is an odd shape. And really, is he anyone’s favorite bird? Dealing with him is annoyingly difficult.

The Rovio online store has a bunch of other new merchandise, including felt iPad cases and a big Mighty Eagle plush toy. If you want to get a little more technical, there are always these Angry Birds speakers for smartphones and tablets.

Also, if you haven’t already, update Angry Birds Seasons to get the new section: Year of the Dragon. The Chinese New Year was yesterday and the official year of the Dragon begins next month. Expect much Chinese and dragon-inflected fun.

So, GBM reader, be honest: how much Angry merch do you own?

Angry Birds USB Flash Drives Discounted At Staples is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.

It’s been in development for a long time and is finally set to come to market this spring for $229. That’s quite expensive, but green tech often is.

The idea behind the power pack is that you can add a bit of water and charge a bus-powered device. While this sounds awesome and futuristic, there are some major caveats.

The power from water thing only works if you have a PowerPukk Fuel Pack, which does the converting of water to energy (see Electronic Products for all the geeky details). This hockey puck-sized pack will output the power equivalent of 4 AA batteries, then you’ll have to replace it. New PowerPukks cost $12.

While these fuel cells are recyclable, there is no where to do so right now.

The Powertrekk also has a traditional rechargeable battery inside so you can power devices even if the fuel cell runs out of juice. But then the world already has a few solutions of that type.

As I said, I like this idea in theory. And converting water into energy is pretty sweet. However, this feels more on the level of a proof of concept than a ready for market product.

You won’t get much juice out of each fuel cell, which means you’d need to carry a bunch of them with you to be really useful in a situation where water power is needed. Why not just carry extra battery packs or a solar charger? Plus, it’s an expensive little experiment.

For now I’m filing this under: good idea, needs work. I hope the company behind the Powertrekk keeps developing and innovating int his space.

Powertrekk’s Battery Powered By Water, But Is It Green? is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.

While mobile gaming has exploded in recent years, controlling virtual characters, cars and other objects on touchscreens can be an exercise in frustration.

Virtual directional pads, joysticks and other gaming controls can be difficult to use without glancing down at them in the middle of playing since they don’t provide any tactile feedback. As its name imples, the Thumbumper acts as a bumper to keep your thumbs from sliding away from the controls mid-game.

The ThumbBumper keeps your thumbs on the controls.

As photos at Thumbumper.com show, the Thumbumper sticks on any smooth surface. Just stick it over your favorite game’s D-pad and you’re good to go. You can stick it on the back of your smartphone or tablet when not in use.

Thumbumpers are available in three sizes to accomodate different games and devices. The small size has a diameter of .875″, the medium measures in at 1″ and the large Thumbumper, designed for tablets, comes in at 1.25″.

Pricing is reasonable, ranging from $7.99 to $9.99 depending on size. iPhone gamers can choose from six colors. A pair may be preferable for some games.

Thumbumper: Simple Mobile Joystick for iPhone Gaming is a post by Xavier Lanier from Gotta Be Mobile.

If you can’t exercise any self-control to end this behavior or want to help someone else stop (such as your teen), Scoche has a solution: cellCONTROL.

This device connects to the OBD2 port in your car (all models made from 1996 have one) and communicates via Bluetooth with BlackBerries and Android 2.1+, Windows Mobile 5/6 and Symbian phones.

When the device senses that the vehicle is in motion is disables texting, emailing, web surfing, and handheld calling. Users will still be able to make calls with hands-free devices and listen to music, but nothing that’s highly distracting.

cellCONTROL users can upgrade to advanced administrator utilities that provide data about driving speed, mileage, and get more control over what the phone can and can’t do.

Given the above and that admins can get alerts if someone tries to remove or tamper with the device, it looks like Scosche is aiming this at parents trying to monitor and protect their teens. Though I’m sure it will also be useful for anyone who has issues with self control.

Though available for many phones, the big gap I see here is the iPhone. As Kevin C. Tofel at GigaOM points out, this is probably because Apple doesn’t generally approve apps that require such deep access to and control over the phone. I agree with him that Apple should make an exception in this case or work with Scosche to bring cellCONTROL to the iPhone. Tech-distracted driving is a serious problem that costs lives.

You can buy this accessory for $129 at Scosche.com.

Scosche cellCONTROL Stops You From Texting While Driving is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.

Brookstone’s polished silver cufflinks each hide a USB drive that offers 2GB of storage and Wi-Fi hotspot capability. It’s not clear if they can both do both things or if one is the hotspot and the other the flash drive. Still cool either way.

Something this small isn’t going to generate Internet for you like a phone. Instead it connects to a computer and, via a free software download, can re-transmit the machine’s Wi-Fi, creating another hotspot.

Some newer laptops come with this feature built-in. If yours doesn’t, this is an interesting way to gain the capability.

In some hotels this allows you to get around paying for Wi-Fi access on every device you own. And if you have a smartphone hotspot going you can connect more than the 5 – 8 device limit they usually impose.

You can also bring wireless to a space where only a wired Ethernet connection is available, such as the library. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to create a hyper local network for sharing media and files, which can be useful in business settings.

Aside from their technical capabilities the cufflinks look classy enough, though perhaps bigger than the average pair. problem is, if you use them in a business setting you have to take them off and have your cuff flapping around loose. Dilemma!

Brookstore is selling the Polished Silver Oval Wifi and 2GB USB Cufflinks for $249.

Hat Tip: Techland

USB Cufflinks Do Double Duty As Flash Drives And WiFi Hotspot is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.

Some solve this by wrapping it in armor or gel or just mounting it to a stable surface, never to move.

Some solve this by wrapping the tablet in balls.

Friendly Integration, a small company out of San Francisco, offers up their iBallz protection system. It’s not quite a case but does promise protection from drops, even on the corners.

Can iBallz protect your precious iPad from peril? It will keep your tablet from actually hitting the floor, though I found that the floor isn’t the only danger to your device. Read on to find out how iBallz (and my tablet) fared when I put it to the test.

iBallz Design

The system consists of four foam balls ballz attached to an adjustable elastic cord. Notches cut in the ballz slide snug over the corners of a tablet. Because they’re foam they can fit tablets of different thicknesses, not just the iPad 2. However, they won’t fit a thicker device like the ThinkPad Tablet or original Toshiba Thrive.

The cord is adjustable so you can comfortably fit iBallz on tablets bigger than 10 inches on down to 7 inches or smaller. Unfortunately, due to this versatility you always have this extra length of cord hanging around. The maker provides a velcro bit at the end so you can tie it out of the way — a nice touch.

With iBallz users can hang the iPad or sit it up at a slight angle by tucking one of the ballz underneath for hands-free use. But the real selling point is the protective properties. The foam ballz are supposed to absorb impact and keep the tablet from actually touching a surface it drops on, thus reducing the chance for damage.

Depending on the tablet, iBallz may end up covering or partially obscuring a port or button. On the iPad it gets in the way of the headphone jack. On the Nook tablet it covers the top of the volume rocker. The Galaxy Tab’s buttons and ports are all safely out of the way.

Using iBallz

I tested the iBallz on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Nook Tablet. The ballz fit on the Tab’s corners easily — no surprise since it’s about the same thickness as an iPad 2. The Nook Tablet proved more difficult since it’s thicker, but the foam squished to fit without much effort.

With the cord adjusted to the right tightness I felt the ballz were secure on both. Getting the ballz off the tablet when I was done with them took little effort and was very fast. Putting them on was a bit of a chore since you have to deal with the cord’s tension, but still only a few seconds.

I enjoyed the ability to hang the Galaxy Tab over my bed and next to my desk instead of finding a place for it on a nightstand or on the crowded surface of my work area. It stayed in place the entire time and the ballz didn’t slip or look in danger of falling off, even when I left the Tab hanging for 12 hours.

I found the ballz a bit big for comfortable use on the Nook Tablet. The company also sells iBallz Minis for smaller gadgets, which is a better solution for the 7-inch range.

The ergonomic benefits aren’t as great as the makers tout. Having an extra bit of padding on the corners isn’t much more comfortable than just holding the Tab, but then the design is already very holdable. If you have a tablet with right angle corners the ballz may make holding it more comfortable.

Plus, having the ballz on the corners meant I needed to reach farther with my thumb to hit elements in my game or on the keyboard than I would normally. I found more equilibrium when reading eBooks, webpages, or stuff on Flipboard where only small motion is required.

iBallz Protection & Drop Test

How well will the iBallz protect your tablet? On the iPad I’ve seen the iBallz protect the tablet from drops as high at 6 feet (hitting on the corner) and tossed a length of four feet to land flat on a thin carpet on the CES show floor. I experimentally dropped the Galaxy Tab a few inches onto a wooden table and the tablet survived just fine.

However, when doing some drop tests with another tablet the results were less satisfactory. Since I still have a Grid10 lying around, I put the iBallz on that and dropped it from a height of 3.5 feet onto a thin carpet over a wooden floor. This was the result:

I’d first dropped it from the same height onto the bare wooden floor with the glass facing up. However, that produced a really alarming sound. I moved to the carpet and dropped it face down and heard a crack. Sure enough, the display was ruined.

Notice that the crack radiates from one corner, right where one ball(z) is? The tablet never made contact with the floor, the crack happened due to pressure from iBallz.

The back of the chassis has also begun to separate from the front.

Since I’ve seen for myself that the iPad survived worse, I can only speculate that the shape of the Grid10′s edges may have contributed to this, or even poor build quality. It’s not out of the question. Still, once I saw that, I became much more nervous about dropping anything else from that height with the iBallz on.

The Bottom Line

For $19.95, iBallz is a decent tablet accessory. I like the ability to hang my tablet on the wall, I like that I don’t have to be too worried about minor drops, and I like that it has the potential to make some tablets a little more comfortable to hold.

However, iBallz ability to protect from major drops is in question with me. I’m willing to engage in more testing to see if the Grid10 was a fluke, just not with my own gadgets.

iBallz iPad and Tablet Accessory Review is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.

We loved this idea, but now I’m wondering if it will come to market. Possibly due to all the attention it got when the accessory launched last week, a company came forward to say that the Guitar Apprentice infringes on their patents. And there are at least two other companies possibly waiting in the wings to say the same.

According to FutureMusic, audio equipment company Behringer served Ion Audio with a cease and desist letter on the CES show floor citing that they’ve had a patent for a touch screen guitar since 2010. And if you look at the patent in question it is indeed a lot like Ion’s device.

Furthermore, someone else owns the trademark on “Guitar Apprentice”, so Ion will likely have to change the name if it does come out.

There’s also talk that the shape of the guitar device borrows heavily from specific designs of existing guitar makers. I admit, I know little about the world of guitars and headstock shapes, but FutureMusic feels there’s a disturbing pattern here.

Given that great ideas sometimes pop up in multiple places independently I wouldn’t call foul on Ion Audio just yet. The end result is likely to be that the final product will look different from what we saw at CES and may come out later in the year than anticipated. Until then we’ll just continue enjoying our iCades…

HT: CrunchGear

Ion Audio’s Guitar Apprentice Beset With Patent and Trademark Infringment Accusations is a post by K. T. Bradford from Gotta Be Mobile.