Fans of both Ikea and swashbuckler movies will be very pleased with the new Metallo case from V-Moda. It comes with its own Allen wrench to screw on the backplate, and when you make this change, the sound
“emulates the sound of unsheathing a sword.”
Cult of Mac reader Derek Stein put me on to this hot hot leather case for the iPhone 5. It’s similar in intent to the TwelveSouth SurfacePad I re-reviewed on Friday in that it’s a simple wraparound leather cover. The differences are that it looks less functional and much longer lasting.
Back in February, I reviewed the The SurfacePad from Twelve South and called it the “Best iPhone Case Ever.” And had it stayed pristine and continued working like it did for the first few weeks, that would be it.
But it didn’t. The lovely, minimalist leather cover certainly kept working, but while it might be a great design for something like an iPad, for an iPhone – which is constantly being shoved in and out of pockets – it’s just too fragile. That, and it sucks for taking photos.
Hot on the heels of this morning’s leak from casemaker Tactus of a new case mould for the iPad 5 (and the intriguing hint of a June 18th announcment), an entirely different Hong Kong casemaker is showing off a case mold for the iPad 5 which largely supports the previous report.
You know when you make a Skype call and your own voice echoes back at you, and you find it impossible to concentrate on anything except VIOLENCE and KILLING! Please make it STOP!?
And you also know how cool it is when you pull out your credit card, or slip your bank card into an ATM and it just doesn’t work? Like it’s been zeroed out by magnets? Well, imagine if you could somehow combine these two things into one.
You need imagine no more: Daniel Weyer has done the hard work for you. Behold! The MagSkin case.
Just Mobile, the folks behind many handy aluminum Mac and iOS accessories (like the pencil-impersonating AluPen stylus, and the AluRack laptop mount) has just busted out three new gadgets. There’s the AluCup – a plastic and aluminum desk-tidy in the shape of a cup; the HeadStand, which is a headphone holder/hanger for your desk, and the AluFrame, a fancy aluminum bumper for the iPhone 5.
Speck is the Trojan of iPhone cases: you might not want to wear one, but they’re everywhere, and it’s better than going bareback. Speck’s colorful, buttony cases are pretty much ubiquitous, and one of the most easily recognizable iPhone case brands out there.
In fact, Speck is so recognizable that there are aapparently counterfeit Speck cases on the market… and Speck is so honked off about it that they are suing the maker of these fake Speck cases for mllions.
As you already know, I swing more or less caseless when it comes to iPhones and iPads. I cover the iPad’s screen with a Smart Cover, and have a dedicated jeans pocket for the iPhone. But once in a while eI need something more rugged, and that’s when I reach for X-Doria’s Shield, a multi-layer case which adds minimal weight and bulk but quite a good bit of protection:
I used to use a sleeve-style case with my original iPad, and I loved it. Sleeves protect the iPad while you carry it, and let you experience the full slimline awesomeness of a naked tablet when you take it out to use. Then Apple made the iPad 2 and the Smart Cover and that was it. The only time I change cases now is if I need something rugged, or if I’m testing one for review.
But I’m tempted by the Calypso Tab, a lovely leather sleeve for the regular iPad and the mini. It’s a softish hard shell, and it looks fantastic.
Regular readers will know how much I dislike iPad cases, and that I only ever subject my iPhone to the confines of a miniature straitjacket. They’ll also know that I’m a big fan of Skech cases in general. So what happened when Skech sent me some leathery iPhone covers to try out?
Surprise! I (quite) liked them.
Tony Stark is essentially Marvel’s answer to Steve Jobs, if Steve Jobs looked like Robert Downey Jr., was kidnapped by the Taliban, had a nuclear reactor installed as a replacement heart, and built himself a set of power armor.
In every other way, though, the two are exactly similar, which is what makes it natural that Steve Jobs’s greatest creation — the iPhone — is now capable of “suiting up” in Tony Stark’s greatest invention, the Mark VII power armor.
Oh Lord, the end is clearly, nearly nigh. Why? Because Kickstarter is now hosting a project to make aluminum notebook covers. No, not covers for your notebook computer. Covers for your hardcover paper notebook. The pull quote at the top of the pitch page says it all:
5052 Aluminum-Magnesium Alloy notebook & journal covers to keep your corners and pages straight.
Our Killian Bell tossed around words like “terrific” and “impressive” when he reviewed the Nuu MiniKey for the iPhone 4/S two years ago. Now, the little backlit Bluetooth keyboard-case has almost arrived (it drops March 15) for the iPhone 5, with a whole slew of improvements.
The Beamhaus Pocket is a premium leather sleeve for the iPhone 5 that’s “inspired by old baseball mitts, broken-in leather jackets, and long-loved boots.” It’s made from hand-selected leather from the Horween Leather Company, the oldest tannery in the United States, and it’s built to provide your iPhone with complete protection from everyday scratches and scrapes.
On the front of the Pocket, there’s a little pouch that’ll hold up to three credit cards — according to Beamhaus — plus a large cutout at the bottom that allows you to access your Lightning connector and hear your speaker. The Pocket is also lined with suede, which aims to prevent your shiny iPhone 5 from getting damaged as you slip it in and out of the case.
The Pocket is available in black and tan, and it’s priced at $59.99. Read on to find out whether it’s worth it.
If Allan Quatermain had owned an iPad, and if he had been a living person instead of a fictional construct, he would have used the Pad&Quill’s new Aria case for his Mini. It’s a beautiful, leather-bound book cover for the little tablet, and it doubles as a stand. Perfect for any skilled hunter trying to spread civilization to the “Dark Continent.”
In my wallet, I have a little “secret” compartment which contains a few international micro SIMs, an Apple-made SIM ejection tool (aka a fancy paperclip), and a guitar pick.
Or at least I usually do. The other day, when I actually needed it, the ejector tool had somehow found its way out of the wallet and into my bag. The problem was that it was not the bag I had with me.
But if I’d had the SIMPL case on my iPhone, I’d have been golden.
We say “might,” because we haven’t tested it yet; but sandwiched between the hard exterior shell of Incase’s new Chisel case and the iPhone it protects is a second, soft case with a secret ingredient called Poron XRD — a material we’ve found almost unbelievably excellent at absorbing impact energy.
Amen! A charging case designed for the iPhone 5. Mophie’s new Juice Pack Helium ($79) is one of the first of its kind that work with longer iDevice, so if you find your i5’s often running in the red battery zone by noon each day, read on for the full review. This sleek and slim charging case might just be exactly what you need.
There are a couple of different ways to protect your MacBook from abuse, but this is a new one to us. A Reddit user decided that he was tired of the dings and scratches on the front of his 2008 MacBook, so he grabbed a can of Plasti-dip and gave it a nice plastic coating to cover everything up.
It’s either the most brilliant way to cover up your MacBook’s scars, or the absolute worst. We’re not sure. Plasti Dip was originally created to help people rubberize the grips of their tools, but people have started putting it on everything from car bumpers to pieces of art.
Once you’re tired of the plastic coating you can just peel it off, but we think a protective case would be a better idea so you don’t get plastic in your USB port.
Here’s what the MacBook looked like after its final Plasti Dip coating:
BARCELONA, MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS – Would you believe me if I told you I’m writing this post from underwater? No? Well, you win, you clever thing you, because I’m totally not. Instead, I’m perched on an ass-numbing stool in the Mobile World Congress press lounge.
But my iPad mini could totally be underwater right now, and it wouldn’t even know. Why? Because it’s sealed inside a watertight gadget bag from LokSak.
Apple accessory manufacturer MiniSuit thinks they know what the iPad 5 is going to look like. After getting the specifications of the new iPad’s design from what it believes to be a reliable source, the manufacturer has already created a case for the unannounced product.
This afternoon MiniSuit sent out images of their iPad 5 case to show the differences between the size of the iPad 5 and iPad 4. According to their case models, the design of the iPad 5 will be more akin to the iPad mini, with a narrower bezel and slimmer profile.
Lioncase’s Folio Shield might be the best case I’ve yet tried for the iPad mini – apart from the Smart Cover that is. I’ll admit that I had trouble testing it because I love to fondle and caress the mini’s naked curves so much, but I forced myself, and I found out that – in the end – I quite enjoyed it.
Out of all the junk that I own, there are a few objects which I love to use. And I mean “love” on a base, visceral level. These are the things that are so well suited to their tasks that they not only never get in the way, but they make doing that task better.
When I heat milk and cocoa in my small De Buyer saucepan, alone in my quiet kitchen late at night, I smile when I unhook the pan from its hanger and feel its durable heft; I smile again when I pour the cocoa into a thermos and feel the pan’s perfect balance. Even washing it and hanging it up again is a pleasure.
I also love to use my dented, stainless steel Klean Kanteen “Reflect” water bottle. It’s design is so simple, just two pieces of steel, a silicone ring and a bamboo disk, but it does its job so well that I really do take it everywhere with me. And it’s so trustworthy that I’ll toss it into my bag along with my iPad and never worry about it leaking.
Which is to say, some things are not just well designed, they’re actually wonderful objects in their own right. And Twelve South’s SurfacePad for the iPhone is one of those objects.
When we spotted Luvvitt’s backlit Ultrathin iPad mini keyboard cover last month at CES, Luvvitt CEO Eli Altaras told us we’d see a version for the iPad at some point. It’s just popped up on Luvvitt’s website, packing the same rainbow backlighting as the mini version, in the same ultra-light profile. And it’s got a beefed-up battery to boot.
The SplashSak is a water-repelling pouch for your iDevice, which simultaneously protects it from everyday spills and also disguises it as a lunch or a wad of papers or just pretty much anything other than an iPad.
It also has the best name ever.
