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X-Doria Dash Folio for iPad mini: review and giveaway
If there's one thing that lets loose a flood of goodies from accessory manufacturers, it's a new Apple device with a different form factor. We're starting to see a lot of new cases for the iPad mini, including the Belkin Portable Keyboard Case I reviewed on Friday. X-Doria has released a sweet leather case for the mini as part of the Dash Folio line ($39.99) that is worth a look by owners of Apple's little tablet. Design I'm impressed with the physical design of the Dash Folio with one exception that I'll discuss in a minute. For the most part, this is your typical folio-type case with a leather exterior and a flexible plastic casing that holds the iPad mini in place. There are magnets in the cover to turn the iPad mini on and off as you open and close the cover, and X-Doria threw in a nice touch with an elastic band that keeps the cover closed while you're in transit. Once the case is open, that plastic casing has a small ridge that slides into any one of a number of thin slots embossed into the cover. This provides a way to use the case as a handy landscape orientation iPad mini stand. Functionality The construction of the Dash Folio, like many of the other X-Doria products we've reviewed, is excellent. The plastic casing is easy to slide on and off of your iPad mini, but holds it into place securely. That casing also does a great job of protecting the sides and back of your mini, complete with covers for the volume and on/off/sleep/wake buttons. The stand capability of the Dash Folio works great. I put my iPad mini into the case while going for barbecued ribs last night (yum!), and having the stand available made the device easier to use with one hand -- and I was able to complete dinner without coating my screen or the case with barbecue sauce. %Gallery-179049% The magnets in the cover do their job well, if you have them lined up properly with the right side of the iPad mini. I found that I needed to listen for the "latch" noise to be sure that the iPad was actually turned off, and sometimes needed to scoot the cover back or forth a few millimeters to get it to turn off the mini. My only major complaint? Well, the case comes in two colors -- black and brown. The black case uses a black plastic casing to hold the mini, while the brown case uses a fluorescent yellow-green plastic casing. Why fluorescent yellow-green? I don't know, but I wish they had used something less ... radioactive looking! Conclusion There are a lot of cases available for the iPad mini, and if you're looking for attractive, inexpensive, and functional mini protection, the X-Doria Dash Folio is worth considering. Pros Relatively inexpensive Plastic casing provides a lot of protection for the iPad mini Fit and finish is excellent Stand works well Magnets in cover turn your iPad on and off Cons Yellow-green plastic used in the brown leather case is eye-jarring Magnets don't always turn off the iPad the way they're supposed to Who is it for? iPad mini owners who like the look and feel of leather, the protection of plastic, and the functionality of a case that doubles as a stand. Giveaway Our loss is your gain! If you don't happen to mind that yellow-green plastic, enter this giveaway and the X-Doria Dash Folio could be yours. 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 February 20, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive an X-Doria Dash Folio for iPad mini valued at $39.99. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Using your iPad mini as a phone
iMore's Rene Ritchie has written an interesting post about a trend I've heard mentioned a few times before: using your iPad mini as an actual phone. During his trip to Macworld/iWorld 2013, Ritchie wanted to save battery charge on his iPhone, so when he needed to check his itinerary or make a quick phone call, he pulled out the iPad mini and used Skype or browsed around the internet. And at the end of what Ritchie says was a 19-hour trip, his iPad mini was still chugging right along, with more than 30 percent battery left. As I said, I've heard a few people talk about doing this before. The iPad mini is a powerful device, and while it is larger than a standard iPhone, the size allows you to carry it around in just one hand and use it like its smaller iOS predecessor. The larger screen provides a nice wide-open feel, however, which can be very nice for games, and can make even productivity apps feel cleaner. As Ritchie says, combine the iPad mini with a headset and make a call on Skype, and you've just got a larger-than-usual iPhone. So far, we've seen plenty of rumors about a bigger iPhone model, but no actual news from Apple just yet. Still, experiences like this, along with the fact that other smartphone companies have seen success with larger phone models, point to the possibility that there's a sizable demand for a larger iPhone out there.
Skype updates iOS app with bug fixes, UI tweaks for iPad
Skype's updating its app for iOS again and, this time, it's more about fixing what's broken, than adding new features. So, users that rush to install this version 4.5 update won't find any new animated emoticons or editing capabilities baked-in, but they will be in store for a more stable build of the popular messaging service. On deck are fixes for instant message threading (so your conversations appear in the proper order), auto-recovery for dropped calls, as well as an option to opt-out of marketing across iDevices. The iPad experience will see a couple of UI refinements, enabling gestures for conversation view, in addition to a layout better customized for iPad mini owners. It's live in the iTunes store right now, so head on to the source for the refreshed goods.
Canalys: Apple hits 20 percent of PCs through iPad sales, HP up to second place
Canalys is still staking its market share estimates on the view that mobile tablets are as relevant to PC market share as desktops and laptops. If we accept that interpretation, Apple was easily on top of the heap during the fourth quarter. Combining iPads and Macs would give it 27 million computer shipments in the fall, or 20.1 percent of the 134 million computers that left factories -- the first time it would have had more than a fifth of the market. Not that Apple was the only one having a good time, however. HP reportedly took back second place from Lenovo by shipping 15 million PCs and claiming 11 percent of the market, while Samsung stepped into the top five for the first time at 11.7 million PCs and 9 percent share. The upswings may have masked deeper problems. Apple and Samsung benefited from the iPad mini and Galaxy Tab lines, but they, Amazon and other tablet makers were reportedly propping up the market. Canalys doesn't believe Windows 8 or RT moved the needle for demand, noting that laptop shipments were flat year-over-year where tablets surged 75 percent. It was a tough market for most conventional PC builders -- just ask Dell -- and there's no immediate signs that it will be any easier for them in 2013.
Belkin announces FastFit keyboard case for iPad mini
The battle of the iPad mini keyboard cases has heated up the past two days. Logitech fired the first volley by announcing the US$79 Ultrathin Keyboard mini yesterday. Today, Belkin took a shot at Logitech by announcing the FastFit keyboard case for iPad mini. Belkin's keyboard case is priced just a buck more than the Logitech keyboard at US$79.99. The company managed to squeeze a keyboard cover into a thickness of just 7 mm, which is thinner than the iPad mini itself by 0.2 mm and the Logitech unit by 0.3 mm. Using Bluetooth 3.0, it's designed to give users up to 155 hours of use between charges. Logitech's unit, by comparison, will run for 180 hours between charges based on two hours of use per day, but it is thicker and heavier. The Belkin FastFit keyboard case is available for pre-order today, and it sounds as if the units will ship in about two months. We'll have a full review of the case at that time.
Logitech's Ultrathin Keyboard Cover mini brings tactile typing to the iPad mini for $80
It was inevitable that Logitech would expand its Ultrathin iPad keyboard cover lineup to include an offering fit for the iPad mini, and the time has finally arrived. Priced 20 bucks less than it's full-sized counterpart, the $79.99 Ultrathin Keyboard mini brings tactile typing and some added protection to Apple's 7.9-inch slate. Like the bigger version, it offers full size keys to please tapping fingers, has an aluminum cover and comes in your choice of black or white. Folks looking to pick one up won't have much longer to wait, as the Ultrathin Keyboard mini will make its retail debut in the US and Europe later this month.
Engadget's tablet buyer's guide: winter 2013 edition
As we begin 2013, we're stuck in a kind of tablet limbo. Most companies rushed to get devices out for the fall, while the models we saw at CES 2013 aren't yet shipping. As such, it's a mostly familiar deck, with Apple, Google and Microsoft once again striving for the top spot. That said, there are new entries from Amazon and ASUS, and many of us who didn't score some sweet loot this holiday season have a slate-sized pile of cash to spend. If you're in that situation, continue on for our first tablet guide of 2013. Note: If you're looking for tablets with an Atom or Core i5 CPU, you'll find those in our forthcoming laptop buyer's guide, since they have the same guts as notebooks (or netbooks, in some cases). For the purposes of this tablet guide, we define tablets as slate-type devices with low-power ARM processors.
Mu Mu's iPad mini Deskstand: simple, solid, sustainable
While TUAW has reported on a number of stands that are designed for the full-sized iPad, there's a dearth of designs for the iPad mini. Today I'll introduce you to a simple, but solid iPad mini stand from UK-based Mu Mu. The iPad mini Deskstand is priced at an extremely reasonable £20 and is an attractive addition to any desk or table top. Design The Mu Mu team is famous for designing beautiful accessories out of wood. As with the Slide 2.0 iPhone cases reviewed last year, the Deskstand is lovingly crafted out of laminated hardwoods. Other than the small anti-slide bumpers on the bottom of the unit, the Deskstand is nothing but wood. The Deskstand comes in three varieties: maple and walnut, walnut and maple, and walnut. In case you're wondering what the difference is between the first two options, maple and walnut features light maple wood on the top surface, while walnut and maple has dark walnut on top. %Gallery-177423% The design of the Deskstand is so simple I expect to see a lot of these made in high school wood shops soon. Basically, it's a roughly trapezoidal piece of laminated wood with two horizontal grooves in it. The front groove is where the iPad mini sits, the back groove can house Apple's Smart Cover for the mini. Functionality Surprisingly enough, I don't have an iPad mini that I could test the Deskstand with and my first-generation Kindle Fire was too chunky to fit into the slot. You'll just have to imagine what the mini looks like when placed into the Deskstand. I've included a few photos from the Mu Mu website in the gallery; the rest of the product photos are of the stand by itself. Conclusion While the Mu Mu iPad mini Deskstand is one of the first stands for the iPad mini that we've had the pleasure to use, it's certainly not going to be the last. It's an attractive, low-cost and simple solution for holding a mini in place on a desktop, and the use of sustainable hardwoods in manufacturing is a total win. While we usually give away our review samples online, the Mu Mu iPad mini Deskstand and a Slide 2.0 case for iPhone 4/4S are on their way to San Francisco where they'll be given away to some lucky attendee at the TUAW Meetup on Friday night.
Booqpad mini combines paper and iPad mini into an effective package
A paperless office is king or should be as fellow TUAW editor Steve Sande would say. But in a word where you're as likely to find iPads in a classroom or office as you would printed materials, many people prefer to jot down handwritten notes. Count me among them. I handwrite about half of my comic scripts in a Moleskine notebook before transcribing them into Scrivener. Case makers and software developers are latching onto this hybrid. Last fall, Evernote introduced a smart notebook with special lines and tags that help integrate the handwritten pages with its service once they're captured by Evernote's page camera in iOS. You don't even need to shell out the money for one of the smart notebooks. It works just as well with a regular one. Now, Booq has introduced its hybrid solution, the US$39.95 Booqpad mini case for iPad mini. I've been testing it for the past couple of weeks, and for the most part, I do like it. Design Available in black and grey, the Booqpad mini combines an iPad mini case with a thin notepad so you can have the best of both worlds. On the left side is the iPad mini, and the case fits the mini securely. A pen loop next to it can hold a pen or stylus. The right side has a lined notepad and pockets to store business cards. It's about the size of an average day planner and looks very swank in any office setting. The exterior is made from jute, a natural fiber that's mainly produced and sold in Bangladesh and India. The case had that "new car" smell for several days once I got the review sample, and it took a day before I could even handle the case for more than a few minutes. I'm hoping this isn't the issue with most of the other cases and assume I got one of the initial production batches. Functionality This is where the Booqpad mini faltered for me. I use my iPad mini either as a second screen while working with my laptop or a primary screen when writing in my Moleskine and use my built-in stand constantly on my normal case. However, with the Booqpad mini, because you have the writing pad, there's no real way to have the case also function as a stand. If you don't use your iPad in this manner, the Booqpad mini is great to use. I had no issues writing when I folded the case just to show the writing side, and it was great to use at meetings when I had the iPad mini laying on the table. The case is billed for left-handed or right-handed use, just flip the case and reposition the iPad and notepad to suit your needs. All of the ports on the iPad mini are easily accessible. It's not much thicker in my bag as my standard Belkin case is. The included lined notepad has 50 pages, and three-pack refills are $9.99. Booq has a variety of notepads to fit certain situations. Some might find the price a bit steep for 150 sheets of paper, but the pads are at least 30 percent recycled material and are printed with soy ink. Conclusion The Booqpad mini does a good job at combining the best of the iPad mini world with a basic notepad. The price is extremely good as well, especially given the environmentally friendly materials that have gone into the Booqpad mini. If you're in a business setting and don't need a stand, I'd suggest looking at the Booqpad mini before going for the overpriced Apple Smart Cover. We'll be giving away the Booqpad mini during our TUAW meetup at Macworld/iWorld next week. We'll share the details as soon as we finalize them!
Apple not sure it can meet iMac demand this quarter
It's no secret that Apple has been having difficulty meeting demand for some of its key products as of late, something that directly corresponded to a 17% drop in Mac sales for the first quarter of 2013. Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned during today's earning call that while the company will finally meet demand for iPad mini in Q2, things aren't quite so certain for either model of the late 2012 iMac. "We believe we can achieve a supply/demand balance on iPad mini during this quarter and on iPhone 4 during this quarter," Cook said. "On iMac, we're confident that we're going to significantly increase the supply, but the demand here is very strong and we are not certain that we'll achieve a supply/demand balance during the quarter." According to Cook, supply of iPhone 5 has finally met demand, but it didn't happen until late in Q1. Despite the "significant shortages," Cook still seemed pleased with how Apple handled its many Q1 product launches. "I think overall our team did just a fantastic job of ramping a record number of new products during the quarter," he said.
Apple iPad mini and iPad to go on sale in China this Friday
Our friends in China recently got official access to the iPhone 5, and it looks like Apple's ready to give the Far East's biggest market a taste of the cellular versions of it larger-screened mobile devices. That's right, folks, cellular versions of the iPad mini and the 4th-gen iPad will go on sale in China this Friday. To grab one, would-be owners must wait but few more days to make their purchase from either Apple's online store or through authorized brick-and-mortar retailers. Update: This post originally stated that the iPad mini and 4th-gen iPad were late to China. Those models were released in early December. It's the cellular models that are shipping now.
VW unveils CrossBlue plug-in SUV with iPad mini headrests and 85MPGe efficiency (eyes-on)
America is the land of the SUV and so it's no surprise that Volkswagen came here to launch its CrossBlue plug-in concept. The SUV features a front-mounted diesel engine paired with an electric motor in a traditional hybrid configuration, plus a second, more powerful electric motor in the rear to drive those wheels in the back. This configuration gives it all wheel drive and also allows the ECU to either send power to or retrieve power from (in the form of regeneration) either motor to recharge the on-board battery pack -- which can also be juiced up by plugging into the wall. The system is said to deliver an estimated 85MPGe efficiency, which is pretty amazing for an SUV, and 14 miles of pure electric driving should you wish. As it's a concept, it's anybody's guess just how it'll actually perform when it goes into production, but we couldn't help but notice something very much available today in the back seats: iPad minis. Yes, one was embedded in each of the headrests, rear-facing for maximum efficiency in keeping the kids busy during a long cruise. Again, this is just a concept, so no guarantees we'll ever see this on the road, but a VW rep commented that they hope to see this in production in a year or two.
Gazelle: Third-gen iPad trade-ins spiked after iPad 4, mini announcement
On October 23, 2012 when Apple announced the fourth-generation iPad and iPad mini, the TUAW newsroom was abuzz with questions, one of which was "How many owners of third-generation iPads are going to get rid of their 'old' devices to get a new iPad?" Thanks to Gazelle, a company that accepts trade-ins of Apple gear in return for cold, hard cash, we how have an answer of sorts. On that day, Gazelle recorded a 700 percent increase in the volume of iPad trade-ins, with 450 percent of that increase happening immediately after the end of the Apple announcement. So, how many of those trade-ins were third-gen iPads? Gazelle's numbers show that a whopping 70 percent of the trade-in offers made were for iPad 3s, with the 32 GB WiFi model being the most popular trade-in. Not every iPad 3 owner jumped on the opportunity to get one of the new devices. But Gazelle alone presented about 140,000 offers on October 23 to iPad owners anxious to go faster or smaller. That's a lot of people clamoring to trade in a device that was only seven months old. Gazelle Chief Gadget Officer Anthony Scarsella also noted that a whopping 17 million connected devices were activated on Christmas Day 2012 -- that's up from 6.8 million the year before. It looks like there will be a lot of trade-ins coming up after Apple's next announcements.
The New Year TUAW iPad mini case roundup and giveaway
Note: We're fixing an issue with the giveaway form and will have it back around 2pm EST. As we begin the new year, a lot of people wound up receiving an iPad mini as part of their holiday celebrations. Case makers are looking to make outfitting your iPad mini much easier, and we've gotten so many that TUAW Labs head mad scientist Steve Sande had to ship some of them out to the newly created iPad mini satellite office for us to then try to pass on to you guys! Celebrate your new year with a new case for your new iPad mini! BookBook for iPad mini We reviewed the revised BookBook in June, and BookBook for the iPad mini ($69.95) is a smaller version of its bigger sibling. Like Steve, I wasn't a fan of the straps that secured the iPad to the original BookBook, and it's what turned me away from buying one when I had a full-sized iPad. The leather enclosure protects your entire iPad mini, and you can unsnap it from the back to position it in a comfortable typing mode and viewing angle. It has the look and feel of a real book, and as you can see in the picture, I can easily shelve my iPad mini among my regular books if I want. It's the case I kept on my iPad mini the longest out of all the review cases to date, and the one I'm most likely going to buy for myself. Speck FitFolio The Speck FitFolio ($34.95) is a competitor for the Belkin cases you can find at most retail locations. The draw to the Speck for me is the colors, which I like better than Apple's selection and Belkin's. I like the viewing angle standing position for watching video, but not so much the typing position when you fold the case behind itself. If you don't do it just right, typing isn't comfortable at all. The fit was a bit so-so. The plastic case wasn't flush with my iPad around the earphone in the review case I received, but it doesn't impede with the protection. If you can live without the sleep/wake function and like the colors, give the Speck case a try. Gumdrop Drop Tech Putting the Gumdrop Drop Tech ($59.95) on my iPad was like encasing it in a tire, a sentiment that Steve shared when reviewing the iPhone 5 case. Like Otterbox cases, there is a rugged silicone exterior that surrounds a thin plastic case with a screen protector. Your iPad is sandwiched in between. Silicone covers all the ports, and you can flip the Lightning connector, earplug and side switch. The fit over the ports is good. Everything aligns perfectly, and the buttons you press through the silicone (home, power and volume) work like normal. I worry about the quality of the plastic frame and can see it easily breaking if you make a habit of inserting and removing the mini from this case. Also, if you're not careful in putting on the silicone cover, the four corners of the case can bulge out. If the case is put on correctly, it's a good one to use if you're carrying your iPad mini outdoors a lot. X-Doria Smart Jacket When it comes to looks, the X-Doria Smart Jacket ($34.99) comes fairly close to the Apple Smart Cover, but with a plastic, 3D-texturized back. It boasts the same viewing angles as the Smart Cover, but the built-in stand doesn't work at all. The cover doesn't hold its shape when you fold it into the viewing angle or the typing angle, so the iPad mini keeps falling over. If you want just a very basic cover with sleep/wake function, then the Smart Jacket is OK. If you want to do anything else with your iPad mini, spend your money on another case. X-Doria SleeveStand However, I liked X-Doria's SleeveStand ($29.99) far better than the Smart Jacket. It does what it says on the tin -- provides a plush home for your iPad mini with tabs in the opening of the jacket to hold your iPad mini in portrait or landscape mode. It's a sturdy viewing stand, but it's not good for typing. It comes with a carrying handle tucked into the front pocket, but I don't see the need for it. If you're swinging your iPad mini from your wrist, you're asking for someone to come rip it off. Giveaway Now it's time for these cases to go from my home into yours! Here's your chance to enter to win one of five different cases from TUAW and the manufacturers discussed in this review. Keep in mind, these cases are all for the iPad mini, so if you don't have one (or don't know someone who does), please don't enter! 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 January 5, 2013, 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. Five will be selected and will receive an iPad mini case (value of case varies, please see descriptions above) Click here for official rules Loading...
Daily Update for December 31, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
iPad mini demand high in China
Apple's shrunken tablet is selling just fine here at home, but the iPad mini already has a worldwide audience. As AllThingsD reports, the mini is selling fantastically in China, with the tablet selling out nearly universally in all its various colors and storage options. In a country notorious for counterfeit versions of Apple gadgets, it's good to see that the genuine offering is getting its share of the pie. Of course, if the new, tiny iPad is leading to empty shelves, it might be a good time for Cupertino to examine its retail supply chain in the region to capitalize on the apparent feeding frenzy that is taking place.
Production lines running through Chinese New Year to meet iPad mini demand
As you celebrate this holiday season with a game of Angry Birds Star Wars on that new iPad mini, take a moment to consider the workers in China who are about to forego their traditional two-week Chinese New Year break. According to United Daily, at least two of Apple's suppliers in the country are planning to run their production lines right through the holiday to meet Chinese demand for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd. will run at least some of its lines, while Flexium Interconnect, which makes Apple's printed circuit boards, is keeping its factory in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province open with the help of students. While it appears that iPhone 5 supply has finally met demand in the US, the iPad mini continues to be hard to find here despite ship times from Apple's online store shrinking to one week earlier this month. [Via Apple Insider]
Apple releases iOS 6.0.2 update for iPhone 5 and iPad mini, promises fix for WiFi bug
It doesn't look to bring with it any major changes, but Apple has just released its latest iOS update, which takes things up to version 6.0.2. According to the company, this one primarily addresses a bug that "could impact WiFi." An issue that, incidentally, has been at the center of a number of previous iOS updates. You should be able to find the update now or in the near future in either iTunes or Software Update on your iOS device. Update: As MacStories notes, this particular update appears to only be for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini.
Morgan Stanley: iPad mini cannibalization "overblown"
A survey of over 1,000 U.S. consumers was published today by Morgan Stanley and AlphaWise, showing that although sales of the iPad mini are cannibalizing sales of some of the full-size iPads, concerns over the trend are "overblown." That was the opinion of Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty, who said that the numbers show that Apple's risk over cannibalization by the mini is "manageable." The numbers she's referring to indicate that 47 percent of iPad mini purchasers are new to Apple, which is slightly less than the 56 percent number for the full-size iPad. There were other positive signs for Apple; the survey showed that about the same percentage of potential buyers -- 50 percent -- plan on purchasing an iPad over other tablets as they did in December 2011. The news isn't as rosy for Amazon's Kindle Fire, which saw a 5 percent drop in respondents planning a purchase. Microsoft's new Surface tablet is apparently interesting to 12 percent of the respondents, while Samsung's tablets showed a 7 percent rise in purchase intentions over December 2011. Google's Nexus tablet also showed a solid rise of 6 percent, while all other tablets saw a huge drop in interest from 24 percent last year to only 5 percent in 2012.
BookBook arrives for iPad mini, delivers a novella-sized tablet disguise
If Twelve South's BookBook for iPad is War and Peace, its new BookBook for iPad mini case is The Old Man and the Sea: a lot smaller, but no less appreciated. The black, brown or red shell protects Apple's tiny tablet with real leather in much the same way as its larger cousin, including a signature support frame for lifting the iPad to more natural angles. Photographers can also briefly peek the tablet out of its shell to snap photos. While there's only a $10 discount versus the full-size BookBook, we'll live with the $70 price if we can pretend we're engrossed with some light reading while we play Letterpress.