Below are a variety of great charging accessories for your summer travel with your late-model iOS devices that I’ve tested myself for some extra power while on the road.

Battery charger cases

Mophie continues to be a leader in integrated battery pack chargers for the iPhone and the Juice Pack Plus, priced at $119.95, has a 2100 mAh battery, more than doubling the battery life of your iPhone 5 and extending your battery way beyond the Helium or Air we’ve covered before.

You can charge the Juice Pack while leaving it attached to your iPhone, but this method doesn’t allow for data transfer, meaning you need to remove the phone from the case to sync with a computer. This task is made more difficult because removing the iPhone from the Juice Pack is challenging, requiring some strenuous pulling and wiggling. Additionally the headphone jack is recessed enough that both my Square reader and my external headphones needed the dongle for usage. Although the speakers are blocked by the pack, I actually thought it sounded better than the naked iPhone.

The Juice Pack provides a significant boost in power, and for those don’t use the headphone jack or use wired syncing, it is an excellent choice.

An alternative to the Juice Pack Plus is the MyCharge Freedom 2000 ($99.99). This case doesn’t block the bottom ports of the iPhone, leaving the speakers and headphone jack easily accessible. I was even able to mount the device in some accessories — unlike the Mophie which blocked the Lightning port entirely.

When you need a charge from the Freedom 2000, you detach a small Lightning adapter from the bottom of the battery case and plug directly into the iPhone 5 thereby allowing you to independently charge the iPhone from its case. The device acts more like an attached battery pack rather than a built-in charging solution like the Mophie. It’s not as elegant, but it is practical to keep the bottom of the case free from encumbrance that may block the bottom jacks.

With a 2000mAh battery, the charging capacity is nearly identical to the Juice Pack Plus and so is the weight, but the accessibility and easy removal was a major plus in my book. A downside of the MyCharge is that it doesn’t protect the phone as much as the Mophie, and the power button on the top is very difficult to properly press.

Efficient chargers

With access to wall plugs at a premium in hotels, airports and rest stops, double-duty devices are the way to go for travel. The Scosche strikeBASE 5W and 12W has two USB ports and includes a multi-function Lightning cable that will convert to a micro-USB cable as well. At $29.95 for the complete 5W kit ($34.95 for 12W) it’s nice to charge two devices at once in a portable adapter with a flush-folding wall prong. Small and compact, it worked like a charm.

For the car, the Belkin Dual Car Charger with Lightning to USB Cable ($44.95) provides two 10W USB ports to charge two iPads at once via your car’s 12-volt outlet. This charger also includes an extra Lightning cable. Why waste those valuable power ports with just one device charging at the time?

Whether in a hotel, in your car, while camping or even flying on an airplane the Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Adventure Kit ($119.95) uses small solar panels to independently charge, via sunlight, four AA NiMH batteries that can then charge any USB device with a cable. The Goal Zero battery pack can also charge directly via mini-USB. The kit is smartly designed to fold the panels down to the size of an iPad mini and has a mesh pocket to hold the battery pack as well as any charging cables.

What I really like about this is besides getting a charge while on the boat, I can leave the Goal Zero hooked up to a backup or on the dashboard to get passive solar power throughout the day. With a car full of family members craving power, it’s nice to harness the power of the sun for an extra boost. I use the Goal Zero along with Radtech’s Kenburg short Lightning to USB Cable ($18.95) to minimize excess cable length and have it all fit in the mesh pocket.

Portable battery packs

MyCharge comes through again with two interesting charging packs that maximize power and flexibility. The Hub 6000 ($119.99) has retractable Lightning and micro-USB cables, an external USB port, and can charge devices connected to all three ports simultaneously via its 9000 mAh battery. The Hub 6000 also has a flush folding AC wall prong for charging itself. That’s serious power in a 9.3 ounce package.

Another useful external battery pack is The Peak 6000 ($99.99). Also by MyCharge, what I liked about this adapter was that, similar to the Hub 6000, this has an integrated micro-USB cable and an external USB port that replaces the Lightning cable with an integrated 30-pin charger for older devices. All three ports can be used simultaneously from the 6000 mAH battery.

The fun feature about this battery pack is the audible alarms as its charging and discharging so you don’t have to take your eyes of the road to know how much of a charge is left.

Any parent who has traveled with kids in the backseat knows that the empty battery icon on the iPad means “are we there yet” is not far behind and the fact that both of these products charge multiple devices at once reduces the “mine, mine, mine” arguments.

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I’m not a guru or an expert, and I found the selection of these kinds of apps in the iOS App Store a bit overwhelming. But here are the ones that I’ve tried and can recommend.

Quick breaks

These apps are great for a short, mindful breathing break during the day — think coffee break without the coffee. I like these for a quick “centering” after a difficult phone conversation while at my desk.

Breath2Relax (free)

Just like the name says, this free app includes basic videos (internet connection required) on how to do deep, diaphragmatic breathing. A simple adjustable timer tells you when to inhale and exhale along with a background picture to select. This app is a great place to start if you’re new to this process.

Breathing Zone ($3.99)

Go beyond the basics and analyze your breathing patterns via your iPhone’s microphone with this app. The visual guide on the screen shows you when to breathe in and breathe out to slow down your breathing. Alternatively, you can enable or disable a voice guide so you can focus on closing your eyes while breathing. Once you get the hang of focusing on your breath, you can turn off the voice prompts and use a variety of traditional signalling sounds for inhalation and exhalation. You can adjust the session length between five and 30 minutes. I like this app because they also make a free desktop version so I can practice both on my iPhone and at my desktop.

Breathe and Relax (99 cents)

When you need a bit more coaching than basic breathing to relax, the calming voices of Breathe and Relax takes you through a series of short 30-second breathing and awareness breaks as well as a longer 12-minute breathing exercise. This app is a great pick-me-up throughout the day to keep me focused. The app can set reminders to cue you to keep mindful throughout the day (Are you breathing? Are you holding your breath? Take a deep breath, and so on) I didn’t use this app daily, but I keep it like a trusted friend on those days I know will likely be stressful. It lacks the visuals of the other apps, but the calming voices of either a male or female narrator were quite helpful.

Intermediate training

Yogic Breath ($1.99)

Once you’ve got down the basics down, you can use this app to learn some of the more advanced techniques such as Anuloma Viloma (alternate nostril breaths). The app uses visual (no network connection required), auditory and written instructions on how to learn these techniques.

The app also includes 10-minute routines for using these breathing techniques in specific situations such as stress relief, anger management and sleep aid. Reminders to do these routines can be added to your calendar directly from the app.

iPranayama ($9.99)

iPranayama takes the techniques you learn in Yogic Breath or through other methods and and gives audio and visual cues so you can practice your routines at the novice, beginner, student, yogi and guru levels. Each breathing routine can be adjusted for skill level and length. Unlike previous apps, iPranayma only includs the very basic coaching. You need previous experience to use this app.

These routines were great to practice once I got the hang of the different techniques such as the short powerful breathes of the Kapalabhati or the previously mentioned Anuloma Viloma.

Sleep-related relaxation breathing

Sleep Lantern ($1.99)

If working on a better night’s sleep is your primary goal, SleepLatern combines a visual signal that you can project on the ceiling with your iPhone or iPad to signal you when to breathe in and breathe out. The settings allow you to change the color of the projection as well as the audio cues (voice, bell, gong or no sound).

Sleeping Zone (99 cents)

This app is a direct competitor to Sleep Lantern. While it doesn’t allow you to change the color of the visual signal, it includes a larger selection of auditory cues (voice, waves, rain, crickets, Indian Bansuri and no sound). This app also allows the audio to continue as background noise after the visual cues. I went back and forth between the two.

iSleep Easy ($4.99)

Similar to Breathe, this app takes the user through a variety of short breathing exercises and relaxation techniques specifically focused on getting to sleep (or getting back to sleep) and includes gentle coaching and affirmations to help your mind stop racing and give it something to focus on: your breath and your physical body.

After the exercises you can choose background audio, such as calming music and nature sounds, to help you get to sleep.

Final tips and tricks

Whichever apps you use, be sure to put your phone in Airplane mode or Do Not Disturb, if possible, to avoid distractions. A incoming phone call or iMessage is a sure way to break your focus! Next time your phone buzzes and you get all tense, remember that your phone isn’t just a source of stressful information, but can be a powerful tool to help you relax. Take a deep breath and check out some of these apps to help you destress in 2013.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr user bottled_void

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Freehands touchscreen-enabled gloves

What it is: Gloves that allow you to keep your hands warm and use a touch-sensitive device

Why it’s great: Most gloves I’ve seen look goofy and remind me of something grandma would knit me for the holidays instead of getting me what I really wanted (Millenium Falcon). Instead of using touch-sensitive glove material, Freehands gloves actually have a tip that can be folded back so you have the full use of your thumb and forefinger. I like the fleece-lined ones as they keep my hands warm during cold Kansas winters.

Price: The prices range from $20 for basic fleece and up to $80 for cashmere or leather.

Who it’s best for: Someone who uses their smartphone all the time and lives in a cold weather environment

Scosche SolBAT II Solar Battery powered backup charger

What it is: A 1500ma external battery with a solar charger for USB-powered devices (such as an iPhone)

Why it’s great: The battery easily charges via micro-USB or the sun. The included windshield cradle allows you to charge while driving (and leaving your cigarette lighter free) and a universal carabiner mount easily hooks onto a backup for a charge throughout the day.

Price: $29.99

Who it’s best for: Students needing a battery boost, travelers, commuters with too many devices to charge.

Jot Flip

What it is: A precision stylus combined with a quality pen.

Why it’s great: I’ve used lots of pens with the rubber tip that enables touch. Most of them don’t have the heft and professional look of a quality pen. Also that rubber tip too often is mistaken for an eraser. The jot flip uses a disc instead of a rubber tip protected with a metal clip. The pen portion retracts back into the Jot Flip. The movement on the iPhone and iPad is very natural and responds with minimum pressure.

Price: $35

Who it’s best for: Anyone with long fingernails unable to easily use a touch screen, users who frequently write or draw on an iPad, business owners requiring signatures (think Square).

SpareOne Emergency Mobile Phone

What it is: An emergency mobile phone with a standby replaceable AA battery that lasts 10 years plus waterproof bag

Why it’s great: While I have a rugged case for my iPhone, there are some places I won’t take it such as the family boat or while doing outdoor sports. I also like having a spare phone for traveling so I can reach people if my iPhone malfunctions or is stolen. The phone includes a micro-SIM adapter so it can accept the SIM from phones older than the iPhone 5 or a pre-paid SIM. Without a SIM it can dial emergency services such as 911. I keep it in my car for situations in which I need to use a phone (rain, snow) and my iPhone wouldn’t be safe.
Price: $89.99

Who it’s best for: Someone that travels often, someone that needs a spare phone for condition in which an iPhone could get damaged (boater, skier, hiker), or someone stocking an emergency kit.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr userandrewmalone

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The sheet feed NeatDesk scanner handled up to 50 sheets of paper at once, as well as crumpled receipts and dog-eared business cards. I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of jams despite my less-than-delicate treatment of documents. And when an occasional jam occurred due to an oddly shaped document, the item was easy to remove without damage.

Neat’s primary market is receipt scanning for those of us that have expense reports or who itemize our taxes. The company has since expanded to general document management for recipes, business cards, contracts and pretty much anything on paper.

The NeatCloud service starts at $5.99 a month for basic service for one user. You can synchronize scanned items from your Mac, PC, iPad or iPhone to the cloud service allowing automatic backup and access from a browser. If you need a receipt you’ve scanned to be emailed to accounting, you can access any of the items from your browser for reviewing, emailing or printing. The Home Business Plan ($14.99) adds remote access via the Neat Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. The Mobile app allows you to take pictures and have them uploaded to the cloud and synchronized with your devices. Neat will perform Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on items in order to make them searchable but the results are not exportable.

For an additional $4.99 the Neat Verify service add-on to NeatCloud looks at receipts and business cards and gives you the option to have an actual person read the scanned item and make sure the data is as accurate as possible. The $4.99 plan includes 30 verified scans and for $8.99 you get 60 verified scans. In my tests, accuracy of the automatic OCR was good enough to get the raw information, such as the purchase amount, but I had to manually add a tip or sometimes the business name. The Neat Verify feature got all the data every time.

Without Neat Verify, the service is extremely similar to Evernote and, at first glance, I saw no reason to not simply use Evernote for all of this. Evernote gives searchable access to anything scanned or photographed. NeatCloud allows you to connect your Google, Evernote and Dropbox accounts to search their databases for information as well but you cannot import directly from those services. This universal search was handy for information I was already storing with these services.

The Neat Cloud service differs from other cloud services such as Evernote because of its complete solution and ease of use. Similar to Apple’s solution of marrying hardware, software and services, Neat provides the scanner, the software, the cloud service and mobile app making it a true all-in-one solution. Evernote’s system is an excellent solution but has limits to exporting individual items and limited file formats for export. OneReceipt does a great job of tracking receipts and doing OCR on them, but it’s limited to just receipts while Neat Cloud includes any type of document.

Neat, given its history, really excels at tracking receipts for expense reports, but is great for anything in paper you need to track.. In this post-PC era in which we travel more with tablets and smartphones rather than laptops, the actual Neat scanner hardware is less important because we can’t easily scan on the road. The Neat Cloud service and its mobile app allows you to scan receipts anywhere at anytime for expense reports. The Home Business plan supports two users and the Business plan supports five users making it easy to let someone else do the paperwork while you are on the road.

Overall the Neat Cloud service is a welcome addition to the Neat product line and, for some people, can replace the desktop hardware and software solution.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr user ben_osteen

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The Fitbit Ultra was a great product, but it had some strange quirks that were annoying. The belt clip was bulky and inflexible and two of mine broke. The One is an elegant revision using a rubberized belt clip and a svelte monitoring device half as thick as the Ultra. Similar to the Ultra, the One tracks not just strides but steps climbed with a built-in altimeter. The Fitbit website uses your age, weight and activity levels to determine how many calories you burn each day. You can set goals each day for the steps taken, stairs climbed, miles traveled and calories burned. Additionally, you can set it each night to track the quality of your sleep. The device keeps you accountable, and it quickly charges via a USB dongle.

Added to the One is a vibrating alarm clock to wake you in the morning without a blaring alarm — a feature in direct competition with the Lark. The One can be removed from the belt clip at night and inserts into a wrist strap for comfortable sleep.

I was disappointed with the alarm and sleep monitoring feature but that’s because I’m comparing it other products I’ve tried such as the Lark, Sleeptracker and Zeo. The One does not have a snooze button and you have to “tell” it when you go to sleep via the button on the device rather than initiating the time on the app. Sometimes I’d accidentally trigger the stop button in the middle of the night and the sleep wasn’t properly tracked. I hope additional software upgrades might fix some of these issues. Given Fitbit’s track record I’m confident they’ll make some changes to this. For now, I’m still going to wear my Lark at night and I look forward to Lark’s competitor to Fitbit’s One: The Lark Life. This field of body monitoring continues to grow with Jawbone’s UP, Motorola’s MotoActv, and Basis’s watch.

The Fitbit Zip is the “mini” version of the Fitbit. Although I didn’t test it for a long period of time, the Zip is about the size of a quarter and does not require charging as it gets power from a watch-style battery. Removed from Zip is the altimeter and sleep tracking. For many users the basic stride tracking is just enough to get started.

Both of the products take advantage of low-powered Bluetooth 4.0 for real-time syncing of your step data with a companion iPhone app — without draining your battery. I really liked this feature because the app runs in the background and will coach you to reach your step goals and warn you when, gasp, one of your friends is beating you in steps for the day. No worries if you don’t have Bluetooth 4.0 on your iOS device. An included dongle will add syncing via a desktop computer (Mac or PC). The device will then sync with the Fitbit website when you are near the dongle and then the website syncs with the phone.

What makes the Fitbit fun is the gamification. Regardless of your fitness level, the product makes it easy to set goals for yourself and set up a friendly little competition among other people you know with Fitbits. Once I started talking about my Fitbit on social media friends started getting the Fitbit and we all increased the number of steps we were taking each day. I’m one of the first to get the One, so I’m always aware if anyone ever dares get close to my step goal.

The low cost of entry for the Zip makes this technology accessible to more people. The Fitbit API allows you to use other iPhone apps such as Lose-It and MapMyRun in order to enhance the product with third party products. Similar to platforms such as Foursquare, the Fitbit includes badges for achieving daily and lifetime goals such as 15,000 steps or walking 1,000 miles. All this provides motivation and measurement for getting and staying fit.

Disclosure: Fitbit is backed by True Ventures, a venture capital firm that is an investor in the parent company of this blog, Giga Omni Media. Om Malik, founder of Giga Omni Media, is also a venture partner at True.

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How it works

The xPrinterServer has two variations: a Home edition and Network edition. The Home Edition ($99.95) supports USB printers as well up to five network-based printers. The Network Edition ($149.95) only supports network-based printers but supports an unlimited number of them. For that price, you could, in theory, simply buy a new AirPrint-compatible printer. Both products support multiple printers so the xPrintServer value scales the more printers you connect, although higher-end network-based printers or all-in-one network -based copier solutions are the target market for the Network product.

What I liked

Set-up is very easy. The Network Edition simply has an Ethernet port. Plug it in and the software autodetects a vast majority of printers over a network while the Home Edition adds a USB port to support non-network printers and makes USB printers accessible to Macs, PCs and iOS devices. Both devices require no direct change to a network or installation of any software or apps.

What I didn’t like

Compatibility can be spotty. Although the supported printer list is extensive, I had to contact Lantronix to add support for a few my printers, but I was testing over a wide base of printers. Occasionally I noticed slight variations in print quality and margins, which Lantronix attributed to the nuances of iOS rather then the xPrintServer device — though I noticed these variations when printing from my Mac directly via USB and then printing via the xPrintServer. Some network-based printers required minor configuration via the xPrintServer web interface, such as my older HP Laserjet 4m, as well as a large office-based copier that also supported printing.

Speed was slower than printing directly via USB or using an existing printer’s network interface. This makes sense since the xPrintServer has to do the work of rendering the data and then sending the data to the printer. Once the printing actually started, speed was fully dependent on the printer and I noticed no speed degradation.

Conclusion

Home users will like being able to share a USB printer with more devices, similar to Apple’s Airport Express and Extreme. Business users will see their investment in network-based printing extended to iOS. I wish hotels had a solution like this as I still need to use a public printer and desktop when I want to print a boarding pass on the road.

The older and more expensive your printer, the more you’ll find value in the xPrintServer in both your home and office. The product works almost as well as advertised with some minor caveats and quirks and I highly recommend it for those situations in which you simply have to print something via your iOS device

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There’s been plenty of anecdotal evidence already offered that Maps needs work — at times location data is missing or directions were wrong. But on more than one occasion Maps have led users astray because of the user-sourced business information that Apple is using from Yelp.

For instance, a Maps search for Napa Auto Parts in San Carlos, Calif. finds the location at 560 El Camino Real. Maps shows the location has 13 reviews from Yelp. Now, that may have actually been an automotive supply store at some point, but as of this week it’s a restaurant serving wood-fired pizza. Yelp — and Maps — however, still think it’s a Napa Auto Parts. In another example, a recent search for Hotel Abri in downtown San Francisco places it a block and a half from where the hotel is actually located, as you can see in the photo.

See that red pin? That’s the actual location of Hotel Abri. But Yelp places it a block and half further west on Apple Maps.

Yelp is a great way to find out about local businesses, especially restaurants. As a business owner I manage a Yelp page. Something important to know about it is that venue data can be added by any Yelp user, while Google, by comparison, requires verification by a business owner to confirm the location.

I experienced this first-hand at my business: Yelp added my business without confirmation. Yelp’s user-based approach can lead to multiple venues entered, prospective businesses that add data but never open, and businesses that are closed but never get removed from Yelp. This is a problem that check-in service Foursquare often faces, but Foursquare’s process includes “SuperUsers” who volunteer to keep the data clean and tidy. (Disclosure: I am a Foursquare Superuser.)

Yelp lets anyone add businesses without verification of accuracy, but most of Yelp’s information is “curated,” rather than crowdsourced like Google’s (and Google’s integration of Zagat). Community managers who work for Yelp are primarily responsible for the management of duplicate venues.

A good example, shown below, showing this issue occurred when I searched both Yelp and Google Maps in a browser for an Italian restaurant nearby in my neighborhood in Lawrence, Kan. Yelp’s results showed me one venue that was closed (Cupinis), one venue that was never opened (Fat Tony’s) and one duplicate venue (Genovese). Google’s results had no duplicates. One venue was closed (Pizza Hut) but that business had just recently changed hands. If I were looking for Italian, I’d be sorely disappointed with Yelp.

Google Maps results for Italian dining in Lawrence

Yelp’s results for Italian dining in Lawrence

Additionally, Yelp favors reviews by “Elites” over the reviews of regular users, and Yelp’s undisclosed “filter” algorithms determine what reviews you actually see. On the iOS 6 Maps app as well as the Yelp app, users cannot view these filtered reviews and may be missing key reviews. For example, the Squeeze In Restaurant, a local diner in Reno, Nev. The Squeeze In currently has 70 visible reviews but there are 127 filtered reviews you can’t see from iOS Maps. These are usually not “spam” reviews, but valid reviews from real customers that Yelp arbitrarily removes.

Even my own business has 80 percent of its reviews filtered. For the true review results, you’ll need to load the Yelp site in Safari and fill out a captcha (they make you work to see these reviews). When searching, I’d like to make the decision as to which reviews are relevent, and I don’t need Yelp’s biashiding data from me. A map app that removes a significant portion of the point-of-interest data is not a map I can rely on.

Apple and Yelp did not respond to a request for comment.

Tim Cook has said, “The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get.” Yelp’s quirky curation approach with hidden reviews and out-of-date venues will continue to degrade search results and map quality and more customer use won’t fix that problem. Hopefully Apple can work with Yelp for more accurate business listings and reviews in the future as they continue to fix and enhance Maps.

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Tech 21 Impact Band $39.99

This minimalistic design provides basic bumper protection on the sides as well as a clear plastic back to protect the finish from scratches. The soft D3O® material fits snuggly around the phone and protects the edges from drops and adds color (nine choices) and personalization to your iPhone without adding bulk. This is a great case for people who don’t generally like cases.

X-Doria Dash $34.99

Want protection but don’t want anyone to mistake your iPhone 5 for any other product, like the iPhone 4? The Dash provides side and back with hard plastic protection for your iPhone while leaving a clear window to show off the distinctive iPhone 5 logo and coloring. Currently available only in black, it’s a slight step up in protection without much compromise

Scosche Kickback $29.99

The kickBACK is a thicker hard plastic protector for your iPhone 5 with a sporty finish that makes the phone easy to grip even with sweaty hands. The case comes in five different colors as well as basic black and white.

The cool feature of this case is the integrated kickstand which makes FaceTime easy as well as movie viewing in landscape mode. Clever.

Gumdrop Drop Tech $44.95

Although the more traditional extreme case manufacturers such as Otterbox were not able to provide samples in time for this review, Gumdrop actually sent me a case for review the day of the iPhone 5 launch. This case provide complete integrated protection for all ports as well as the screen in a dual-layer design of hard plastic skeleton enveloped with a soft plastic exterior with stylized tire-inspired texturing. Currently only available in black, more colors are on the way

This is a slightly bulky product, but if you need hard core protection, this is a great case.

As far as how these manufacturers developed cases so quickly, basically they guessed. ”We made some assumptions to be in a position to move very quickly once specs are unveiled by Apple,” tech21 CEO Jason Roberts said in a statement.

Because this iPhone is made out of aluminum, it’s supposed to be less likely to crack or shatter. Are you going to get a case for your iPhone 5 or go “naked”?

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Free:
Waze (Free)

Waze is an extremely popular and free alternate navigation app. It allows real-time traffic updates from other users and can provide you search results directly from not just Yelp, but also Bing, Google, Yellow Pages and Foursquare, as well as your own contacts.

Waze relies on your data connection for some maps and real-time traffic updates, but can pre-load some data via a Wi-Fi connection to protect your mobile data plan. Short, sweet and to the point and for the price of free, it’s your easiest way of moving away from iOS 6 maps. (Waze is listed in listed in the iOS 6 Map app’s copyright notices, but Waze has not publicly described their integration with iOS 6 maps, and its CEO has his own opinions about Apple’s maps.)

Scout (Free)

This free app gets around the problems of data connections by allowing you to pre-load major parts of the U.S. for $9.99 via the Scout Plus in-app purchase, but as of this writing it’s free. For quick navigation to popular places like a Wi-Fi hotspot, an ATM, or a gas station, the app has easy-to-use buttons. The app also has voice recognition via structured commands (not natural language like Siri). Ask it to “Find Coffee” and it finds a local coffee shop. Very cool.

Low Cost:

MotionX GPS Drive (99 cents)

This app is 99 cents and uses Bing data instead of Google or Apple Maps. For $9.99 a year you can add turn -by-turn directions delivered via voice. Similar to Waze, the data can be partially cached and if you drive within the same area repeatedly that usually isn’t a problem. MotionX adds some additional features such as the ability to check you into places on Facebook (and navigate to recent check-ins) as well as walking directions. Similar to Scout, buttons in the app provide for easy navigation to popular destination types.

Premium:

Navigon USA ($39.99)

Navigon was recently purchased by Garmin and is simply an outstanding app. Unlike Apple’s iOS 6, this app uses Navteq maps (instead of Teleatlas/TomTom). What the premium price buys you is the ability to load all the maps on your iPhone or iPad. If you only travel in certain regions you can buy regional version for $29.99. One unique feature I like about this app is that you can pick and choose which states to pre-load to save time and space on your iPhone, and the maps include additional information about your destination, such as local parking and points of interest. For locations that aren’t in the points of interest, direct searches of Google within the app are supported but you must have a data connection to use that feature. No filtering of reviews either, all the Google reviews are there for you to read.

Garmin U.S.A. ($39.99)

In-app purchases extend the functionality with such features as Live Traffic ($19.99), Public Transportation ($2.99) and Speed Trap/Red light camera info ($4.99)

This GPS program loads all the maps at once but is the truest representation of a traditional GPS and is identical in function to my Nuvi; I had absolutely no learning curve. Similar to Navigon’s app, in-app purchases support Traffic ($19.99) but safety camera alerts are built in.

My iPhone 3GS acting as a standalone GPS

Bonus Function: Use your old iPhone as a standalone GPS

Got an old iPhone 3G or 3GS lying around collecting dust? That 3GS can’t do much these days and has little resale value now, but if you hate the iOS 6 apps, especially if you upgraded to an iPhone 5, these premium apps work great to turn an old phone into a standalone GPS.

I tested this with my 3GS; all I did was log onto the App Store via Wi-Fi and loaded the Navigon USA and maps for my state. No SIM card was in the phone. Then I brought it in the car and away I went with an inexpensive standalone GPS. Talk about a great use for old tech! Now that your 30-pin connector in your car won’t work with your iPhone 5, this is a great way to get turn-by-turn directions and avoid the annoyances of the iOS 6 maps.

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Before the appointment the installer will come to the home and install a fiber jack outside but despite the title of this post, that outside equipment was not available for viewing, and details were not provided.

Google estimates average installs should take about three hours, and requires wiring the home with Ethernet. The experience sounds very similar to getting AT&T Uverse. A network box is installed and Ethernet is run to selected rooms.

The Network Box

The Network Box is a residential gateway that provides four Gigabit-Ethernet ports to share the bandwidth coming into the home. This device is required for the service, and customers receive a public IP; the gateway will serve as a router. The gateway’s final user interface was not shown, so questions about firewalls, port-mapping, and DMZ aren’t yet known. The service has no bandwidth cap or overage fees.

I was able to view a publicly accessible version of the gateway’s UI at one of the local businesses that is demoing Google Fiber. As you can see, the interface is custom designed and a bit raw, which is understandable since the project is still not live. These screen shots show that the device is most likely made by Actiontec for Google. Actiontec makes residential gateways for Verizon’sFiOS fiber-to-the-home service, so going with Actiontec is a logical choice. Also these screen shots show a Wide area network PON (passive optical network) which most likely indicates a Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON). In these pictures identifying information has been blacked out

The Storage Box

The next component of the residential experience is the Storage Box which stores network files as well as saved TV programs on a 2-terabyte hard drive. So far, Google’s Internet-only residential plan doesn’t include a Storage Box.

A Storage Box will act as network attached storage (NAS) allowing subscribers to share data anywhere on their network using a “standard interface.” Hashem did not have the details on this interface since, again, all aspects of the Google Fiber Project are currently in prototype mode and the device is not in production. Mac users will be comforted knowing it’s “fully” compatible with Time Machine according to Hashem, and will allow you to share a hard drive across the network. I am curious as to how Google will support Time Machine as Time Machine doesn’t work with many NAS devices.

The TV Box

Finally, the TV Box is what attaches to your TV via HDMI or component cables, and to your network via Ethernet, co-axial cable or Wi-Fi. Similar to an Apple TV, the device does not have any storage space and uses Storage Box for DVR functionality. The UI for the TV DVR (which can record up to 8 shows at once) is unremarkable, and again I could not take pictures of the interface because they were “pre-production.”

The Nexus 7 tablet interface mimicked the onscreen experience and allowed for searching of contents across both TV networks and services like Netflix. The Nexus 7 will also stream any content from the Storage Box, while a USB interface on both the Storage Box and the TV box allows for streaming of stored video content.

Because of Apple’s DRM, video content purchased from iTunes could not be played directly through the TV Box. In addition to the Nexus tablet, a “traditional” style remote is also included for those that don’t want to use the tablet. Additional iOS and Android applications will soon be available for remote management as well as a web interface to the TV Box.

Unfortunately, streaming content to these devices outside the home isn’t currently supported. When necessary, the TV box acts as a wireless repeater retransmitting your home’s Wi-Fi network, though Google wasn’t clear if the box was connected via Wi-Fi if it could retransmit that signal or could only do the retransmission when connected via Ethernet. The TV Box also has a Bluetooth radio to support connections to wireless headsets and keyboards.

Potential and current subscribers will receive customer support at the Google Fiber Space as well as through a call center, but as with many other issues, the details have yet to be determined.

This is what the Google Fiber setup experience will be for residential subscribers: a few hours of an install along with (possibly) three pieces of equipment that will give users some of the fastest internet in the country and a wide array of TV options.

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