iPad App and Accessory Parents Will Love

For all you parents driving a minivan full of kids on vacation I’ve found a great solution for highway boredom for the kids. Of course, you can play movies all the way to the beach but you may prefer this iPad accessory which is educational and entertaining. Crayola and Griffin Technology have teamed up to solve this problem together with this iPad app plus iPad accessory. It’s called the Crayola ColorStudio HD iPad app which turns your iPad tablet into digital drawing canvas. (Video demo below the break) 
The Crayola brand has been a family favorite for years along with the technology over at Griffin make this a nice combo. Combining this iPad app along with a special marker pen stylus called the iMarker introduces a new iPad art experience for all your children. Your children will be engaged in coloring in images with the iMarker stylus to create their own fun animations and drawings. We really liked how this iPad app can respond while your Continue reading

Scribbly iPad accessory taking pre-orders

Ok. Everybody already know’s how amazing and revolutionary the iPad tablet and it’s ecosystem are. The tactile gestures of tapping, swiping and pinching the touch interface have changed computing forever. However, sometimes I want to interface with the iPad using a stylus. I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining but my fingers are not always fit to accomplish some of these daily tasks on my iPad tablet screen. I thought sooner or later Apple would come out with some sort of a awesome stylus for the iPad 2 but Scribbly has beat them to it. The new marker themed stylus from Scribbly looks almost just like a white board marker, but when it meets the touch screen glass of the iPad, it acts as if they shood have been sold together like the Smart Cover. Just when you thought things on the iPad couldn’t be more immersive, they do. (video demo after break) Continue reading

iPad 2 Keyboard and Case by ClamCase

Do you keep looking at your elegant new iPad 2 and wishing for more protection and a keyboard? We found a nice solution from ClamCase that may work for you.
The ClamCase is a clever little product which basically makes an iPad 2 look and feel a bit a Macbook and takes care of your needs for a case, stand and Bluetooth keyboard all packaged together.
Of course, the Clamcase has been out and tested with iPad first-generation for some time so by now they’ve worked out any issues in time for iPad 2. It has been redesigned to expose the back camera and built-in iPad 2 speakers as well as integrated magnets which will let your iPad 2 know whether your iPad 2 case is open or closed.

As the Bluetooth keyboard is concerned, the iPad 2 case by ClamCase has wireless connectivity via Bluetooth with Easy Sync, a proprietary standard that connects the keyboard automatically once you wake up your iPad 2. Clamcase claims that the keyboard battery will keep it’s charge for up 100 days in standby.

Or course, this is not the first product of this kind. Zaggmate case is another competitor and a much better product line and company. ClamCase is different in one big way with their keyboard for iPad 2. It is a patented 360 degrees rotating hinge which allows you to fold the ClamCase bluetooth keyboard onto the back of the iPad 2 as well as the front opening for a notebook pc feel. The ClamCase is at $149.00.

UPDATE: We’ve heard of some complaints with this company in terms of customer service. We also experienced very slow response time  and “lost tickets” support system. It took multiple emails just to get a response which was from untrained customer support representatives. We don’t recommend Clamcase for this reason and think their product is not worthy of the premium price tag.

Review: iPad 2 Case by XGear

We all love the sleek design of both the iPad 2 and the Smart Cover. What Apple seems to imply with their Smart Cover is that the back of the iPad 2 device can go unprotected. Not all of us are comfortable with that because we dropped our iPad 1st generation and saw the damage. A friend of mine dropped his iPad and bent it pretty good while it was covered in a full case. So if you are like me you might wish that the innovative Smart Cover offered more rear protection in an iPad 2 case. XGear is a case maker and has a come up with a new iPad 2 case design that works along with the Apple Smart Cover. It is called XGear Smart Cover enhancer and the name gives it away in that it compliments the Smart Cover. Basically, XGear took the Apple design concept a little further so as to offer more protection on the back of the device. They kept in step with Apple be creating a thin and low profile design for this iPad 2 case. We like this idea and it is quick and easy to install with your iPad 2 without giving up any of the features that the Apple Smart cover offers. The XGear ipad 2 case comes in black and clear colors and the best price we could find was on Amazon for $16.60.  (See video demo below the fold) Continue reading

Best iPad 2 waterproof cases

It’s vacation time here in the U.S. which means lots of people are heading to the beach and the lake. With all this vacation water activity it is inevitable that the iPad 2and water will come into contact with each other. If you are like most everyone that has an iPad 2 you tend to take it everywhere you go. So if you want to sit in the pool, surf, water ski or snorkel you can take your iPad 2 along with our recommended waterproof iPad 2 cases and be water tight. We are going to look at what we think are the two best iPad 2 waterproof cases by Aquapac and Overboard. There were a few honorable mentions but these two best iPad 2 case makers can stand up to water torture and protect your device. First off, let me point out that there are plenty of iPad 2 case makers that are water resistant but our picks are the best iPad 2 case makers claim to be 100% waterproof. Both of these iPad 2 waterproof cases are solid choices. One of our favorite features on both of these iPad 2 waterproof cases is that you have a clear window that allows you to use  touch screen of your iPad 2 underwater. Also both of them float. So if you are boating and your iPad 2 goes overboard you can circle back and find it floating on the lakes surface. This will give all boaters a bit more peace of mind when letting the kids play with your iPad while out on the lake or at the dock.  There are video demos of both iPad 2 cases below the fold.

Overboard iPad 2 waterproof case. Overboard is a serious case manufacturer for a number of outdoor case products. We like the slide seal system that they use for the iPad 2. This iPad 2 case is submersible for up to 19 feet so you can’t really go deep water diving with this but you could go to bottom of the pool and surf the web with your Wi-Fi connection (just kidding there but do leave a comment if you find it works). The Overboard waterproof system works by moving the four sliders to the closed position on the pouch and as you can see in the video below the iPad is fully protected.  We also like the ability to add a strap for carrying your iPad 2 over the shoulder. When lugging all your gear to the beach straps are essential. Nice extra padding on the back of this iPad 2 case. Available at Amazon for $49.99

Aquapac iPad 2 waterproof case. The Aquapac iPad 2 case give you great protection from water, dust, dirt, and sand.  The Aquapac  uses ultra-secure injection-moulded plastic seals and has high-frequency welded seams to ensure against leakage or gritty sand slipping inside. The Aquapac is considered to be one of the leading iPad 2 case makers and  we find them to have a very practical design for outdoor iPad users.  The Aquapac iPad 2 case has some attractive features like a shoulder strap that can be detached when not needed. The case also floats on water and each corner has grommet holes to allow the iPad owner to secure the case to your backpack, Continue reading