Hasta La Gadget!

Back when Apple initially said it’d offer free iPhone 4 cases to assuage reception concerns, there was a September 30th deadline given for the program. After which, according to Steve and company during the post-press conference Q&A, Apple would “evaluate” the prolonged need for such an offer. Well, looks like the decision has been made. In a statement on its website, Apple has confirmed the free case program will be discontinued for all iPhone 4s sold after September 30th, and the return policy for the smartphone will return to normal, pre-antennagate rules. Evidently, said the statement, “we now know the iPhone 4 antenna attenuation issue is even smaller than we originally thought.” It had to end sometime, folks.

iPhone 4 free case program to end September 30th, get one while you still can originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The guys behind the new modulR line of iPad cases have a clever idea: Let one case take on multiple identities through a variety of add-ons.

The basic case is a hard plastic shell that protects the iPad in use. Its rubberized edges grip the tablet securely, while little “nubs” on the back give your hand something more to grip onto than the iPad’s normally slick exterior. They also help raise the device off the table so it’s a little easier to pick up.

When traveling, you can clip on a hard plastic face plate that protects the iPad’s screen.

At your desk? Slide the case into an L-shaped metal bracket, which has slots that the case’s rear nubs lock into. (Note: We’ve actually got the bracket upside-down in the photos here, a mistake so common that modulR says they’ll be adding stickers to the bracket so customers know which end is up.)

Those same slots appear on modulR’s “slim case,” which lets you mount your iPad on the wall — or, with the addition of a handful of powerful neodymium magnets, a refrigerator. In fact, this is the first refrigerator mount we’ve seen for the iPad in the Gadget Lab. It works with most old-school fridges, but if you’ve got a fancier wood-paneled or stainless steel refrigerator, you’re out of luck. (Stainless steel isn’t magnetic.)

We used it to display our favorite websites and recent tweets on the face of Beer Robot, our office kegerator.

You might be nervous about the effect of those powerful magnets on the iPad’s internals. While modulR couldn’t offer us a blanket assurance, they did say that they expected no problems — and we saw none during our tests. Perhaps if the iPad had a spinning disk inside instead of solid state storage, the proximity of magnets might be a bigger problem.

One down side is weight. The case is substantial, which provides protection, but it also adds 5.8 ounces to the iPad’s weight (10.2 ounces with the cover on). That may not sound like much, but it’s a noticeable addition to a gadget that weighs just 1.5 pounds to begin with.

The other is price: modulR sells a bundle that includes the case, cover, stand, and the slim mount for $100. The case and cover alone are $60.

Still, it’s a substantial, solid case and the only one we know of that allows fridge mounting. If that’s what you’re looking for, the modulR case is a good choice.

modulR iPad Case (product website)

Photos: Jon Snyder / Wired.com

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See Also:

• Moleskine-Shaped, Bamboo iPad Case
• Quirky's iPad Case With Two-Way Kick-Stand
• The Case: Another Beautiful Moleskine-Like iPad Case
• Combination-Lock iPad Case is Almost Pointless
• How-To Make a Waterproof, Kitchen-Proof iPad Case and Stand …

WrapSol, makers of tough, scratch-resistant protective film for your mobile devices, announced this week that they’re already rolling out a version of their protective film for Apple’s just-updated iPod Touch. The new film has space cut out in the back for the camera and comes in a smaller package to fit the new iPod Touch’s slimmer frame, but it offers the same protection WrapSol is known for. New WrapSol films for Apple’s other new devices are on the way, and if you don’t have any of them, WrapSol makes films for an array of other mobile phones and media players as well.

The film itself is glossy and completely clear, so no space needs to be cut in the front panel for the iPod Touch’s front-facing camera, and even though the film goes on easily and is virtually unscratchable, you can still use the touch-screen display. WrapSol even says their protective film can keep your device safe from scratches and dings from a six-foot drop. The new iPod Touch WrapSol is available to pre-order now for $29.95, and orders will begin shipping later this week. 

Meet the iTouch 4G–or, rather, meet the first iTouch 4G case. This Hard Candy Street Skin case itself is so brand new that the device that it was designed to protect has yet to actually be announced–that will most likely occur later today during Apple’s long-awaited music at (which, incidentally, Gearlog will be live blogging, beginning at 10 AM PT).

Symbolically, the most interesting thing here is the name. Apple, apparently, has dropped the beloved iPod from the title altogether (ala Apple TV/iTV, another rumor)–no doubt to position the music player closer to its real flagship product, the iPhone 4. The “4G,” meanwhile, almost certainly refers to the device being the fourth generation, rather than any wireless carrier connections.

While we don’t actually get a great picture of the device itself (the shot is only of the case –i.e. the obscured rear of the device), there’s information in them thar holes. Take that big one in the upper left hand corner, for example. It’s a cut out for a camera and mic (in fact, you can see both pretty clearly in the picture–and an aluminum back, for that matter).

The other holes seem like pretty standard fare–volume on the side, power on the top, dock and headphones on the bottom, and a big cut out for the screen on the front (so, you know, no return of the click wheel, or anything).

The device is set to ship September 15th for $30–the iPod touch/iTouch, meanwhile, will likely go as sale as soon as it’s announced.

In spite of Apple’s infamous secrecy, we have seen devices outed prior to their release–including past ipod–by third-party devices. Keeping your own staff in check is one thing–partners are something entirely different. What’s most interesting, however, is the fact that, as of this writing, the device still appears on Hard Candy’s site.

We’re but a few days away from Apple’s music-related “special event,” and naturally the bloody rumors are being tossed into the water, frothing up into quite a feeding frenzy. Last week came talk of new iPod touch and nano models, and now we have even more cases and accessories that seem to back up the belief that there’s a fourth-generation touch and a sixth-generation nano coming. The nano is rumored to have a 3 x 3cm touchscreen (presumably this one) and room on the bottom for a proper dock connector, ensuring compatibility with the millions of iPod cradles and whatnot out there. The new cases we’re seeing certainly back up that idea, with a dock-sized cut-out along with room for what’s said to be a headphone jack, volume controls, a hold button, and a clip ’round the back. At the moment we know rather less about the new touch, but we can hazard a guess as to what it’ll look like.

[Thanks, Hobbsy101]

Next-generation iPod touch and nano accessories and rumors continue to surface originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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