A common Tweet and message board posting (originating, I believe, with comedian Patton Oswalt) I saw last night when the news of Steve Jobs' passing was announced was: "RIP Steve Jobs. Closest thing we had to Tony Stark." And it's true -- just as the comic book character Stark radically shaped the look and technology of the Marvel Universe, the work of Apple co-founder Jobs has made a lasting impact on almost every impact on our lives. Items that would have been the domain of mere science fiction -- a slim, compact phone that lets you surf the Internet and a tablet with a touch-screen -- have now become commonplace facts of life, used not just by techies and "early adopters" but by the public as a whole.

But the legacy of Jobs does not end with his technological advances. The very look and style of Apple products and advertising -- clean, simple, and elegant  -- has influenced everything from interior design to fashion, creating a mix of Zen meets the Space Age. The leadership style of Jobs and his business philosophy has also been very iconic and influential -- focusing on the Message first and building everything around that central point. And that Message was all about demystifying new technology and making it accessible to the People -- personal computers were no longer the domain of the highly-trained tech whiz, but could be used easily by everyone. Read more...

Tags Apple, IPad, iPhone, Steve Jobs

Apple’s Smart Cover is one of the iPad 2’s greatest accessories. It keeps your screen protected and scratch-free while also doubling as a handy stand. However, there is one thing about the Smart Cover that has always bothered me -- it doesn’t protect the iPad’s slick aluminum back. The folks at Bracketron were nice enough to send over a solution to the problem called Back-iT. Head past the break for a quick review! Read more...

Tags Apple, Back-iT, Bracketron, IPad, Smart Cover, Tech

Earlier this year, at CES 2011, we were lucky enough to play with the coolest smartphone accessory ever, Sphero. Up until this point the only Spheros we’ve seen were prototypes and honestly didn’t look that good. Now Orbotix has revealed the final design along with some other goodies for those of us anxious to get our hands on Sphero. Read more...

Tags Android, iOS, IPad, iPhone, Orbotix, Sphero, Tech

Space Invaders is an arcade legend and Apple users eager to conjure up memories of those quarter-destroying, pixelated aliens should check out the Space Invader collection that Case Scenario recently released. Whether you’re rockin’ an iPad 2, iPhone 4, iPod Touch, MacBook Pro or everything above Case Scenario will wrap it in a colorful case or sleeve emblazoned with the classic extraterrestrials. Read more...

Tags Apple, Case Scenario, IPad, iPhone, iPod, Space Invaders

After co-founding Apple in 1976, getting pushed out in 1985 and coming back in 1996 to introduce the world to the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad, Steve Jobs has announced his resignation as Apple’s CEO. Tim Cook will take his place and Jobs will serve as Chairman of the Board, effective immediately.

The timing of the announcement may come as a surprise, but it’s no secret that Jobs has been dealing with health problems recently and even had to take time away from Apple to undergo surgery. A brief resignation letter published by Steve Jobs can be seen below. Read more...

Tags Apple, IPad, iPhone, iPod, Steve Jobs, Tech

We've all been fans of the Super Mario Bros. since the beginning. Whether it's the original NES game, Mario Kart for Super Nintendo or the sometimes forgotten Mario Tennis for N64, we just can’t get enough of the plumber and his pals. That said, what better way is there to show your love for Mushroom Kingdom residents than with one of these super cool iPad/tablet sleeves? Read more...

Tags Etsy, IPad, Super Mario Bros., super nin, tablets, video games

Energizer recently revealed a new all-in-one charging station built for those of us with a multitude of devices in need of some juice. Dubbed iSurge, the new outlet mounted charging station has a spot for all of our gadgets to charge at the same time and will be perfect for nights spent on the road.

The iSurge will turn one outlet into three surge protected outlets, but that’s only the beginning. It also features 2 USB ports capable of charging several devices including Apple’s iPad, a 30-pin dock connector on top for iPhone and iPod and a swivel mounted plug so we can get it into any available outlet. It even features a built-in nightlight so we’re not fumbling in the dark when our charging iPhone rings in the middle of the night. Read more...

Tags charging stations, Energizer, IPad, iPhone, iSurge, Tech

Lets be honest; the speakers on our smartphones and tablets just plain suck. They’re just too small to crank out the tunes like we want. Speaker docks aren't portable and Bluetooth speakers can be pricey, leaving us out of options. The boomCAN from Scosche aims to change all that with a reasonable price and portable form factor. Read more...

Tags boomCAN, IPad, iPhone, Scosche, speakers, Tech

Apple, being the nickel-and-dimers they are, requires subscription based iOS apps to cough up 30% of their subscription fees. Not surprisingly that doesn’t sit very well with Walmart who owns the online movie and TV streaming service, Vudu. To get around the fee they have optimized Vudu.com for iPad so we can stream videos right through the Safari web browser. Read more...

Tags Apple, IPad, Movies, TV, Vudu, Walmart

These days, It seems that board game publishers are constantly annoncing their intentions to port titles over to the popular smartphone app stores. It's not every day that you see two big names such as Alderac Entertainment Group and Incinerator Studios come together, though.

Although sparse on details, the two companies have announced a partnership this morning that will culminate in the release of AEG's hit deckbuilding card game Nightfall as a universal iOS app. The announcement goes on to state that this will be the first but not the last of AEG titles to make the leap. One can only speculate, but it does not seem that digital versions of Thunderstone and Legend of the 5 Rings titles could be that far away.

Read more...

Tags AEG, Alderac Entertainment Croup, apps, Incinerator Studios, iOS, IPad, iPhone, Nightfall