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Video: Tech21's iBand protective case and its mystical, magical, non-Newtonian goo
If you're the clumsy sort you have absolutely no shortage of protective cases and coatings to shroud your pricey gadget in, but most are ugly, bulky, and likely ineffective. The iBand from Tech21 isn't particularly attractive nor svelte, but after watching the video below there's little doubt about its effectiveness. It's made of a substance called d3o, which is a fancy orange non-Newtonian substance, starting out stretchy and gushy but, when put under pressure, hardening and protecting its precious contents. We've seen this stuff applied to high-impact applications like motorcycle armor, but we're glad to see gadgetry getting a little attention too. The video is a bit curious as it appears that the d3o is just applied around the edges of the case and yet the enclosed device survives a face-down landing, but it's an impressive demonstration nevertheless. Right now the £15 ($25) iBand is only available for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but future gadgets should receive the oobleck treatment soon.
iBand crafting canorous concoctions
Quite possibly a first: iBand is a group of innovative musicians taking iPhone music applications to the next level. Using a combination of iAno, PocketGuitar, iPhoneSynth and BeatPhone, they've created a sound (Mike Oldfield meets Mario Bros.?) that is certain to spawn some creative offshoots amongst musically inclined iPhone owners. There are already several video responses to their YouTube presentation. If nothing else, they get due credit for a great execution of the idea. I'm sure that, with the presence of multiple music synthesis apps for the iPhone, there is a lot of musical innovation taking place. We'd be curious to hear about other mellifluous iPhone adventures. Maybe some of our own readers have already explored the pocket-sized music frontier in ways we haven't considered yet! Check out the iBand website for a little explanation and, hopefully, more updates as the idea develops. Thanks Kacy!
iBand: like the Velvet Underground, but with iPhones
Back in our day we had to use these things called "laptops" to make music, but now it seems like any kid off the street can rock out with a jailbroken iPhone and some Red Bull. Put two of these ADD-addled youngsters together with a DS Phat-toting friend and you've got New York avant-garde out the wazoo. We hear Matthew Barney is designing the iconic cover art as we speak. Video is after the break.[Thanks, Basar]
