Menu

ipad

Belkin Dot Cover No More?

, , ,

My experiences with Belkin cases have been good thus far, so I went with another one. This time, I got a Belkin Dot cover with stand for my Dwellable iPad Mini. But now, looking on Belkin’s web site, I don’t see this case offered. I guess it’s no more. Still though, it’s more than a decent case.

The Dot cover is not too heavy but provides sufficient protection to the front and back of your iPad Mini. For awhile, I doubted the magnetic auto-wake trigger of this case, but it is there. Open the cover, and the Mini awakens. The magnetic clasp not only keeps the cover securely closed but strengthens the cover’s structure when open for viewing. I like the overall feel of the cover’s material, providing enough grippy texture.

There are two minuses with this case though small. The stand only works in landscape orientation. If you want to stand up the Mini in portait orientation, you’re going to have to lean it on something. I’ve seen other cases where the iPad can swivel in the stand, but with the low profile of this case, this feature isn’t offered. Secondly, I can’t easily adjust the volume buttons or mute switch. There’s just not enough space for my finger to fit in the recess of the case. No biggie, just humbug.

For the overall cost of the Belkin Dot case, I can’t complain with what I got.

Contest: Win an iPad from Farmers Hawaii

, , , , ,

Win an iPad? Then surely, this contest can’t be from the limited coffers of Pulpconnection! But yes, you can win a free iPad from Farmers Hawaii in their traffic safety karaoke contest.

Starting today until the end of July, singers, crooners, and American Idol-wannabes can sing along to Jake Shimabukuro’s original creation, Slow Down, and submit their renditions. One winner will receive Apple’s latest iPad, and a fan favorite, as voted by you the people, will win $200 in gas.

For you alpha types, be one of the first five to submit your entry and get a $25 gas card just like that. For all other entrants, you’ll get a copy of Jake’s latest, Peace Love Ukulele.

To enter and to read the official rules, jam on over to http://www.myfarmershawaii.com/karaoke.

Are you ready? Warm up them pipes and sample your challenge.

Can you beat this sample? This ain’t me, I swear.

Good luck!

dock-dojobber1

What’s This Dock Dojobber?

, , ,

Was given this dojobber but don’t know what it is. It’s like a rubbery lanyard with a iPhone/iPad dock connector on the end. It can’t be a lanyard since it’s kinda short. Could be a tether of some sort for your iPhone, but I wouldn’t risk securing my iPhone (or iPad) solely by the dock. If that breaks, you might as well get a new device.

Oh, and it’s branded from Panya Bakery which doesn’t help solve the mystery. Any ideas?

More Netbook Notes

, ,

After recent extended use of my Hackintosh netbook, here are more observations.

Battery life is phenomenal! Even with constant writes to the hard drive and wifi connectivity, battery performance has been great. I charge the Dell Mini 10v out of convenience, not from necessity.

Portability. Yes, the netbook form factor really entices you to use this computer just about anywhere. Small, light, and self contained, I’ve moved my 10v more often than my MacBook Pro.

The screen is too small. So Apple’s iApps want a minimal screen size to work optimally, and I understand why. Even at 1024×600 pixels, the netbook screen is much, much too small. iLife barely works due to the screen real estate, but everything else also suffers from a small display. The overall experience of web surfing, creating blog content, and viewing pictures is just not enjoyable on a 10-in screen.

Performance is pokey. But I already knew that going in and just have to be patient. Even short video clips are painfully slow to edit.

I do see how Apple’s iPad is definitely a threat to the netbook market. Although limited in the sense that an iPad is not a full desktop machine, really, neither is a netbook. Sure a netbook looks like a typical computer, but there are shortcomings in expectations. With a tablet-shaped iPad, you know things will be different so your expectations are different.

I’ll reserve final judgment on netbooks since I haven’t had the opportunity to use an iPad for a prolonged time. But I’d say I’m not convinced netbooks are the way to go.

In the World of eBook Readers…

What’s going on in the world of eBook readers today?

April 30 featured the release of the 3G version of the iPad where there were lines (again) at Apple Stores.

And the Barnes & Noble Nook is also now in stock.

Time Magazine Reviews the iPad

,

This week’s Time magazine features great, well-written articles about Steve Jobs and the introduction of the iPad.  I love these two quotes:

Once upon a time, there was a very rich, very clever man. He got up on a big stage and held up a new kind of computer. It was flat, and it didn’t have a keyboard. This very rich, very clever man then tried to convince a bunch of reporters that in five years this flat, keyboardless computer would be the most popular kind of computer in the country. Some of them even believed him.

The year was 2000. The man’s name was Bill Gates.

One of the things that makes Apple unique is that it never holds focus groups. It doesn’t ask people what they want; it tells them what they’re going to want next.

Give the articles a read even if you’re not an iPad fanboy.

Contrasting Views of the iPad

Here are two contrasting views of Apple’s new iPad, the review from Engadget:

The buyer of an iPad is one of two people, the first is someone who sees not just the present, but the potential of a product like the iPad… and believes in and is excited about that potential. This is also a person who can afford what amounts to a luxury item. The second is an individual who simply doesn’t need to get that much work done, and would prefer their computing experience to be easier, faster, and simpler

and this one:

Rawr

Load More