Hasta La Gadget!

Booq’s Booqpad iPad 2 case mixes the old and the new

The iPad 2 Smart Cover looks pretty sweet, despite my esteemed colleague Brian Chen’s griping about it, and may itself be reason alone to buy the iPad 2. And as soon as the iPad 2 launches, you can expect case manufacturers to start coming up with clever uses for those internal magnets Apple has squeezed inside the new tablet.

But until then, it is business as usual, and my inbox has yet again been flooded with news of newer, thinner versions of existing cases. None of these companies seems to be panicking, although maybe they should: According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, case-maker Zagg’s shares dropped 24% upon news of the Smart Cover.

If anything, Booq’s new case looks to the past instead of the future, stuffing in wad of paper on which you can do something called “writing” with a “pen.” It’s called the Booqpad, and also has slots for other Olde Worlde items such as a pen (or stylus), cash, and business cards. The paper refills are case-specific and feature sheets that are the exact same size as the iPad’s own screen. It shares something with the Apple case, though: you can buy plastic version ($50) and a leather one ($100).

It looks fine, although I’m really more interested in what these folks will come up with when they start playing with magnets. The Lady says she doesn’t like the new case as it offers no drop-protection, nor does it protect the back. She’s a serial gadget-dropper, so her concerns are understandable.

I have a few ideas. What about a case that sticks with magnets, but is like a book-cover. Think Amazon’s Kindle case, only with magnets instead of hooks. This would eliminate the straps and squeezy-edged grippers that are currently used. Or what about magnetic handles? Or a wall-strip like the magnetic knife-rack in your kitchen so you could hand the iPad up on a wall? Interesting stuff, right?

I’m sure that you all can do better though. Any ideas on clever uses for the magnetic iPad? Suggestions in the comments.

Booqpad [Booq. Thanks, Mark!]

See Also:

• Booq Boa iPad Sleeve, Like an Upgrade to Apple's Own
• Rush-Hour: Booq Bag Is an Office in Your Lap
• Mamba Shift Backpack Swallows Almost Everything

Flip’s new Video Action Tripod lets you attach your camera to almost anything. The clever fold-out design, combined with velcro straps, keeps the camera-mount steady whether you attach to your helmet or your handlebars. And best of all, it uses a standard tripod-screw, so you don’t even need to have a Flip camera to use it.

The tripod folds out from a compact package and acts as a regular, mini three-legged stand. Add the included, adjustable straps and it can be clamped onto pretty much anything you can wrap those straps around. Once in place, you can adjust the angle of the head and lock it onto place with a thumbscrew.

The only thing I’d like to add would be some kind of safety strap. The Action Tripod looks like it will remain firmly strapped to whatever you have lashed it to, but tripod screws have a way of working themselves loose, especially when shaking and vibrating.

The Video Action Tripod is available now, for $25.

Video Action Tripod product page [Flip. Thanks, Sarah!]

See Also:

• Gorillapod-Inspired Tripod Looks Like Robot Skeleton
• Shaky-Cam: DIY Bike Tripod
• New HD Flip Camcorder Slides into View

The Vintcase is a leather iPad case made in Spain. It is somewhat impractical, looks like a prop from Lord of the Rings, and it costs a wallet-lightening €79 ($109). Yet despite all this, I can’t help but like it.

Aesthetically, the case is almost the complete opposite of the iPad it envelops. Handmade in Ubrique, a city famous for its leather products, the Vintcase feels both exotic and ancient. It has a three-panel design. The iPad slides into its own pocket, much like it does into the utilitarian Apple case, and there are cut-outs for the home button, the speaker, dock port, jack socket and buttons. Both the rear panel and the bezel cover are fashioned from thick, sturdy leather.

To close the case, you first fold over another thick flap which covers and protects the screen. A third, thinner panel then closes over that from the opposite side, and the absurdly long “tail” wraps around a few times to keep the case shut. You can also use the case to prop up the iPad and watch movies.

The double-closure design is itself a good one, and offers at least as much protection as many more padded cases, especially on the corners, which is where you need it. But the thong that snakes around it is an accident waiting to happen. It takes too long to wrap and unwrap, and when not tied shut it dangles, ready to catch on a foot or hand and pull the iPad to its doom.

Thankfully, the strap is easily removed: it is secure with a knot on one end which stops it sliding through a slit in the cover. You just pull it out the other way to take it out. As you can see from the photos, I added a few squares of self-adhesive velcro to keep it shut without the cord — ugly, sure, but way more practical. You can of course still tie the strap around the case even after removal. Alternatively, you can tie it around your head so you look like a skinny, nerdy version of Conan the Barbarian, thus completing the fantasy movie makeover.

In the end, it comes down to your taste. If you like the style of the Vintcase, you won’t be disappointed with its quality. The leather is beautiful, and it is clearly put together by somebody who knows what he is doing. The iPad is snug, and amply protected. The problem? You’ll look like Frodo if you use it.

Vintcase product page [Vintcase. Thanks, David!]

See Also:

• Gorgeous $300 Leather iPad Case Mimics Apple's Own
• Even Cows Get the Blues: Whipping Post Leather Guitar Case …
• Leather Case Turns iPad into Netbook
• First Look: Leather Lumix GF-1 Ever-Ready Case
• Custom Carved Leather Brooks Saddles

The Freedom Mount will stick an iPad (and soon the Galaxy Tab) to almost anything

The Freedom Mount tablet holder from MountMe will let you mount your iPad (and soon your Galaxy Tab) on almost anything. Its seeminglly ridiculous levels of practicality are only matched by its aesthetic shortcomings.

The rather suggestively named Freedom Mount is a plastic case with a large appendage on the back. When not getting in the way and making it hard to put in a bag, this appendage can be used as a prop or multi-angle kickstand to prop the iPad up on table, leg or couch-arm. But It’s the range of included accessories which really make it flexible. First, there’s a strap which hooks into this rear assembly and wraps around your leg, or the headrest of a car or airplane (or bus or train) seat.

Second are the four suction cups, which hook into the keyhole-shaped cutouts on the Freedom Mount and let you secure the iPad onto mirrors, windows, bathroom tiles and other unsuitable places. Finally, you can opt to screw the mount direct to the wall for a more permanent solution. The mount will tilt and spin in place, so you still have some movement.

Almost every part of this willfully utilitarian design makes me want to ignore it, but it’s the plain bulkiness which seems to be the worst aspect. Right now I can slide my iPad into any bag and not notice it. Adding the MountMe to the setup makes it more like taking a baby out for a trip, which apparently can’t be done without a couple of holdalls worth of “baby stuff.”

The Freedom Mount costs $50 and comes in red, silver and black.

Freedom product page [MountMe. Thanks, Jennifer!]

See Also:

• Fast Work: In-Car, Dash-Mounted iPad
• Gadget Lab Reader Makes iPad Kitchen Stand, Starts Business …
• Photo: iPad Powers BMX Bike-Stereo

Joystickers’ Classic stick-on buttons for touch-screen phones. Photo: Joystickers

Check ‘em out: nipples for the iPhone. Or, more accurately, “removable gaming buttons for touch screens”.

We have seen a lot of clever products which add physical, moveable joysticks to touch-screen devices and make many games easier to play, but the Joystickers, as they are called, are about the simplest around. The nubbins stick straight onto the screen and transfer your movements via capacitive rubber.

They work like this: The outer cylinder and base sticks to the glass with a micro suction cup material. This houses the conductive rubber nubbin, which bobs around on an internal spring. Pull down with your thumb and the bottom edge contacts the screen, and so on.

Joystickers also makes a rather nice brush-shaped stylus and a regular pen-tip stylus, but these “Classic” buttons are the coolest thing on offer, and they’re so tiny you could keep them in the little mystery pocket on your jeans. They’re also tiny enough to lose very quickly, but that’s really just your fault for being so careless.

Want some? You’ll need to pitch in over at Kickstarter, where a $40 pledge will buy you a pair of Classics.

Joystickers Classic [Kickstarter. Thanks, Anthony!]

See Also:

• Retro Stick-On Joystick Turns iPad into Arcade Machine
• The Classic Wrist-Busting Atari Joystick is Back
• Decent Cheap USB Arcade Joystick Finally Exists








Share this:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Tumblr
• LinkedIn
• More

• Reddit
• Pinterest
• Pocket
• Email