Archived Post

AWT News Update: May 18, 2015

Monday blues got ya down? We’ve got all sorts of good Apple news to cheer you up and bring a smile back to your face:

  • Carl Icahn issues a missive on Apple and the stock rises
  • Sprint will deliver a new smartphone to your home and set it up for you with a new service
  • There’s a SoundCloud Apple Watch companion app. Contain your excitement…
  • TwelveSouth is shipping its charging stand, the $49.99 HiRise for Apple Watch
  • Audible adds CarPlay support to its app, and Mercedes-Benz will have a Watch companion app available by this fall

The full text script for this episode is located below for your reading pleasure.

Flyp-Duo

The Flyp-Duo is a charging cable with a few important differences. First, the USB end is reversible, meaning that it doesn’t matter which way you plug it into a USB port — it’s going to plug in properly. Next, the cable is flat and doesn’t tangle. I have a few of these cables in my car and can’t emphasize just how nice that feature is. Finally, the cable can be used to charge both Lightning port and micro-USB devices. Whether it’s an iPhone or an Android tablet you’re trying to charge, the end of the cable is ready for your device.

The Flyp-Duo comes in two models — one that’s 1 foot (30cm) long, another that’s 3.3 feet (1 meter) long. It comes in a variety of colors, including yellow, red, blue and black. In case you were wondering, the cable comes with the ever-important MFi (Made For iPhone) certification. 

Any negatives? Sure, the price is a bit on the high side for a charging cable. However, the convenience of being able to plug the Flyp-Duo into a USB port without looking, the tangle-free design of the cable, and the dual end (micro-USB and Lightning) plugs are all unique. 

Should you decide to buy a Flyp-Duo, please consider using this link to purchase it from Amazon and support Apple World Today. 

Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★


Y-Charge [Quik]

The first thing that jumped out at me about the Y-Charge [Quik] other than its Y-shaped design was the price tag; $40 is a little ridiculous for a car charging cable. On the other hand, if you’ve ever tried to charge an iPhone or iPad to a usable level during a short drive in the car, you’d appreciate the internals of this charger.

Compared with most standard chargers that have a 1A output, the Y-Charge [Quik] has a total capacity of 4.8A, capable of charging a pair of iPads at the same time. To top it off, the device can charge Apple devices up to 2.4 times faster as a result. The Y-Charge has something called “SmartDetect Technology” built in, which senses the device’s power needs and then maximizes the output to speed charging.

My own informal personal tests found that to be fairly accurate. Using a traditional car charger, I was able to bump up my iPhone 6 Plus 3% in 10 minutes. With the Y-Charge [Quik], the battery level went up 7% in the same amount of time. Your mileage may vary, of course. The Y-Charge [Quik] comes in two colors, black and blue.

If you decide to buy a Y-Charge [Quik], please consider using this link to purchase it from Amazon and support Apple World Today

Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★

Steve Sande
the authorSteve Sande
Steve is the founder and former publisher of Apple World Today and has authored a number of books about Apple products. He's an avid photographer, an FAA-licensed drone pilot, and a really bad guitarist. Steve and his wife Barb love to travel everywhere!