By Gregg Ellman
@greggellman
You would think you had it all after purchasing an Apple iMac but the Twelve South intros HiRise for iMac is a nice accessory to add to the somewhat all-inclusive computer.
It’s made with what seems to be an identical match as far as appearance with it’s extruded aluminum and stamped steel finish. The match is so that once it’s in place you would think it’s part of the computer.
The installation is basically nothing, just slide the shelf in the position you want and put the base of the iMac on top of that.
The shelf adjusts a few inches up and down with six internal positions, which causes the computers screen to go up and down, so just find the right height that works best.
A magnetically secured faceplate flips open to reveal two shelves, which can be used to store cables or other small accessories. Small hard drives can even be stored inside and have the drives cables feed out the back side of the HiRise to plug into the computers ports.
While I tested it out with a 27-inch iMac, its designed to work with any of size of the iMac family or Apple Displays with an L-shaped base.
A company representative also mentioned that a new that another HiRise, this one for MacBook, is being introduced this week.
twelvesouth.com $79.99
The iSafe backpack joins the crowded retail world of ‘i’ products but it’s almost in a class by itself when it comes to security with the Urban Crew backpack line designed for teens.
A concealed audible alarm is built into each bag that also includes an undetectable activation pin built in to the shoulder strap of the backpack.
Once it’s activated, the alarm yields an noise with flashing lights, to draw attention to the potential theft while the backpack is sitting by itself or on your back.
One model, the iSafe Guardian School Backpack ($49.99) is designed for ages 8 and above. It’s a top loading, lightweight bag with easy access to the main compartment.
The guardian weighs just 1.7 pounds with it’s alarm system and batteries (two 9V alkaline) and is available in black, blue, green and pink.
The Urban Crew Campus Laptop Backpack ($89.99) is designed for ages 14 and up with seven zippered compartments along with an audio player pocket, computer sleeve and padded shoulder straps.
It weighs just 3 pounds with the alarm and batteries. available in five color combinations including including black, green, pink, purple, and red.
Headphones from Monster always seem to set a standard for innovation in both looks and sound.
The new Monster DNA headphones combine their sound with branding from Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands including MTV and VH1.
After Monster came out with the Beats years ago, many companies saw them as a trend setter and they were copied over and over.
As for the new DNAs, they look a little different from most any other headphones on the market with a futuristic design. Their great sound along with the comfort of the triangle-shaped padded ear cups make them a definite candidate to be copied yet again.
After turning up the music, the sound is nothing short of the high expectations from a company like Monster and I expect the same from V-Moda after I get a chance to try out their new M-100 headphones later this year.
The headphones I tried were a teal/white combination but choices of designs, patterns and two-tone colors are way too extensive to list here; just check out the Monster site.
The cord included with the headphones is Apple friendly to answer calls and control iPhones, iPads and selected iPods. A travel pouch is also included.
www.monsterproducts.com $229.95
Contact Gregg Ellman at greggellman@mac.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @greggellman.
2012, Gregg Ellman.
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