Bob LeVitus

The BookBook iPhone case from Twelve South is all-leather and handmade, with a clever, whimsical design that kills two birds with one stone by combining a case for your iPhone 4 or 4S and a wallet in a single package that successfully mimics the look and feel of a vintage leather-bound book.

Guitar Hero and Rock Band may make it look like you can play the guitar, but they don’t teach the skills you need to really play. Rock Prodigy: Guitar for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad gets you closer to the real thing, and thanks to his musical talent Bob LeVitus was able to put the app through its paces and let you know if it’s worth your time and money.

This isn’t going to be a very long review — iKlip, from IK Multimedia, is a “universal microphone stand adapter for iPads.” Yes, it’s a one-trick pony but it does its one trick quite nicely.

I recently wrote a Dr. Mac column for the Houston Chronicle that was about clever product designs. Among the products I singled out for cleverness beyond the call of duty were new iPhone and iPad cases from ZeroChroma. To quote myself, “I’ve tested hundreds of cases, folks, and I thought I’d seen it all until I came across these clever case/stand combos.”

Just what we needed—another reason not to get up off the couch. Logitech’s Touch Mouse turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a wireless mouse, perfect for those moments when you want to do something on your computer without actually touching it. Although the application and its accompanying computer server software is slightly more involved installation-wise, it’s worth it, especially for ending the hassle of getting up and down to manually change programming when watching video from your computer displayed on a television.

The L5 Remote from L5 Technology is the fourth in a series of universal remote control hardware/app combinations I’m reviewing. Like the first three I tested, it can control most of your electronic entertainment devices — televisions, AV receivers, cable boxes, and such — as long as they use an infrared remote control. Compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad (all must run iOS 3.0 or higher), the L5 Remote wasn’t perfect but was the best remote I’ve tested to date and the only one I’ve used regularly after my testing was complete. 

If you like to watch video on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, Air Video is a must-have app. For a mere three bucks you can have access to all of your videos that aren’t protected by DRM from anywhere with Internet access. It has quickly become one of my favorite and most-used apps and one I’d hate to be without.

i-Got-Control IRB1 is the third in a series of universal remote control hardware/app combinations I’m reviewing. Like the first two I tested, it can control most of your electronic entertainment devices — televisions, AV receivers, cable boxes, and such — as long as they use an infrared remote control. Compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad (all must run iOS 3.0 or higher), i-Got-Control IRB1 shows promise, but isn’t something I will continue to use in its current state.

New Potato Technologies’ FLPR (Fast Learning Programmable Remote) for the iPhone and iPod touch running OS 3.0 or higher is a hardware/app combination for controlling electronic devices via infrared remote. In a nutshell, it worked better for me than the Power A Universal Remote Case I reviewed recently (click here to read); but had a couple of annoying issues that make it difficult for me to recommend without reservations.