I’ve been working on upgrading my desk setup and I’ll be doing a story on that shortly. But in the meantime, I’ve been looking for a way to better use the Apple Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad that I’ve recently acquired. The main issue that I’ve had is that one or the other would move. Thus I couldn’t use muscle memory to control and type on my Mac. Thus figuring that I wasn’t the only person with this issue, I did some hunting around and came across the Twelve South Magic Bridge Extended.
The MagicBridge Extended is a plastic tray that fits the MagicKeyboard that I have along with the Magic Trackpad. The grey section is where the keyboard goes if you’re right handed. Or you can move it to the left to set it up the other way around.
The bottom has holes that allow you to push out the keyboard and trackpad should you need to.
This is the end result with the keyboard on the left, and my Snapping everything in is simple because TwelveSouth put out this video that shows you how to set things up:
I had no issues setting things up after I watched this video and it only took a couple of minutes.
The back of the MagicBridge Extended has holes that not only allow Bluetooth signals through, but also give you access to the on/off switch as well as the Lightning port for charging.
So I have used this setup for a couple of days. And once I found a position where I could type and use the Magic Trackpad without it feeling weird, I found that it worked quite well. By “weird” I mean that you have centre the keyboard part of this setup so that typing feels normal. That puts the trackpad out to the right in my case as I am right handed. I can see how that might be an issue for some. And for those who have a bit of OCD about centring everything on your desk, that might be a bit of an issue too. Since the keyboard and trackpad are one piece, I can use it on my lap if I so choose. It also allows me to move the keyboard and trackpad out of the way quickly if I need the surface of the desk for something else. But the main goal was to keep the keyboard and the trackpad in a consistent place where muscle memory would allow me to be productive as nothing was moving about. And it succeeds on that front. Overall, I like the setup.
The MagicBridge Extended is $50 USD directly from Twelve South. But if you have the Magic Keyboard without the number pad, they have a version for that use case as well which is simply called the MagicBridge. If you own a Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad and you want to make them even more useful, The MagicBridge Extended or MagicBridge is absolutely worth looking at.
It’s been a while, as in two years since I’ve done one of these articles about what bands I own and use with my Apple Watch. Thus I decided it was time to fix that. Pun intended. Let’s start with what I put my Apple Watch bands in which is the Twelve South TimePorter:
This has just enough space to hold all my Apple Watch bands that I currently rotate through. Though if I add anything more to the rotation, I will have to find an alternate solution. Anything that I am not currently using gets popped into a box in my den. The big plus to the TimePorter is that you can put an Apple Watch charger in it along with a slim battery pack to allow you to charge on the go. You can even fold it up to a 45 degree angle to use it as a display stand which is a great use case for a hotel room.
I really like this band because it goes with the sort of business casual clothing that I wear But at the same time because it is made of high strength nylon and has hardware made of stainless steel, I can use it to work out with. For example in our last road trip to PEI in 2019, it was the only band that I wore as I could hike or cycle with it in the day, and go out to dinner with it at night. And it’s machine washable as well. It also fits my Road ID for Apple Watch which gives me a bit of extra safety when I ride my bike for example. Plus it is super comfortable.
When I want a add a bit of style, this is one of the bands that I go to. This Mesh Loop (The Watch Strap Company’s term for the Milanese Loop) uses stainless steel that is very soft and comfortable to wear. And it is very premium feeling and durable. Which is a good thing as The Watch Strap Company gear isn’t exactly cheap. But it’s very much worth it as it really ups my Apple Watch Game when I wear suits or business causal clothing.
My wife got one of these leather watch straps from Urban Armor Gear and I was insanely jealous. That’s because it’s high quality Italian leather that feels super comfortable on your wrist and goes with pretty much any style of clothing. It’s also got stainless steel hardware that makes sure your Apple Watch stays on your wrist. That includes a snap that locks everything into place so that there’s no way the watch will come off your wrist. Thus I had to get one to not only up my Apple Watch game, but to also replace two leather bands that were not even close to the level of quality that the Urban Armor Gear band offers.
Another band that is on my go to list when I need something more upscale is the Watch Strap Company Link Bracelet. This is another top shelf product from the company that has the look and feel of the Apple Link Bracelet without the Apple price. It’s a very premium feeling product and goes great with everything from suits or business causal clothing.
Nike Sport Band From Apple
A client of mine gave me two Apple Watch bands to thank me for coming to her rescue the day after my wife and I got back from our vacation in PEI. The first one was the Nike Sport Band from Apple which I will wear when I am doing something athletic like hiking or working out in the gym. One big plus is that it also fits my Road ID for Apple Watch which gives me a bit of extra safety should I feel the need to use it with this band.
Nike Sport Loop From Apple
The other band that this client gave me is the Nike Sport Loop from Apple. It has a reflective weave that gives you a bit of extra safety in lower light conditions. Plus sport loops are super comfortable to wear as you can get the exact fit that you need. I have also kind of jerry rigged my Road ID for Apple Watch to work with it. Thus this is my go to band when I ride my bike.
This is another go to band if I need to do something athletic as it will stay on my wrist no matter what I do, but it will feel comfortable the entire time I wear it. After all, if my wife was able to use this band to do an extreme trail running race and have the watch stay on her wrist, anything that I do should be a non-issue. This band is a total winner for Urban Armor Gear.
This is a recent addition to my Apple Watch band collection. Once you figure out what your size is, this solo loop is super comfortable. And it can be used while you work out as it is woven which means it breathes pretty well. I can match it to the watch face that came out at the same time as this band, and it’s Apple’s only black solo loop that they offer. At least at the time that they sold this band as it was a limited edition.
Apple came out with a number of bands to celebrate the Olympics last year. My wife and I got the Canadian one and along with the matching watch band displayed our Canadian pride. This too was a limited edition.
That’s my Apple Watch band collection. One thing that I have to say to those who have Apple Watches and want to have good quality upscale bands is that you should skip the really cheap bands on Amazon. Those ones from personal experience don’t have good quality materials and typically will not last all that long. Bands from companies like Apple, The Watch Strap Company, and Urban Armor Gear are examples of good quality watch bands that should be part of your collection.
What Apple Watch bands do you use? I’d be interested in hearing from women with Apple Watches as seeing as I have put forward a collection for men. Thus I figure that many women would be interested in what women use. But male users should join in on the conversation as well by leaving a comment and sharing their thoughts.
This has enough space to hold all my Apple Watch bands that I currently rotate through. Anything that I am not currently using gets popped into a box in my den. The big plus to the TimePorter is that you can put an Apple Watch charger in it along with a slim battery pack to allow you to charge on the go. You can even fold it up to a 45 degree angle to use it as a display stand which is a great use case for a hotel room.
As for the bands that I have on the go, here’s what I’m currently using:
I really like this band because it goes with the sort of business casual clothing that I wear But at the same time because it is made of high strength nylon and has hardware made of stainless steel, I can use it to work out with. For example in our recent road trip to PEI this past summer, it was the only band that I wore as I could hike or cycle with it in the day, and go out to dinner with it at night. It also fits my Road ID for Apple Watch which gives me a bit of extra safety when I ride my bike for example. Plus it is super comfortable.
When I want a add a bit of style, this is one of the bands that I go to. This Mesh Loop (The Watch Strap Company’s term for the Milanese Loop) uses stainless steel that is very soft and comfortable to wear. And it is very premium feeling and durable. Which is a good thing as The Watch Strap Company gear isn’t exactly cheap. But it’s very much worth it as it really ups my Apple Watch Game when I wear suits or business causal clothing.
My wife got one of these leather watch straps from Urban Armor Gear and I was insanely jealous. That’s because it’s high quality Italian leather that feels super comfortable on your wrist and goes with pretty much any style of clothing. It’s also got stainless steel hardware that makes sure your Apple Watch stays on your wrist. That includes a snap that locks everything into place so that there’s no way the watch will come off your wrist. Thus I had to get one to not only up my Apple Watch game, but to also replace two leather bands that were not even close to the level of quality that the Urban Armor Gear band offers.
Another band that is on my go to list when I need something more upscale is the Watch Strap Company Link Bracelet. This is another top shelf product from the company that has the look and feel of the Apple Link Bracelet without the Apple price. It’s a very premium feeling product and goes great with everything from suits or business causal clothing.
Nike Sport Band From Apple
A client of mine gave me two Apple Watch bands to thank me for coming to her rescue the day after my wife and I got back from our vacation in PEI. The first one was the Nike Sport Band from Apple which I will wear when I am doing something athletic like hiking or working out in the gym. One big plus is that it also fits my Road ID for Apple Watch which gives me a bit of extra safety should I feel the need to use it with this band.
Nike Sport Loop From Apple
The other band that this client gave me is the Nike Sport Loop from Apple. It has a reflective weave that gives you a bit of extra safety in lower light conditions. Plus sport loops are super comfortable to wear as you can get the exact fit that you need. I have also kind of jerry rigged my Road ID for Apple Watch to work with it. Thus this is my go to band when I ride my bike.
This is another go to band if I need to do something athletic as it will stay on my wrist no matter what I do, but it will feel comfortable the entire time I wear it. After all, if my wife was able to use this band to do an extreme trail running race and have the watch stay on her wrist, anything that I do should be a non-issue. This band is a total winner for Urban Armor Gear.
That’s my Apple Watch band collection. One thing that I have to say to those who have Apple Watches and want to have good quality upscale bands is that you should skip the really cheap bands on Amazon. Those ones from personal experience don’t have good quality materials and typically will not last all that long. Bands from companies like Apple, The Watch Strap Company, and Urban Armor Gear are examples of good quality watch bands that should be part of your collection.
What Apple Watch bands do you use? I’d be interested in hearing from women with Apple Watches as seeing as I have put forward a collection for men. Thus I figure that many women would be interested in what women use. But male users should join in on the conversation as well by leaving a comment and sharing their thoughts.
Now I’ve had several Apple Watches over the last couple of years. But what I haven’t had is a way to organize the accessories. Namely the charger and the two alternate watch bands that I own. In fact, I misplaced one of them lately and it took about two days to find it. Since I figured that enough was enough on that front, I decided to do something about it. So I bought the Twelve South TimePorter:
It looks like an eyeglasses case, but don’t be fooled, It’s actually quite a clever case with a fair amount of versatility. It’s made of leather (vegan friendly leather if that matters to you) You’ll note the black dot in the center of the case. That’s there for a reason:
If you fold it back like I have you can put an Apple Watch charger in it. Thus making the case capable of charging an Apple Watch. You’ll note the cut outs on the left and right sides of the case, you can run the USB connection neatly through them to charge it using a USB charger of some description. Which by the way if you use the Apple supplied one fits just fine in this case.
And if you use the more upscale Apple Watch charger, the chrome that it has adds a bit of bling to the TimePorter.
But the versatility doesn’t end there. If you have a power bank that is thin and long like the one that I am using in the above picture, then it will fit inside the TimePorter making it a portable Apple Watch charger which can top off your Apple Watch with juice should the need arise.
You basically lay the Apple Watch on top of the charger like this and assuming it is plugged into a power source, it will charge. You can even fold it up to a 45 degree angle to use it as a display stand which is a great use case for a hotel room.
There’s one other trick that the TimePorter capable of:
It is capable of storing your Apple Watch bands in one place. That’s personally why I got the TimePorter. But the fact that the TimePorter is so versatile is a total win for Apple Watch owners. It’s $60 CDN or $40 USD and is available from the Twelve South website or from selected retailers. Their website only seems to list black as a color option, but I got this white one at a local retailer. Thus you may want to look around. If you travel and you need a place to stash your accessories and watch bands. Or you want a cool portable charger, the TimePorter is a must get.
I’ve recently become the proud owner of a new iPhone 5 and I needed a case for it. I decided on the Twelve South BookBook case. Why? Simple. It looks like a book so it is different than most cases out there. It has the added feature of stealth because it looks like a book. That’s great for security purposes. Next is the fact that I could if I choose to put credit cards and ID along with cash in it. I won’t be doing that, but it’s nice to have the option. Third, it’s a quality case. It’s made of leather (in fact, you can smell it) and it’s well put together. Finally, it is well designed. All the controls are accessible and there’s a hole for the camera. How about drop protection? I don’t really feel like testing it, but I would think that it would survive a drop as the phone is isolated from the edge of the case which creates a bit of a buffer zone.
Gripes? Only one. All the cases that I’ve reviewed recently have included a screen protector. This one didn’t. Is that the biggest deal in the world? No. But when your competition includes a screen protector, you might want to consider doing so. Having said that, if you want a different sort of case, take a look at the Twelve South BookBook case. Oh, if you like this look, they make similar cases for iPads, and MacBooks. That way you can complete a library of sorts.
If you’ve got yourself a new 13″ MacBook Pro with a Retina display, you might want to protect it with a quality case. I’ve come across the Twelve South BookBook MacBook Pro 13 with Retina Leather Case. This new case will give your MacBook great protection and you peace of mind, it will stop your device from being accidently knocked or scratched. Your MacBook sits in the case perfectly and can be unzipped and opened to use the device without removing it, making it very functional. The case is designed to make it look like an old style book, which is a very unique design meaning your new MacBook will stand out nicely. The case is made from high quality leather so you know you have a high class product. A bonus feature of this case is you have full access to all ports when using the MacBook and you have peace of mind they are covered when not.
So if you’re in the market for a high quality case, you can pick one up at Gearzap.com.
My Apple Watch Band Collection – The 2022 Edition
Posted in Commentary with tags Apple, The Watch Strap Company, Twelve South, Urban Armor Gear on May 13, 2022 by itnerdIt’s been a while, as in two years since I’ve done one of these articles about what bands I own and use with my Apple Watch. Thus I decided it was time to fix that. Pun intended. Let’s start with what I put my Apple Watch bands in which is the Twelve South TimePorter:
This has just enough space to hold all my Apple Watch bands that I currently rotate through. Though if I add anything more to the rotation, I will have to find an alternate solution. Anything that I am not currently using gets popped into a box in my den. The big plus to the TimePorter is that you can put an Apple Watch charger in it along with a slim battery pack to allow you to charge on the go. You can even fold it up to a 45 degree angle to use it as a display stand which is a great use case for a hotel room.
Urban Armor Gear Nato Strap for Apple Watch
I really like this band because it goes with the sort of business casual clothing that I wear But at the same time because it is made of high strength nylon and has hardware made of stainless steel, I can use it to work out with. For example in our last road trip to PEI in 2019, it was the only band that I wore as I could hike or cycle with it in the day, and go out to dinner with it at night. And it’s machine washable as well. It also fits my Road ID for Apple Watch which gives me a bit of extra safety when I ride my bike for example. Plus it is super comfortable.
The Watch Strap Company Mesh Loop
When I want a add a bit of style, this is one of the bands that I go to. This Mesh Loop (The Watch Strap Company’s term for the Milanese Loop) uses stainless steel that is very soft and comfortable to wear. And it is very premium feeling and durable. Which is a good thing as The Watch Strap Company gear isn’t exactly cheap. But it’s very much worth it as it really ups my Apple Watch Game when I wear suits or business causal clothing.
Urban Armor Gear Leather Watch Strap For Apple Watch
My wife got one of these leather watch straps from Urban Armor Gear and I was insanely jealous. That’s because it’s high quality Italian leather that feels super comfortable on your wrist and goes with pretty much any style of clothing. It’s also got stainless steel hardware that makes sure your Apple Watch stays on your wrist. That includes a snap that locks everything into place so that there’s no way the watch will come off your wrist. Thus I had to get one to not only up my Apple Watch game, but to also replace two leather bands that were not even close to the level of quality that the Urban Armor Gear band offers.
The Watch Strap Company Link Bracelet
Another band that is on my go to list when I need something more upscale is the Watch Strap Company Link Bracelet. This is another top shelf product from the company that has the look and feel of the Apple Link Bracelet without the Apple price. It’s a very premium feeling product and goes great with everything from suits or business causal clothing.
Nike Sport Band From Apple
A client of mine gave me two Apple Watch bands to thank me for coming to her rescue the day after my wife and I got back from our vacation in PEI. The first one was the Nike Sport Band from Apple which I will wear when I am doing something athletic like hiking or working out in the gym. One big plus is that it also fits my Road ID for Apple Watch which gives me a bit of extra safety should I feel the need to use it with this band.
Nike Sport Loop From Apple
The other band that this client gave me is the Nike Sport Loop from Apple. It has a reflective weave that gives you a bit of extra safety in lower light conditions. Plus sport loops are super comfortable to wear as you can get the exact fit that you need. I have also kind of jerry rigged my Road ID for Apple Watch to work with it. Thus this is my go to band when I ride my bike.
Urban Armor Gear Active Watch Strap
This is another go to band if I need to do something athletic as it will stay on my wrist no matter what I do, but it will feel comfortable the entire time I wear it. After all, if my wife was able to use this band to do an extreme trail running race and have the watch stay on her wrist, anything that I do should be a non-issue. This band is a total winner for Urban Armor Gear.
Apple Black Unity Braided Solo Loop Band
This is a recent addition to my Apple Watch band collection. Once you figure out what your size is, this solo loop is super comfortable. And it can be used while you work out as it is woven which means it breathes pretty well. I can match it to the watch face that came out at the same time as this band, and it’s Apple’s only black solo loop that they offer. At least at the time that they sold this band as it was a limited edition.
International Collection Sport Loop Band
Apple came out with a number of bands to celebrate the Olympics last year. My wife and I got the Canadian one and along with the matching watch band displayed our Canadian pride. This too was a limited edition.
That’s my Apple Watch band collection. One thing that I have to say to those who have Apple Watches and want to have good quality upscale bands is that you should skip the really cheap bands on Amazon. Those ones from personal experience don’t have good quality materials and typically will not last all that long. Bands from companies like Apple, The Watch Strap Company, and Urban Armor Gear are examples of good quality watch bands that should be part of your collection.
What Apple Watch bands do you use? I’d be interested in hearing from women with Apple Watches as seeing as I have put forward a collection for men. Thus I figure that many women would be interested in what women use. But male users should join in on the conversation as well by leaving a comment and sharing their thoughts.
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