case

Ahead of the iPad mini landing this Friday in the hands of those who pre-ordered, the Smart Cover for the iPad mini has been delivered to a number of customers already. Apple made the covers available to customers last Friday for $39—available in red, dark gray, light gray, pink, green, and blue.

The Smart Cover attaches magnetically to the side of the iPad and folds over to cover the front. It can be folded three times for different viewing angles. Check out our review of the 10-inch version.

For those who pre-ordered, the iPad mini is currently on track to be delivered this Friday. What a tease…

Thanks, MN_Kid!

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Well-known accessory maker ZAGG has unveiled its lineup of cases for the new iPad Mini that ships Nov. 2, including two new keyboard cases for those looking for a mix of protection and easier typing with a keyboard.

The first is the ZAGGkeys Mini 7 priced at $89.99 for those looking for a folio case design and a Bluetooth keyboard. ZAGG said the case has an “intuitive built-in stand to hold the tablet an ideal viewing angle” that makes typing easier. Additionally, ZAGG announced the ZAGGkeys Mini 9 priced at $89.99. It features the same casing as the Mini 7, but it has an upgraded keyboard that offers more space. There are “dedicated function keys” and “island-style keys engineered to provide 90% of the space of a traditional keyboard” for people who have larger hands.

Ships in weeks.

Check out another screenshot:

We recently reviewed one of our favorite keyboard solutions for the iPad, Logitech’s Ultrathin iPad Keyboard Cover. However, we have seen a few new competitors since then. Most notably: ZAGG’s new KeysPRO line, which we were able to get our hands on at IFA last month. The ZAGGKeys PRO caught our eye with its backlit keys, rugged build quality and battery life of up to three weeks at eight hours a day. It has potential to become the go-to iPad keyboard when it goes on sale at the end of the month (full review on the way), but one keyboard recently released already has it beat, at the very least, on battery life…

Logitech’s new Solar Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 and 3 comes with one impressive claim: the ability to type for two hours a day for two years on a full charge…even in the dark. That claim combined with a solid Logitech keyboard similar to what we’re used to from the company’s past iPad products, we essentially get solar power and a folio-style case added to the Ultrathin Keyboard cover for an extra $30.

I have had long enough since its release to put it to the test and have a couple of thoughts:

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Adding to TiPb’s AT&T store inventory report from earlier this week (above), BGR has posted an image (below) of Case-Mate’s apparent iPhone 5 cases listed in AT&T’s inventory system. The leak comes before Apple’s announcement of the iPhone 5 and/or iPhone 4S Tuesday.

MacRumors mentions three different iPhone 5 case designs listed in AT&T’s inventory system, the Barely There, Pop!, and Tough cases, so an iPhone 5 could make sense. Next Tuesday is sure to be a big event, but in the meantime read what we know about Apple’s newest iPhone.

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Well known iOS accessory maker Griffin Technology just announced the TechSafe Case for iPad 2, a protective polycarbonate case equipped with a 4-digit combination-lock and cable  system for tethering the device to an anchor point.

“The TechSafe Case is the ideal solution to protect your iPad 2 while on the go,” said Matt Brown, Director of Category Management at Griffin Technology. “It takes only a few seconds to lock down your iPad, and it removes any opportunity for theft.” 

Much like the Kensington SecureBack Security Cases we told you about a couple weeks back, the TechSafe Case is of course best suited for schools, offices, and other public settings where potential theft or damage is a concern. The design is a little more subtle than the SecureBack case, and at first glance seems like it would be more secure.

The case also has the typical foldout stands, one for “typing and tapping”, and the other for viewing content in landscape orientation. You also have easy access to the 30-pin connector, volume rocker, and power and home buttons. Griffin will even store your 4-digit code on their website in case you forget it.

You can grab the Griffin TechSafe Case for $79.99 on Amazon. The price is comparable to Kensington’s SecureBack case which goes for $79-$89. More images after the break.

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Let’s not pretend that Apple isn’t thinking about Solar charging its iOS devices.  It even registered iPodsolar.com in 2007.  Until the solar iPod is released, however, there are other ways to charge your iOS device from the sun.

Etón today announced the availability of their Mobius NSP300B Rechargeable Battery Case for iPhone 4, which was originally announced this year at CES.

The admittedly stylish (for having a solar panel strapped to it, that is) case packs in an 1800 mAh rechargeable lithium ion battery, high-efficiency monocrystal solar panel, and micro USB to charge the battery on cloudy days and nights. Other features include LED charge indicator lights and a stand by switch to turn off direct power transfer. In other words, hitting the stand by switch will let you to collect power without using it, allowing you to control when the case is actually powering your iPhone.

As you can see from the chart below, Etón estimates approximately 1 hour of solar charge will provide you with up to an additional 25 minutes talk time, 20 minutes of data usage (3G), 35 minutes of video playback, or 145 minutes of audio playback. In comparison, a fully charged case will provide you with an additional 5 hours talk time, 8 hours data usage and video playback, and 32 hours audio playback.

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Not to be confused with yesterday’s story of an iPhone 5 prototype potentially being lost in the wild, today CNET reports that two men involved in last year’s high profile case of the lost iPhone 4 prototype purchased by Gizmodo have pled not guilty.

This comes after the court decided to not file charges against Gizmodo and instead file misdemeanours against the two men, Brian Hogan (pictured above) and Robert Sage Wallower, suspected of finding and selling the device.

Hogan, the man who allegedly obtained the prototype iPhone in a bar last year has plead not guiltily, along with Robert Sage Wallower, who is charged with possessing stolen property in the case, in front of Judge Jonathan Karesh this morning. Pretrial is slated for October 11.

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