Hands-On With The Chunky, Unbreakable 3Feet Tablet Stand

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The 3Feet is an almost-indestructible, over-engineered plastic stand for pretty much any tablet or smartphone that needs a one. I tried one out, and found that maybe the best thing about it isn’t the capable range of tablet-cosseting features, but the fact that you can tinker and play with it for minutes on end.

The stand consists of five separate parts, all of which slot together with various deviously-conceived hingeing mechanisms. Thankfully, it comes pre-assembled, otherwise you’d likely mistake it for an impossible-to-solve puzzle and spend hours trying to put it together. In use, though, the 3Feet is very simple. You pull a tab on the back (marked “pull”) and it opens up into an A-frame, much like a tiny easel. Slots and rods molded into the plastic fit together to allow two angles, and a little lugged shelf folds down from the front to grab the bottom edge of the tablet.

This fold-open lip is oversized for the iPad, which means you can easily use it even whilst in a case (there is also a hole through which the charging cable can pass). It also means you’re not limited to the iPad: you can drop in pretty much anything, from a cellphone to a Kindle. The stand is sturdy enough to keep even the relatively heavy iPad safe in both portrait and landscape orientations.

The stability is helped by rubber bands made from silicone, which stop it sliding across the desk and also keep the happy tablet scratch-free (although the plastic stand probably wouldn’t damage much anyway).

The final trick is in a little kick-stand which flips out from the back when the main “leg” is folded flat. It is small, but somehow manages to both hold the stand at the right angle for on-screen typing, and also be sturdy enough to keep the iPad steady.

There’s not much to criticize about the 3Feet stand. It is light enough and compact enough that you can toss it in a bag and forget about it, and it’s even dishwasher-safe. And the complex folding design means you probably won’t be able to stop playing and fiddling with the thing. Hell, it’s even cheap, at just $15, and comes in a wide range of (interchangeable) colors.

The only thing that might put you off is the looks. This is a product for which the term “utilitarian” was invented. That’s not to say it is ugly, or even that the appearance hasn’t been considered. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but somehow it reminds me of medical devices, or perhaps even the toys of my childhood, which tended to be chunky and long-lasting rather than stylish and short-lived.

Or maybe I’m just seduced by the fact that this makes the ultimate executive stress-toy, something to keep your hands and brain busy when you should be working. Available now, from Amazon.

3Feet product page [3Feet. Thanks, Steve!]

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‘Beautiful Modeler’: Multi-Touch Virtual 3D Clay for iPad

“Beautiful Modeler” is a pair of applications that lets you sculpt virtual modeling-clay with your fingers, thanks to the iPad’s multi-touch capabilities.

The iPad itself is the controller, and displays nothing but five dots that represent your fingertips. A companion app, running on a nearby Mac on the same Wi-Fi network, shows the actual model on-screen. By moving your fingers around, you can squish and shape the malleable chunk of virtual Play Doh in real time, pushing and pulling it until you have the shape you want. You can also turn and flip the on-screen object by turning and flipping the iPad, thanks to its accelerometers. This is the reason the lump is shown elsewhere, and not on the iPad’s own display – it’s hard to see the screen when it is facing away from you.

The apps, from Karl D.D. Willis, will output the results in Standard Template Library (STL) format and can be passed direct to a 3D printer to turn your virtual object into a real one. You can even choose to output a negative version of your shape. In the video, Willis uses this to make a lamp. In reality, you could print a negative mold and then cast your object in any material you like.

If you fancy taking a crack at this cyber-pottery, you can grab the source code from Willis project page and compile it yourself. You’ll need an iOS developer account to actually load it onto your iPad, but if you’re nerdy enough to have a 3D printer around, that shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Beautiful Modeler [Interactive Fabrication via I.Materialise. Thanks, Joris!]

Photo: Karl D.D. Willis

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iBendXL Stands Up to iPads

iBendXL.jpg

High-tech meets low-tech and saves you some dollars in the process. iBend, the company that released a super-cheap stand for the iPhone and iPod Touch this summer, is back with the iBendXL for iPad. A simple idea, the iBendXL is a thin, flexible sheet that stores flat, but can be bent to use as a stand. Arms hold your iPad in place, while the back creates an ideal angle for reading.

Besides an elegantly simple design, the iBendXL offers a low price. You can get the stand for only $9.99, which is far less that you’ll pay for other iPad stands. The iBendXL only comes in black and white, not the artist-designed patterns of the standard iBend, but we have a feeling that patterns are coming soon.

T-Mobile customers being mistakenly shipped Micro SIMs, just begging to get shoved into iPhones (update: Galaxy Tab!)

You’ve got to admit, this is a little weird: we’ve received a number of tips today about T-Mobile USA customers being shipped Micro SIMs rather than the typical Mini SIMs. We’ve gotten a picture of just such a module (see above), and you can plainly see it’s not a hybrid — it can’t be snapped out as a Mini SIM, meaning that unless you’ve got an adapter lying around, you need to head into the store to get it swapped out for the right kind. The only consumer devices out there in any measurable quantity right now that make use of Micro SIMs are, of course, the iPad and iPhone 4 — and when you pair this up with the fact that T-Mobile stores are starting to sell iPhone cables right now, the situation is starting to get wacky. Now, we still want to stop short of suggesting this means T-Mobile is getting either the iPad or iPhone any time soon; after all, Apple would have to provide a new hardware variant that supports AWS 3G, and it’s totally reasonable to think the carrier could be offering other phones in the near future that’ll use Micro SIMs. We do love us a good conspiracy theory, though.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: We’re hearing it’s for the Galaxy Tab. Mystery solved!

Update 2: Our own Richard Lai notes that the European version of the Galaxy Tab uses a Mini SIM, but we’re hearing some pretty strong evidence that T-Mobile’s will be Micro for whatever reason. That’d be an odd thing to switch up, yes — but if any major manufacturer could quickly churn out umpteen different versions of a device with moderately different internals, it’d be Samsung. Guess we’ll know soon enough.

T-Mobile customers being mistakenly shipped Micro SIMs, just begging to get shoved into iPhones (update: Galaxy Tab!) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crux 360 case converts your iPad into a netbook for $149 (video)

Hello, trend. The Crux 360 is the third such device that we’ve seen in the past two months, and if we had to guess, we’d say it probably won’t be the last. That said, it’s easily the best looking of the bunch, and it’s available to pre-order beginning today. For all intents and purposes, this case transforms your iPad into a netbook (at least, a netbook sans a bona fide operating system), but it’s also capable of flipping back in order to become a kickstand. A Bluetooth keyboard is built right into the “lid,” and if you’re in need of little visual explanation, a video is waiting just after the break. $149 and she’s yours… someday.

Continue reading Crux 360 case converts your iPad into a netbook for $149 (video)

Crux 360 case converts your iPad into a netbook for $149 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bluetooth AirTurn BT-105 gets real, aims to flip digital music sheets on November 16th

Remember this guy? He’s back, and better than ever before. In fact, he’s bringing all sorts of good news for digital sheet music readers, namely that the AirTurn BT-105 is just weeks away from shipping. This Bluetooth-enabled system — which links up with standard page-turners and connects with your iPad, Mac or PC in order to flip from page to page without ever taking your hand away from your McCartney replica bass — even includes a debounce filter to prevent multiple page turns for each foot switch press. The system plays nice with forScore, MusicReader, and unrealBook, and the rechargeable battery is said to be good for a solid 100 hours. It’ll ship to Americans on November 16th for the tidy sum of $69, but before you rush away and jot down the date on your pocket calendar, head on past the break and mash play. It’s worth it, trust us.

Continue reading Bluetooth AirTurn BT-105 gets real, aims to flip digital music sheets on November 16th

Bluetooth AirTurn BT-105 gets real, aims to flip digital music sheets on November 16th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 04:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s dead pixel policy leaks out, up to 15 anomalies ‘acceptable’ on 22-inch and above screens?

There’s nothing quite like coming home with a shiny new laptop only to find tiny black and white dots peppering your LCD, especially when the screen’s manufacturer tells you that you’re plumb out of luck. If you buy Apple, that scenario might honestly play out just the same, but the chart above could save you an embarrassing argument at your local Genius Bar. According to the allegedly leaked internal document, Apple has a set of precise charts that determine whether or not it will replace your LCD — a single dead pixel will save an iPod or iPhone, for instance, and Apple will tolerate only two on an iPad IPS screen. We’re sorry to say it’s not the same if you buy Mac, as you could have a staggering fifteen dead pixels on that pricey Cinema Display and still have to pick up the tab. Hang on to those receipts, folks.

Apple’s dead pixel policy leaks out, up to 15 anomalies ‘acceptable’ on 22-inch and above screens? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple introduces MIDI to iOS 4.2, iPads the world o’er get ready to rave

Although musicians were quick to pick up on the iPad’s possibilities as a control surface, the audio production corner of the App Store is still overwhelmingly devoted to things like guitar amp models and soft synths — that’s because until recently there was no way to send MIDI commands from iOS (not that some folks didn’t figure out workarounds). That’s why we were excited to hear about the appearance of MIDI APIs in iOS 4.2. What does this mean for all of you would-be Brian Enos? The gang over at Create Digital Music have put together a handy guide to what we might expect from a world where all out iOS devices can communicate via MIDI, whether through the USB cable or over WiFi — and it is a brave new world, indeed. Intrigued? We were too! And we were pleased to find out that yes, the M-Audio Uno works with the iPad, and that the accelerometer can indeed be used to pitch bend. Unfortunately, we also learned that the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer is a lot less exciting than we thought it might be (that is, until third party devs go to town on the thing). Hit the source link for all that stuff and more. Or just peep the video after the break, if you wonder what the next version of Pianist Pro holds.

Continue reading Apple introduces MIDI to iOS 4.2, iPads the world o’er get ready to rave

Apple introduces MIDI to iOS 4.2, iPads the world o’er get ready to rave originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iKlip puts your iPad on a mic stand, Steven Tyler drapery sold separately

It’s a microphone stand adapter for your iPad. It’s made in Italy from darn-near-indestructible materials. It’s $39.99 / €29.99, available to pre-order now, and will ship in December. And the white outlines in the gallery below demonstrate its uses far better than our mere words ever could.

Continue reading iKlip puts your iPad on a mic stand, Steven Tyler drapery sold separately

iKlip puts your iPad on a mic stand, Steven Tyler drapery sold separately originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 14:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sheet-Music Flipping Bluetooth Foot-Pedal for iPad, Mac, PC Finally (Almost) Available

Remember Airturn’s Bluetooth foot-pedal, a prototype page-flipper which would allow musicians to turn the “pages” of sheet music displayed on an iPad? Sight-reading musicians rejoice: it’s a prototype no longer, and you’ll be able to buy the wireless controller as of November 16th.

The BT-105, as it is lovingly named, sits on the floor and lets you page back and forth at the tap of a toe. The battery, rechargeable via a USB-port, will last for around 100 hours in standby, and the device should auto-pair with your iPad. Jack sockets let you hook up one or two foot-switches.

You don’t need any proprietary software, either. There are already several third-party apps in the App Store which work with the switch, and any developer can add support with the Airturn Developer Kit. Even better, for those who complain that we have too much iPad coverage here on Gadget Lab, the switch will work with any Mac or PC software that is triggered by the page up/down keys on a regular keyboard. That brings in things like Keynote and PowerPoint as well as most PDF-viewers.

The foot-switch, which quite honestly needs a much catchier name (suggestions in the comments) will cost $69 on launch, which is way cheaper than keeping your drunken aunt topped up with sherry at your next piano recital and hoping she can still turn your music pages for you.

Bluetooth AirTurn BT-105 for iPad Launching November 16, 2010 [AirTurn. Thanks, Hugh!]

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