Type of Article: MacTech Reviews

With David Pogue as co-author (along with the talented Lesa Snider), “iPhoto ’11: The Missing Manual” (http://macte.ch/v8Q3G) has a lively, tongue-in-cheek approach that keeps things lively. But it’s also packed with useful info.

Building on the success of its iA5, 2010’s inaugural app-enhanced alarm clock speaker system, iHome’s (http://www.ihomeaudio.com) iA63 is a slick, US$99 device that includes an FM Radio (with six presets) and a motorized rotating dock that provides a stand for watching videos in landscape mode.

First off, let me say that the motorized rotating dock to watch videos and picture slideshows in landscape mode isn’t a “must-have” feature. Plenty of products let you rotate the iPhone or iPod touch by hand. So a motorized rotator isn’t essential — but it is pretty cool.

O’Reilly Media has published “iPad 2: The Missing Manual” (http://macte.ch/inWjg). “New York Times” tech columnist and iPad expert J.D. Biersdorfer shows you how to get the most out of the second gen iPad tablet.

Want huge storage? Western Digital (http://www.wd.com) provides it with its My Book Studio Edition II dual-drive storage system, which has a massive 6 terabytes (TB) of storage. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is US$549.99, which is a reasonable price tag, especially considering it comes with a five-year warranty.

What’s more, the WD drive doesn’t consume nearly as much desktop space as you might think. The new capacity provides users 33% more storage than the previous capacity, while maintaining the same footprint.

If you’re going to use your iPad 2 with any accessories and are planning a trip, WaterField Designs’ iPad Travel Express (http://sfbags.com/products/ipad-cases/travelexpress-ipad.php) is worth the US$69 investment.