Bits: Competitors Take on iPad 2 Smart Covers

March 25, 2011, 5:35 PM

Third-Party iPad 2 Cases Take on Smart Covers

By NICK BILTON

MiniotThe Miniot wood cover for the iPad 2.

Although most hardware technology companies offer protective gear and cases for their gadgets, they also rely on third-party companies to create and design a variety of products. Over the past few years, partly fueled by the creation of delicate mobile devices with large flat screens, these companies have become an integral part of a product's success — and a multi-million dollar business.

When Apple announced its latest iPad 2 this month, one of the featured updates it showcased was its own Smart Cover, a sleek protective overlay for the iPad 2 that also turns the device on or off when opened or closed.

As my colleague Miguel Helft noted recently, although companies that sell cases for the iPad are impressed with Apple's new Smart Cover design, competitors said they were confident they would be able to offer a better and more innovative solution.

screenshot via Etsy.comAn iPad 2 sleeve made by Case Closed fits both the the iPad 2 and a Smart Case.

Judging from the few iPad 2 covers that have been announced so far, it looks competitors might be have a few tricks up their sleeves.

One product that is gaining a lot of attention is called the Miniot Cover, which is made of wood and can bend in a number of directions to allow the iPad to stand upright or lay at an angle for typing. The Miniot is expected to be introduced in late March and cost around $70.

Incase, which makes protective sleeves for a number of devices, is offering a case called the Origami Workstation. This case folds into different angles which allows the iPad 2 to prop up like a computer screen and also offers a resting spot for an external Bluetooth keyboard.

Belkin, another case manufacturer, is taking a different approach from Apple by offering a case that protects both the front and rear of the iPad 2. These covers also look more professional and business-like and the company said a range of options were expected to introduced in coming weeks.

Finally, a number of unique cases are beginning to appear on Etsy.com, the handmade craft Web site. One in particular that seems promising is a felt sleeve that fits over an iPad 2 and its Smart Cover. This is a solution for those who want to keep the Apple Smart Cover, but need a little extra protection during a commute.

Bits: Competitors Take on iPad 2 Smart Covers - The New York Times

Get SkyGrid to stay up to date on what's hot now

Best regards

Ray1man

Article: Mobile Stand for Tablet PC Review

Mobile Stand for Tablet PC Review
http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/03/20/mobile-stand-for-tablet-pc-review/

THE GADGETEER
via RSS

March 20, 2011

Mobile Stand for Tablet PC Review

Jackie Cheng

MOBILE-STAND-1

Got a tablet PC, Xoom or an iPad?  Then this stand is right for you!  I got this stand from Deal Extreme which has since been sold out.  But this stand is an exact clone of TwelveSouth's Com pass Stand for the iPad.  I will be writ ing this review as an item pur chased from Deal Extreme.  But if you want to buy it then please visit TwelveSouth.  I'm sure that the qual i ty of TwelveSouth's Com pass Stand will be as good if not bet ter than the Mobile Stand from Deal Extreme.

MOBILE-STAND-2

Inside the Deal Extreme's Mobile Stand for Tablet PC box is just the alu minum stand and a sleeve.  No instruc tions were pro vid ed but it's pret ty self explana to ry on how it should work.

MOBILE-STAND-3

MOBILE-STAND-5

The stand is made total ly from alu­minum with lit tle bit of plas tic grips on the places where it con tacts the table and iPad/tablet.

MOBILE-STAND-4

MOBILE-STAND-6

There's 2 posi tions that can be set with this stand.  Either lift ing out the longer leg to give the iPad a good angle in watch ing movies.  Or push­ing out the short er leg to have the iPad on a com fort able typ ing angle.

MOBILE-STAND-7

MOBILE-STAND-8

This shows the stand being used at the typ ing angle.

MOBILE-STAND-9

MOBILE-STAND-10

This shows the stand being used at the movie watch ing angle.

The stand is built solidly.  And it's heavy being that it's made up of most ly aluminum.  I got it on Deal Extreme for $17.  There is no way to get it from Deal Extreme since they don't carry it anymore. TwelveSouth's Com pass Stand is sold for $39.99 direct from its website.  It's a great stand and is total ly worth it even at the $39.99 price.

Filed in cat e gories: iPhone, iPad, iPod relat ed, Reviews

Tagged: iPad stand

Mobile Stand for Tablet PC Revieworig i nal ly appeared on The Gad­geteer on March 20, 2011 at 5:30 pm.

(Sent from Flipboard)

Best regards

Ray1man

iPad 2 tear down - The iPhone Blog

iPad 2 tear down

by Rene Ritchie, Saturday, Mar 12, 2011, 1 Comment

Right on schedule the feisty folks at iFixit got their hands on an iPad 2 and tore it down to its constituent parts. Doesn't look like there's any word yet on whether or not it uses an ARM Cortex A9 and PowerVR SGX 543 but hopefully that's forthcoming. Highlights include:

• The thickness of these components — especially that of the glass — could drastically reduce the durability of the device, especially the glass' resistance to shattering. We'll see in due time if the percentage of folks with broken iPad 2 front glass is dramatically different than that of the original iPad.
• Lifting off the LCD exposes the iPad 2's battery. We found a 3.8V, 25 watt-hour unit. That's just a hair more than the original iPad's 24.8 watt-hours, so any improved battery performance should be attributed to software and other hardware improvements.
• We confirmed via software that the iPad 2 indeed has 512 MB of RAM.
• The markings on the 1 GHz Apple A5 dual-core processor appear to be Samsung's, but Chipworks will investigate in the forthcoming days to find out for sure.
• Other components that power the iPad 2:
  • Toshiba TH58NVG7D2FLA89 16GB NAND Flash
  • Broadcom BCM5973KFBGH Microcontroller
  • Broadcom BCM5974 CKFBGH capacitative touchscreen controller
  • Texas Instruments CD3240B0 11AZ4JT touchscreen line driver
  • Broadcom BCM43291HKUBC Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM tuner combo chip
  • S6T2MLC N33C50V Power Management IC
  • ST Micro AGD8 2103 gyroscope
  • ST Micro LIS331DLH accelerometer
• There's also an Apple-branded 338S0940 A0BZ1101 SGP chip. This looks like the Cirrus audio codec Chipworks found in the Verizon iPhone, but they'll have to get it off the board to make sure!

What you expected or did Apple slap any surprises inside iPad 2?

Video after the break!

[iFixit]

Get SkyGrid to stay up to date on what's hot now

Best regards

Ray1man

Booqpad for iPad 2 announced

Booqpad for iPad 2 announced
COOLEST GADGETS | MARCH 7, 2011
http://pulsene.ws/14Cgr


It isn't too long ago that the iPad 2 was announced, and to see more and more accessories roll out for it is definitely ... Read more

--
Want to read news on the go? Get Pulse, an awesome news reader for iPad, iPhone and Android. Its Free!

Best regards

Ray1man