Grab Your iPad at Sam’s Club

Reported by 9to5Mac tonight, iPads are starting to show up in Sam’s Clubs in the U.S. at (slightly) discounted prices (about $12 for WiFi and $20 for 3G). Scoff you might, but like having iPads in Walmart and Target, Sam’s Clubs are place where thousands of people shop for “regular” stuff.  Do I check out Costco for deals on gifts? You bet I do (no Sam’s Clubs in Canada yet). Sometimes warehouse stores are great places to pick up electronics. I bought my last TV there and often check the deals on hard drives.

If there is any question of whether or not the iPad is a mainstream tech item like the iPod is, this is the final answer: damn straight it is.

Oh and for the Costco faithful out there, yeah they got snubbed by Apple . So no warehouse iPads in Canada. Ah well, I’ll have to pick up something else with my giant-sized bags of chips, burritos and pasta sauce.

6 sleek-looking gadgets for the iPhone, iPad and iPod

Beauty and elegance are two common characteristics of Apple products so why not compliment them with equally gorgeous accessories.  We’ve rounded up six iPhone, iPad and iPod gadgets that excel in the area design.

A groovy audio system from iHomeaudio enables iPod users to light-up the gadget in various colours, and it uses two Reson8 speakers and a subwoofer. This audio cube looks neat with the lights out, and offers numerous options for illuminating your tracks. Users can set one colour or select from different modes that bring an array of colours. The iH15 LED cube is $59.99, supports aux-in jacks (computer, CD player) and comes in at just under 6” on all sides.

Skullcandy is known for its funky cool designs of headphones. There’s a wide variety of styles available at the site but these are by far my personal favourite . The design sports soft leather ear pillows and a 1.2 meter nylon braided cord. The headphones have 50mm speakers (diameter), a gold plated 3.5mm plug, a 18-20k Hz frequency response and, enhanced parabolic sound. But, best of all you’ll look seriously hip sporting them. You can grab a pair for $49.95 at Skullcandy’s site.

Speaker Diameter: 50mm Frequency Response: 18-20k Hz Impedance: 32 ohms Max Input Power: 100mW

This artsy-looking stand called the Stabile elevates the iPad making it ideal for watching media with a group of friends. The Stabile’s ultra-modern design comes in a few flavours including a silver version that matches Apple keyboards. It’s two and a half times heavier than the iPad and has non-skid feet, both features that keep the iPad in place and from toppling over. It works with or without a case and holds the iPad in both landscape and portrait modes. Additionally, the stand was created with 4 Lbs of solid steel and retails for $49.99 at Tought Out’s site.

Soundfreaq’s chic sound platform supports four alternative ways to jam. Music can be played from the device over Bluetooth or while in the iPod dock. It’s also equipped with an FM radio and an aux in jack which enables devices such as a CD player or computer to be plugged in. From the iPod, iPhone or iPad, music can be streamed and controlled from Soundfreaq’s iOS application which acts as a remote for the gadget. The iPod, iPod touch and iPhone will receive a charge while docked on the base of the system.

This system works with a wide variety of iOS devices including the iPod nano, classic, mini, touch, and all versions of the iPhone. Soundfreaq has engineered its device to offer clarity through two 2.75” speakers and dual chamber ports, a feature that controls the air flow avoiding reverberation that degrades sound quality. Its speaker drivers have also been designed to throw the audio at a longer range. The result ends in deeper and smoother sounding waves. The size is 11.8″ width, 5.9″ height, 6.0″ depth and has a price tag of 199.99

The Wallee transforms any wall into a high-tech space through the use of a mount that showcases and secures the iPad to flat surfaces.  It’s simple, basic and a cool way to use and store the iPad. If I could, I’d have an iPad in every room but, if I had to choose one place for the Wallee, it would definitely be the kitchen. There’s a vast array of iPad apps for cooking. The only problem is.. where do you put the iPad? In fear of an inevitable spill, while rawking out a recipe, I generally keep the iPad no where near the food causing me to run back and forth from my kitchen table to my counter.

It works by putting the iPad into a hard case which supports slots so as it will fit into the wall mount. To remove the iPad from the wall, the user slips the iPad (case and all) from the mount that remains on the wall. And, best of all, customers can purchase additional mounts for $10 so you can affordably add Wallee to your main living spaces. This iPad wall mount comes in five colours including black, silver and blue and costs $49.99 at Wallee’s site. The extra mounts can be used with the original case included in the case-mount package for $49.99.

Zagg’s Zaggmate case with keyboard turns your iPad into a fashionable and functional laptop. The iPad, acting as just the screen, plugs into the aluminum case that works with an embedded tactile wireless keyboard. Users can adjust the iPad to view in both portrait and landscape modes through the use of hinge, a tool that also brings a solution for tweaking the typing angles. It’s powered by a microUSB charger included in the box and uses a 510 mAh rechargeable lithium polymer battery. All in all, if you’re using the iPad to write, the native keyboard offered within the iPad likely won’t cut it.

This gadget retails for $99.99, a small price to pay for something that may eliminate the need to purchase a laptop or notebook. It weighs in at 7 ounces and its exterior, aside from the black keyboard, matches the finish of the iPad making it a very sleek-looking device.

Android Wear may soon be renamed ‘Wear OS’

In a post published over the weekend, Redditor H3x0n pointed to a new name and logo for Google’s Android Wear platform as they set up a smartwatch for use with their phone – which leads us to believe that the company may soon rebrand it with the label ‘Wear OS.’

H3x0n’s post included a screenshot that shows what the new logo looks like:

Credit: h3x0n / Reddit

The move sounds sensible: Android Wear watches work with both Android and iOS devices, so the new moniker could reduce confusion on that front.

It’ll be interesting to see if that helps boost sales for the myriad hardware manufacturers making watches based on this platform; on an earnings call after Apple published its Q4 2017 results, CEO Tim Cook noted that the company saw “over 50 percent growth in revenue and units for the fourth quarter in a row.” It currently is in the lead in the global wearables business , with a 21 percent market share. Meanwhile, Huawei and other brands that make Android Wear-based devices are lagging far behind, and also have to worry about the likes of Fitbit before they can regain the top spot.

Via Android Police

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