cases

PopSlate case adds second screen to iPhone 5

Look at your smartphone case. If it's plastic or rubber, it's way behind the times, man. You might agree with that sentiment after seeing PopSlate, an innovative iPhone 5 case with a rear 4-inch e-ink screen currently making waves on Indiegogo.

True to its name, PopSlate offers a customizable slate -- sort of like a second screen -- that enables the owner to display any picture(s) on the iPhone as a black and white image on the back of the phone case. To change images, owners can tap the back of the phone twice, or alter a pic through the related PopSlate app. … Read more

Crave giveaway: Element Case Sector 5 for iPhone, Joule II for iPad

Congrats to Jamie M. of Portland, Ore., for winning a Vinci Tab II Android tablet for kids in last week's giveaway. Now, down to business: Could your iPhone 5 use a new outfit to wear to all those holiday shindigs? You're hanging out in the right place.

We're giving away a Sector 5 from Element Case, which calls the accessory the "most extreme case" it's ever created. To be clear, the black-and-graphite case can't promise to save your iPhone 5's life in a BASE jump, but it is made from lightweight aerospace-grade … Read more

Play your music through an FM station with the FM Transmitter Case

FM Transmitter Case is an app that allows you to play music from your iPhone or iPad over any FM frequency, for use in your car or home. You can access your full music library on your mobile device, sending it through an FM transmitter to any FM radio.

The FM Transmitter Case interface is clean. It shows a rotary dial with FM frequencies displayed on it, as well as a digital readout in the center. There's a set of buttons at the bottom for favorite FM frequency presets, as well as control for your music streaming. However, to … Read more

Steve Case: America must 'double down on entrepreneurs' (Q&A)

Steve Case, who made his vast fortune as the co-founder of America Online, wants to help America's startup scene flourish. Not the scene in Silicon Valley, but in all the pockets between there and the East Coast -- what he calls the "rise of the rest." Cities like Cleveland, Memphis and Detroit. Through his Washington, D.C-based firm, Revolution, Case has invested in about 25 non-Valley startups, including LivingSocial and the now-public Zipcar.

That mission plays into his big cause at the moment, pushing to reform America's high-skilled immigration system so that the country keeps and … Read more

Edible iPhone case melts in your mouth, not on your phone

I'm not entirely sure what's going on with the Survival Senbei edible iPhone 5 case, but I'll do my best to sort it out despite a limited translation. The case looks suspiciously like a Rice Krispies treat wrapped around a phone, except it's made with a brown rice senbai cracker substance.

It seems you stick the case on your iPhone 5 and wait until you get so dangerously hungry that you're willing to eat a case that has been mixing with your greasy fingerprints and pocket lint. Yum.… Read more

Coyote Case: Because your iPhone needs a piercing siren

I never expected to see an iPhone combined with pepper spray or a taser, and, yet, those cases do exist. I therefore shouldn't be so surprised to see an iPhone combined with an ear-bleeding security siren.

The Coyote Case is raising funds on Indiegogo. The case itself looks innocuous enough. You can even get it in pink. What you don't expect on first glance is the over-100-decibel siren built into it.… Read more

Best iPad Mini cases and covers

The iPad Mini isn't so new anymore, but new cases for it continue to arrive.

For now, anyway, a lot of case manufacturers have simply shrunken down the cases and covers they made for the standard-size iPad, which is now up to the fourth generation.

What's the best one? Very hard to say. The problem is that everybody has different tastes in cases. And, of course, some folks choose not to bother with them at all.

In doing this roundup I've tried to present a good selection of products, highlighting some of the top cases that have … Read more

Speck marks Halloween with three iPhone 5 cases

I can't say I'm that into Halloween that I'd buy a special Halloween iPhone case. But I guess there are enough people who are, because otherwise Speck wouldn't bother selling them.

The company has three "spooky" cases to choose from and I think the one with the skull on it (pictured above) probably has the most year-round appeal. I only mention that because these cases do retail for $34.95, which seems a bit steep for a case you'd have on your phone for only a few weeks.

But then again, there are … Read more

First iPad Mini case arrives

Once again risking the wrath of Apple, HardCandy Cases has announced an iPad Mini case in advance of Apple's press conference today. Apple typically doesn't like when other companies trot out accessories ahead of its hardware unveils, so HardCandy clearly feels the publicity benefits outweigh the repercussions.

The $49.95 case is in HardCandy's ShockDrop line, and while rumors and leaked photos strongly suggest Apple will debut a smaller iPad today, it's unclear what it will be called or whether HardCandy's new case will fit whatever Apple product is introduced.

This is not the first … Read more

Clumsy Case protects your iPad from clumsy kids

Kids and iPads go together like chocolate and peanut butter. Unfortunately, kids are often covered in chocolate and peanut butter, meaning your very expensive tablet may end up the same way.

Likewise, rugrats don't have the best motor skills, so there's a good chance your very expensive tablet will go crashing to the floor on more than one occasion.

A good case can help, but most of them offer only basic protection -- not the kind of heavy-duty armor that can thwart a toddler. For that, check out the Clumsy Case.

Wrapping the iPad in soft foam, the … Read more