This is a quick review of my newest iPad case acquisition- the Incipio Premium Kickstand in sand/beige ($30). Made of durable ripstop nylon, this is a great case that quickly and easily converts to some great viewing angles and also into perfect typing position! Click the video above to see this case in action.
The Pink Mac
How to make your iPad 1 feel like an iPad 2
So, it’s the beginning of June, and all around you people are carrying around the newest iteration of the iPad while you are still toting the ever so clunky first generation model. Yes, you may be using last years hardware, and yes, your beginning to develop back pain from the extra weight of the iPad 1, but alas, you don’t have the extra cash to upgrade to that ever so slim sliver of aluminum and your medical insurance does not consider the upgrade a medical expense even though the .2 lb difference would mean worlds of relief for your sciatica. What to do, what to do?
Well, first of all, realize that you are not the only one in this situation, and actually, you may be ahead of the game in ways you’d never expect. After all, since you were thrifty and didn’t splurge on iPad 2, you can justify the expense of iPad 3 at next years launch! Okay, not making you feel any better? Luckily there are a few things you can do now to save yourself the money of an upgrade while also making your iPad feel shiny and new.
1. Wash your iPad head to home button
Maybe your screen is a bit dingy, or your aluminum has lost it’s sheen, but many of the superficial ailments your iPad is susceptible to can be cured with a good cleaning. Make sure to use iPad compatible cleaning solutions and cloths and also check with Apple support on proper cleaning methods before undertaking this task.
2. Give your iPad a facelift with a new case
One of the benefits of having a previous generation device is that the cases and accessories for it are usually deeply discounted. Take advantage of that fact and perk up your iPad with some new swag. Make sure to check popular sites like EBay and Amazon for even better deals as 3rd party retailers will usually give bigger discounts on last generation items to get rid of back stock. A new case and a fresh screen protector can make a big difference on an old iPad.
3. Refresh your iPad with some new content
Although you may not be able to change the physical appearance of your iPad 1 to that of an iPad 2, one thing you can change is your user experience. Splurging on a few new games, apps, books, and movies will make your iPad seem fresh and new. Find yourself some interesting new images to use as your background and lock screen to give your iPad a new look. Rearrange your apps and create a new filing system with folders to clean up your home screen. Only use your iPad for web surfing or reading? Try utilizing one of your iPad’s many other features to maximize your iPad experience.
Using any one or all of these tips will certainly add a little pep back to your old iPad, and remember, since it is an Apple device, it still has years ahead of it, so you will have to decide for yourself which price you would rather pay; the upgrade to the newest generation or the stigma of carrying around an old device.
Happy iPad-ing everyone!
{Image via Flickr}
Case In Point
Miss Trenchcoat and I love iPad cases… and by love I mean we are obsessed. At last count, we have eight cases and two body sleeves for our grand total of two iPads in the household. It is a little excessive, we know, but our cases are used for a plethora of reasons. Some are folio cases with covers to protect the screen which are perfect for when we travel, some are cases with built in stands for watching movies together, and some are minimalist back cases to keep the sleek feel of the iPad intact.
Lately I have found myself using one of those sleek cases for the past few weeks and I am loving it. But this case is special and very very different then any of the other cases we have. While The Pink Mac regularly features cases that we love, most of those cases range from the $50 – $70 range. Now these cases are amazing and have a great level of craftsmanship, however it is obviously a lot of money to invest in a case. This case I am using is different because it cost me a grand total of five dollars (tax not included). I got this case on a whim, it had a nice design, nice feel, and Miss Trenchcoat was getting a pink one so I wanted to match! It really impressed me with the simple design and how it protects the iPad. The rubber feels perfect for gripping and holding, and it surrounds the iPad totally from the back to around the front edge, so it is very hard for dirt and dust to get under the skin of the case. It doesn’t protect the front at all, but with a screen shield on I feel moderately safe leaving the iPad around on a desk or in a drawer. The upside to having no front protection is the iPad is still super thin as intended.
But the point of this article isn’t to review the case, but to remind everyone that those cheap-looking knock-off cases you find in dollar stores may actually turn out to be perfect for your needs. You don’t need to go out spending over $50 for some designer case that you spent hours online researching product reviews of – sometimes it is good to be spontaneous and give the $5 case a shot, because who knows you might end up liking it after all. And at the end of the day, the reason you buy a case for you iPad should be first and foremost: protection. So if it does the same job for less, why not give it a try?
Like New
For the last few weeks, my iPad has been acting a bit sluggish. Page turns delayed, apps were slow to open, and the touch screen was hesitant to react to my touch. I have also been having problems with syncing my iPad apps in iTunes. Trying to remove an unused app or trying to sync back on an app I had removed earlier resulted in random apps being removed and added from my iPad. My itunes and my iPad’s settings were both reporting that my ipad was close to full, no matter how many apps I removed from the device. So, this morning, I decided I should try restoring my iPad to see if that helped. I read through the process on Apple’s support site, made sure to backup the documents and images that were saved on my iPad in various programs via dropbox or if necessary, through email. Then I made sure to back up my iPad one last time before taking the plunge and restoring.
The process of restoring and updating took about half an hour in total, and once my iPad was up and running, despite the general disarray of my apps on the desktop, I found everything were it had been before the restore. All my documents were still in place, along with pictures, notes, sketches, etc. The best part was that my iPad and iTunes we’re now reporting that only half of my storage was used, where it has before claimed my iPad was at nearly full capacity.
Overall, I was very impressed with how easy it was to restore my device without loosing a bit of my stored data. I realize that whenever you undertake a restore on any device, there is a risk of loosing information, but in the case of my beloved iPad, I didn’t have to transfer back any of the files I stored in case of emergency. Now, of course, my iPad is running like new again, which is a great feeling!
Image via Flickr
Moleskine New 2011 Collection
About a week ago, Moleskine released it’s new collection of goods which included not only new versions of their popular journals, but also a travel collection consisting of laptop/work bags, a writing collection consisting of notebook attachable pens and pencils, and a reading collection featuring reading glasses and a book/ereader stand. Their new collection, geared towards the “modern day nomad” blends the elegant styling of the Moleskine brand with the digital vs analog dichotomy faced by the creative and intellectual journalist. As an avid Moleskine enthusiast, I was eager to try out a few items from the new collection and immediately ordered myself the classic rollerball pen and refill, as well as the book/ereader stand.
The Classic Rollerball Pen ($15) is a bit more expensive for it’s quality than I expected. From the images online I would have thought the pen to be a sturdy or solid feeling pen, however, it is very lightweight and feels a bit cheap. It writes effortlessly, which is a plus, but the real reason the pen may be worth its high cost is the custom metal cap that holds the pen to the hard cover of a Moleskine journal. I denote hard cover here because this pen does not seem to be meant for the thin cover of the soft Moleskine collection. However, the pen does sit very nicely on the Moleskine when attached to the hard cover, and is the length of a pocket sized Moleskine. The pen attaches nicely on both the pocket and large sized journals and stays put via rubber lining on the metal clip. Overall, the pen is a bit expensive, but I believe worth it for the convenience of having a well designed pen always attached to my Moleskine.
The E-Reader Stand ($18) is much more of a disappointment to me than the pen. It isn’t that the stand feels cheaply made, on the contrary it feels sturdy in the hand, made from a thick molded plastic with a textured finish that aims to mimic the exterior of a Moleskine. My problem with the stand is that its design is overly simplistic. When it comes to using my iPad with this stand, which is what this was clearly designed for as evident in the stock photos of the product, its very hard to do so with certain cases on the iPad. Now, the iPad in the photos are without a case, but I think that it is a bit unrealistic to create a stand without taking iPad cases into consideration. The only cases that really work with this stand are very simple hard shell type cases, and as someone who prefers the use of folio cases, I was very disappointed. The only one of my folio cases I could get to work with this stand was ironically my Moleskine inspired Portenzo case. Now, iPad cases aside, their is one other gripe I have with this stand and it is that it is also being marketed as a book stand, and in the photos Moleskine shows the stand holding up a large sized hard cover journal. I tried to get the stand to hold up my large sized journal, but it just did not work the way you see it in the pictures. Instead of holding the journal at a nice angle for reading, the journal seemed to slip through the stand. However, when I tried this trick with a pocket journal the stand did hold it up properly, and when I tested some other books, things were either hit or miss, but mostly a miss. Overall, I am very disappointed with the functionality of this stand. I purchased it because I liked the idea of a dual iPad and journal stand for work, but it is not living up to the reputation of a Moleskine product.
Email Jail
Like most bloggers, I have a separate email address for my blog correspondences. This would be my Miss.Trenchcoat at yahoo address that I keep listed on my blog and use for all sorts of websites, etc. Well, because I throw this email around all the time, it has become a sort of repository for tons of junk email, so I have gotten into the habit of just never checking it anymore for fear that it will one day explode. This morning, however, I actually went in to see the status of my inbox, flooded with spam and such, but also I discovered that I had a ton of emails from people who had written to ask me questions about my blog and videos, etc. So, I spent the morning cleaning out the inbox and replying to some very old messages that dated back to September. I just wanted to apologize to anyone who reads that may have emailed me a question and never received a response until today. I am going to make an effort to check that email more frequently to clean it out and reply to my readers questions in a timely manner. I did want to put out one idea, however, and that is, if you have a question about a blog post, for the benefit of others, perhaps it would be better to post a comment on my blog, because I always reply to those, and it would be good for others to see the question and my answer in case they were wondering the same thing. Thanks everyone!
Incase Origami Workstation for iPad
I think I have found the perfect solution for writing on the go. The Incase Origami Workstation for iPad is a simple but unique Apple Bluetooth keyboard case that folds into a stand for the iPad. Not only does it lock your keyboard in place for a secure fit, but it also allows you to use your iPad while it is in another case. I am really enjoying the simple factor about this, and also the fact that it does double duty as a case for my bluetooth keyboard. All in all, this case is a great option for those who want to turn their iPad into a mobile workstation with the help of a case/keyboard/stand solution, and for only $30, it may be one of the better deals on the market right now! (Keyboard not included!)
Gaming For Under $1 – Solipskier
Basics: Solipskier is a fast paced skiing game where you draw the slopes to pick up speed and do jumps. Paint your own cliffs, do tricks and slalom through games to get huge scores. Currently 66% off for a limited time only.
Gameplay: You place your finger on the screen and draw a line for your skier to ride along. Every hill, dip, jump, and gap is created with your hand movements. Along the way you build up speed and make jumps to build up your score. You can go through gates to increase your speed and can go through a tunnel of gates to get your speed WAY up. You have to watch out for red gates which will kill your skier and jumps where for a moment you are not allowed to draw a path. Keep going fast and jumping high to set your own high score for each run you try. There are no levels, no achievements (That really needs to be added), and no real goals – just go as long as you can and rack up as much points as possible.
Controls: Amazingly simple – you just place a finger of your right hand on the screen and start going up and down to draw out the path for your skier to go along. Think of Line Rider, but your rider is moving while you draw. One way to build up speed other than the speed gates is to make a short up and down motion to create constant rolling hills. When you do make a jump, take your finger off the screen and your skier will automatically do tricks to boost your score, just watch out for his height indicator so you can make a landing for him! You have to be careful with your path too, since if you make too sharp of an angle upward or somehow create a wall, your skier will crash into the ground. Alerts come up on the right side of the screen with a distance indicating what is coming up, such as a gate or a jump. A bit tough at first to see some of them if your hand is blocking that part of the screen, but with some time you develop your own way to notice them and the little cues they give.
Graphics and Sound: The graphics are good for this game with crisp lines and nice colors. The skier is just a white stick-man and the graphics are rather cartoony, but it works well for the game. One thing I love is when you build up speed, a very stylized rainbow shoots out your back to give you the feel of speeding along the ground. The most noticeable thing of this game is the music! A heavy guitar rock solo plays which just pumps you up to go fast and pull of big tricks. It is very cool! In addition, the music playing after you inevitably crash and die is such a somber piano solo that I felt sad for my little guy every time he passed away.
Overall: This is an awesome game! It is a perfect time waster for when you have nothing to do for 5 or 10 minutes. It’s controls are great, music is amazing, and the concept is simple and pulled off well. Get this game while it is on sale and you wont regret it. Even if you are viewing this post later and it is back at the normal sale price is $2.99, it still maybe worth it to buy this game. Although a bit of research shows me it’s been on sale “for a limited time” since December 21st, 2010 – so you may not have to worry too much of a price increase.
Cousy’s Grade: A-
Why I won’t be buying the iPad 2 but why now is the time to buy if you are still holding out
As you probably already know, tomorrow Apple begins selling their new, slimmer, sleeker, faster, dual core, dual camera iPad 2! I, like most Apple fanatics, was in awe of the new model as I watched the event online, but as an owner of a first generation iPad, I had to think long and hard about whether I wanted to shell out another $500 for the newest model, or sell my original iPad to offset the difference. Inevitably, however, I decided that the new iPad 2 was not for me because there was nothing new being offered that I would actually use.
The cameras, while a great addition, are not something I need in my tablet. I have a digital camera that also does great HD video, and a MacBook Pro with iMovie for video editing and Photo Booth for self portrait taking. What I love about my current iPad is that it does everything I need it to do when I am on the go, which means web surfing, emailing, reading, writing, and app use. I can’t say that I have been in a situation yet where I thought to myself, I could really use a camera in this iPad. That doesn’t mean others haven’t been in that situation, but it just isn’t one of my needs and it certainly doesn’t warrant me spending another half a grand at least on a new model.
My opinion of the iPad has always been thus: the device will become what you need it to become, if your willing to open your mind to it. The tremendous success of the iPad has come from the fact that various individuals have been able to use the machine to do a variety of tasks that it was probably never originally expected to do. Since I am already beyond thrilled with the tasks I am able to accomplish with my iPad, I have no use for a new model with a few extra features, and that is that!
Now, to the second part of this post, why I think anyone holding out on the iPad should take the plunge on the iPad 2. Simply put, this new model is the best its going to get in terms of features. Now that the iPad has two cameras and an even faster processor (on top of the fact that the first iPad is still pretty darn fast) there isn’t much more anyone would need that would realistically be put in future models. It’s not like next year Apple is going to install a DVD drive in the machine, thats not the direction tablets are going in. Maybe, just maybe the iPad will get a retina display, but the quality of the current screens is nothing to complain about. The iPad probably won’t get an SD card slot, because it’s not a device centered around expandable memory, but rather ‘in the cloud’ memory.
There is a laundry list of features people think they want in the iPad, but honestly, I don’t see Apple expanding much more. So for anyone who is holding out, all I have to say is to go for the iPad now, and to buy a model with the specs you may need in the future. Max out on internal memory if you think you may need it, and go for then 3G if you can afford it, because their is nothing worse than regretting your purchase and forcing yourself to upgrade sooner than you need. Apple may wish all it’s customers would upgrade their devices every year, but in reality those apple fanatics are few and far between.
Now to go back to something I mentioned earlier, my opinion of the iPad is that it is what you make of it. If you know you want an iPad or think it may be useful to you in some way or another, my best advice is to go with the iPad 2 and begin using and enjoying the device sooner rather than later. I bet you will surprise yourself with the use you get out of it once you have it in your life. It has been such a great device for myself and for so many people that I think it is worth the risk to go for it now!
Phillips Fidelio Portable Speaker Dock
If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you have probably figured out that it can sometimes take me a long time to pick between multiple options of a device or accessory that I need. In particular, I had been searching for a great iPod speaker with charging capabilities for over two years when I finally found a speaker that suited all my needs only a few months ago. I had originally wanted a Bose Sound Dock Portable Speaker, but I found the hefty price tag of $399 to be much to high for an item I knew I would not be using on a daily frequency. I wanted something cheaper, but still with a Bose like quality of sound. I also wanted something small and slim that would fit nearly anywhere I needed to put it, another issue I had with the Bose speaker as it was a bit larger than I desired.
I know there are plenty of iPod speaker docks out on the market, but sifting through the designs and reviews I never found a quality item that suited my exact needs. Plenty of docks worked well enough but incorporated some design element I did not want, like an alarm clock or a radio feature, both of which I was desperately trying to avoid. I just wanted a small dedicated iPod speaker and finally, I found my precise match in the Phillips Fidelio DS7550 Portable Speaker Dock. At $129.95, the Fidelio was highly rated with an excellent sound quality that has been compared to that of a Bose system time after time. It’s portable slim frame, rechargeable battery, and charging dock capabilities were exactly what I wanted and look excellent paired with my first generation iPod touch that remains permanently docked to the unit. To make matters even better, the Fidelio line of products has a free dedicated App to help manage your playlists which I have downloaded to my iTouch and find very useful.
My overall opinion of this speaker is that is an unbelievable deal at nearly 1/3rd the price of the Bose portable dock, but with a full array of functionality, superb sound quality, and a great volume range that fills my entire apartment. Although it took me years to find it, it was certainly worth the wait!