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Posts tagged with "accessories"

Here Come The Angry Birds iPad 2 Cases

In a trip to the Apple Store back in December I noticed something really curious (and colored) on the shelves: official Angry Birds cases for the iPhone were heavily featured by Apple inside the retail space like no other case. The accessory section in the Apple Store is trafficked all day by customers willing to enhance their iOS or Mac experience, and especially with the iPhone 4 third-party cases of all kinds saw an explosion in demand and popularity. But the promotion reserved to these Angry Birds cases was unprecedented.

Now the same is about to happen all over again with the iPad 2, which doesn’t need a case according to Apple but still it’s going to experience the invasion of third-party accessories like the iPhone 4 did. Whilst most manufacturers are ramping up production for their cases, folios and stands now that the iPad 2 is available, Gear4 has once again signed Rovio over to release official Angry Birds hard-plastic cases for the iPad 2. Available in three different flavors at $49.99, the cases feature holes to let you access all the buttons and hardware cutouts of the iPad 2: camera, speaker, dock connector, and so forth. You can check them out here. And , of course, they have your beloved pigs and birds.

The iPad 2 is a beautiful piece of hardware and Steve Jobs wants you to use the elegant Smart Cover to carry it around, without actually covering the device’s beauty. But trust me: your wife  kids are going to love the Angry Birds case. [via iPadevice]

I Want This Tetris-like Stand For iOS Devices On My Desk

This product will likely never see the light of day on retail stores’ shelves, but it’d be so perfect on my home desk next to my iMac. The Polyply is a multi-device stand designed by Andrew Kim, and it’s made out of acrylic plastic and birch plywood. Realized as a two-week project by Kim to see how such an accessory would fit on an Apple’s fan desk, all parts were cut on a laser cutter. The Polyply could easily keep in place an iPad, an iPhone, and iPod and a stylus. It’s got room to plug in your Apple 30-pin dock connector and it even lowers for a better typing angle.

The design is simple and clean and, in spite of the times, it’d be just right for my desk that is daily cluttered by iPad, iPhone and, yes, an iPod Classic.

Like I said though, this was just an experiment. But I’d be ready to open my wallet if it was a Kickstarter project. [via Cult Of Mac]

Kickstarter Project - Hanfree: A Handsfree iPad Stand

We’re spotlighting yet another Kickstarter project. Why? Because we love to see handy, unique creations come to life. This one is an iPad accessory called the Hanfree. It makes the iPad handsfree, thus the name, for anytime you’re in bed, sitting down on your couch, in the kitchen using a cooking app, or anywhere you can find a place to use it; all without holding the device on your lap or in your hands.

Video after break. Read more

Will The iPad 1 Keyboard Dock Work With The iPad 2? [Update: Yes]

A notable lack on Apple’s accessory page for the iPad 2 is the Keyboard Dock the company used to sell last year for the original iPad which allowed you to dock the device, charge it, and type with a physical keyboard at the same time. I own a 2010 Keyboard Dock and, in spite of its portrait-only functionality, it is a well-made piece of tech that I used a lot last summer when I needed to write my articles on the go.

Keyboard Dock is no more. Apple isn’t selling such an accessory for the iPad 2 (they only have a new dock for sale), and AppAdvice reports the dock you bought last year won’t work with the iPad 2: it doesn’t fit well and doesn’t charge the device.

The decision doesn’t come as a surprise considering Apple’s rapid move to touch interfaces instead of physical keyboard input. Clearly, Apple thinks the iPad’s virtual keyboard is great for most of the typing you’ll need to do, and if you really want a physical keyboard you can still get one of the third-party ones that will come out in the next weeks – or just buy an Apple Bluetooth wireless keyboard that works perfectly with the iPad. But that is, no native option for the iPad 2.

Update: we’re hearing from some of our readers that the Keyboard Dock typing works, but the iPad 2 doesn’t indeed fit very well and charging is rather random. Works for some, doesn’t do anything for others. We’ll look into this. Read more

MacStories Product Review: Seagate GoFlex & GoFlex Desk For Mac

Storage is both incredibly cheap and amazingly portable these days, allowing us to carry gigabytes upon gigabytes of iTunes media, Time Machine backups, and HDD clones in our messenger bags. Too, hard drives are getting much more sophisticated, adaptable to both local Mac and network sharing. I’ve had the chance to play with a pair of GoFlex external hard drives for the Mac that offer some notable flexibility.

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The Genius of Apple’s Smart Cover

The most exciting part of the March 2nd keynote was not the introduction of the iPad 2, but the introduction of its surprise accessory that makes the iPad 2 twice as magical as its predecessor. Approximately twenty-five minutes into his speech, Steve Jobs broadcasts signals of pure excitement. Suddenly the mediocre announcement of the Digital AV Adapter was transitioned into what might have as been Job’s, “One last thing.” With the unveiling of the Smart Cover, Jobs hadn’t yet looked so happy in the keynote. Clearly, this was something to pay attention to.

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Apple’s Digital AV Adapter Works With 1st iPad

If you’re looking for HDMI out video on devices other than the iPad 2, you might be happy knowing Apple’s Digital AV Adapter works with your iPhone 4, iPod touch 4th gen, and first iPad if you’re inclined to hold onto it for another year. These devices will only output 720p video, however, but keep in mind that’s still technically HD quality. If you’re looking for video mirroring, it appears to only be supported by the iPad 2. The Digital AV Adapter is available for $39.00 in the Apple Store.

[via Engadget]

iPad 2 Gets A New Apple Dock

As noted by iLounge, Apple announced a slightly modified version of the iPad dock to fit the new model unveiled today. What’s changed since the first version? Well, the iPad 2 dock seems to have a “small lip at the front” (perhaps to hold it better as it’s so thin?) that makes it a little bit different from the previous one. The usual 30-pin dock connector is included with support for charging and other accessories, as well as a 3.5mm audio line-out port.

It’ll look gorgeous next to a white iPad 2. [via iLounge]

The Pocket Stand - A Kickstarter Project

We’ll admit, we love unique ideas, especially ones that are driven toward Apple products. We’ve found another Kickstarter project to show you on MacStories, it’s called The Pocket Stand.

The Pocket Stand, by Mike Paek and Sam Chan,  is an iPad accessory, you could also call it a compact multi-tool for the minimalist. It is both a speaker amplifier and a stand that props your iPad in multiple configurations (Bonus: It also functions as a bottle opener). In the end, The Pocket Stand allows you to gain extra functionality without sacrificing the mobility inherent of the iPad. Read more