ORA iPad Sound System adds eight speakers to your iPad

The success of the iPad suggests that it already functions rather well as a device for consuming movies and music, in addition to playing games. That said, even the most enthusiastic Apple fan would be hard-pressed to argue that the tablet's speakers offer optimum fidelity. This is where ORA steps in, providing a protective case and stand for the iPad, which also contains eight speakers to push out the tablet's audio.Taking a look at ORA, it appears to function perfectly adequately as a protective case and stand. However, it's really the audio system which sets it aside from the countless other options already on the market, and while it would be a stretch to expect any speaker setup to transform an iPad into a high-end sound system, this device certainly appears to give it a good shot.
A Digital Signal Processor (DSP) ensures that the 3D stereo expansion works in both landscape and portrait orientations, and a built-in equalizer is tasked to provide a better overall listening experience. Beyond sound quality, ORA also produces significantly more volume than the iPad's stock speakers, with a reported five times increase in volume offered. There's also a standard headphone jack, for good measure. The built-in battery is rated to match the iPad's own battery life, and should last for up to ten hours.ORA comes in three iterations: the Stealth and Pop, which both weigh in at 12.8 ounces (365 grams), while the ORA Limited is a sizable 13.8 ounces (392 grams). To put this into perspective, the weight of the WiFi-only iPad mini is around 10 ounces (308 grams), so there'll be a noticeable increase in weight when using the ORA. Size is increased by just over an inch (2.5 cm), in both height and width.
Whether or not this extra heft is a deal breaker will largely depend on how you like to use your iPad – holding may be uncomfortable for some, but this matters less if you like to mostly use the stand.Compatibility for the device is currently limited to the second and third generations of the full-sized iPad, though fourth generation and iPad mini versions are in the works. Colors available are black, grey, red, green, cyan, and a white/aluminum version, depending on the model chosen.ORA is the product of a collaboration between product engineering firm Shift and design consultancy Industry, working under the joint name of Objekt. The team is currently running a Kickstarter campaign, and in order to secure a unit, prospective purchasers must make a minimum contribution of US$99 for the Stealth model, which does not include stand and cover.

Will you love the iPad Mini?

That's the short answer. It is lovable. I use a MacBook Air for my heavy lifting and a Verizon iPhone 5 as a phone. The Verizon iPad Mini is the perfect companion in size, speed and power.If you are not an iPhone or Mac user, is the iPad Mini still lovable? Not so much. If you are an Android phone user, you have to look closely at the Google Nexus 7 and, if you need 4G connectivity, wait until LTE becomes available or pick up the AT&T HSPA+ pseudo 4G Nexus 7 now for $299. There is no reason to purchase an iPad Mini if you are an Android person. None.What if you already have a full-sized iPad? Is there still a reason to get an iPad Mini? This comes down to personal choice. My wife loves the iPad Mini because of its size. It easily fits in her handbag and it is very lightweight. She retired her iPad 3 (New iPad) in favor of the iPad Mini. You probably don't need both, but only you can make that decision.
What if you already have a Kindle Fire? Apples and oranges -- the iPad Mini is a full-featured tablet. The Kindle Fire is not.The bottom line -- The iPad Mini is a winner. Yes, it will be much better with a Retina display and an A6 processor when the new one comes out in March or next summer. But for now, if you want an iPad Mini, just go buy one. After all... nothing else will do!It is an important factor that a user will check carefully before heading to buy a small tablet. To be honest, Kindle Fire HD is the best option here. The device comes for a price that a starts at $299.The Caps Lock key is about the size of the nail on your index finger.You will be getting a high performance and content-rich small tablet for a price that will not make you in trouble.Nook HD+ starts at $269, but thing is that it is not a perfect tablet. Though having a quality HD display, it doesn't have much to offer you in content and apps. In case of iPad Mini, it is, for sure, unintelligently priced by Apple. It starts at a huge $329, which is indeed a big price for a device that misses Retina display and better processing elements.
Samsung has argued it is 'almost certain' that the HTC deal covers some of the same patents involved in its own litigation with Apple.It seeks to show Apple is willing to license its technology if the price is right.It has been speculated that HTC has agreed to pay Apple a royalty of up to $8 on each smartphone it sells, but the figure has been flatly denied by the firm's chief executive. The settlement of Apple and HTC ended their worldwide litigation and brought to a close one of the first major flare-ups in the global smartphone patent wars.Apple first sued HTC in 2010, setting in motion a legal conflagration that has since circled the globe and engulfed the biggest names in mobile technology.

The Caps Lock key is about the size of the nail on your index finger

On the bottom side, the notebook is sealed in such a way that you can't easily get at the battery, SSD or RAM. (This is pretty typical for Ultrabooks.) That bottom surface is also where you'll find the speaker strip, which is somewhat unusual: laptop speakers are usually located in the keyboard area or around the sides. The back edge of the machine is completely taken up by the vent, which will make its presence known quite frequently (more on that when we dive into performance).As for ports, the S7 offers almost everything you'd expect in a 13-inch Ultrabook: two USB 3.0 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and an SD reader. (We only expect an Ethernet jack on thicker systems.) The one thing you might have wanted that you won't get is a full-size HDMI socket; there's just a micro version here. Happily, though, you do get USB-to-Ethernet and micro-HDMI-to-VGA adapters, along with a carrying case and mouse, so hopefully there won't be any hard feelings.
  As it happens, our tester unit has the layout Canadian customers are going to see, but that doesn't mean our thoughts on the backlit keyboard won't resonate with shoppers here in the US. As we found with Acer's two other Ultrabooks, the keys are awfully flat and shallow, and don't offer much in the way of travel. Meanwhile, the actual sizing of the buttons is a mixed bag: the Caps Lock key is about the size of the nail on your index finger, but Enter and Backspace are amply sized. In any case, whatever considerations Acer made in designing the keyboard seem to have paid off: we quickly found ourselves typing at a brisk clip, making very few typos. And when we did make a mistake, that oversized Backspace key was easy to hit.
The story of the trackpad matches what we've seen from some other new Windows 8 laptops: it does a good job of handling native Windows 8 gestures, but isn't as good at single-finger navigation. For instance, you should have no problem swiping in from the right to expose the Charms Bar; that's a trick that really doesn't require much practice. When it comes to dragging the cursor around the screen, though, the arrow often stops before you get to whatever you meant to click on. Other times, the touchpad registered a left click, when all we were doing was moving the cursor around the screen. We had a similar issue when doing pinch-to-zoom (though the zooming itself was otherwise smooth). So, if we weren't careful, we'd accidentally open apps when we didn't mean to. Good thing the computer was quick to react when we hit the Start button as a way of backing out.The decision on which device to get is subjective. Some may prefer the more solid build that the Surface brings, or they may really be enamoured by that kickstand and the simplicity and innovation of the Touch Cover. Some may just prefer the larger size and cinematic aspect ratio.

Act 2 releases lightweight & compact Mobile Battery Pack

Act 2's new mobile battery pack has dimension of 90x90x17mm and contains a lithium polymer battery. The small compact pack also has a light weight of 220g. The battery apparently carries enough charge to fully recharge 2 mobile phones.As the name of the device entails, the pack is made with phones in mind, and comes with a Micro USB cable attached so that no external cords are needed to charge up your phone on the go. Don't worry though, when you're not using the cable it slots into a nice neat ridge under the base of the unit, so it won't get in your way when you carry it around in your laptop bag.The pack also comes with a USB port, which allows you to use all sorts of cables to power those devices which don't play nice and refuse to support Micro USB (I'm looking at you, Apple!).Recharging of the internal battery is done via the USB cable that comes with the pack, and can also be done in a multitude of ways, including normal USB and Micro USB using the USB port on the device.
The pack's design is also nothing to be scoffed at. It comes in a high class aluminum body case, with legs on the base so that it won't slip off your desk. It also comes in any of 4 colors: Purple, Orange, Silver, or Dark Grey.The device supports input/output current of 2.1A (5V), and it supports up to approx. 500 uses according to official data. (Don't worry, I'm sure a much better model will be released by the time you kill this one!). Charge time for the pack is 8~10 hours, and it operates between the temperature ranges of 0~45°C. In addition to the aforementioned USB cable, it also comes with a leather case.In addition to the Android model, a MiPow Power Cube for iPhone which comes with an Apple dock connector will also available for 11,700 Yen, but a release date has yet to be unveiled.Speck HandyShell for iPad: Perfect for Broadcasters.Samsung has about 140,000 patents worldwide on things like light-emitting diodes, computer-memory chips and televisions. It's been in the mobile-phone market since the 1980s, and is counting on that history to get an upper hand in its global fight with Apple. It filed its ITC complaint in June 2011.The iPhone generated $80.5 billion in sales for the fiscal year ended Sept. 29, or 51 percent of Apple's revenue, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Its iPad brought in $32 billion, and the iPod generated $5.6 billion.
When I first wrote about the Cygnett Icon case for iPhone 4/4S, I called it the perfect case. It wasn't rugged like the LifeProof case, and it didn't come with any extra tricks like a fish-eye camera lens, a bottle-opener, or a swiss army knife-style assortment of blades and tools. It did, however, maintain the iPhone's slim profile, it was comfortable due to a soft touch rubber finish, and it protected my phone against many a drop.Today, I'm glad to report that the Cygnett Icon case for iPhone 5 is the same caliber of iPhone case perfection, and most certainly worth considering when shopping for holiday gifts.The best everyday iPhone 5 case I've seen so far. Cygnett pulls in work from artists like animators to graffiti artists and everything in between to adorn their plastic Icon line of cases. Each one is finished with a soft-touch coating that feels great against the hand, and they easily snap on and off.

Apple Granted Patents for Page Turn Animation & iPad Smart Case

 Apple was granted two notable design patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Tuesday: one for the "page turn" animation found in many Apple applications, and another for the design of Smart Case iPad cover, which replaced the original Smart Cover in 2011.Patent No. D670,713, entitled "Display screen or portion thereof with animated graphical user interface," was first filed in December 2011. As a design patent, the application relies on the included figures to illustrate the "animation" that Apple is seeking ownership of. Although the figures illustrate only a basic page turn, users familiar with iBooks and other Apple applications which utilize the animation know that the page turn is truly "interactive," with the animation dependent upon where the user's finger touches the virtual page and the direction and speed at which the user's finger moves.
Apple's attention to detail and realism with the page turn animation helped make iBooks a credible e-book reader and, for many, allowed the experience to be more enjoyable when compared to other tablet e-book software such as Amazon's Kindle application, which features a much more primitive page turn animation.The page turn patent claims Elizabeth Caroline Cranfill, Mikio Inose, and Stephen O. Lemay as inventors.Apple's second noteworthy design patent covers the Apple Smart Case, which the company first introduced alongside the third-generation iPad. An evolution of Apple's Smart Cover, the Smart Case protects both the front and back of the iPad while still providing the benefits of magnetically-triggered sleep/wake and a built-in stand for various positions.
The patent, D670,499, was first filed in April 2012 and lists a multitude of Apple employees as inventors.Including the two patents above, Apple was granted a total of 28 patents by the USPTO Tuesday. Those interested can check out the full list, arranged in descending order by date granted.The joint effort between Sanrio and Tokidoki is the Tokidoki x Hello Kitty Jeweled iPad Case. It features PVC leather, along with a fuzzy inner lining that should be easy on your iPad. The outside of the case is nonstop glamour – Hello Kitty and Tokidoki characters showered with diamonds, jewels, and high fashion. Even the gritty-cute creatures from Tokidoki can't help but feel fabulous.The bejeweled case (well, alright, no actual jewels, but we can dream) fits all models of the iPad. You can score maybe the most adorable iPad case in existence for $40 off the Tokidoki website.

Speck HandyShell for iPad: Perfect for Broadcasters

The Speck HandlyShell case for iPad 2,3 & 4 is a soft rubbery case with an extraordinary handle on the back. The loop/handle can serve as a way to hold the iPad for presenters or broadcasters and also allows the iPad to stand, in several ways, at many angles on a table.This case from Speck Products supports the idea that a tablet like the iPad is often used in a certain kind of operational environment, say a laboratory, school or TV broadcast environment. The iPad is sometimes held while standing for presentation or data input, and then it's put down on a table for viewing, and then it may be carried by hand from one place to another in a kind of a casual, suitcase mode with a handle -- instead of being cradled and possibly dropped.
In order to do that, the case needs a robust, well designed handle that can both prop up the iPad and also serve as a carrying handle, and that's exactly what the HandlyShell has.Think of this case as a gel case that wraps around the back and edge of the iPad, but also has a sturdy plastic back to support the handle. The design is a hybrid: the edges are a soft material that can flex and allow the case to wrap around the edges of the iPad. That way, if the iPad falls face forward, the soft, raised edge protects the face from direct impact.The back of the case is a much harder plastic that has a soft, textured loop attached on a swivel.How the New Nexus Tablet Got Me Interested in the iPad Mini?The nice thing about the design is that you can stand the iPad up in either portrait or landscape mode, and the koop can be at either end in portrait mode providing many different viewing angles. That works because the hinge is very stiff, so it stays where you put it.
 The case and handle/loop come in several different color pairs. Mine was black and yellow, but there are also "pebble + lilac (purple)" and "black + dark grey." All ports and controls are accessible.I can see how TV news broadcasters or weather forecasters would love a case like this because it can be held in the hand securely while standing up or placed on a desk as a monitoring device. It would also be great in the lab or hospital, carried from place to place. Students who want to get a good grip on their iPad without having to cradle it and risk dropping it will be pleased. The handle folds flat either way, rotating a full 180 degrees, and when folded in the short direction provides a convenient way to slide an iPad into a map pocket and extract it easily with the handle. I could go on, but you get the idea.The HandyShell comes in a great package that protects the case well and showcases it on the rack. It won't require a chain saw to open the case. The ruggedness of the case, the sturdiness of the hinge, and the fit and finish look solid. As I mentioned above, the soft edge, which feels like silicone, make it easy to install, but also seems to pick up some dirt and lint.

How the New Nexus Tablet Got Me Interested in the iPad Mini

September brought bad news for me: the Galaxy 10.1 tablet I'd come to rely on for consuming TV, books, and comics died. Fortunately, the doldrums didn't last long. Sadness turned to anticipation when I realized that I'd probably be replacing the Galaxy with a new iPad.Then, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL  ) introduced the iPad Mini and I got more excited; I'm a bargain shopper when it comes to tech and the palm-sized Mini looks to be every bit the awesome replacement I'd been hoping for. Millions seem to agree: Apple sold 3 million tablets combined during opening weekend sales of the Mini and fourth-generation iPad. Initial reports suggest the Mini was the biggest benefactor.
But as Monday rolled around I began to have doubts. Why? I navigated to Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG  ) Play store for movies and TV and found something interesting. Shows I'd been subscribing to on iTunes are now available at Google Play. Notably, series 7 of Doctor Who and season 3 of The Walking Dead . Passes to the current standard definition runs of both shows are now available.My predisposition toward the iPad over the Nexus or even Amazon.com's (Nasdaq: AMZN  ) highly capable Kindle Fire, which I find to be an amazing tablet for $199, is that Apple aggregates content like no other. Amazon Instant Video is available on every iPad via a new app.But the lines are blurring, as the additions to the Play Store illustrate, which makes me more interested in the new Nexus 10 tablet than I might have been otherwise. The 10-inch Wi-Fi tablet costs $399 if you opt for 16 GB of storage -- with access to Google Drive, I don't see why you'd pay more -- and includes a sharp HD screen. I'm also a heavy user of Google's services, which the 10 promises to handle deftly. There's a lot to like, especially the price.
Which brings me back to the Mini. Much as I respect Google's and Samsung's efforts with the 10, I'm jonesing for a Mini because of the value it offers. Bigger than the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 and offering substantially more content -- and with iTunes, in a package that ensures I get access via my Mac or Apple TV -- the mini cuts costs without making too many compromises, which is why I just added it to my holiday wish list.Will I have plenty of company? So far, Apple has remained coy about Mini sales. Yet its component commitments suggest a record-breaking quarter is in the works, which leaves investors with a lot of information to digest. To help, we've added two bonus reports to our premium Apple research service. Each one addresses a different area of the Mac maker's business, and they're included -- right now -- at no additional charge. Learn more by clicking here.

Belkin Unveils Lightning-Enabled Accessories

Apple has finally given a third party the go-ahead to make accessories for its new Lightning connector.Accessories maker Belkin today unveiled two new Lightning-enabled products: a car charger (left) and a charge-and-sync dock. Belkin said these devices are the first of several other Lightning accessories the company will launch this year.The Belkin car charger was exclusively designed for the iPhone 5, but also works with the fourth-gen iPad, iPad mini, as well as the latest-generation iPod nano, and iPod touch. It can plug into any automobile power outlet and sports a four-foot cable with reversible Lightning connector. Its ultra-compact design sits flush with your dash.Meanwhile, the Charge + Sync Dock (right) offers a foldaway auxiliary jack and hidden cable channel that holds your Lightning connector in place. It also has a removable magnetic base as well as an audio-out port for headphones or speakers.
Both devices are available for pre-order now for $29.99, and Belkin said they will ship by Nov. 15."Belkin was the first third-party manufacturer to develop accessories for the 30-pin connector back in 2003, and we are thrilled to be first to market again with solutions for the new Lightning connector," Martin Avila, general manager of Belkin's core division, said in a statement. "People are eager for Lightning accessories and Belkin's give them a reliable way to keep their new iPhone 5, iPad 4th generation, iPad mini or iPod touch charged, protected, and ready to go."
Apple unveiled the Lightning connector back in September with the iPhone 5. The new connector sports just 8 pins as opposed to the old 30-pin connector, which was used in all iOS devices for almost a decade.Looks like iPad Mini in short supply.Lightning is better suited to Apple's ever-shrinking iDevices, and is reversible so there is no wrong way to insert it.But the change was not without controversy as it makes existing speaker docks, charging docks, and other Apple accessories incompatible with the iPhone 5 without a pricey adapter. Some were also peeved that Apple again chose to use a proprietary connector, for which it can charge hefty licensing fees, instead of an industry standard like microUSB.The color of the back varies, as well: On the black iPad mini, the back and sides are matte, slate-black aluminum with matching aluminum buttons and switches; the white-bezel iPad gives you a matte, silver-aluminum back with matching controls. And like the iPhone 5, the iPad mini has polished, chamfered edges between its body and the glass front.

Du-ra-cell Pow-er-Mat: 24 Hour iPhone Pow-er So-lu-tion

The promise of in-duc-tion charg-ing is sim-ple: wire-less pow-er. If that sounds crazy, then you haven't at-tend-ed CES the past few years and seen the growth in the cat-e-go-ry. Grant-ed, we're still in the in-fant phase, where no ma-jor de-vices have the tech-nol-o-gy built-in, and the range is very, very lim-it-ed. These are still con-tact-based so-lu-tions; it will def-i-nite-ly be a bit be-fore you're able to draw juice for your bat-ter-ies through the air mag-i-cal-ly. But our pre-dic-tion: it will hap-pen, even-tu-al-ly, since bat-ter-ies are waste-ful, heavy, and in-ef-fi-cient.
One small step on the path: the Du-ra-cell Pow-er-Mat iPhone 4/4S 24 Hour Pow-er Sys-tem. Yes, some of us here have switched to the iPhone 5, and word is that a com-pat-i-ble ver-sion will be com-ing soon (as will a mod-el for the Sam-sung Galaxy S3). This is a small, cute sys-tem, avail-able in black or white (ours was white, prone to show-ing fin-ger-prints a bit more) and each has some classy metal-lic ac-cents. The ba-sic idea: lay it flat on your bed-side table, throw the in-clud-ed case on your phone, and then nev-er have to fum-ble with a plug- just lay your phone on the Pow-er-Mat and let it charge away. We've seen sim-i-lar sys-tems- ear-li-er mod-els have been around for a cou-ple of years now- but this is the best con-tender so far. Small enough to be portable, with clean-er de-sign, it's a sol-id pack-age.
This mod-el comes not on-ly with the re-quired charg-ing pad and iPhone case, but al-so with a fair-ly small and durable back-up bat-tery, for those who find them-selves drained of bat-tery life be-fore the day is done. If your phone is like ours, bat-tery life isn't quite what it used to be, and we reg-u-lar-ly find our smart-phone down be-low the dan-ger-ous 20% mark by the af-ter-noon. With the back-up bat-tery safe-ly stowed in a purse or pock-et, we can be as-sured of nev-er hav-ing to miss an In-sta-gram mo-ment or text mes-sage or im-por-tant call- as long as we keep the back-up bat-tery charged of course. It can sit next to your phone on the charg-ing pad and both de-vices can get topped up si-mul-ta-ne-ous-ly. It's not quite as fast as plug-ging in to the wall, though, and re-mem-ber that the sys-tem re-quires some align-ment- you can't just drop the phone or bat-tery any-where, but need to en-sure that there is mag-net-ic con-tact with cer-tain points.Quick note on the bat-tery- it's rat-ed at 1850 mAh- pret-ty im-pres-sive for it's size and weight, and it's not on-ly for Ap-ple prod-ucts. Much like the my-Charge line, there is al-so a flip-out Mi-cro USB con-nec-tor in ad-di-tion to the Ap-ple 30-pin adapter, which seemed like a nice sur-prise! You may be won-der-ing why- and it's a fair ques-tion. The an-swer in-volves the cus-tom case.