Macenstein

Review: Ballistic Shell Gel Case for iPhone

Ballistic’s Shell Gel Case for iPhone ($34.99 ($13.00 on On Amazon)) may look quite similar to Ballistic’s Tough Jacket for iPad case we reviewed a few months back, and that’s a good thing. I really liked the look and feel of the Tough Jacket, and the Shell Gel takes many design queues from it’s big brother. The Shell Gel is a 2-part case, (although Ballistic... Read More

Review: Scosche backSTAGE Pro headrest mount for iPad

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that kids suck. Especially on 16-hour road trips. I honestly don’t know how my dad didn’t kill my brothers and I on our childhood drive to Florida back in the days before iPods – we must have been SO annoying. Well, luckily today’s parents have a little something called an “in-dash DVD player”... Read More

Review: Booq Python courier DSLR and iPad case

Booq has a pretty stellar reputation when it comes to making laptop bags, but I never really took notice of their camera bags until I saw their Python Courier bag ($179.99). So what caught my eye? Why, that shiny iPad-looking thing popping out of it of course! Yes the Python courier bag seeks to set itself apart from the run-of-the-mill camera bags by adding a compartment for carrying... Read More

Review: Style-iT 2-in-1 Stylus and Pen

“If you see a Stylus, they blew it”. So said Steve Jobs when talking about competing companies’ tablet and touch-phone offerings – and for the most part he’s right. A stylus is a fairly clumsy and old school notion for data entry, especially compared with the speed and relative dexterity of the human finger. However there ARE select times when a stylus... Read More

Review: GifBoom: Animated GIF Camera

Looking to broaden our demographics a bit, Mac Chick of the Year Veronica Ricci returns to provide an insight into Apple that was sorely under-represented here at Macenstein – namely the viewpoint of an extremely hot young girl. Enjoy! My new favorite “App of the Moment” is GifBoom, a FREE app which lets you create (potentially annoying, but ultimately entertaining)... Read More

Review: Ballistic Tough Jacket Case for iPad 2

The concept of an ultra-protective, drop-proof tough case for your iPhone makes sense to most people, as the iPhone is small, a little slippery, and is probably taken in and out of your pocket 100 times a day, or jostled around in a car cup-holder as you drive, or taken to the track while you attempt to complete one of the various “Couch to 5K” apps (which I have never... Read More

Guest Review: MCotY Veronica Ricci reviews TurboTax SnapTax

As a special treat, and as a filler until we get her “Mac Chick of the Year” photo spread finished, Penthouse Pet and Mac Chick of the Year Veronica Ricci is making her tech-review debut here on Macenstein with her timely review of Intuit’s Turbo Tax SnapTax. Enjoy! Tax season is (unfortunately) upon us. I have used TurboTax online a few times in the past to do... Read More

Review: Apps Gone Free

Anyone who’s come to the iPod touch/iPad/iPhone gaming market from a Nintendo DS or PSP will likely think it odd that I would bitch about the 99¢ – $1.99 App Store prices, but hey, you download over 2000 of them (as have I) and these things start to add up. That’s why I can’t recommend highly enough Apps Gone Free (free – iTunes Store) , which showcases... Read More

Review: Gemini – the Duplicate File Finder

With hard drives getting both bigger and cheaper these days, you may not think you need an app whose sole purpose is to locate duplicate files and folders to help you reclaim disk space. However, with Apple making a fairly clear move towards smaller, more expensive SSD drives, getting back an extra 5-10 GB or so of space may actually be worth shelling out five bucks, which just... Read More

Review: Kensington’s SecureBack Security Case for iPad

If you’ve been to any type of trade show lately, you’ve probably noticed that the iPad has quickly become the budget-minded exhibitor’s best friend when it comes to providing a (relatively) low cost, eye-catching and somewhat interactive kiosk. And odds are if you’re anything like me, you’ve also looked at the those iPads sitting somewhat unmonitored... Read More