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Roland Heersink had a problem. He wanted to use his iPad in the kitchen, but his wife vetoed any and every space-hogging countertop stand. So Roland, smart Gadget Lab reader that he is, decided to make his own. And not only did he come up with the The Original Kitchen iPad Rack. he turned it into a business.

Roland’s rack takes up precisely zero space on the countertop, instead suspending the tablet from the overhanging kitchen cupboards. The rack comes in two pieces of clear acrylic. One attaches permanently, out of view, beneath the cupboard. The other hooks onto this mount and forms a sloping or vertical stand for the iPad, keeping it handy, but out of the way of spills. When you don’t need it, just toss it into the cupboard above.

The rack will cost you $30, and should you have a big kitchen, you can choose kits with two or three mounting brackets, at $5 extra per bracket. I think Roland’s idea is pretty ingenious and, if coupled with my own low-tech waterproof iPad case, would make for an almost indestructible kitchen iPad setup.

The Original Kitchen iPad Rack [Kitchen iPad Rack. Thanks, Roland!]

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Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

After testing (and buying) far too many iPad cases, including the famous bamboo Moleskine-alike Dodocase, I finally settled on Apple’s own slimline sleeve. So good is it that I have removed it precisely once since buying it almost a month ago, and that was to show my mother the iPad inside.

Booq’s new Boa folio-style case looks a lot like Apple’s, and adds a few extras. Like the Apple case, the iPad slides into the Boa and is held with its edges enclosed, and with holes for the ports. Both cases also share a sticky-out bumper around the perimeter, although the Boa’s sits at the back, not the center. Booq’s case also folds into a stand for either typing or horizontal display using the same clever tuck-in flap as Apple.

Then things diverge. The Boa is slightly padded, which makes it thicker but more protected than Apple’s case. It also has a couple pockets: a document sleeve on the inside and an iPhone-sized pocket on the front. These, too, could add bulk. Finally, the case has a closing strap to stop it flapping open like dirty uncle Pete’s shorts and accidentally revealing the delicate object within.

For me, the Apple iPad case is pretty much perfect. I don’t care about its dirt-attracting abilities, and prefer its slimline, skin-like profile to more protective padding. But in taking the best points of the Apple case and slightly adding to them, along with using high-quality Napa leather and something called “Twylon”, the folks at Booq have come up with a nice upgrade. It isn’t cheap, though: the Boa can be had in a range of manly, neutral colors for $90, or in a ballistic nylon version for $50. Available now.

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Booq Boa product page [Booq. Thanks, Brad!]

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Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

The FridgePad is billed as the “ultimate fridge magnet”. I’d say it’s probably the ultimate anything. Think about it. Even with my obviously awesome “Waterproof, Kitchen-Proof iPad Case” (a ziploc bag), your iPad still gets in harms way in the kitchen. The FridgePad fixes this by mounting the iPad up where nature intended: on the front of the refrigerator.

Made of aluminum with a big old magnet on the back to keep it firmly stuck to the fridge, the FridgePad holds the iPad with four plastic corner clips. Once secured to the door of the smallest and coldest room in the house, you can use the iPad to play music, podcasts or audiobooks, show you recipes or, well, anything the iPad can do. The more I think about it, the more it is clear how perfect the iPad is as a kitchen computer. And if you’re really messy when you cook, you could even slip the whole rig, magnet and all, into the ziploc bag and just slap that onto the refrigerator.

The stand will cost 50 ($78) when it ships, and will be available through Amazon. There’s no word yet on a launch date, but you can sign up for email alerts on the product site. In the meantime, I have a feeling that a trip to the hardware store is in order.

FridgePad [Woodford Design via CrunchGear]

Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter..

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews