Twelve South

Hey, everybody! (We couldn’t resist that opener, having watched more than our fair share of The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.) Here’s something adults and kids alike will appreciate when dining at Disney’s The Hollywood Brown Derby: The restaurant offers a special menu, housed in an extra-special case, for those with allergies or specific food preferences.

As the video below shows — handily in our BookBook, no less — the restaurant caters well to vegans and people with nut or egg or other allergies by offering visitors an iPad with an App that re-orgs its menu based on the user’s stated allergies or avoidances. How’s that for a user-friendly menu? (We say ALL restaurants should do this. And you should, too — get your own iPad from Apple today and then make sure it’s housed in a lovely old BookBook.)

The reviews are rolling in on our latest product, HoverBar, so we thought we’d share one with you. It’s from iPad Insight, where the reviewer purchased his own HoverBar within hours of its release, and was one of the first critics to see one in person.

Here’s the scoop:

“HoverBar is an adjustable arm for the iPad 2 – that serves to ‘float’ the iPad 2 next to an iMac or PC display. It’s a simple, great idea – and one that is executed with typical excellence by the clever team at Twelve South.

The HoverBar is thankfully very easy to setup. I’ve tried out a few similar coil arms for the iPad and found them all cumbersome to deal with – this one was quick and painless. There are only three main pieces to it – the HoverBar arm, the iPad display clip with collar, and a two-way mounting clamp., and then an Allen key and a few little bits.

The hardest part was finding just the right place to position it on the desktop – as I don’t use an iMac. I also don’t use a stand to raise my MacBook Pro up at all (though I may soon grab one) – so I needed to find a good position and a good height for the HoverBar, as my MBP sits flat on the desk. Within about 15 minutes I had tried out a few positions and found one that I’m quite happy with.”

Here’s what his setup looks like now:

More thoughts on HoverBar:

“I spent some time using the HoverBar last night and today the iPad 2 has rarely been out of it. Here are some of the things I like best about it:

– It’s very easy – and quick – to get the iPad 2 into it and out of it, and the iPad 2 feels completely secure while in it.

– It’s also simple to turn the iPad 2 from portrait to landscape mode and back again as often as desired while it’s in the HoverBar – and to adjust the angle the iPad is held at.

– The coil arm is immensely flexible – so you can literally bend it to your will in terms of finding the most comfortable position for the iPad 2.

– Because it’s so easy to move around and mount in different spots this is a very versatile accessory. It works very nicely for me even with my low-slung MacBook Pro – but I can also see it working well in the kitchen or living room. Oh, and I just love the idea of using it at times with a wireless keyboard to setup a pure iPad workstation.

As for complaints about the HoverBar, I really don’t have any. It’s easy to use, does what it says on the box and a whole lot more, and is already a very fine companion for my iPad 2. I had high expectations for it – and I’m happy to say they’ve been met and exceeded.”

Read the complete review here at iPad Insight. And get your expectations exceeded by HoverBar here.

We love it when our customers take Twelve South products and make them personal (of course they’re already personal to us anyway). After all, why not have the things you look at and use everyday feel like they belong to you and only you?

We got this email from Dave O. the other day, and he was kind enough to share a photo of his customized BookBook for iPhone.
“Love my new BookBook for iPhone. I thought I’d make it look like an old version of a reference book typically found in an engineering office like where I work. I also had my last name inserted as the author for an extra personal touch. This “hot foil” printing turns a really cool product like yours into an immeasurably personal item. Thank you for producing this wonderful product and thanks also to Daan de Waal of San Diego Book Binding for his “value added” treatment.”

Check it out! And then get your own BookBook for iPhone.

In his article “Tablet as Sous Chef”  for The Wall Street Journal, writer Kevin Sintumuang makes a really good point about cookbooks: They’re lovely, collectible, and engaging…but not, it turns out, all that comfortable to cook with. We’d have to agree, having about, oh, 24 different ones that we flip through from time to time.(Our personal favorite? The New Best Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated, though our brother-in-law, who uses it frequently, lovingly refers to it as “The Best New Way to Use Every Cooking Implement in Your House.” And he’s half right.)

Back to the blog post. Among many useful iPad implements, our Compass was featured as The Minimalist Perch, which makes sense — as Compass is designed to virtually disappear when you’re using your iPad, so the iPad is the star of the show. More here:

“Inspired by a mechanical compass, this mini-easel has a solid feel and rubber padding in all the right places, so you’ll never feel like your iPad will accidentally slide off. It can hold your device upright, as shown here, but you can place it at a lower angle as well. When you’re done with the compass, simply fold it up and toss it in a kitchen drawer.”

We love using Compass in the kitchen. Get one for your own aspiring Martha-Stewart-Paula-Deen-UVOO-using-wonder-person today. And if you’re in a pinch for V-Day, well, it does come in red.

We love seeing Twelve South products all over the place. After all, we’re simply a small company that makes things *we* wanted to use, but it’s especially nice to see that our products have become things that the public wants to use. So yes, if you’re wondering, we do get as excited as a bunch of ‘tween girls at a Bieber concert when, for example, we see Bryan Williams on NBC using a Compass on Election Night. And now, yes, we are in fact geeking out over the fact that one of President Obama’s speechwriters (can we assume all of them?) is using a Compass. In. His. Office. At. The. White. House. And it’s been caught on tape. Should we be monitoring orders looking for other famous addresses? What do you think?! (The Compass is just under the “play” arrow. We stopped video there to save you time. If you want to watch the whole fascinating look at writing the State of the Union, load this.)

Get your own “not officially endorsed by the President of the United States of America, but kinda,” Compass here.

Doing a home energy audit? Sometimes “efficiency” can be gained by just reducing the number of outlets you’re using.

In USA Today‘s piece “Save Money With An Energy Audit,” writer Alice Truong mentions PlugBug in this week’s Surf Report. Here’s what she wrote:

“When the PlugBug from Twelve South first came on the market in November, everybody and his mom wanted one. How could you not want a product backed by Guy Kawasaki, an Apple Fellow who, back in the 1980s, marketed the Macintosh? On its surface, the PlugBug looks like a USB wall charger, but it also connects to the power brick of MacBooks, allowing simultaneous charging from one accessory.

If you’re a frequent business traveler, this means a decluttered hotel workspace. The 10-watt PlugBug is designed to provide the fastest possible charge for the iPad. (Fun fact: Did you know USB ports on most MacBooks don’t charge at full speed?) When you’re going from plane to meeting, you don’t want to wait on your devices to juice up. That’s where the PlugBug comes into play.”

Reduce your outlet usage today by adding PlugBug to your own energy lineup.

You know Josh Hutcherson, right?  He’s that fresh-faced star of highly anticipated upcoming film The Hunger Games who also starred in The Kids are All Right with Annette Benning (Oscar nod, thank you very much), Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo. At this very moment he’s in Hawaii shooting his latest feature, the sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth, Journey 2: Mysterious Island.

And what do you think is going on…on that mysterious island of Hawaii? Well, for one thing, Josh is rocking a BookBook with gal pal Vanessa Hudgens! Here’s the evidence from Lainey Gossip:

On or off the Big Island of Hawaii, you can rock your own BookBook for iPhone too.

Just out today from the writers of PadVance is a great review from a true road warrior! During a mere 10 days of travel, PlugBug got a workout in five airports, at a major trade show (CES?), and spent several days at the hospital (the PlugBug was feeling fine but the reviewer needed to go).

Here’s the 411 from 10 days of rigorous use (though you probably know how this ends from the headline):

“If you use your MacBook exclusively at home or at work then the PlugBug might not seem that useful to you. If you spend any time on the road with your MacBook or bring it to coffeehouses then you have an idea of how useful it can be. Over the last 10 days I’ve been to the airport five times, attended a major trade show, and hung around a hospital for several days. In many instances, I only had access to one power outlet, either because other writers were competing for them or there was only one available. The PlugBug allowed me to keep my MacBook and phone/iPad charged.”

And:

“…the PlugBug is a small device. It’s also very light, which is important for road warriors. When it’s not in use, you can keep it capped and slip it into your bag. When you need to charge your MacBook and an additional device, it takes seconds to uncap the PlugBug and slip it on top of the MacBook power adapter.

I can’t image traveling without the PlugBug. There’s not much else to say about it other than that it’s the perfect accessory for mobile MacBook owners. It’s small and immensely useful. What’s not to like?!? I suppose people that detest the color red or dislike accessories that sound too close to “butt plug” might have an issue with this product, but everyone else (i.e. normal people)? No way. If you bring your MacBook on the road and also bring your iPad, iPhone, or any device that’s charged via USB then I strongly recommend the PlugBug.”

So don’t be one of those under-equipped road warriors who struggles to sweep his or her hotel room for leftover chargers before each departure. No, spend that time tipping housekeeping. You’ll be the person who grabs his or her red PlugBug and hits the road with time to spare. Get your PlugBug now…ships free. (Hospital stays sold separately.)

GearCulture covers the things guys want most, from “cool rides” to “great fashion” and everything in between. So when we spotted our PlugBug mentioned among high-design water bottles, the Rockwell Trans4mer, and a first-class messenger bag, we had to be sure that you knew about it.

Here’s the skinny:

Make yourself that much cooler with a PlugBug today, and lust no longer.

In case you’ve missed it (though most of the world didn’t, as it was rated the most effective advert this holiday season), here’s the now-famous Santa/Siri Ad for the iPhone 4S, compliments of our friends at Apple: