cases

After leaks in the past, Apple has been very careful about what information it doles out to accessory makers in advance of new product launches. It's unclear how much info Targus got from Apple (or some other source), but we can tell you an hour after the new iPad officially went live, we received some new case samples from Targus in packaging that was labeled "for iPad 3rd Generation."

That's a safe, generic way to describe Apple's third iPad, but since Apple is simply calling the new iPad the "new iPad" it leads … Read more

Wine and good times go hand in hand, but where else can wine go?

The pairing of food with wine can be as simple or as complicated as need be. Sticking to the old rule of thumb that says to serve red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat is usually a pretty safe bet, but there is a third factor to consider and that would be the company; wine always tastes better when shared among friends.

What could be better than good friends and a bottle of wine? Good friends and six bottles of wine, of … Read more

In preparation for Wednesday's launch of Apple's next-generation iPad, CNET's been contacted by a few accessory manufacturers gearing up to release "new" products that will work with the iPad 3--or whatever it's called.

Those quotation marks around "new" are there because it appears that while all the new accessories announced out of the gate will be billed as iPad 3 accessories, they'll also work just fine with the iPad 2.

Three different company reps said they expected the next iPad to be similarly sized and that there would be only minor changes to the thickness of the device. While no one was 100 percent certain of that (one rep said, "We've been told there will be some minor changes in the thickness, but we don't have any specifics.") these companies have enough confidence in their belief--and perhaps their sources--to stick with the iPad 2 as a stand-in for the next iPad. … Read more

If you're one of the lucky thousands who snagged a $35 Raspberry Pi pocket Linux system before the first run of 10,000 sold out in just a few minutes, there's almost certainly one question on your mind--where am I going to put this thing?

The Raspberry Pi is a full system with all the needed ports that's about the size of a credit card. It's definitely cheap, but it's not exactly pretty. That's likely because its nonprofit designers are mainly focused on their mission of getting the systems into the hands of kids across the developed and developing world to get them excited about programming.

Fortunately, another emerging technology makes it easy to put some clothes on that tiny naked system.… Read more

The weight of passing time is really dragging on me today. It could be the existential angst of Monday, or it could be that I'm wearing my iPad 2 as a wristwatch.

I never considered using a tablet as a wrist-mounted timepiece until the Wallee Hand Strap pitch landed in my inbox with the subject, "Tech designer unveils world's first iPad wristwatch."… Read more

Timbuk2 makes some interesting laptop and tablet cases, and I thought it was worth highlighting the Crater laptop sleeve, which hit the market a few months back and is ostensibly designed for Apple's MacBook Air models but can also be used with slim Windows ultrabooks.

It has a rubbery, meshlike feel to it, and is very lightweight (I've used it for the last week with an 11-inch Macbook Air). The key feature is that if you hold it up to the light (or just look at it), you'll notice that it has lots of little perforations or &… Read more

I recently wrote something up on the Camalen Hexa, a unique flip case for iPhone 4/4S that allowed you to prop your phone up in a horizontal or vertical position. Now I've come across another new, interesting case that I think is worth a paragraph or two of blog space.

This one's the Creativo from Sena, and it's a leather pouch with a little cutout window in it right where the "Slide to unlock/answer" button is. The one problem with pouch-style cases is that you normally have to pull the phone completely out of the pouch to talk on it. But the window on the Creativo allows you to answer calls without removing the phone--you simply lift the flap and you're good to talk. … Read more

Accessories for Sony's PS Vita are starting to trickle out onto the market. Most are from Sony, but Waterfield Designs, which is known for its laptop and tablet cases, has made a surprise early entry with a trio of Vita case options.

Two of the models, the minimalist Vita Suede ($12 or $15 with stretch pocket) and the PS Vita Gear Pouch Pro ($45) are available now. Meanwhile, the PS Vita Case ($49), which has a leather flap and appears to be the best of the bunch won't be available until April 1.

A couple of reports today claim to expose more pieces of the iPad 3's design puzzle.

The first is a purported photo of the next-generation iPad's circuit board. If legitimate, the chip inside the next iPad--let's call it the iPad 3--is dubbed the "A5X" not the A6 as has been rumored.

So, who cares what the chip is called you might ask? Well, barring a Photoshopped rendering of the board, this could lend credence to the speculation in some quarters that the iPad 3 won't be quad-core but a souped-up dual-core chip.

And that … Read more