The Macworld / iWorld 2014 expo was recently moved to from early February to late March. Although the press release announcing the change cites holiday travel schedules and exhibitor requests as the reason for the change, there are in fact a number of reasons why this change is good for the expo itself as well as consumers.

Back at Macworld/iWorld 2013, we wrote about the odd decision to move the show from the traditional Thursday through Saturday schedule to a Saturday through Monday event. IDG posted at the time that Macworld 2014 would be held February 1-3, 2014, but they announced today that the event will be pushed back to March 27-29, and moved to Moscone North.

Cloud is all the rage right now, but the ability to exert precise control over privacy and security settings can be difficult when your’e using someone else’s hardware. Connected Data’s Transporter takes a hard drive you own and makes it available over the Internet in a secure manner, letting you retain control of your data and giving you additional privacy when sharing.

Trident cases for iPhone range from light and stylish protection to hardcore device trauma prevention. Each series features interchangeable parts that let you create custom color combinations and tailor the level of protection to suit your needs. Some cases also feature an integrated accessory mount, which is accompanied by several options including bike, windshield, and tripod mounts.

Returning to Macworld 2013, iBallz had a small item on display for this year’s show. The iBallz Minis offer the same fun looking protection as their larger iBallz brothers but in a pint sized package perfect for your iPad mini. And for a limited time, AppleTell readers can save 20% off their order with an exclusive discount.

Appletell first encountered the ByteSquared team and their Office2 HD app at Macworld 2012, and came away impressed by this upstart app that delivered a solid Microsoft Office replacement for the iPad. Since January 2012, the ByteSquared team has been busy; midway through last year, a major update shipped with new features including Track Changes and document comments, and at Macworld 2013 the team had even more updates to show off.

Crestron had a big presence at this year’s Macworld, showing off their Mobile Pro app. Rather than shuffle through a handful of remote control apps for different home systems such as TV, lighting, or security, Crestron’s app provides a single unified remote control app that lets you effortlessly control everything in your home.

Packing a surprising punch, the Scosche boomSTREAM mini utilizes any available hard surface as a bass amplifier, delivering a punch of sound unmatched by any other Bluetooth speaker this size. If you need great sound on the go, this pint sized wunderkind offers seven hours of battery life and a sound much bigger than its minuscule frame would suggest.

Imagine converting your entire paper-based life of tax documents, medical forms, receipts, and other paper paraphernalia into searchable PDFs you can back up safely to the cloud. It’s been theoretically possible for some time, but Fujitsu’s new iX500 scanner and companion iOS app let you do it at amazing speeds with a minimum of technical fuss, bringing the paperless office dream one step closer.

Seen @ Macworld is Appletell’s column highlighting our experiences at the recent Macworld/iWorld Expo. Appletell stopped by several booths that featured interesting products; some were longtime pillars of Macworld with updates to established products, many were new companies showing innovative and exciting product for the first time, and a few featured accessories, apps, and products we more »