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Apple patents Smart Cover with built-in display
It's rare that we both bringing up new Apple patents here at TUAW, simply because most of them are too nonspecific or obscure to really put much weight on, but this newly published patent is just too cool not to mention. The patent describes a new Smart Cover that features a notification system to alert the user of calls, messages, and other information without having to flip the cover open. The patent covers two different ways a user could get notifications while the cover is equipped: Either by built-in illumination elements within the accessory itself or via a semi-transparent portion of the cover that would allow light from the screen underneath to shine through. The portion of the patent that describes the shine-though feature seems to point to something like the HTC Dot View case that is current available for the HTC One M8 (pictured above). Having used that cover myself, I can say that it's quite an ingenious design that makes quick glances for notifications and time super easy. I'd definitely be interested to see Apple's take if this patent ever gets translated into an actual product. [via AppleInsider]
Apple announces new iPad covers and cases
Apple today made a number of sweeping iPad announcements. Naturally, Apple also took the opportunity to announce new iPad covers and cases. First, Apple announced new iPad Smart Covers made of polyurethane that will be available for both the iPad mini and the iPad Air. Apple's iPad Smart Covers work well to protect the front-end of your tablet and will retail for US$39. Apple also announced new iPad Smart Cases, which protect both the front and back of your tablet. They're a tad fancier than the Smart Covers, as they're made out of leather. They'll be available on the Air for $79 and on the mini for $69. Both the iPad Smart Cover and Smart Case will be available in Product (Red) versions as well.
iPad mini Smart Cover priced at $39
If you managed to order an iPad mini before it sold out this morning, you may have added a $39 Smart Cover to your order and thought to yourself, "That price sounds familiar." And it should, because it's the same price as the full-size Smart Cover for the larger iPad. The mini version of the intelligent accessory is available in six colors of polyurethane and attaches by wrapping onto the side of the tablet, rather than using the aluminum hinge of the original. For the larger version, customers have the option of upgrading to leather material, though that choice is mysteriously absent for the mini. It's interesting that despite being considerably smaller in size, the iPad mini version remains the same price as its bigger brother. Perhaps it was just a mistake. No? Ok then.
Apple shows off new improved Smart Cover for iPad mini
Today as part of the press event, Apple showed a video about the iPad mini and in the video showed off a new Smart Cover, one without the current aluminum hinge. These were only shown/mentioned in relation to the iPad mini, and show a single piece of material wrapping around to where the magnets attach to the body of the iPad. They are available in blue, green, pink, light gray, dark gray and Product (Red). It is not clear if they will be available for other models, and no price has been mentioned as of yet.
Daily Update for August 2, 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 "Smarter Cover" patent application would add display, controls to cover
Like your iPad Smart Cover? You can look forward to a possible future "Smarter Cover" from Apple if the company follows up on a patent application filed about a year ago for a Smart Cover-like tablet cover with a flexible secondary display. As shown in the lovely, high-resolution color images filed with the patent application (one seen above), Apple's idea would take power from a connector on the side of the iPad to drive a flexible display in one of the cover segments for adding extra icons, controlling media playback, or displaying notifications. One drawing, seen below, shows the entire "Surface" of the cover (pun intended) being used as a keyboard, while another turns it into a drawing digitizer. Of course, just because the company has applied for a patent doesn't mean that they'll get the patent or ever add the concept to a future product if they do. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Apple seeks patent for Smart Cover with embedded secondary display
According to a patent application made public by the USPTO this morning (and originally filed a year ago), Apple believes it's possible to build a flexible display into an iPad cover in order to "greatly enhance" the functionality of the tablet itself. Taking power and data from a dedicated connector on the side of the slate, at least one segment of the name-deserving Smart Cover could be used to augment the main display with space for extra icons, or operate as a separate media control interface, or simply display notifications. Drawings collected in the gallery below also hint at using the entire inner surface of the cover as a keyboard (ala Microsoft Surface) or as a drawing area. As with all patent applications, there's nothing to say such an idea will ever see Californian sunlight, but it'd be crying shame if it didn't.%Gallery-161615%
Microsoft one ups other tablet 'smart' covers with Surface's Touch Cover and Type Cover
What's 3mm thick, crafted from the finest Polartec and attaches to a tablet magnetically? If you guessed an iPad smart cover you might be right, but right now we're pretty enamored with Microsoft's Touch Cover for the newly announced Surface. See, it works almost exactly like that other "smart" tablet shield, but this one actually earns it's smart moniker. When you peel the plastic shroud back it turns into a fully functional keyboard and touchpad. Obviously, being a thin plastic sheet, the cover is relying on touch for key presses, not the actual depression of mechanical switches. So, while that means it's theoretically possible to touchtype on this bad boy, it remains to be seen just how pleasant of an experience it actually is. Our guess -- it'll be fine for quick emails and Google Bing searches, but we probably wouldn't have to write the Surface review on one. Now, the Type Cover on the other hand, perhaps we'd consider drafting lengthy posts on. It's safe to assume this one is thicker and heavier, turning your tablet into something more closely resembling an Ultrabook. But, it does have a traditional keyboard with solid plastic, separated keys as opposed to a pressure sensitive pad. Perhaps one of the more interesting features though, is their ability to force Win 8 to color coordinate with your chosen shade of folio. Click the blue Touch Cover on to the Surface and the background switches to a soothing shade azure. There's even an accelerometer inside those 3mm-thin softer covers -- which is an impressive feat of engineering. The Touch Covers can easily distinguish between you simply resting your hands on the keyboard and actually typing, which should help minimize accidental key presses. We'll be back as soon as possible with some hands-on. %Gallery-158535% %Gallery-158544%
iPad Smart Case hands-on
Surreptitiously introduced to Apple Stores in the midst of new MacBook introductions and hardware refreshes, the Smart Case is Apple's latest official option for iPad protection. It's teamed together the foldable Smart Cover of last year with a soft-touch rubbery shell to defend the other half of Apple's premier tablet. The case fits both the Retina display-decked new iPad and the iPad 2, so we decided to grab one to protect our iOS slab. Does it do the job? Well, it certainly protects the tablet from keys, spare change and other pointy objects, however, because it's made for two slightly different sized devices, it didn't fit as snugly as we'd hoped, with an especially wide rim around the front also reducing the premium feel of the Smart Cover-esque front flap. So, is it still worth the $50 price tag? That's a little trickier to say, so check out some more impressions and our verdict after the break.%Gallery-158414%
Apple intros new iPad Smart Case: clever enough to cover both sides, priced at $50
And we're still not done. A new iPad case has managed to sneak onto the Apple Store's online shelves, and it'll protect your precious slab on both the back and front. The Smart Case appears to augment last year's Smart Cover with an additional (polyurethane hardshell) coating for the back of your iPad. Priced at just under $50, the case fits both second and third-generation iPads and will arrive in six different color options. And yes, you can still get that ever-pressing message engraved onto it too. [Thanks Nikhil] For more coverage of WWDC 2012, please visit our event hub!
Mad Catz anticipates Wii U launch with line of gaming peripherals
Mad Catz is, quite literally, gearing up for the Wii U's impending holiday launch. Aligned neatly with Nintendo's keynote at E3 today, the accessory maker's outing a host of peripherals intended to play nicely with the gaming titan's next gen, tablet-y splash. Prospective early adopters eyeing what the Big N's selling can look forward to a pair of Wiimote- and Wii U GamePad-compatible Power Up ChargeDocks, a FlipStand protective cover and a TRITTON Kunai headset which will also work across Sony's current gaming platforms. There's no pricing available yet for this add-on kit, but the lineup should make its market bow in step with the console's looming launch. Hit up the break to peruse the official pressers.
Rocketfish's Sound Prism is triangu-lovely
Cunning design is a wonderful thing, and this triangular bundle of smarts is almost meta! Rocketfish's Sound Prism is exactly what it says it is, a three-sided speaker bar with a twist (metaphorically speaking.) Inventors, CRE8 Design studio, cooked up the clever idea of using the empty space created by a folded Apple Smart Cover. This fella neatly slips into the cubby-hole of the folded case, and attaches itself magnetically. It's Bluetooth, so can pair up with any compatible device, but won't look quite so snug as when used as nature -- or rather its creators -- intended. How much for a slice of the Pythagorean action? That'll be 80 rectangular dollars, sir.
iPad Smart Cover issue apparently due to magnet polarity
Many customers bought a new iPad last weekend, and some found that Apple's Smart Cover doesn't work with certain previously Smart Cover-compatible cases. Mark of Mark's Hangout has discovered why, and he's posted a detailed explanation. It appears that Apple added a polarity-sensitive sensor to the new iPad, and that the original Smart Covers were made with magnets facing in either direction. Later model Smart Covers don't exhibit this behavior. We can only assume Apple made an adjustment when it refreshed the line in October. Mark had help from an independent case manufacturer in sussing out the problem. You'll find all of the details here. He also pointed out that if you have an incompatible Smart Cover you can get it swapped out at the Apple Store. [Via The Verge]
Apple snags a patent for the Smart Cover's magnetic know-how
No, it doesn't cover the totality of the Smart Cover itself (or any case that folds into a triangle), but Apple has now managed to obtain a patent for one of the accessory's key bits of functionality. First filed in July of 2011 and published by the USPTO today, the patent described as an "accessory device with magnetic attachment" details how magnets can be used in a particular manner to attach a cover to a device (like an iPad) and secure it in place, yet still allow it to be easily released. Again, that doesn't cover all cases that use magnets -- just magnets used in this very specific way. Hit the source link below for all the details in patent-speak.
Apple patent looks to create 'secure magnets' to unlock your device
It's an Apple patent application: please be aware this is unlikely to wind up in your next device, please fasten seat belts and fix your tray table in the fixed and upright position. Inside the bezel of your iDevice or Mac is a magnet that operates a switch -- that will only be activated when a "correlated" magnet inside a key-fob makes contact. That's the thinking behind Cupertino's newest patent application, attempting to turn magnets into a way of keeping your stuff secure. An example listed in the patent is using a stylus with specially encoded magnets to securely unlock an iPad, which we attribute to a zealous patent attorney and not a reversal of the "they blew it" rule. It may sound ridiculous when you first consider it, but given the magnetic-activation of the iPad 2's smart cover, it's not as outlandish as you believe. Still, we'll believe it if we see it in a couple of years.
Nominate your favorite iPad case for TUAW's Best of 2011 awards
During December and January, The Unofficial Apple Weblog is soliciting your nominations and votes for the best products for Mac, iPhone/iPod touch, and iPad. We'll start with nominations in a category, and then tally your votes for the top-nominated products a few days later. The winner in each category receives the highly-coveted title of TUAW Best of 2011. The nominations are closed for iPhone apps and accessories, and now the TUAW Best of 2011 awards move to everybody's favorite tablet, the iPad. Today's category for nominations in the TUAW Best of 2011 awards is iPad cases. There are literally hundreds of different cases, most of which have been reviewed here on TUAW during the past year. Whether it's Apple's own Smart Cover (US$39 - $69) that is protecting the screen of your iPad 2, or the Otterbox Defender Series Case ($89.95) creating a zone of protection around the entire device, readers are sure to be vocal about their favorites. Of course there's the entire world of iPad folio cases and keyboard cases to think about. Could it be the luxurious Logitech Fold-Up Bluetooth Keyboard ($129.99) that is the Apple of your eye? Or maybe it's the IPEVO Typi folio ($79) with its removable keyboard and leather highlights? TUAW wants to hear from you -- what's your favorite iPad case? Leave your nomination in the comments below. Voting will start soon! Nominations close at 11:59 PM ET on December 24, 2011.
ASUS Transformer Prime origami-style Smart Cover is ready for its closeup (video)
ASUS Taiwan's been busy updating its Facebook with pictures of all its BFFs, completing the 30-day music challenge and posting a video of the Transformer Prime's new origami-style smart cover. Slotting into two hook-holes on the side of the bezel, it folds into a cunning stand that props the tablet at a variety of angles -- disconnecting with a gentle pull (and a slightly sickening metallic scraping noise). After which, it probably posted a message about wanting an unlike button and played some Farmville. If you wanna see how easy the cover is to position, head on past the break to watch it in action in glorious high definition. [Thanks, dy4me]
Booq Folio for iPad 2: Leather luxury, Smart Cover functionality
Booq makes incredibly nice accessories for Apple products -- we've reviewed some like the Booq Boa Push bag and talked about others like the Booqpad Agenda before. Now the new Booq Folio for iPad 2 (US$39.95) has arrived, and it appears to be a real value. Read on for a review of this new leather iPad 2 folio. Design Most folio cases have a similar design -- they look like a leather notebook and have a way of holding the iPad or iPad 2 in the right side. You open the cover of the notebook, and there's your nicely protected iPad. The Booq Folio is no exception to this design meme, except it's a bit more stylish than some of the folios I've reviewed. The Folio cradles your iPad 2 in leather in one of four finishes: Arctic Ice (white), Blue Storm (dark blue), Lava Rock (black), and Red Tide (red). The front of the case is emblazoned with a silver button embossed with the Booq logo, and there's horizontal stitching across the front that provides a nice visual counterpoint. %Gallery-140023% That cover is also useful, as it has magnets in all the right places to act as a Smart Cover surrogate. The Booq Folio offers much more protection than Apple's leather Smart Covers, which sell for much, much more -- $69.95. Functionality The Booq Folio works very well. It's quite easy to slide an iPad 2 into and out of the case, and the magnets function as advertised for turning your device on and off. The leather that holds the iPad 2 in place is nicely done -- some folio cases I've reviewed before have had crooked or bulging leather straps, while the Booq Folio has flat and precise leather pieces to cradle the iPad 2. Since this is an iPad 2 case, there is a hole in the back for the camera to peek out of. The straps give plenty of access to all of the buttons and ports on the iPad 2, but without sacrificing protection of your device. One other feature that I like is that the case has two long rubber strips on the "open" side of the case that allow you to flip the case over and use it as a stand for watching movies on your iPad 2. Conclusion Booq makes very nice products, and the Folio for iPad 2 is no exception. If you're thinking about buying an Apple Smart Cover, think again -- for less than a dollar more than the Apple cover, you can get a nice leather folio instead. This would make a perfect Christmas present for the iPad 2 owner on your list, so keep it in mind while you're doing your holiday shopping.
ASUS' Origami-like Transformer Prime Smart Cover hits Amazon, sporting luxurious folds
The Eee Pad Transformer Prime has yet to start shipping, but when it does, you'll be able to wrap it up in this specialized Smart Cover, from ASUS. Spotted on Amazon's German site, this Origami-like accessory will prop up your Prime in either a vertical or horizontal lying position, much like some of those other "intelligent" covers we've seen. The folds look decidedly ornate, but we'll have to wait a little longer before trying it out for ourselves. It's available now for €39 (about $53), though at the time of this writing, it's also out of stock. %Gallery-139723%
Fu Design Lettre X Robot 99 Special Edition: The coolest iPad 2 case ever?
iPad 2s are cool. Smart Covers exude coolness all over the place. And Fu, the awesome New York City-based graphic artist, has created a robot-filled world called Robot 99 that is über-cool. What happens when you get these three things together? Probably one of the most unique and fun iPad 2 cases ever. Fu has teamed with Echo Creative to create a Robot 99 Special Edition iPad 2 case (US$59.99, currently on sale for $47.99), and it turns out that it's not only completely fun, but also a pretty good iPad 2 folio case as well! Read on for my review. Design First, let's talk about Robot 99. It's a fun little iOS game ($0.99). The back story about Robot 99 is that "Robots live up in the clouds. Sometimes they might miss a step and accidentally fall down from the sky. Only your fingers can save them!" The case is an Echo Creative Lettre X iPad 2 folio, which is a rather slender leather folio case with built-in cover magnets for Smart Cover-like automatic on/off. The case has a tab in the back that allows the cover to be folded back and used to prop the iPad up in several ways. While there's nothing new about folio cases -- I know I've reviewed bazillions of them -- the one thing I like about the Lettre X is that it's not over-padded like so many of the cases are. Instead, it's very thin and doesn't add too much to the weight or thickness of the case. %Gallery-138672% The star of the show, though, is Robot 1. He's on the front of the case emblazoned in bright primary colors. His fellow cloud-inhabitants from Robot 99 are line drawings on the brown leather background, but the entire case is just covered with the doodle-like characters. It's fun, and it's sure to get the attention of everybody. Functionality As I mentioned, the case works similarly to many of the Smart Cover / folio case mashups we've seen. I was very impressed with the build of this case, and I liked the way that the iPad 2 is held in place. There's a small slot on the top of the case into which a leather tab fits. Pull out the tab, slide in the iPad 2, and then push the tab back into the slot to hold the iPad 2 securely. That's simple, but something that a lot of folio case designers haven't figured out! Many of them use ugly and breakable elastic straps to hold things into their proper places. The inside of the case is lined with a grey felt that compliments the grey leather holding the iPad into place. It's an altogether attractive package, and would make an excellent holiday gift. Conclusion Unfortunately, we don't get to keep any of the goodies that are sent into the TUAW Labs for testing, because I would have nabbed this case in a heartbeat. When someone makes an excellent iPad 2 folio case, sells it at a decent price (especially with the 20% off fall sale right now), and then covers it with fun and colorful graphics, it's time for serious Robot 99 love.