I’m a big fan of Loop Attachment’s Mummy cases for iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5; I’ve reviewed them both in the past and found them to be two of the best silicone cases you can get for Apple’s smartphone. And so I’m delighted that the Mummy for iPad mini has finally be unveiled at CES in Las Vegas this week — alongside a nifty clip for the latest iPod nano.
Tim Cook is on his second visit to China as Apple CEO this week, and during an interview with local reporters on Thursday, he confirmed that the cellular version of the iPad mini will be arriving in the nation in late January. The Wi-Fi only model arriving in China on December 7, just over a month after it launched in the United States.
If you’re a former BlackBerry user who’s just bought your first iPhone, and you’re struggling to adapt to its virtual on-screen keyboard, then check out the Spike SmartType from SoloMatrix. On show at this year’s CES in Las Vegas, and coming to iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5, the Spike is a new case that slaps a physical QWERTY keyboard right across your handset’s display. You can fold it away when it’s not in use, and you never need to worry about charging it.
A day after AT&T announced its “best-ever” quarter for smartphone sales, rival operator Verizon Wireless is doing exactly the same thing. The carrier has announced that it expects to have reached a record 9.8 million sales during the fourth quarter of 2012, and it’s attributing that success to the popularity of the iPhone.
Retail giant Walmart announced today that it will be offering a prepaid iPhone in its stores starting January 11th. The iPhone will run on a $45 to $60 per month no contract, unlimited talk, text and data plan from the Straight Talk reseller, exclusively through Walmart.
Walmart is also offering a no interest fixed-monthly payment financing plan for the iPhone, if purchased with the Walmart credit card. Yes, you will be able to finance an iPhone 5 with unlimited talk, text, and data through Walmart (assuming approved credit) and Straight Talk ( a TracFone brand) for a whopping $70 a month. No word on how much you’ll actually be paying for the device after the financing has completed, though. This is a zero percent financing deal, so the $25 will never go up, and will end once the full cost of the iPhone is paid off.
LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – I honestly believed I’d seen pretty much everything in iPhone cases. I’m existentially bored with them, like if Camus wrote about tech writers.
So it was notable to me as I walked through the iLounge Pavillion today that a small booth of cases actually caught my eye and for just a second, made me go, “Hey, I haven’t seen that before.” The cases are by Huckleberry; called Chara-Cases, they turn your iPhone 4, iPhone 5 or iPod touch into the equivalent of a big, colorful action figure.
LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – I tried a Lightning-equipped battery case out today, and it was great. If you were doubting Apple’s decision to swap out its hideous 30-pin connector for the svelte new Lightning, then one smooth-sliding click of UNU’s case will put you straight.
LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – I, like many of you, love my Olloclip. And while I don’t often use an iPhone case, when I do, I hate having to peel it off just to pop on the super-convenient accessory lens.
Thankfully, Olloclip has weathered the ordeal that was the iPhone 5 launch, and is now back to making cool new stuff. The latest is a case with a slide-open corner for use with the Olloclip. But it packs some really clever extra gimmicks.
LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – I cringe every single time I drop my iPhone 5, but still I refuse to add a bulky protective case to its slim body. If I wanted a fat ugly phone that I could toss around the room, I’d buy some piece of crap Android handset.
But Ballistic’s new Aspira case manages to be not only tough, but also thin and good looking. It’s like the Sarah Connor of iPhone cases.
The Aspira aspires (ahem) to be an everyday, always-on case. It’s a smooth rubbery cover with edges and corners which are subtly flared to make them thicker without looking bulky. I tried on and it is surprisingly thin and light, and slides in and out of a front jeans pocket easily.
There are patterned versions and multicolored ones, and the patterns look a lot nicer in the flesh than in the website’s photos.
I’d seriously consider using one of these as an everyday case, it’s that slim. And when I bashed my iPhone (my own, personal iPhone, paid for by me) up against the Ballistic booth’s table, I didn’t cringe. High praise indeed.
Source: Ballistic
This morning we told you about the Digitimes report that said Apple is planning to release a low-cost iPhone for emerging markets later this year. Now The Wall Street Journal is corroborating by saying “the device could come as soon as late 2013.”