Tag: ‘smart’

Opinion: Smart Connector is the future but Apple & accessory makers need to work together

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Alongside the iPad Pro last November, Apple introduced a new connectivity option for users with the Smart Connector. Originally, Apple only touted the connection as being good for easily pairing things like keyboards to the iPad. We’ve since learned a little more about the capabilities of the three-pin connection, but overarching details are still vague….

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Logitech’s ‘Logi BASE’ Stand Charges the iPad Pro Using the Smart Connector

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The Smart Connector on the iPad Pro has thus far only been used for keyboard accessories including the Logitech Create and Apple’s own Smart Keyboard, but today, Logitech is debuting a new accessory that uses a little known functionality of the Smart Connector — charging.

Logitech’s new Logi BASE is a stand for the 9.7 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, allowing them to charge cable-free in landscape mode through the Smart Connector. Logitech sent MacRumors a Logi BASE ahead of its debut, so we were able to get a few days of hands-on time with it.


Made of solid aluminum matching the Silver iPad Pro models, the Logi BASE has a Lightning port on the back to accommodate a Lightning cable, which is used to power the accessory. On the front of the stand, there are three male Smart Connector prongs that fit into the Smart Connector port on the iPad Pro to deliver power to the tablet whenever it’s sitting in the stand. The Lightning port is located right in the middle of the stand, something that I found somewhat inconvenient for cable management when positioned on my desk.


A plastic lip holds the iPad Pro in place, and a rubber bottom ensures the stand stays firmly in place on a flat surface made of wood, metal, granite, or other similar hard material. The iPad Pro rests against aluminum in the back, and while this didn’t cause scratching during my limited testing period, it doesn’t seem as ideal as a rubber coating to protect the aluminum shell of the iPad.

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Jony Ive designs one-of-a-kind iPad Pro, Smart Cover and Apple Pencil case for special Design Museum auction

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To help raise money for the relocation of the prestigious London Design Museum, Apple has submitted a very special lot to be sold at auction. Jony Ive has designed a one-of-a-kind iPad Pro and set of accessories, labelled ‘Edition 1 of 1’. The lot includes a 12.9 inch iPad Pro with a custom yellow-gold anodised finish, a blue leather Smart Cover and an Apple…

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Samsung to Add iOS Support to Gear S2 Smart Watch Later This Year

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Samsung today held a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where the company announced new rose gold and platinum variants of its Samsung Gear S2 smart watch and pledged future iOS support for the device. First introduced in August, the Gear S2 is Samsung’s newest smart watch and its first with…

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Quick unboxing and review of Apple’s new iPhone 6/s Smart Battery Case

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Earlier today Apple surprised us with the release of its first ever Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. The case, which runs $ 99, adds an extra 1,877mAh of battery power to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. Popular YouTuber DetroitBorg has gone hands-on with the accessory and explained all of what…

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Educator on iPad Pro: Huge potential, but pricey for students & Smart Keyboard disappoints

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We’ve already seen the Disney and Pixar teams go hands-on with Apple’s upcoming iPad Pro and now Apple is showing the device off to people in other fields. Fraser Speirs, the head of Computing and IT at Cedars School of Excellence, says he attended  a preview event in London to try out the iPad Pro…

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Samsung Announces Round ‘Gear S2’ Smart Watch

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Samsung today unveiled its newest smart watch, the Samsung Gear S2, which is the company’s first watch that includes a round display instead of one that’s square or rectangular. Positioned as Samsung’s seventh smart watch release, the Gear S2 comes in three varieties: Classic, standard, and 3G. The Classic version includes a black case with…

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Elgato’s ‘Eve’ Smart Home Accessories Are Useful, But Hampered by Buggy HomeKit Platform

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Elgato, with its Eve line of smart home products is one of the first companies to come out with home accessories that integrate with Apple’s HomeKit home automation platform, and it’s the very first company to produce a Bluetooth-enabled HomeKit product.

The Eve system, which consists of a weather station, an indoor room monitor, a door/window sensor, and a smart outlet, is one of five HomeKit-compatible products that became available for purchase in June. With the Eve components just now shipping out to customers, Elgato invited us to review the lineup to get a feel for what’s possible with Apple’s system.


HomeKit and Eve’s accessory lineup promise to make our homes smarter and our lives easier, but in its current incarnation, HomeKit is a service that feels unfinished. It’s limited in scope and even though I found many of the Eve accessories to be useful, the delays and bugs I ran into with the HomeKit system almost made the frustration outweigh the convenience.

Hardware Overview

As I mentioned above, Elgato currently manufactures four HomeKit-compatible products: Eve Room, Eve Weather, Eve Door & Window, and Eve Energy.

Eve Room – Eve Room is an indoor room monitoring sensor. It measures temperature, humidity, and air quality.

Eve Weather – Eve Weather is an indoor/outdoor sensor that’s simpler than the Eve Room, measuring temperature, humidity, and air pressure.

Eve Door & Window – Eve Door & Window is a two-piece sensor that detects whether a door or window is open or closed.

Eve Energy – Eve Energy is a power sensor and switch that can be used to turn an appliance on and off and detect how much power it’s using.

Each of the Eve products has a clean, unobtrusive design, integrating into any environment without standing out. The Eve Room and the Eve Weather are both small square-shaped sensors resembling an Apple TV, while the Eve Energy is a simple socket. The Eve Door & Window comes in two adhesive-backed pieces to fit on each side of a door or window, snapping together magnetically to detect whether it’s open or closed.

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