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While Speck's PixelSkin HD Wrap for iPad 2 hasn't hit the market yet, it seems like an excellent alternative to Apple's Smart Cover. Why? Well, because it protects both the front and back of your iPad 2 yet offers similar design features to the Apple case and all its folding fun.

Apple's Smart Cover costs $39 for the basic version and $69 for the swankier leather version, whereas the PixelSkin HD Wrap costs $49.95. As we said, the only problem is that it isn't shipping yet--and it may be a month before it does. … Read more

With the iPad 2 hitting stores today, you'd think M-Edge would be talking up its upcoming iPad 2 covers, but instead it's announced new accessories for Barnes & Noble's Nook Color e-reader.

The company says it took some of its most popular cases and updated them for the Nook Color. These include the Executive, Go, Latitude, and Trip jackets, as well as sleeves and bookstands.

Prices range from $34.99 to $44.99 for the covers, while the FlexStand Bookstand is $24.99. To check out the full M-Edge Nook Color line, go here. Some products are … Read more

If you own an e-ink-based e-reader, you've probably considered a book light. And M-Edge, which makes lots of covers for e-readers, now has a more compact and fancier successor to its popular e-Luminator book light. This one's called the e-Luminator Touch because--you guessed it--it has a touch-activated power button.

The $19.99 accessory, which is compatible with all of M-Edge's "jackets" for the Kindle, Nook, and Kobo e-readers, has a couple other new features, including a sleep timer (it automatically turns the light off after 60 minutes of inactivity), three light-intensity settings, and a paperclip-style … Read more

I haven't even decided if I'm getting an iPad 2, but at least I can say I've seen a case for one.

Targus' 360-degree Rotating Stand, which arrived at my desk early this morning, boasts "iPad second-generation" support right on the box. The rear plastic cradle has appropriate cut-outs for the larger speaker, as well as the rear camera lens.

And, no, it's not backward-compatible: I tried popping my more portly first-gen iPad into the housing, and it fit about as well as my high school jeans. The curved edges look more like the … Read more

The ubiquitous and controversial Demand Media has acquired CoverItLive, a live-blogging tool that lots of publishers--including CNET--use for hosting live chat events and covering news in real time.

Demand Media, which grew extraordinarily fast and recently went public, is best known as a freelancer clearinghouse for the production of search-engine-friendly content on sites like eHow (how-to tutorials) and Livestrong.com (health advice). The company has been hit with allegations that the majority of its content is cheap, low-quality, and pollutes search results--that is, that it's a "content farm"--something it understandably denies.

CoverItLive, typically used to quickly … Read more

Somehow, freaky sci-fi movies don't seem to be favored by Oscar voters.

However, I think I may have found some subject matter that Peter Guber, the great Golden State Warriors owner and producer of "The Kids Are Alright," might want to get a budget behind.

Apparently, the United States already knows quite a lot about UFO technology. Apparently, there are secret "black ops" installations somewhere in--oh, I'm guessing Arizona--where new forms of energy have been created using technology that has been gleaned from those up there, rather than us down here.

Please, you know … Read more

For those who haven't heard of WaterField, it's a San Francisco company founded by a former Boston bike messenger and professed "bagophile." The company takes pride in the fact that its bags are made in San Francisco, "where rent is high, labor is expensive and competition is intense," and made a bit of a name for itself with with its Cargo Bag. However, more recently it's branched into a lot of gadget categories, including the iPad and Kindle.

While its products aren't inexpensive, they are some of the swankier, well-built gadget cases … Read more

With the Nook Color selling very well during the holidays, we're starting to see more accessory manufacturers get in on the Nook action. Case in point: JavoEdge, which makes some of our favorite iPad covers, has expanded its line of Nook covers.

The one we're highlighting is the Editor Flip Style case (it has a built-in kickstand), but there's also the Book Editor Style case, as well as a couple other models that have more floral patterns. They all cost $34.95.

iTunes is a database application that stores, sorts, and plays media, and like any database, the more organized it is, the more powerful it can be. Find out how to get your songs organized for more efficient playback in iTunes and on your iOS devices.

I'm sure we've all been there. We're rifling through our iTunes Library in Cover Flow view looking for the perfect album to jam out to while finally doing the dishes when we see the same album art show up for the same artist as if it's two different records. In other … Read more