Pad & Quill Littlest Black Book for iPod Nano Review

Pad & Quill, with their tasteful and elegant cases for iPad and iPhone have manufactured superior cases for electronic “i” devices. Hand constructed, well made and protective, Pad & Quill is at the top of their game. So I was surprised and, literally, delighted to see the Pad & Quill case for Apple's Nano Mp3 player.  Regular readers of The Gadgeteer.com might remember my enthusiastic gushing review  for Pad & Quill iPad cases.   For those of us who want more classic, traditional styling to house our devices, these cases fit the bill.  The cases, made of hand tooled birch and book binding, look like a book you'd find in the University of Notre Dame library. Now you've got the Littlest Black Book, the miniature case to house the iPod Nano.  I will go on record as saying that I did not have a Nano until I saw the Littlest Black Book.   Now I have both.  It's that addicting.  I've never once bought a pair of shoes that I had to build an outfit around and here I am purchasing an Mp3 player to go with the cute little Nano case. Aside from that, what you get with the Pad & Quill cases for larger electronics, you get with Littlest Black Book.  As with the other products, the Nano case is meticulously hand tooled, finished with the book binding and rich linen end-paper that you find in fine books and the P&Q cases.  Everything is miniaturized right down to the elastic band that fits snugly around the case. As with the other P&Q cases, if you saw it through a car window, you'd think it was a book belonging in a doll house.  If you saw it in a bag, you'd think it was a tiny notebook.  You could even mistake it for a tiny Bible. Either way, if someone is looking to steal your Mp3 player, they're going to overlook this. And as with the other cases, you have access to all ports, except the clip.  the device fits in very snugly and securely due to the Sure-Lock bumpers that help lock in the device.   Fitting the device into the case was no problem nor is getting it out.  I rather like having it in the case and since I have easy access to all ports, there really is no reason for me to take it out.  I have the protection I need and it matches the other cases I have for my other “i” devices of which I am now the proud owner of. If I had to point out a “con” and I guess I should, I would have to say that it would be hard to strap this to your wrist or waist if you go jogging.  You have to open the case up to access the applications inside and that can be tiresome but I would have to seriously say that's about it.  It certainly isn't a deal breaker for me. The Littlest Black Book offers tasteful elegant styling, security and protection that more exposed and sportier cases do not.  At $34.95, it certainly isn't the most expensive case being offered for sale and the Nano cost far more than that.  I am not as cavalier about the “disposable” element of my devices.  I use them and take care of them.  I don't trade them in the second Apple comes out with a new version.   Pad & Quill will help me keep the iPod Nano free from scratches both to the case of the Nano and the screen.  Frankly, if I am going to spend this kind of money for an Mp3 player and I did, I'm going to want a quality case to keep it safe.  Now I have it.

Microsoft launches the Office Next Blog

 

Just like Microsoft did with Windows 8, it looks like they're going to give us a more in-depth look at what they're going to do with the next version of Office (codenamed Office 15). Today the company launched the Office Next Blog. The site will be written by the team behind Microsoft Office and will let us know the improvements they've made, why they did it and what sort of feedback influenced their decisions. Sounds like a pretty good idea, seeing how well the Windows 8 blog was done.

We still haven't got a clue what the Office 15 is going to bring, but the launch of this blog corroborates with rumors about its official announcement next week. Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted. Check out the Office Next Blog via the source link below.

Sony Xperia Tipo with AT&T-friendly 3G hits the FCC

The Xperia Tipo - one of Sony's latest affordable Android smartphones - has showed up at the FCC yesterday, which means it could be introduced in North America soon.

The Tipo that's been approved by the FCC is the ST21a model. Usually, the "a" at the end of a Sony handset's model number denotes a device specifically made for America. Moreover, the handset has 1900x850 MHz WCDMA connectivity, so it's compatible with AT&T's 3G network. Of course, at this point only Sony knows if the Tipo will indeed make it to North America.

Running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Sony Xperia Tipo features a 3.2 inch HVGA scratch-resistant display, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3.2MP rear camera, 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 2.9GB of internal memory, MicroSD card support, and a 1,500 mAh battery. The handset has a dual-SIM edition called Xperia Tipo Dual (this one didn't hit the FCC, though).

MapQuest picks TomTom Maps to power iPhone and Android turn-by-turn navigation apps

Still trying to figure out which way to turn when it comes to on-phone navigation? How's about a free option to ponder? MapQuest's gratis iPhone and Android programs are set to get a heck of a lot better, and soon. The company just announced that TomTom would become its maps provider, enabling it to provide coverage for more than 7.5 million miles of roads across North America. Interestingly, it seems that TomTom is finding new life after the death of the PND (personal navigation device) in software; just last month, Apple knighted TomTom to power its own internal Maps app, which is set to debut with iOS 6.

NBC's 2012 London Olympics second screen and streaming apps for Android and iOS launch today

NBC mentioned it would deliver two complementary mobile apps for its extensive London Olympics coverage and now they have arrived. Available for Android phones and tablets as well as the iPhone and iPad, they're built on Adobe technology to deliver the information and live streaming video, as well as handle the TV Everywhere authentication with the cable providers that's necessary to view all of the content. The NBC Olympics Live Companion is specifically designed to operate as a second screen for users to pull up stats and extra info on while they watch TV, and the NBC Olympics Live Extra app delivers video of every event streaming live to users wherever they are. It supports multiple camera angles, social features like the Facebook tie-ins NBC announced yesterday and users can even switch between the two apps at will.

Redesigned PlayStation 3 Emerges In Pictures, May Launch Later This Year!

The new PlayStation 3 console seems to have a design change, particularly a keel-shaped surface with moderately noticeable curves, and also a redesigned front. There's a significant oddness in the design or perhaps it seems so - at least from the pictures we've included after the break. This apparently elucidates the doubts on whether a redesigned PS3 is in the works since the next generation console believed to be known as PlayStation 4 will only debut sometime in 2013, so a redesigned box with perhaps notable improvements is likely to be released in August this year. The pictures were filed for the Brazilian Agency of Telecommunications and suggest the existence of three PS3 models including CECH-4011A, 4011B and 4011C which could probably refer to the 160GB, 250GB and 500GB models of the new PS3 console. Besides this, there are no significant revelations or even a word about the new PlayStation 3 launch, but as far as we can guess, there should be none - at least in terms of processing power and other core components, since an overhauled console is set to be debut later - even if Sony announces a slimmer PlayStation 3 Slim this year - seemingly they'll save the best for the next. Furthermore, the leaked letter allegedly composed by Sony itself clearly mentions that the products have the same electrical components except the storage. We will keep you posted as more details surface. Stay tuned!

ASUS ZENBOOK UX32VD Ultrabook

As a powerful computing device, the ZENBOOK UX32VD is also equipped with 1GB GDDR5 video memory; full HD 1080p IPS panel with a 178 degree wide viewing angle; and an ergonomic inclined and backlit chiclet keyboard. Regarding battery life, the UX32VD offers up to two weeks of standby in S3 mode and an impressive 200-day in S4 mode. And last but not least, this sleek ultrabook utilizes USB Charger+ technology for quick mobile device charging.