Hasta La Gadget!

Just like many of you, I dread dropping my phone. It happens from time to time, but I’ve never had a drop damage my phone. That being said, there’s no way that my phone could survive a 6,000-foot drop, or could it?

The people behind mentalKase have developed a case that’s supposed to be capable of surviving a drop from up to 6,000 feet – that’s more than a mile, folks.

The styling of the mentalKase isn’t that hot, but the foam rubber that it’s made of is ideal for protecting electronics. This means that you could probably throw your phone around and it would never be a problem, if you can get used to the size and bulk of the case.

With less than a day of funding left in this Kickstarter project, and more than $40,000 in funding missing, this case will probably not be funded by Kickstarter, but it might be released for retail nonetheless. You’ll have to pledge $45 for an iPhone 4/4S case or $50 for an iPhone 5 case.

If you’re incredibly rich and happen to be in the market for a bizarre and expensive case for your iPhone 5, Brikk has you covered. The company has just announced its new Haven series of iPhone 5 cases, made from gold or other precious metals.

These artisan-made cases have a minimal design with two halves that slip over the phone for edge and back protection, but they are not made from ordinary materials. These cases can be had in yellow or pink gold in addition to platinum.

These aren’t plated, they’re solid metals and cost somewhere between $11,610-$14,235(USD) each. The versions of the case made from gold have 75g of the precious metal while the platinum version has 100g of metal.

If these cases aren’t ostentatious enough for you, the manufacturer will also produce customized versions encrusted with diamonds and other precious stones.

Those rich enough to afford these cases can rest assured that at least a portion of their money is being put to a decent use. Each case purchased will result in the funding of one metric ton of rice for the world’s hungry. Though if you’ve got the money, you could just skip the case and buy about 30 metric tons of rice for the same amount of money. Or maybe a metric ton of steak and lobster.

It’s all about the HTC One today as the company re-introduces themselves as a one-shot hero show – and with one hero comes accessories galore, of course. Here we’ve got a set of accessories that start with a folding case that’ll allow you to go all HTC Thunderbolt on your new model, moves on to dual-color covers, a 6,000 mAh battery bar, and creeps on in with a brand new car kit. You’ll be rolling out with style with your new HDMI kit, multiple choices for colors on all deliverables, and access to the whole lot by the time the actual phone reaches your pocket.

The kickstand case you’re seeing here takes on a form not unlike what we saw with the HTC One “EVO” device we experienced earlier last year – have a peek at our HTC EVO 4G LTE New Orleans ImageChip Tour post for more information on that HTC kickstand-lover. The fold-over case you see here employs red and black on its insides, leading us to believe that a Verizon version of the HTC One might be on the way – DROID perhaps.

The rather sunflower-like swivel stand you’re seeing here is made specifically for the HTC One and – for now – will only be available for this device. With the HTC DoubleCharge you’ll get such a massive amount of battery life (in a big rectangular box) that you’ll be able to charge your HTC One twice over. No more stranded in nowhereland with no uptime for you!

Some of the items we’ve seen before that were shown off again: the HTC Car StereoClip, Beats Earbuds, and the HTC Media Link HD for HDMI projection excellence. Then there’s the two-tone case you’ll see bringing on a rather bright strip of red to your HTC One experience. We’re expecting a whole lot more in the way of bright and odd color combinations here soon.

Finally, have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the HTC One through a fabulous list of hands-on experiences and announcements.

HTC One accessories hands-on rundown is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

PowerSkin has been making cases to extend the battery life of various smartphones for a while. The company has now announced a new battery case that sucks. No seriously, it uses suction cups to stick to the back of your smartphone. The case is available in two different styles to fit the iPhone 5 and other devices and is called the PoP’n.

The iPhone 5 case has an Apple Lightning connector and is available in black or white colors. That iPhone 5 version sells for $79.99 (USD). The other version has a micro USB connector and is designed to work with various Android smartphones. The micro-USB version sells for $69.99.

Other than the connector, both versions have the same specifications with a 2000 mAh battery inside promising up to 70% more talk time. The battery device measures 5″(h) x 2.2″(w) x 0.41(d) and weighs 0.4 pounds. Both versions are available to order right now. PowerSkin plans on offering red and pink versions of the case in the future.

After using an iPad, I had a hard time understanding the need for a smaller tablet, until I played with an iPad Mini at an Apple Store. They are very light and compact compared to a regular-sized iPad. If you’ve been itching to GTD, but were missing a physical keyboard for your iPad Mini, check out this one from Logitech.

The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Mini magnetically attaches itself to the iPad Mini, kind of like the version they make for the iPad. It’s supposed to transform the iPad Mini into a functional mobile computer. It also serves as a display stand.

While the keys aren’t full-sized, this is still a good option if you really need tactile keys to get your work done.

The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Mini sells for $79.99(USD) and will start shipping later this month in both black and white versions.

[via Dvice]