By David Ponce

If you buy this case and some accident damages your iPhone 4/4S while being protected with the case, the company will try to fix it. If it doesn’t manage, it’ll send you a new phone. We’re not sure what’s to stop someone from buying this once their phone has broken and claiming it happened after. The only precaution taken seems to be a requirement to register the Cellhelmet within 30 days of purchase, but we’re not sure just what that’s supposed to stop. At $40 a pop, it’s a lot cheaper than buying a new phone. And even if there is some way to prevent fraud that we’re not seeing, the idea is pretty neat nonetheless. It’s not everyone who has carrier issue insurance, so for one year of peace of mind, $40 is not a lot of cash.

The Cellhelmet is a Kickstarter project that has already been funded. The cases look alright, but lets face it, the real product here is the insurance.

[ Product Page ]

By David Ponce

Remote controlled cars are really old tech. But what’s relatively new is the replacing of the controller with an iPhone. These little HotWheels iNitro SpeedCars use an application that gives you a total of 5 different ways to control them. The first is using regular on-screen analog sticks. According to CNet, this causes the car to be herky jerky, with fine tuned control being difficult. Another one uses the iPhone accelerometer and does allow for a little bit more finesse. A third option involves a trackpad like operation, where dragging your finger on screen will cause the little car to move accordingly. A fourth is a set of predefined shapes, like a figure 8, that the car is able to reproduce. The final option is the most interesting, as it lets you draw a pattern (any pattern) and the HotWheel will follow it.

You should know that the iPhone connects to the cars via an IR adapter which is cumbersome to setup but works well once it is. The cars come in 8 different models and will set you back a modest $40. For what looks like tons of fun at any age (even if it’s squarely aimed at 8 year olds…), it’s not a whole lot of money.

[ Product Page (Careful, auto-playing sounds) ] VIA [ CNet ]

By David Ponce

The market for iPhone docks is crowded, to say the least. Most of the ones we’ve come across simply show endless permutations of various features, but very few do anything other than being a dock. Well, if it’s going to be in the house, shouldn’t it be able to do more? Take JVC’s NX-BX3 for instance. It doubles as a little table. It’s got all the usual dock-y things, like SRS StudioSound HD and an FM tuner, but it can also be used to do a variety of other things like: putting a vase on it, putting a glass of milk on it, tossing your keys when you come home from work. The sky’s the limit, really.

We don’t know how much it’ll cost, but it will be available in Japan later this month.

[ Product Page (Translated) ] VIA [ Engadget ]

The POPA accessory might have made a bit more sense back in September 2011 when it first appeared in the Amazon store, since iOS 5 hadn’t been released yet. So the idea of a standalone button to trigger your camera was appealing. But in a way, it still is now, if only because it’s big and red and so conspicuous. It has to work with its own picture taking app, of course, since the iPhone’s native one isn’t compatible with it.

The only problem is the price: $75. You gotta ask yourself just how badly you want a big red button and a grip…

[ Product Page ] VIA [ BoingBoing ]

By David Ponce

There may be occasions where you want to see what’s going on on both sides of the iPhone 4/4S’s camera. Say you’re filming a dialogue. One way you can accomplish this is with a simple device like the one you see above. Some plywood, strategic grooves, and a mirror and suddenly you have “the world’s first handmade video mixer.” This is about as low-tech a solution as you can get, though the result is elegant if not professional looking. Sadly, the asking price is $90 for something that really looks like it could have been made in shop class. There’s some kind of attempt at justifying the it, what with it being a limited edition of 100 units and also the fact that it was “Conceived in Paris whilst recording a documentary about love and love after love.” So yeah, cute little product there. $90.

For love. *

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Gizmodo ]

* Pardon me while I vomit, a little.

By David Ponce

The list of textures you can get for the back of your iPhone is just as long as the one of cases you can purchase for it. In that sea of choice, every now and then we come across something that stands out, and we think this is certainly the case with these Material 6 wooden backs. These have been around for a couple of years so don’t go knocking on us for the tardiness, but we’re still certain some of you might enjoy knowing about Swirly Walnut, or Lacewood or even Figueroa back covers that this company makes. Now, they are complete back cover replacements, not stick on, which might help explain the $90 to $100 prices.

[ ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By David Ponce

The joys of jailbreaking are that it can make your device better. Not three days since the untethered jailbreak for A5 enabled devices was announced that we have news of a cool new app which you can download through Cydia. It’s called SiriToggles and it lets you control system features on your phone. Like setting the screen brightness levels. Or disabling Wifi. You can even launch certain applications with it.

We think these are features that should have been enabled to start with. If you’re going to make a voice controlled assistant, why go halfway? Anyway, it’s available now and if you’re finally getting to enjoy your now free iPhone 4S, why not go ahead and try this out? Just search for it on Cydia.

VIA [ CultOfMac ]

By David Ponce

If you’re going to consider doing something as potentially insane as handing your iPhone to your drooling, babbling, tantrum-having and object-tossing infant, you might want to consider some protection for it. Turns out Fisher-Price makes a special case for your phone called the Laugh And Learn Baby iPhone Case. It’s supposed to be super tough and comes in two versions: one that locks the home button and one that doesn’t. I’d suggest the one that locks it, but hey, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can always see what’ll happen if your 1 year old gains access to your contact list.

There are also some Fisher-Price learning apps that you can download and have running while the phone is in the case. Oh, and might I suggest enabling Airplane Mode, unless you want baby answering a call from your boss and having one memorable conversation…

It’s $20.

[ Product Page ]

By David Ponce

This here is a large piece of bamboo that’s been cut up and turned into a passive sound amplifier for the iPhone. The bottom was machined flat so that it may stand upright and an opening for the iPhone 4/4S dug at the top. It’s then painted, put in a canvas bag and shipped to you for all of $31 ($25 plus $6 for shipping). The “natural properties of bamboo” amplify the sound though to be honest, I don’t think bamboo has anything to do with it. Any material shaped this way would produce similar amplification.

It does look distinct, screams of your love for all things green and won’t break the bank so you can keep buying your tofurkey and other eco-conscious paraphernalia.

Hit the jump for another picture and links.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Technabob ]

By David Ponce

What better time than after the Holidays’ debauchery to talk about a cool new application that just might help get you back into a gym? Gym-Pact works like this: 1) You commit to go to the gym a certain number of times per week. 2) You also agree to put a certain amount of money at stake for each day you miss. 3) You get paid if you keep your goals with the money from those who didn’t! The amount of money you get isn’t set and depends on how much was collected from people who defaulted on their commitments on any given week. Your share gets bigger with a higher number of days at the gym, but not with the amounts you put at stake (these are for your personal motivation). Gym-Pact skims 3% off the top. You shouldn’t expect to get rich off this as 90% of users in an initial trial kept their goals, but even small amounts from 10% of users can add up over time.

There is an iPhone app with a check-in feature and 40,000 gyms in the database. If yours isn’t there, you can add it, though it has to be an actual fitness center and not a home or office gym. You also can’t just drop by the gym, check in and walk away; the app checks your location at regular intervals to make sure you stick around. And it appears to be a US only service at the moment, though we’ve contacted them to see if they have plans for expansion. No word yet. The app is free and available now.

[ Gym-Pact ] VIA [ DVice ]