Hasta La Gadget!

This morning, I wished for a peek inside the workings of Apple’s iPad Smart Cover. Barely hours later, I get an e-mail from iFixit’s Miroslav Djuric, pointing me to iFixit’s teardown. Amazingly, the step-by-step photo essay is even more interesting than I thought it would be. Did you know, for example, that there is something called “magnetic viewing film” that lets you “X-ray” anything with magnets inside?

Before we begin, I’d like to complement iFixit in its choice of color. If you’re going to cut any cover open, it should be that horrible baby-blue one. (I have my eye on the pink one when they finally arrive in Spain.)

The guide starts with a look at the magnets and sleep sensor inside the iPad 2 itself, which iFixit previously disassembled. Along the right side are the magnets which hold the Smart Cover closed. These alternate their polarities, plus-minus-plus-minus. The magnets inside the cover run the other way, making the cover always sit in the right direction.

The other side of the iPad has the super-strong magnets that clamp the cover’s hinge to the frame. These are actually inside the back cover, and are curved to fit the shape of the iPad’s edge, ensuring they get as close as possible to the case on the other side of the aluminum shell.

Then it’s on to the Smart Cover, and the magic that is magnetic viewing film. This is kind of like e-ink. The film sandwiches a mixture of metal flakes and oil between its flexible sheets. In the presence of a magnetic field, the flakes align. Depending on the direction they line up in, they either show a bright reflective side or a dark edge. This makes a picture that is a good approximation of the magnets beneath.

The film shows the magnets inside the cover. On the right side, there is a grid of three columns and five rows (with one magnet “missing” top left), along with the sensor-triggering magnet. This may seem like overkill to hold it shut, but remember these magnets also have to keep the case rolled closed when folded up into a triangular stand (they attach to a steel plate in the far-left panel).

On the other side are six magnets, arrayed long-short-short, short-short-long. If translated into Morse code, this would read “DU.” Apple conspiracy theorists should start work on this right now. The patterns, combined with varying poles, means that the Smart Cover can only be attached the right way.

Finally, a word on the strength of the magnets from iFixit:

We just can’t keep these things off of one another! The iPad 2’s frame magnets made a solid two-inch leap across the table by the time we took the shot. Their attraction for one another is amazing!

iPad 2 Smart Cover Teardown [iFixit]

See Also:

• The Inevitable iFixit iPad 2 Teardown
• Photos: iFixit Rips Open iPad 3G
• iPad 2 Cover Is Smart, All Right — If You're Steve Jobs
• Smart Cover Colors – Wired.com

Like the new iPad, Pad & Quill’s new case is thinner, lighter and more colorful

Pad & Quill’s new Octavo case for the iPad 2 is a lot like the redesign of the new iPad itself. It’s thinner, lighter and adds a hole for the rear-facing camera. It also comes in a range of colors instead of the plain black of v1.0, and even has a fancy new option for the cover, in the form of an optional slip-pocket for papers.

There was a lot to like about the original Pad & Quill case when we reviewed it last year. It was better put together and a lot sturdier than the rival Dodocase, but it was also bigger and heavier (16.3 ounces). The new Octavo is almost as light as the original Dodocase, coming in at just 11 ounces (the Dodocase was 9.1 ounces).

The Octavo now comes covered with red, green or black leather, and for an extra $10 you can specify a pocket inside the front cover, useful for those scraps of paper less enlightened individuals keep pressing on you. The standalone case costs the same as its predecessor: $60.

Octavo product page [Pad & Quill]

See Also:

• iPad Case Smackdown: Dodocase Vs. Pad & Quill
• The Case: Another Beautiful Moleskine-Like iPad Case
• DodoCase

The PowerPod is a six-way power outlet combined with a desk-tidy. The power-strip section is circular, has a circuit breaker built in (the reset switch is underneath) and sports an on/off switch and light in the center. It is designed to sit on a desktop.

On top of this sits the desk-tidy, an open cylinder divided into three sections. Actually, it probably won’t spend much time atop its base, as the two aren’t stackable if anything is plugged in. And seeing as there are six sockets begging to be filled, it’s likely something will be plugged in, somewhere, all the time.

This curious design choice essentially leaves you with two separate, albeit matching, items. A pen-holder and an extension cord. How much would you pay for these items? If your answer is $150, then you’re in luck — that’s the exact price Scott Wilson & Minimal, the designer, thinks it can get away with charging. Available March 21st.

PowerPod [Coalesce via NYT]

See Also:

• Cruciform Power-Strip Makes Vampires Smile
• Quirky Jointed Power-Strip Is 'A Creative Outlet'
• Power-Strip Extender Means You'll Always Make Friends

Airspresso uses a bike pump to make a creamy espresso

The Airspresso couldn’t be more appropriate for me to write about if it had my name written all over it. It’s a nerdy espresso maker which uses a bike pump to provide the pressure and drive the hot water through the grounds. It also looks hard to use, giving a good opportunity to complain.

It works like this: you put the grounds in the red part and tamp them with the included tamper. Screw this aluminum basket to the end of the plastic tube, balance on top of your cup and then add hot water. Then, screw on the lid, attach a bike pump and then pump it. Moments later you’ll have a quadruple 120 ml shot of espresso, complete with creamy crema thanks to the pressure.

The cool-looking gadget is designed for outdoors use, which means you’ll also need to bring along some way to boil water. And you’ll also need a flat surface, and probably a very steady pumping hand. I’m no flailer, but when I put air into my tires with anything but a floor-pump, the wheel and the bike wobble. Imagine doing the same with a 250 gram (9 ounce) tube filled with water. It will get messy.

Aside from these problems, though, the Airspresso seems like a good bet if you can’t stand the usual crappy camp coffee, and just have to have a perfectly made espresso when roughing it in the wilds of the back country. Oh, and it costs $180 Australian ($180 US).

Airspresso product page [Airspresso via My Cuppa and Oh Gizmo]

See Also:

• MyPressi Makes Portable Espresso Machine, With a Twist
• Handpresso Wild: Portable Espresso Maker
• Lift and Press With Aerobie's Hardy Espresso Maker

The Meglio iPad handle doubles as a stand and knee-hook

Ever since I saw the new iPad and its fancy Smart Cover, I have been looking at my current iPad and its shabby black folio sleeve with disgust. The slim and practical Apple case I have consistently returned to over the past year is now dead to me. I can’t stand the way it covers and protects the aluminum back, or stops the iPad from slipping out from its place under my arm as I hobble around the home (still) on crutches.

Most of all, I hate it for not using futuristic magnets.

But even with the Smart Cover, you may want something to make gripping your iPad a little easier, and that’s where today’s Kickstarter project comes in. It’s called the Meglio and it adds a handy handle to your tablet.

The Meglio comes in two parts: a c-section polycarbonate strip that wraps around the back, gripping the iPad by its edges, and a bendy, blobby nodule that attaches to the band. This handle is rounded like a mouse to fit into your palm, and has a malleable carbon steel arm inside which can bend to your will. You can hook a finger or two trough the hole, or bend the handle to hang the iPad from your knee. This adjustable handle is what makes the Meglio different from the pointless Padlette which I mercilessly ridiculed back in December 2010. In fact, it might be worth the price alone just for the knee-hanging feature.

The Meglio was designed by Salman Paracha, and comes in two sizes, one for the horrible, fat old iPad and one for the magical, slim new iPad 2. Both will cost $50, and anyone who pledges $40 to the Kickstarter project will get one when it ships.

Meglio product page [Meglio]

Meglio: rotatable ergonomic handle and stand for iPad 1 & 2 [Kickstarter]

See Also:

• Hand-E-Holder Turns iPad into Giant Mitten
• Padlette Gives You a Handle on The iPad
• Velcro
• Ping-Pong Case Turns iPhone Into Tiny Paddle