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Happy Owl Studio Cashbox: a beautiful hand-crafted iPad cash register
The last time I talked to the guys from Happy Owl Studio, they were busy cranking out great-looking leather bags for Apple devices. Now the company is producing the Cashbox (starts at US$750 - $1,500, depending on the payment solution selected for the register), a product that was still in planning back in early '12 and is now ready to give your iPad cash register a solid and sustainable home. As you'll see in the video at the bottom of this post, Happy Owl uses sustainably grown and harvested bamboo wood that is then cut to precise measurements with a CNC milling machine, laser-etched with a logo of your choice and hand-finished. The guts of the Cashbox are all industry-standard -- an iPad, of course, as well as a Star receipt printer and a Vasario cash drawer. The Cashbox can not only accept credit and debit cards through Square, PayPal or any of the other common iPad payment solutions, but also has a cash drawer for taking the old legal tender as well. One unique feature is the tilting iPad holder that flips from letting a clerk enter an order to a customer's view of the transaction for signature. The Cashbox certainly appears to be a lot more sturdy and usable than the upcoming "Stand" or the existing Business in a Box solutions from Square. If you're looking at an iPad-based register solution for your business, the Cashbox is definitely worth a look for a solid custom register.
Happy Owl Studio Briefcase for MacBook Air is a stunning accessory
A while back, I met with two of the Colorado-based partners involved in Happy Owl Studio -- Devon Read and Ryan Jordan. We were talking about some of their other products, including the Wallet and Clutch for iPad and the Cashbox iPad cash register, when a beautiful leather briefcase caught my eye. Asking about the briefcase, I found out that it was a future product for the MacBook Air. Well, the future is now, and the US$249.99 Briefcase for MacBook Air is a reality. Read on for a full review and a chance to win this beautiful case. Design If you like the look, feel, and smell of top-quality leather, you're going to love the Briefcase. It's a rather boxy design, somewhat like a small lawyer's briefcase that measures 13.5" long x 10" tall x 2.7" thick. The exterior fittings are made out of a shiny metal and are quite subtle -- a ring on either end for the shoulder strap, a set of feet on the bottom, a pair of studs on each leather "tongue" used to close the case, and one on either end of the nicely padded handle. On the back of the case is a full-size pocket with a magnetic snap closure. That pocket is lined with a bright paisley print material that is very classy looking. That same material lines the padded interior slot where your MacBook Air resides, as well as the large interior pocket for accessories, power cords, and other goodies. %Gallery-158481% Those extra goodies include a leather slot for business cards, several interior loops for pens and styluses, and a pair of button-down leather loops for keys. There's plenty of room for items in the main pocket -- I was able to stuff the review case with a fully loaded Quirky PowerCurl, two small USB external drives, an iPhone and charging cable, and a BRAVEN 600 bluetooth speaker, and still had room to spare. I have an 11" MacBook Air, but the Briefcase will hold a 13" Air with no problems. If you're wondering if the Briefcase will work for the 13" MacBook Pro, I would say no. The case is definitely designed for the MacBook Air, and the slot is too thin for the .95" thick MacBook Pro. For MacBook Air owners, this is the case to buy if you want to make your friends and coworkers jealous. Yes, I am a sucker for nice-looking leather accessories, and it is with a lot of tears and pouting that I am going to have to bid adieu to the Briefcase. But one lucky TUAW reader is going to win this case and be the envy of his or her friends. Giveaway As with all of our TUAW giveaways, all you need to do to enter is fill out the form below and submit it. We'll do a random drawing, and the winner will be contacted via email for shipping information. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before June 20, 2012 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a Happy Owl Studio Briefcase for MacBook Air valued at US$249.99. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Happy Owl Studio's beautiful Apple accessories
In early January, TUAW ran a story about Apple accessory manufacturer Happy Owl Studio. The company, now based in Golden, Colorado, makes some of the finest Apple accessories I have had the pleasure to review. I had a nice meeting with Happy Owl CEO Devon Read (right, above) and Chief Design Officer Ryan Jordan (left) the other day to get an idea of their design philosophy and future product plans. In the process, I was able to get a hands-on look at some of their iPad and iPhone products, as well as gaze longingly at samples of their upcoming MacBook Air briefcase. Let's take a look at some of the products from Happy Owl Studio. The Wallet The Wallet for iPad 2 (US$79.99) could easily become a favorite of iPad-toting folks all over the world. Think of a wallet that's big enough to swallow your iPad 2 and also carry credit and business cards, pens, accessories, and your iPhone in a zipper-protected folio, and you've got The Wallet. I was reminded of the Day-Timer planners that people used to carry in the pre-iPad days. The Wallet is made of black pebbled leather that's easy to grip, and the two halves of the case -- the iPad side and the zippered side -- are snugged together with a snap closure strap emblazoned with the iconic Happy Owl logo. On the iPad side, your device slides in from the left side and is held in place with a small Velcro closure. Your iPad screen rests against a smooth Microsuede material, and the entire device is held in place with a leather bezel complete with openings in all of the right places. And yes, there is a magnet for automatically turning the iPad 2 on and off, as well as an opening for the rear-facing camera. If there's one teensy little complaint I have about The Wallet, it's that leather bezel. On the sample I was using, the iPad didn't appear to be centered (i.e., there was more of the iPad bezel showing on the the right side of the display than the left side). Then again, only an obsessive person like me would probably be concerned about it not being perfectly centered... Like many folio-type iPad cases, The Wallet can serve as a stand or prop up your iPad for typing. The same strap that closes the folio can also be routed so that it holds the iPad in a perfect position for typing or, when flipped, watching movies. The pocket side has a ton of space. Should I ever decide to do away with carrying a wallet in my back pocket, I'll carry The Wallet instead. I can see where this would be perfect for international travel. Pop your credit cards in the slots, and put cash and those pesky Euro coins into the zippered pouch in the center. The second zippered pouch is big enough for a couple of passports and other travel documents. The entire pocket side closes securely with another zipper, this one with a large and helpful leather pull attached to it. %Gallery-147478% The Clutch The Wallet is more of a unisex design, but The Clutch ($79.99) is designed for the ladies. Available in either black or a lipstick red, it's stylish and functional. The design is very similar to that of The Wallet, but with a more feminine look and a detachable strap. For women who are used to carrying either a small purse or a clutch, The Clutch would be perfect. For my engineer wife, who carries a purse that has to have everything including the kitchen sink in it, I have a feeling this would be a bit too limiting. However, The Clutch would be perfect for the female executive with a serious iPad fetish who just wants to carry one well-designed bag. The Clutch also performs folding magic to become a useful iPad stand. Unfortunately, it's too late the sexy red Clutch as a Valentine's Day gift for your favorite lady, but it's an awesome way to insure your popularity with her at any time of the year. The Shell A lot of iPad owners like the minimalist protection of the Smart Cover, but end up buying a cheap and ugly plastic shell to protect the back of the iPad from scratches. The Shell ($39.95) once again showcases the design savvy of Happy Owl Studio with a thin leather shell that works with the Smart Cover to provide classy iPad protection. If you have one of the black leather Smart Covers, you'll love The Shell as it has the identical luster and feel of the leather used for the Apple covers. It has a wonderful feel and provides a non-slip grip when carrying an iPad around. The Shell snaps onto the back of your iPad 2 easily (it has a thin plastic interior shell). If you like the smell and feel of leather, you'll want one of these on your favorite tablet. There are cutouts in all of the proper places, and The Shell accommodates the Smart Cover nicely. The Bamboo Skin and Leather Skin for iPhone 4/4S Both Devon and Ryan from Happy Owl Studio noted that they love the design of the iPhone 4 and 4S so much that they decided to just protect the relatively fragile back of the design with skins that would offer more grip. The resulting products are the Bamboo Skin ($19.99) and Leather Skin ($19.99). These are very thin stick-on skins that provide the natural feel of wood or leather and protect the glass on the back of your phone while adding virtually no additional weight or thickness. For those of you who don't use GPS apps regularly like me and need to use a battery pack case just to make it through a day, these skins are pretty nice. Like The Clutch, the Leather Skin comes in both black and red leather. Coming Soon: The Briefcase for MacBook Air Some day soon, I am going to need to go through a twelve-step program to cure me of my addiction to computer bags. That day will be when The Briefcase for MacBook Air arrives from Happy Owl. It is totally sweet, and I have to apologize to Devon and Ryan for drooling on the two samples that they brought to our meeting. This gorgeous bag won't be cheap at $299.99, but trust me when I say that it is the nicest MacBook Air bag I've ever laid eyes on. It's big enough to carry a 13" MBA in a padded pocket, has built-in slots for pens and business cards, and cable loops to organize those dangling messes. There's an beautiful interior lining, and the attention to detail extends to the silver finish on the metal hardware. The company is now taking pre-orders for The Briefcase, and is lopping off $100 to bring the price tag to a more palatable $199.99. Closing Comments While the Happy Owl Studio team have had their products made in China up to this point, they noted that they're seriously looking to bring production to the U.S. In addition to the existing product line and The Briefcase, they're also working on a Square-enabled iPad cash register called The Cashbox ... but that's a topic for another post. It's always a pleasure to talk with startups that are making a difference in the Apple ecosphere, and Happy Owl Studio is a perfect example of such a company.
Former Marine marches from battlefield to Apple accessory market
Devon Read spent five years in the Marines, serving in both Iraq and Africa. Now, the Golden, Colorado resident is a successful Apple accessory maker. He's a self-admitted Apple fan who wanted a protective case for his Apple devices, but couldn't find products that were fashionable, functional and affordable. Instead of waiting for that perfect product to hit the market, he and two of his friends decided to make their own. Read and his friends came up with the idea for Happy Owl Studios, after the iPad announcement and quickly designed their signature Wallet and Clutch bag. The Wallet is a slim bag that has room for your pocket change, credit cards, and mobile phone. The Clutch is a slightly bigger bag, designed primarily for the ladies. It'll replace your purse and has a larger pocket that'll hold lip gloss, sunglasses, keys and more. Read was recently interviewed by the Denver Post and shared his company's biggest advantage over their larger rivals like Griffin which makes a variety of cases for the iPhone and iPad. Read says, "To compete in that same world as the huge accessory makers, we need to take advantage of what we have but they don't have: the ability to turn on a dime."
