iPads don't come with their own protection. In fact, these sleek metal and glass beauties ship naked. That just won't do: you need a case. But when it comes to the iPad Mini, I quickly discovered, what makes a good case or bag is a very different proposition than for the larger iPad.
To help you pick out something good, here's what I've observed so far over the last couple of months of hard-core iPad Mini use. Let's take a look, shall we?… Read more
The technology industry hasn't exactly spawned the most fashion-forward looks of all time, but the hoodie stands out as a persistent fashion meme, thanks to an ongoing assist from Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.
While you're all zipped up in your Zuckerberg tribute hoodie, nice and toasty, your poor tablet is left out in the cold with nothing but a scant Smart Cover to keep it warm. Maybe it's time to buy your iPad a hoodie of its very own.
The Hoodie Sleeve comes from Computer Apparel, the same company that brought us V-neck shirts for iPads. I suppose you could combine the two if you really want to treat your iPad like a Cabbage Patch Doll.… 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
Laptop bags and cases come in all shapes and sizes, but if you're toting around a 13-inch MacBook or MacBook Air, you're going to want something designed specifically for your system. We've skipped the generic nylon briefcases (which are usually designed for 15-inch laptops) and oversize backpacks, and instead picked some of the best recent laptop cases that are perfect for a 13-inch laptop.
Some of these are more traditional messenger-style bags, others are sleeves designed to fit inside some other piece of luggage. They all have one or more unique features that make them stand out from the crowd.
Cocoon CLS456 13-inch laptop case We've reviewed our fair share of laptop cases over the years, and in the past year and a half we've seen (and reviewed) a good number of cases designed for Apple's iPad tablet. We've seen people shove laptops and tablets together into backpacks and messenger bags, but the $69 Cocoon CLS456 is the first case we've seen specifically designed to hold both a 13-inch laptop and a tablet at the same time.
Last month, in a marketing stunt, an iPad 2 encased in a $59.99 G-Form "extreme" sleeve was tossed out of a plane and survived just fine. So what, right? Who drops their iPad out of a plane?
Well, the folks over at the Canadian Web site Mobile Syrup decided to do a more practical test: they ran a G-Form-protected iPad 2 over with a car.
In a bit of drama, after they ran it over, they discovered that the video they had running during the test had stopped playing. But once the sleeve came off, the iPad ended up turning on just fine.
Note to Android fanboys who will take issue with us writing up another Apple story: the Motorola Xoom should fit inside the G-Form sleeve. … Read more
These days, it seems, throwing Apple products out of flying machines is all the rage. The latest to jump onboard the train by falling from an ultralight is an iPad encased in a G-Form Extreme Sleeve.
Just like the iPhone we told you about that survived a much higher (and accidental) fall from a small plane used for parachute training, the iPad appears to be unscathed after being dropped 500 feet to test G-Form's new soft, floppy sleeve for consumer electronics.
Last time we called on NASA and our elementary physics education to try and deconstruct what happened to the falling iPhone in the air, but this time we get to watch the whole episode from start to finish as we fall victim to stunt marketing yet again.
Some shock absorbency credit is surely due the G-Form sleeve here, but credit also goes to the quality of the materials used to make the displays in touch-screen products like the iPad these days... oh yeah, and that soft, cushy-looking grass landing may have helped a bit too. … Read more
If you're looking to augment the sound of your iPad's speakers but don't want to buy a full-fledged speaker dock to tote around, iHome's splitting the difference with its upcoming iDM70 "Sound Sleeve" case that includes built-in rechargeable flat NXT stereo speakers.
At its core, the company says the iDM70 is a protective faux-leather case and six-position stand, but it also has those integrated powered speakers that recharge via USB. The system does weigh in at 1.2 pounds, which almost doubles the weight of your iPad, and it's arguably more cumbersome to … Read more
Making a device that's somewhere between a laptop and an iPhone comes with challenges beyond app design. As I've been wondering since I've owned an iPad, what exactly makes a good iPad case?
I know one thing: it's not the same thing that makes a good iPhone case.
First of all, I'm terrified to drop my iPad. I've heard the stories, and I'm not about to test mine the same way. I don't trust myself to even hold it in bed--I'm afraid it'll slip out of my hands and shatter somewhere while I'm sleeping.
An iPhone gets held to your ear. A hard shell seems best, one that prevents scratches. The iPhone can tolerate a drop or two (or five), at least from my experience. I'm not worried about that. I just want a hard shell for it.
As for the iPad, I'm never likely to use it in motion, and at a subway station or bus stop I'd prefer it to be protected even when reading. The screen on an iPad is tremendous. Though the glass is scratch-resistant, I prefer a cover if at all possible
Many case makers, however, are treating the iPad like a giant iPhone in terms of their case design. I've seen some sleeve/hard-shell concepts that seem a little ridiculous.
Others are treating it like a laptop, offering soft-skinned neoprene sleeves and slipcases. Booq has an iPad sleeve for $29 that is a nice little slipcover, reinforced on the back. Its top is exposed, but the iPad's glass screen nestles against the hard back, fully covered. It's best for sliding the iPad in a backpack or bag.
But, though it's easy to remove the iPad at a moment's notice, the iPad is then exposed when in use. I'm back where I started without a case.… Read more
Not surprisingly, now that the iPad has officially launched, we're starting to see a steady stream of upcoming iPad accessories. Some of the early ones weren't designed specifically for the iPad but they're being artfully repurposed for Apple's new tablet.
The folks at Ten One Design are quick to note that their two Pogo Stylus products will work with the iPad. And Belkin's taken its line of Netbook sleeves and magically retrofitted them for the iPad (the Belkin sleeves fit Netbooks with screen sizes up to 10.2 inches).
The three sleeves are called Vue ($… Read more
For anybody who complains that Sony's Memory Stick Duo memory cards are too expensive compared with other forms of flash memory, DealExtreme has a solution. It's the StarJade SDHC microSD to Memory Stick MS Pro Duo Adapter Sleeve, which retails for a mere $2.85, including free shipping. Unfortunately, the only problem is that it's illegal (see "update" note at the bottom of the post).
A quick comparison on Amazon for prices of microSD and Memory Stick Duo reveals that an 8GB microSDHC card costs around $20 (with shipping), while an 8GB Memory Stick Duo … Read more
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