The iPad mini keyboard cases are rolling in. We already saw Logitech’s offering yesterday, and now Belkin is trying one-up them by releasing their own variant. The company says their new FastFit keyboard case for the iPad mini is the “lightest and thinnest” product of its kind, and it sure looks that way.
The keyboard case measures in at just 7mm thick, which is thinner than the iPad mini itself. Belkin included its TruType keyboard technology, which offers tactile feedback when keys are pressed. The case is also made out of anodized aircraft-grade aluminium, which is probably why it doesn’t weigh a whole lot.
The FastFit connects to the iPad mini through Bluetooth and is able to deliver 155 hours of “active use” for all those typing demons out there. Also, just like Apple’s Smart Cover for the iPad, the FastFit has a magic magnetic sensor so that it can automatically lock and wake up your iPad mini when it’s opened and closed.
Belkin is charging $79 for its FastFit keyboard case at, which is right on par with Logitech’s offering. Belkin says that pre-orders for the keyboard case will begin soon, but no specific date was given. We have to say that we really like the look of the FastFit, and thanks to the efforts of both Logitech and Belkin, both black iPad mini owners, as well as silver owners can get matching-colored keyboards.
We all use our smartphones and tablets in the bathroom, but there’s an unwritten rule that you do it discreetly, and don’t really brag about touching your device while touching your… well, you get the idea. So while on one hand it’s easy to be disgusted by CTA Digital’s toilet paper/iPad stand, on the other we’re probably all quietly reaching for our credit cards. More »
There are already a handful of iOS apps that can turn your iPhone into a tape measure (minus the tape) in a pinch, but Incipio’s new Rugged AR Case promises a usable level of accuracy when it comes to measuring distances of up to 20 feet. More »
It may pain you to add girth to the iPhone 5’s slender frame, but when a little more junk in your iPhone’s trunk means double the battery life, it’s hard to say no. The new Mophie Juice Pack Helium case promises to do just that and be about 13% lighter than the iPhone 4’s Air version. More »
Mophie is known for their popular line of Juice Pack battery pack cases that give users an extra boost of juice when their iPhones get low on battery. For the first time, though, the cases are coming to the iPhone 5. Mophie announced the Juice Pack Helium today, which will give iPhone 5 owners 80% more battery life.
What makes the Helium stand out from the rest of the pack is that it’s simply not just a ported version of the previous Juice Pack cases for the iPhone. The Helium is a redesigned case that’s 13% thinner than past iterations. The battery inside is a 1700mAh battery, which is smaller than the 2000mAh pack in past cases, but the thinner design easily makes up for the slight loss.
The extra battery will give iPhone 5 users six additional hours of talk time, internet use, and video playback, as well as up to 30 hours of audio playback. It sure beats having to carry around a separate battery pack with you, and while the iPhone 5′s thinness is one of its greatest qualities, the slightly added bulk of the Helium will give users a bit more to grab onto.
The $79.95 case is available to order now for “loyal customers” only, but we were able to add it to our cart without a problem, so we’re guessing that anyone can buy it at this point. The case will come in dark metallic and silver, and will begin shipping starting February 14, with the silver version shipping sometime in March. The new case is available on Mophie’s website.
BlackBerry has taken the wraps of its BlackBerry 10 devices, namely the Z10 and the Q10. In case you missed them, we did a hand-on of the two devices yesterday. Moving on, Case-Mate has unveiled its latest accessories for the BlackBerry Z10. Case-Mate has three cases for the Z10 – Crafted Woods Collection, Gunmetal with Black Brushed Aluminum, and the Black Signature Flip. First, the Crafted Woods Collection is made from a blend of premium natural materials with superior finishing detail. It is priced at $80 and it comes in Rosewood and Ashwood. Get this case here. (more…)
Nokia only released its 3D printing files for the Lumia 820 casing yesterday, but it didn’t take long for the DIY community to get their hardware warmed up and spitting out custom shells. MakerBot unveiled their Replicator 2X 3D printer a few months back, and have wasted no time setting it to work producing husks from Nokia’s 3DK files.
According to the MakerBot team, the outcome is “an awesome shell that fits great,” just as Nokia would’ve hoped for. The Finnish company will be offering its own shells for the Lumia 820 – including ruggedized options, and some which add wireless charging – but this way enthusiasts will be able to print off their own.
Two variants have been produced, one in blue plastic and one translucent white, both with oversized Nokia logos. Of course, as the 3D printing enthusiasts get to grips with Nokia’s schematics, we can expect a variety of customized shells: there’s no reason they shouldn’t have added extras like a wallet section, for instance, or a spool to wind your headphones around for when you’re not listening to Nokia Music.
Those without a 3D printer of their own will have to either save up the few thousand dollars, or take advantage of one of the online 3D printing services that have sprung up over the past couple of years. For more on the Makerbot Replicator 2X, meanwhile, check out our hands-on from CES.
G-Form’s made a name for itself with extreme phone and tablet cases that can protect a gadget during falls from over 100,000 feet. But since rarely are any of us in a situation where we fumble and drop our toys from space, the company’s new G90 case that turns your phone into a GoPro-like action cam is a little more exciting. More »
Fire hoses transfer millions of gallons of water at hundreds of pounds of pressure. They’re tough, hard wearing pieces of kit—so what better use for them when they’re retired than a waterproof iPad case? More »
In some ways, one could argue that CES 2013 was really all about the accessories. Sure, a lot of companies where there unveiling new hardware, whether that hardware was a massive TV, a new gaming tablet, or a phone that has an eInk display on the backside, but there were more accessories than we care to count being shown on the floor. Each of these accessories seemed to offer something unique; each was newsworthy in it’s own particular way. There were some that caught more attention than others, naturally, but nearly every accessory we saw is bound to get someone, somewhere excited.
We’ll start with the Pebble smart watch, a device that had visitors to CES clamoring for a look left and right. The Kickstarter darling was on display at CES 2013, with SlashGear managing to secure some hands-on time with the device despite the chaos that seemed to follow Pebble everywhere it went. We also got the chance to sit down with Pebble CEO Eric Migocovsky to talk about what makes the watch stand out from the competition and why it became such a hit with Kickstarter users. The company also talked about developers, apps, and how its future proofing the device, along with revealing when Pebble will begin shipping out to consumers (spoiler: its ship date is right around the corner).
Pebble netted a lot of attention during the show, but there were a couple other watches that managed to stick out despite Pebble’s presence. One of these watches was the the eInk CST-01, which has the distinction of being the world’s thinnest watch (it looks pretty sleek too, if we do say so ourselves). Next we come to the Martian Passport Watch, which boasts voice commands and Bluetooth to allow for simple connectivity to your Android or iOS device. If you’ve been in the market for a new watch, CES 2013 offered a bevy of potential choices.
The same could be said for smartphone cases at CES 2013. It isn’t much of a surprise that many of the cases we saw were for Apple’s relatively new (but nonetheless incredibly popular) iPhone 5. Otterbox was on-hand to show off its new Armor series and Defender series, using Apple’s latest iPhone to display them. Just the same, Pelican announced its first foray into the world of smartphone cases with its new ProGear Vault cases for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini. olloclip made itself stand out from the rest of the case manufacturers by offering one iPhone 5 case that has lens system, while Lifeproof was showing off a number of accessories for its iPhone 5 case, including a bright orange “Life Jacket” meant to keep your phone afloat if it ever goes overboard.
One of the coolest things to happen during CES 2013 was when the TATS CRU customized our Cygnett ICON cases right there in person. It wasn’t all just about iPhone 5 cases, however, with Pelican showing off a pair of new cases for the Galaxy S III, and ONGUARD introducing us to a rather unique origami case for the Nexus 7 (though the origami case is also available for the iPhone 5 and iPad).
Just as well, there seemed to be an awful lot of speakers on display on the show floor. SoundMatters had its Dash 7 portable Bluetooth speaker primed and ready for the spotlight, while SuperTooth was showing off its Disco Twin stereo Bluetooth speakers. If you’re looking for something a little more out of the ordinary, iuiDesign’s Mirror Boombox might be worth a look, considering its based on the side mirrors of a Mini Cooper car.
We also went hands-on with the HMDX Jam Plus and Burst speakers, which are cylindrical and available in all sorts of different colors. TYLT, which was there primarily to show off its Energi backpack that can charge three devices at a time, also had its TUNZ Bluetooth speaker on-hand, though this one comes with the bonus of NFC functionality.
Corning Optical Cables kept the Apple train moving by introducing new Thunderbolt cables aimed at the budget crowd during the show, so we imagine that those will be a big hit given the cost of spare Thunderbolt cables. Fitbit Flex is looking to to tackle the fitness monitoring business that Jawbone has conquered, while MpowerD was offering a waterproof, solar-powered lantern that seems perfect for the more adventurous among us.
Wearables seemed to be a pretty big thing at CES 2013. We already told you about TYLT’s Energi backpack and its device-charging capabilities, but TYLT had some competition from the likes of Spigen with its new SGP backpack. The SGP has enough pockets and storage areas to satisfy even the most serious gadget hoarder, and it’s also lined with super soft fabric that will keep your devices free of scratches. Then there’s the prototype TEC Jacket 2.0, which among other things features a battery pack for on-the-go charging and an antenna to boost your mobile data speeds. It’s lightweight to boot, so don’t be surprised to see this bad boy take off once its eventually released.
Griffin used the show to introduce a trio of new products. First up is its Powerdock 5, which as you can imagine can charge up to five devices at a time. The company was also showing off its StudioConnect iPad dock, which comes complete with a Lightning connector, making it compatible with Apple’s newest slate offerings. While those two were impressive, Griffin also had the very cool Crayola Light Marker on hand. The best description we could come up with for this device was calling it a “laser pointer on steroids,” so you’ll just have to check out our hands-on for more.
While many companies were announcing a collection of new products at CES 2013, there was also a number of one-off devices that were just as cool. These include Tethercell, which lets you use an app on your smartphone to control devices powered by double-A batteries (seriously, it’s super awesome), and the Silverlit Mercedes-Benz RC Car that’s controlled using your iOS device – and also features speakers you can use to stream music! Ion Scratch 2 is looking to outfit your iPad with actual DJ controls, and the Belkin WeMo light switch wants to bring light switches into the Internet age, offering connectivity with your iOS or Android device.
Kingston had its 1TB flash drive on display during the show, and though it’s a bit bulkier than the flash drives we’re used to seeing, it’s still incredibly small considering it houses a full terabyte of storage. We all know that power is always a difficulty, with many of us experiencing dead cellphone batteries at the worst possible times more than once. MiPower has taken it upon itself to solve that problem with its new PowerCube 8000M, which packs in 8,000mAh to make sure that you’ve always got enough juice to share between your devices.
Finally, there were a number of companies showing off new headsets. Turtle Beach had a collection of gaming-centric headsets at the show, introducing us to its new PX51, XP510, and SEVEN series headsets. Monster also targeted gamers out there with its MVP headset, which signifies a partnership with Electronic Arts, one of the biggest games publishers around. Last but not least, we got to spend some time with the Sennheiser MOMENTUM Black headphones, and boy do they looks sharp.
So there you have it folks – we weren’t kidding when we said that CES 2013 was in many ways all about the accessories. There were plenty of impressive devices and accessories on display, and we’re excited to get the chance to spend more time with these as the year goes on. As always, you can find any news from the show you may have missed at our CES portal!
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
BlackBerry has taken the wraps of its BlackBerry 10 devices, namely the 
