Hasta La Gadget!

You’ve got to keep that investment safe. Smartphone are expensive, and so easy to drop. The only thing you can do is buy a good sturdy case. Helping out is OtterBox, which now offers the Commuter case for the LG Ally, LG GW620, HTC Imagio, Nokia X6, and Samsung Moment. The Commuter series is a mix of substance and style. A silicone skin wraps the device for shock absorption, and a tough polycarbonate shell snaps around that.

The Defender series has been expanded to cover the HTC Hero. The Defender is extra rugged, and also includes silicone and polycarbonate layers. This case comes with a ratcheting belt clip. The Commuter cases list for $34.95 and the Defender for $49.95.

If you ask us, Apple should be giving away free bumpers, lollipops, and anything else it can think of to keep its otherwise loyal followers from revolting. But the Great Bitten One isn’t doing any one of those things, and most of us are stuck either having to pony up $30 for the official salvation from self-inflicted signal harm or looking out to the grey markets. Entering this morose situation with a bit of ingenuity is Oliver Nelson, who alerts us to the fact that rubber wristbands of the sort your favorite cyclist wears are apparently an almost perfect fit when stretched around the 4’s antennae. He advises that a 1.125-inch long by 0.125-inch wide incision (into the unstretched band) is necessary to keep the 30-pin port and speakers open, but otherwise it seems like a pretty effortless and dirt cheap way to avoid all this drama.

iPhone 4 gets a $1 alternative to pricey Bumpers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want to make your 17-inch MacBook Pro look like something a little more literary and a lot less techie? Then head over to Twelve South and pick up one of the new 17-inch BookBook cases. It’s a MacBook case that looks like a book–get it? You can get the BookBook in Classic Black or Vibrant Red. It’s a tough call: the sedateness of the black model is appealing, but the red model has red on the corners, as well.

You’d better hurry if you want one, though, because Twelve South says it has a limited number available at this size. They go for $99.99 each. Twelve South has a gallery of photos up, if you want to see the BookBook in action. 

PC chassis enthusiasts (yeah, there is such a thing) will surely know that Thermaltake‘s V9 Black Edition has been out for a couple of years now, but there’s evidently quite a bit of difference in the V9 BlacX Edition. Aside from that awkward letter change, of course. The otherwise ho hum mid-tower enclosure — complete with a black outer shell, seven PCI expansion slots and a grand total of ten drive bays — spruces things up by offering a pair of SATA HDD docks right on the front panel. Basically, the company took one of these right here and smashed it into the front of its newest enclosure. With it, you’ll able to shove any spare 2.5- or 3.5-inch SATA hard drive right into your system for quick access, all without needing an external peripheral to do it. In fact, we just made a promise to ourselves to never buy another case without this kind of magnificent integration. Check it this August for $99.

Thermaltake shoves SATA HDD docks into V9 BlacX Edition PC enclosure originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Jun 2010 01:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey England, in need of some retail therapy after an unsatisfying sporting weekend? Dell’s got the goods for you with a rich new selection of cables, plugs, adapters, and cases for your new Streak. It looks like the HDMI dock we’ve been jonesing for has probably become a retail reality, but there’s no way to be sure right now — Dell’s only listing an AV dock without going into the TV connectivity options. The fresh offerings also include the kickstand-equipped wallet case that we found intriguing, spare battery and sync cables, and an international travel kit. Of course, every silver lining has a cloud, which in this case is the pricing: nothing here costs less than £24 ($35) and the car- and TV-enabling docks will set you back a cool £55 ($80) each. Jumbo smartphone, jumbo accessory prices.

[Thanks, Kingsley]

Dell Streak car and AV docks now on sale, HDMI may or may not be included originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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