The Week in iOS Accessories: Run and jump

23.06.2012
This week's roundup of iOS accessories will help you run, jump, and see the world around you just a little better than you could before.

: Most docking stations for iOS devices are built around delivering big sounds. The $229 Aire iPlay docking system from aims to deliver a big , providing a 23-inch, high-definition flatscreen display that lets you show photos, video, or video games directly from your docked iPhone or iPod touch. The AOC includes built-in 10-watt speakers for stereo sound that matches the picture; it's also relatively portable, weighing in at just 6.3 pounds, making it easy to take a movie wherever you go.

: Most styluses are just tools to let you write and draw on your iPad without having to use your finger. The $100 is a bit different: You plug a dongle into the dock-connector port of your tablet, and that dongle communicates wirelessly with the stylus, letting you draw or annotate documents using one of three compatible apps: , , or . The stylus can also be used in conjunction with Macs running OS X 10.5 or above.

: The great thing about the iOS era is that everything is getting more mobile--including the projectors used to show presentations on a big screen in a business setting. Brookstone's $300 can project a 1080p image at a size of up to five feet across, but does so in portable fashion--a half-pound device less than an inch thick and just a few inches across in each direction. It will project images from most electronic devices, including iPhones and iPads, though a $40 adapter is needed to connect the projector to iOS devices. Pre-orders for the Pocket Projector are available now; the device ships at the beginning of August. Brookstone also announced that it will ship the $100 Brookstone Virtual Keyboard, a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard compatible with the iPad and iPhone, starting in August.

: No matter how many iOS cables we have around, we always wish we had one more. Kanex seems to understand our problem, as it's selling iPhone- and iPad-compatible USB-to-dock-connector cables in packs of or . Unlike some non-Apple cables on the market, Kanex says these are good for both syncing and powering up your iOS device.

: Yes, there are a million keyboard cases out there--so Kensington is trying to distinguish itself with a little style. Its $100 fits the most-recent two generations of iPad, and it comes in brown, red, and caramel. The device features a removable Bluetooth keyboard, as well as a velcro fastener that lets you prop up the tablet at an angle ranging from 20 to 70 degrees; when you're done, it folds back to look like a regular folio-style case. The KeyFolio Pro 2 can also be unfolded to prop your tablet into a display position without the keyboard.