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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

9 Top-Notch iPod Nano Cases

While we were impressed with the LunaTik iPod nano watch kit in our recent hands-on, it hasn’t stopped us from wondering what other case options are out there for owners of Apple’s newest iPod nano.
Apple has played around with the form factor of the nano perhaps more than any of its other products, so there aren’t as many cases available for the 6th generation nano as there are for other Apple devices.
We set ourselves the challenge of finding some cool cases for the new nano — wrist-based and otherwise — to give you a great selection of coverings to choose from if you’re looking to protect your iPod.
Have a look below for our favorite options and let us know in the comments which ones you like. And be sure to share any others you’ve spotted that look good.

1. Scosche tightGRIP


Scosche keeps it simple with these silicone skins available in packs of three. They come in red, black and blue (pictured); or pink, purple and white.
Cost: $19.99

2. Rainydaye Knitted Cozies


If you prefer things hand-made rather than made en masse, then these colorful, knitted cozies from Etsy might be perfect for your nano.
Cost: $9.00

3. Belkin FastFit Armband


Created for sporty types, your nano just clips onto Belkin’s armband. It offers a convenient way to keep your music player at hand, but out of harm’s way, during exercise.
Cost: $29.99

4. Griffin Slap


Available in a rainbow of colors, the Slap takes the nano watch case idea back to the Eighties with a flexible, silicone-wrapped spring-steel band that can adjust to fit any size wrist.
Cost: $24.99

5. Navitech Hard Cover Case


If you need some serious protection for your little ‘pod then Navitech’s hard cover case will make sure your nano — and its screen — stay safe from harm.
Cost: $3.99

6. iWatchz Q Series


With its simple attachment — just press, slide and click — the iWatchz will turn your nano into a bright timepiece with incredible ease.
Cost: $24.95

7. Griffin Wristlet


Described as a “fresh, fun, stretchy protection” for your nano, the Wristlet encases your iPod in tough, stretchy silicone while the wrist strap offers an alternative to attaching the device from a clip.
Cost: $19.99

8. The Leather Wrist Cuff


This Etsy seller has taken the watch concept and created a very cool leather wrist cuff that your nano can clip to as a watch.
Cost: $34

9. Socks


The classic iSock has been shrunk down for the newest nano. They’re sold as a six pack, meaning you can change the cover to suit your mood, or share the love with five friends.
Cost: £3.85 (approx $5.50)

BONUS: Gelaskins


The new nano may be mini, but it’s not too small to get the Gelaskin treatment. There are a ton of great vinyl designs available to perfectly fit all sides of the little MP3 player. Even if it isn’t technically a “case,” these skins are a cool way to cover your device.
Cost: $14.95

Magical Electronic Glasses Automatically Switch from Regular to Bifocal

Here’s one of the coolest products we saw at CES: PixelOptics glasses that automatically change into bifocals when you tilt your head.
This is a godsend for those of us “of a certain age.” Who wants to reveal their crotchety oldness by wearing glasses with that telltale boundary in the lens between close-up and faraway vision? Not me.
PixelOptics comes to the rescue with these electronic glasses, whose breakthrough emPower lenses use a layer of transparent liquid crystal to electronically change the lens’s optical properties to suit either nearsighted or farsighted vision.
When you’re looking straight ahead, your head is usually close to level, and a tiny accelerometer automatically sets the lenses for faraway vision. Tilt your head down to read something, and the lenses adjust for near vision. If that auto-change capability doesn’t appeal to you, you can manually adjust the visual properties of the glasses.
When we visited PixelOptics at CES, company reps told us the PixelOptics emPower lenses,manufactured by Panasonic, use exactly the same lens-grinding techniques as conventional glasses, bringing the total price of a pair of glasses down to a relatively reasonable range. They told us after you’ve charged the glasses in their inductive charger, the battery will last for three days.
The downside? You have to pay $1,200 for a pair of these glasses, considerably more than the fanciest conventional bifocals. Another slight issue is that charger felt awfully cheap and flimsy for a $1,200 product, but that would be easy enough to fix.
Those quibbles aside, it’s hard to believe the glasses’ designers fit all those sophisticated electronics and circuitry inside the temples of these futuristic specs. And just think — you won’t have that annoying line across your field of vision, nor will you need to adapt to that weird feeling of wearing bifocals.
Take a look at the stylish frames in the gallery below; they’re looking good, and exude quality. Sign me up now, because PixelOptics says they’ll be available in April.

Toyota Reveals Two New Prius Hybrids

Toyota revealed its upcoming Prius hybrid vehicles, which include a bulkier version of today’s Prius and a sporty concept car, at Monday’s North American International Auto Show.
The new model we’ll see soonest is the Prius V hatchback, looking a lot like the third-generation Prius available today, except it’s taller and holds 50% more cargo. Toyota says that model will be hitting the streets this summer, adding that “V” stands for “Versatility,” aiming it at “young, active families.”
According to Toyota, the new Prius V is not a plug-in hybrid, but employs the same tech as the current Prius with its Hybrid Synergy Drive. Drivers will pay for its extra cargo space at the gas pump, though, because this expanded Prius sacrifices gas mileage with Toyota quoting a combined figure of 40 miles per gallon — that’s 10 mpg less than today’s standard Prius.
The most intriguing rollout was the Prius C, a concept vehicle Toyota said would be available in the first half of 2012. The company was less specific about the C’s mileage or specs, vaguely stating how it will be a “dynamic vehicle with urban appeal,” and will have “outstanding fuel efficiency in a compact package, while also providing a surprisingly spacious interior.”
The company teased advanced technology features for its Prius C, but wasn’t specific about what those might be. See pictures of this sporty hybrid in the gallery below, keeping in mind that concept vehicles tend to change drastically before they roll off any real-world assembly lines.
In addition, Toyota still has a plug-in Prius on the way, also set for a sales target of the first half of 2012. That vehicle will be able to drive 13 miles on battery power at 60mph, and when the batteries deplete, its gasoline engine keeps it going in hybrid mode.

How WordPress Themes Actually Work [INFOGRAPHIC]


WordPress developer and all-around web geek Joost de Valk has just graced the Internet with a highly useful infographic.
For a medium that leans toward the amusing, infographics can occasionally be enlightening or even helpful for later reference.
This one serves as a sort of “cheat sheet for how your blog works” and takes the reader through the basics of a normal WordPressWordPress theme.
It’s a posts-to-plugins look at the anatomy of a typical WordPress theme. Have a look, and let us know what you think in the comments.
Click to see original.

Pixable Aims to Change the Way You Browse Facebook Photos

PixablePhoto-project startup Pixable is launching a new Facebook app today that looks to change the way the social network’s members browse photos online.
The free app allows users to see all of their friend’s photos without jumping from profile to profile, browse photos by categories such as “most popular,” and get updates when specific friends add or are tagged in new photos.
As apps for sharing photos multiply and photographers upload their snapshots in record numbers, the move to create an organized way to rank and share photos could be a smart one. My 650 Facebook friends have uploaded a total of 107,900 photos, but I haven’t heard of a single service that will help me sort them or find the ones that are important to me.
Pixable says it’s attempting to fill the same niche in the online photo world that Google and Yahoo filled on the web when the number of web pages started to become overwhelming.
“It’s exactly the same with photos in 2010,” says CEO and co-founder, Inaki Berenguer regarding the early web’s growth rate and need for organization. “Two or three years ago there weren’t that many photos online, but now all of those photos are being uploaded. You have a way to access them through your social graph, but it is impossible to keep track of all of them.”
Though today’s version of the app focuses on Facebook, Pixable plans to add options to pull in friend’s’ photos from photo services like Flickr and Picasa as well as apps like Picplz and Instagram.
All of these photos would then be ranked using the same algorithm the app currently uses to rank Facebook photos, which takes into account the number of comments, likes, and tags on each photo. Users will be able to review the most popular photos and follow friends’ activities across all of their photo-sharing platforms.
Plans for customizable categories would also make browsing friends’ photos of “weddings” or “men under age 25″ possible. At which point, we think, there’s potential for it to become a really important resource in any photo lover’s arsenal.
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