Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on May 4, 2011
Gadget Lab Reader Makes iPad Kitchen Stand, Starts Business
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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
This post was written by Journalist on December 17, 2010
Booq Boa iPad Sleeve, Like an Upgrade to Apple’s Own
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!]
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on September 30, 2010
“No More, No Less” Faucet Precisely Pre-measures Water Output
No More No Less Faucet by Jasper Hou. Image via Yanko Design.
This high-tech faucet solves two problems, both for you and for the environment. First, no more wasting water down the drain because you forgot to shut off the tap. Second, no more time wasted fishing around your cabinets for a measuring cup.
The designer, Japser Hou, built the faucet with a simple controller that shuts itself down after a certain amount of water passes through it. Technically, it doesn’t measure volume but time = you enter the desired amount of water, and the tap will shut itself down after the number of seconds it takes the tap at full blast to pump that much water. Finally, there’s a built-in auto-shutoff, to turn the tap off after 30 seconds. Could be inconvenient if you’re trying to fill the entire sink to soak dishes, but if you’re anything like me, compared to leaving the tap on and walking away, that’s a relatively rare scenario.
It’s also quite elegant. You control how much water you want by twisting a simple knob. An LCD screen displays your setting, along with water temperature and total water outflow (kind of like a built-in odometer). This last part blows my mind: there’s no electricity or batteries. The LCD screen is powered by the water flowing through the tap. Like your very own river mill or hydroelectric dam, right in your kitchen!
A Quantitative Tap [Yanko Design] (Sadly no pricing or purchasing info available)
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on September 23, 2010
Modular iPad Case Lets You Tweet From Your Kegerator
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The guys behind the new modulR line of iPad cases have a clever idea: Let one case take on multiple identities through a variety of add-ons.
The basic case is a hard plastic shell that protects the iPad in use. Its rubberized edges grip the tablet securely, while little “nubs” on the back give your hand something more to grip onto than the iPad’s normally slick exterior. They also help raise the device off the table so it’s a little easier to pick up.
When traveling, you can clip on a hard plastic face plate that protects the iPad’s screen.
At your desk? Slide the case into an L-shaped metal bracket, which has slots that the case’s rear nubs lock into.
Those same slots appear on modulR’s “slim case,” which lets you mount your iPad on the wall — or, with the addition of a handful of powerful neodymium magnets, a refrigerator. In fact, this is the first refrigerator mount we’ve seen for the iPad in the Gadget Lab. It works with most old-school fridges, but if you’ve got a fancier wood-paneled or stainless steel refrigerator, you’re out of luck. (Stainless steel isn’t magnetic.)
We used it to display our favorite websites and recent tweets on the face of Beer Robot, our office kegerator.
You might be nervous about the effect of those powerful magnets on the iPad’s internals. While modulR couldn’t offer us a blanket assurance, they did say that they expected no problems — and we saw none during our tests. Perhaps if the iPad had a spinning disk inside instead of solid state storage, the proximity of magnets might be a bigger problem.
One down side is weight. The case is substantial, which provides protection, but it also adds 5.8 ounces to the iPad’s weight (10.2 ounces with the cover on). That may not sound like much, but it’s a noticeable addition to a gadget that weighs just 1.5 pounds to begin with.
The other is price: modulR sells a bundle that includes the case, cover, stand, and the slim mount for $100. The case and cover alone are $60.
Still, it’s a substantial, solid case and the only one we know of that allows fridge mounting. If that’s what you’re looking for, the modulR case is a good choice.
modulR iPad Case (product website)
Photos: Jon Snyder / Wired.com
Follow us for real-time tech news: Dylan Tweney and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on September 8, 2010
Genius: FridgePad Turns iPad into Giant Fridge-Magnet
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
This post was written by Journalist on July 30, 2010
Wooden iPad Stand Doubles as Kitchen Accessory
Wired.com New York Bureau Chief John C Abell and I are engaged in the hunt for the perfect iPad stand. Mr. Abell, you may remember, got all creative and hacked together a shallow-angled typing stand from a pair of Home Depot door stops. I don’t type enough on the iPad to need that, so I currently use a perspex business card stand.
The Wooden Desktop Cradle for iPad looks like it may serve both our needs. The block of heavy wood is a simple slab with a pair of slots routed out. One slot will hold the iPad at 45 for typing and desktop use, the other at 18 for use as a photo-frame or movie-stand.
I’d be a little worried using such a thing when typing: The iPad is held along a single edge, and tapping away on the keyboard would turn it into a lever with startling glass-bending powers. For watching movies, though, it looks near-ideal. I have recently repurposed a Kradle Kindle stand, a very similar design (one which I called the Worlds Ugliest Accessory) as the perfect in-bed iPad holder. Its large footprint makes it stable on a soft mattress, and like this wooden cradle it is flat, making storage and transport easy. Better still, flip it over and you have yourself an instant picnic chopping board. $18, available now.
Wooden Desktop Cradle for iPad [USB Fever]
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on July 15, 2010
