iPad Fever: Review of iPad + JAVOedge Cherry Blossom Axis Case

Aside from summer work, travel, etc. I've been busy playing with my new Apple iPad. Yep, I took the plunge. Aside from the ZOMG! factor, it's been an investment for school and freelance work. If you live in New York, you know that you carry your life in your bag – laptop, makeup bag, notes, food/coffee, etc. It all adds up.  So far, it's holding up as a laptop substitute and is a breeze to throw inside my bag (along with a Bluetooth keyboard) and use to type up class notes, work emails, etc. on-the-go. 

I was so excited I documented its unboxing when I laid hands on it. 

Here is my iPad ready to play/work.

Now, I'm going to share with you my favorite apps to use for the iPad along with the case I'm rocking with it. Most are free which is perfect when you want to get up-to-speed in testing your iPad for your needs/wants.


Must-have Apps:
eReader Apps: Kindle, iBooks 
Fun Wow! Apps: FlipBoard, (streams Twitter/Facebook updates), Google Earth
Handy: Epicurious (Cooking), EverNote (writing), NPR (listening + reading), Adobe Idea Board (sketching)
Entertainment: ComicZeal (reading manga), CrunchyRoll (watching anime, dramas), CineXPlayer (watching my AVI formatted movies)

So, when you're sporting the hottest device around town, you know you're not going to want an ordinary case to show it off. Hello,  JAVOedge Cherry Blossom Axis Case (Twilight Purple). Full disclosure: I do freelance work for JAVOedge. When my boss heard I picked up an iPad, he offered me a choice of cases as a way to congratulate me (he's a total tech purchase enabler).

 I've been scouting iPad cases already but the JAVOedge Cherry Blossom Axis Case had me on 2 key parts: 

1) The Japanese cherry blossom print is awesome, eye catching, and very distinctive. 

2) The functionality of the case itself is killer. The case can flip your iPad into landscape or portrait mode and can be set to tilt at 3 different angles. That is SO major for someone who's as OCD-ADD multitasking as I am. Want to watch movies? Flip it to landscape mode. Want to read manga? Flip to portrait mode. Need to type at a good angle? Set it at preferred tilt. I love having choices and so far, I haven't seen a similar case that offers me the pretty femme looks with the practical functionality. 

See the JAVOedge Cherry Blossom Axis Case for the iPad in motion. I created a lil' stop motion animation for it (due to my MBP spazzing, I had to shoot it with my iSight cam!)

So, I had to share my iPad love with a review of my iPad and its new case because, really, the two go hand-to-hand as any iPad user will know. The case makes my life easier when handling the iPad. I don't get folks who just handle their iPad naked. At 1.5 lbs., the iPad is a bit heavy to handle for a long length of time. Using a case that has a kickstand prop helps me reduce neck strain which is a big deal for someone who is addicted to their computer/Internet as much as I am. 

Pro's: Looks. It doesn't look like a typical "tech" case.  Ability to flip iPad into landscape, portrait mode. Fabric exterior makes it soft/nice to touch. 

Con's: The rubber steps can leave some smudges on iPad screen. Easily wiped away but it could be more thoughtfully integrated into the case. You may need to break the case in to  get it to work to your liking (not so much a biggie). 

Overall: The iPad is a great choice if you're looking for a light-weight alternative to a netbook. It's an eReader, movie/music player, and has some convenient uses due to its form. With a blue tooth keyboard, you can easily type up notes for meetings and it's great for demo'ing photographs, sites, etc. if you're in the creative business. I definitely love my JAVOedge Axis Case -- it's versatile, attractive, and really functional at being able to set it at portrait or landscape mode. At $40, it beats Apple's official iPad case!  if you're interested, they have other designs for girls and guys at Amazon.

I'm on Tumblr!

"I am Fashion" - Coco Chanel

I haven't bought a fashion magazine in ages. Why should I when I find more inspiration in sartorial style and tips than the Internet? Hello YouTube and Tumblr. Yes, I joined the Tumblr bandwagon and that's partly one of the reasons why I've been so distracted – between my Tumblr and Pinterest, I've been busy scouring and documenting my fashion/beauty/shopping inspirations on the Net. Head over to my Tumblr to see what I'm finding right at this moment. 

I Am In Love with Pinterest

dearlydevoted's Fashion Pinterest Board.

What have I been doing lately? Well, aside from checking ulzzhang, beauty Tumblr blogs, and tackling the world, I came across Pinterst via Oh! Joy blog. Pinterest is a "place to share collections of things you love -- whether that's food, art, clothing, or books." I love the picture-driven format where every item gets a neat white border and label. A virtual pin-up board which is ALOT easier then how I would just save random photos to my hard-drive and forget where I found the original image source. 

 dearlydevoted's Illustration Pinterest Board.

My Daily Tech Accessories

Notice the color coordination? I'm fashionably picky. I've been meaning to document my latest looks. I love looking at the latest smartphone cases, decal skins, etc.  Here's what I'm rocking: 15" MacBook Pro clad in a Speck Shell Case, Western Digital Backup HD, 

JAVOedge Cherry Blossom Book Style Case for iPhone 3G

JAVOedge Cherry Blossom Book Style Case for the Apple iPhone 3GS/3G (Twilight Purple)

Adore the Cherry Blossom print with the geometric patterns of this case. 

Matching interior inside with room to store my ID and Starbucks Reward card.

Protects my iPhone from getting scuffs in the front if I drop it. 

If you're wondering, Cher is a Japanese fashion brand. Got the sticker from a J-magazine.

Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive (Midnight Black)

Merry Photography: Toy Camera App for the iPhone

Happy Post Holidays folks! Christmas was quite beachy in South Florida! Since my family and friends don't make a big fuss out of present giving, I was quite surprised to get these comfy pink (memory foam?!) slippers from my mom (at Wal-Mart) and this Badgley Mischka wool scarf muffler from my boyfriend (at Century 21). Did you get anything exciting? I showed my BF around New York City on NewYear's Week and had time to test this iPhone camera app, Toy Camera. From the same maker of the QuadCamera (which I reviewed), this photo app lets me play with color contrast filters, vignetting, square photo formats, etc. If you like lomo photography, retro photography, I would highly recommend checking it out. For the price, there's no real harm involved! Available iTunes for $1.99.

Paul Frank Laptop Case

Has your current laptop sleeve case become shabby over use? Boring? Want something with more kick then the standard mono-color neoprene case? Sport this classic duo-color Paul Frank Skull and Crossbones laptop case. Arrrrr. No one will confuse your case with another's at school or the local coffee shop. Available at the Apple Store, $50.

Nom, Nom, Nom: Pac-Man HotHead Oven Mitts

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble. Indulge in those holiday baked goods while showing off your arcade gamer cred with these Pac-Man Oven Mitts. Made out of silicone, these bright yellow slim oven mitts are molded into classic Pac-Man shapes that are perfect to chase your family -- err, cookies with. I spotted them at Tate's Comics back in South Florida and tracked them online. Great for the next housewarming present for a fellow gamer geek. Available at ThinkGeek for $15.

Laptop Bags: Take a Byte Out

Mmmm... who doesn't like munching while perusing the Internet? Why not declare what's your favorite munchie while you're on the go? Check out these delicious looking laptop case sleeves by designer Lorena Agnolli   who can be blamed for causing you munchies everytime you check out these laptop cases. 

Byte Laptop Sleeve Case fits 13" laptops, $45.

Tech Gadgets in the House

I J'adore Gadgets! Please excuse my absence, I've been cleaning house and preparing for a move to a smaller apartment with my BF. In that time I've been in love with my new iPhone case: JAVOedge iPhone 3G JAVOJelly case in pink! Love the translucent prism backing. It keeps twinkling under the sunlight and the neon pink translucent case is pure eye candy. My boss asked me to test out the colors: Pink and Purple are leading the pack (ha, ha, am I a girl or what? Still I love it when my pink accessories match!)

 The other things consuming my attention?

 I never thought I'd be suckered into this but this game -- Sally's Spa -- is mad addicting. After I saw fashion blogger, Sea of Shoes, talking about it, I had to try it! On sale for 99 cents and so far, I'm still plugging away at it.

Lastly, my birthday bash was trés fun. My friend, Olivia, flew in from Miami to hang with me and with her help, we cooked up a feast -- a banquet, I tell you! -- for 15 friends! It was exhausting but very memorable. As I mentioned earlier, The Sak Silverlake cross-body bag was my own gift to myself! Love Zappos! See it above with the other things I stow in it (Canon G10 aside). It is THE perfect metro bag. Red leather is awesome, juicy apple red, and you can tell The Sak designers paid attention: plenty of pockets, zipper compartments, comfortable cross-body belt, slouchy leather, etc. 

Geeky Cool Gadget Accessory: Stackable LEGO USB hubs

Bring playtime fun into the office with these Systown USB hubs AND score cred from the geek and tyke set. If you're in need of USB connection, each Lego-like brick comes with 4 ports and is perfect for stacking your action figurines on top. Just don't let babies gnaw on them. Speak Korean? Why? Cause, they're only available overseas right now.  Boo.

via technabob

Objectified, the movie

If you loved Helvetica, the documentary, like I did, you must be SUPER EXCITED to see what the filmmakers' next project is about: product design. Meet Objectified. It covers the interesting world of product and industrial design and the creators behind them. 


Here's what their website summarizes: "Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about the designers who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability. "


Just look at this A-team roster, some of whom I know and some I don't:
Featuring:
Paola Antonelli (Museum of Modern Art, New York)
Chris Bangle (BMW Group, Munich)
Tim Brown (IDEO)
Anthony Dunne (London)
Dan Formosa (Smart Design)
Naoto Fukasawa (Tokyo)
Jonathan Ive (Apple, California)
Hella Jongerius (Rotterdam)
David Kelley (IDEO)
Bill Moggridge (IDEO)
Marc Newson (London/Paris)
Fiona Raby (London)
Dieter Rams (Kronberg, Germany)
Karim Rashid (New York)
Alice Rawsthorn (International Herald Tribune)
Davin Stowell (Smart Design)
Jane Fulton Suri (IDEO)
Rob Walker (New York Times Magazine)



Gawwwwd. I can't wait and Seattle is getting a sneak preview in early June! 

Best iPhone Camera App: Quad Camera

Playing with this all weekend, Quad Camera by Tatayuki Fukatsu. Quad Camera is a quick iPhone app that lets your iPhone take continuous snapshots to create a single snapshot. Think, like a Holga or a Lomo with included color settings like bright, b/w, vivid, hi-contrast, etc. All this for a $1.99? Booya! 

Quad Camera accomplishes what it sets out: super fast shutter time, processing speed, and saturated/vintage finishes to your iPhone photos. It brings lo-fi to your digital photos. I can't afford to purchase a Lomo or a Diana but for my purposes, I love the efficiency (and quality control) of digital cameras. I'm OK with not owning analog cameras (which cost a pretty penny for their lo-fi hipness when you include purchasing and developing film). I also reviewed Poladroid, a desktop app that is a lo-fi tribute to analog film (in their case, Polaroids). Still, Quad Camera isn't perfect -- it has to work with the 1.3 megapixel iPhone 3G camera lenses. Just like with analog cameras, how you play with your natural lighting determines the quality of your shot as you can see in my play snapshots. 

The great thing about Quad Camera is its developer,  Tatayuki Fukatsu
created a free animated gif app, QuadAnimator, to add liveliness to your Quad Camera shots. Nice! 

Shameless mugging.

360 degree panorama shot of the University of Washington Quad.

Netbooks get a Japanese Schoolgirl Makeover

What happens when you give an Acer One netbook over to Shibuya shop girls to makeover?

You get crazy lacy, sparkly bedazzled laptops back. Its so Liberace, I just want to applaud: Bravo, Japan! Bravo! Take a bow for being so over-the-top in tech style. 

Without further ado... the Shibuya Collection:

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Ta da!

OMG ~ I'm in in illicit love (in such a wrong way) with the pink sparkly one.

Why did God zap me with the pink love when I'm now in my mid-20s?! Curses. 

Notice how the girl on the left looks less-than-thrilled with her pink pillow netbook? 

Thank you Google Translate for providing a hilarious translation from the Acer's editorial team, read below:

Apparently, they are running some sort of contest where you can vote for your favorite design.  Check out the Google Translate screen capture I did below, link here.

Google Translate still contains great Japanese Engrish below like "Wild & Goblin girl chic!" and the "pursuit of love of Eli peaches!" definitely WTF.

Snap! Snap! Snap! Poladroid makes my world go 'round.

Don't cry for me, Polaroid. Alas, we had some good times together when you, my friend and I would blow $20s on your expensive-as-hell instant film but it was always worth it. The washed out colors, the square frames, your indie ambiance...like Tim Curry said in Rocky Horror Picture Show, it was all about the "anticipation."

 So, it was a trés sad day when I heard you were retiring. 

God bless, the Internets for finding a digital solution to keep you around though! Check out Poladroid, a web program that stylizes your digital photos into polaroids, vintage patina included. Click-drop-boom! Click-drop-boom! My New York - San Francisco - Seattle snapshots make me feel so nostalgic now. Thanks to Poladroid, it was almost as if you never left me. Poladroid is a free download. Ch-ch-check it out.

Fashionable iPhone cases: JAVOedge 3G iPhone back covers

JAVOedge Cyber Back Cover, Pink

So folks who've been reading dearly devoted know that I'm in love with my iPhone 3G. Like most owners, I have an intense love/hate about it. However, one of things I DO love about my iPhone is its fashionable appeal. What I don't like? The plain, boring, or god forbid, FUGLY iPhone cases that don't offer the same level of cool/hip/glam factor that iPhones attract. Take a look at this example + this example. What is that?!

So, one of the perks of living in Seattle is being surrounded by the tech industry. And working in it. Who would have thought I would have landed a gig working in an online gadget accessories store? Even better, a gadget accessories store that sells iPhone 3G cases? Mwah ha ha ha ha. You can see where this is going.

So in full disclosure, I decided to review my company's iPhone 3G back covers especially since they didn't mind my feedback as a designer-friendly, female blogger. I've catalogued their latest line of 3G iPhone decorative cases that I liked and are good, affordable examples of when iPhone 3G cases match the phone's looks in terms of fashionable, glam, pretty asthetic. As a tech patriot, I'm doing my part to ensure the world is a prettier, friendlier, functionable place. I mean, did you see the examples I highlighted? Do companies really think that females will just like something because its pink? OK, well, I am actually sporting the pink one above and I love it, fyi. But it's actually pretty and I don't feem embarrassed carrying it around--princess image be damned. Need I mention that the JAVOedge 3G iPhone back covers listed below go for $19.95? Not too shabby.

JAVOedge Estate Back Cover, Silver and Gold

The Estate bright metallic series provides a sleek, bright, patterned texture to your iPhone. Rich in color, the silver and gold back covers avoids that tawdry Christmas tinsel feel/look that bright foiled fabrics can bring. This iPhone cover's looks can be dressed up or down. In terms of fashion, this back cover reminds of two flocks: either the Dolce & Gabanna crowd who love their glam bling or the Tory Burch girls who dig a 60s modern pattern feel to their phones.

JAVOedge Estate Back Cover, Gold

JAVOedge Signature Back Cover

Smooth and glossy, this slick design is a bold statement.
The black surface studded by the white grid design is modern, clean, and minimal.
Think Puma, Diesel and other fashion lines that inspire that urban, athletic feel.

JAVOedge Cyber Back Cover, White

In shimmery pink or white, the Cyber back covers are one of my favorite lines that JAVOedge produces for the iPhone 3G. The cover is glossy, smooth to the touch, and brightens my day. Under lights, the case is iridescent (it shimmers beautifully). It has also withstood the beating it takes in my work bag without a mark. If you are like me, you got the black iPhone 3G (whether by choice or lack of the white's availability) and still want the look of a white 3G? JAVOedge's Cyber Back Cover is a pretty glossy white compromise. This design matches the Apple asthetic for a modern, colorful, graphic approach.

JAVOedge Cyber Back Cover, Pink

JAVOedge Metallic Checker Back Cover, Black

Covered in a harlequin-print, the Metallic Checker back covers are a dressier option for your 3G phone. For a special occasion or to work, this back cover would match for going out or for a job interview even. It's covered in a silky-like material that is soft to the touch. The checker print offers a nice, subtle shimmer contrast to the solid color. Despite the traditional print, the back cover is a win. The design is friendly to girls or guys. My boyfriend commented that the black cover would go well with his Hugo Boss tie and suit.

I'm partial to the black or champagne.

JAVOedge Metallic Checker Back Cover, Champagne

FYI: For dearly devoted readers, JAVOedge has a 10% customer appreciation discount.

Go to JAVOedge's website and enter coupon code "JAVO10OFF" when you check out.
Discount is good till Dec.7th, 2008 fyi.