Apps for Working Outside or On the Go

Whether you’re a road warrior or someone who prefers to take your work outside, you’ll appreciate these apps that help you get work done on both the iPad and Android, as reviewed by Joelle Alcaidinho (a former Playlister) from Apartment Therapy Tech. Read more

Six Ways with Tech Support

Inspired by our easy-to-adjust Monitor Arm, we found six more items that help maximize your everyday devices. Read more

Unplggd: iPad Cases for Every Occassion

iPad cases are a dime a dozen, but what happens when you need not just one to do everything, but a few that work well together. Trying to find the one case that will rule them all isn’t easy and we haven’t found it, but this combination of cases takes care of all of our needs.

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Unplggd: Green Protection

Let’s face it: There are plenty of good protective cases available for your iPad or iPhone, but most companies give little or no regard to the manufacturing process, or the materials they choose for their cases. Let’s change that and support products that create socially responsible gear to protect our devices.

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Unplggd: What a Difference a Decade Can Make

By Gregory Han

[via Reddit]

iPad Apps That Help With Your Work?

Over on Twitter we’ve started a Twtpoll asking what iPad apps are helping you be more productive at work? I am pointing this out rather selfishly because we are FINALLY getting an iPad.

My husband is chief technology officer in the family. He’s my IT guy and general wizard when it comes to things you plug in (thankfully not in that weird Charlie Sheen wizard way). He is also a serious early adopter. I only realized how much I appreciated that when he decided we really should wait for the second generation iPad to come out. What!? We were going to have to wait for that gorgeous piece of design? Yep. Surely I need it for work. Surely.  But after much discussion we agreed to wait. And the wait seemed eternal.

Tomorrow we have a date at the Apple store  It’s our 11th wedding anniversary and we’re going to treat ourselves to the iPad 2. Romantic? For some, no. For us, yes! And let’s hope there are still some in stock. I am too old to camp out so we definitely wont be first in line at 5am when the store opens. I called Apple to find out if there was anything we could do to ‘book’ one and the guy just laughed at me. I even tried the wedding anniversary line and he wasn’t buying it. We’ll just have to line up like everyone else.

Let’s say that we will have that iPad in our hot little hands tomorrow. I would really like to know what apps you use. Which ones help your work life run more smoothly? I use Simplenote but there’s got to be so much more out there. Take the Twtpoll and I will report back in a week or so the results. Hopefully we’ll have a great list of apps to share.

Unplggd: Pantone For the iPad and iPhone? Yes, Please.

Oh, the memories of going through Pantone swatch books and fans, trying to fine the perfect CMYK color back in the day when we worked in print and packaging. Ask any designer and they’re likely to wax poetic about their worn out and trusted color matching guide. Knowing this, one could do worse that possibly consider gifting one of these Pantone branded iPhone 4 or iPad cases for the designer in their life…

Accessory manufacturer Case Scenario is offering 9 different colours for the iPhone 4 case, our favourites being those belonging in the gray to black range, while iPad owners have 4 options of blue, red, black and gray. No word on pricing yet, but considering other Pantone brand approved licensing, both accessories should come in at a reasonable price.

(For more cool Pantone stuff that could easily find it’s way under the Christmas tree check out the rest of Gregory’s post here).

By Gregory Han

Unplggd: Three iPad Upgrades That Don’t Involve a Cat

Unfortunately, the iPurr iPad Stand has yet to go into production, despite strong market demand.

We’d argue the Apple iPad can only get better, more useful, when partnered with one of these accessories that build upon improving portability or the sound of your trusted tablet computer. Here are three we recommend…

SMK Link Paddock 10 Adding some audio kick to your iPad has never been this easier. Plenty of volume with two 3 watt speakers, which can bounce the sound waves off of surfaces behind the stand for better amplification. It can rotate 360 degrees. $99.99

iHome iA100ZC Alarm Clock This is not another iPad speaker dock. This one can play MP3s with its built-in Bongiovi restorative digital sound technology and wirelessly stream music over Bluetooth. Comes with alarm apps for the iPad and sleep mode that can turn the iPad off after a pre set time. $199

Booq Cobra Courier XS This bag let your iPad rest on a cushioned, plush compartment while protected all around with ballistic nylon material. Additional space for other peripherals and supplies are plenty. Front access zipper reveals pockets and internal chambers accented with Napa leather trim. $145

Main picture from flickr user Veronica Belmont, used under creative commons license

By Joel Pirela

Unplggd: And Baby Makes Three

A couple months back Unplggd reader Marshall Dunbar shared his dual screen “hobbyist” setup (which his wife countered, describing it as his obsession). He’s written back with an update, revealing a pared down monitor setup, trading in dual 20″ displays for a single 27″ with a sidekick iPad, cleaning up his act for the arrival of his “iBaby”.

Marshall shares: “The original dual display setup including the monitors, iSight, and desk mount will be sold online tonight! It is now my plan to only upgrade/update every 2 years. You can tell by my desktop that I have another addition…my “iBaby”! Yelp, that’s a sonogram of our baby (8 weeks into pregnancy). This helped me decide to slow down on my hobby/obsession!”

Thanks and congrats, Marshall! We especially like your custom desktop wallpaper.

By Gregory Han.

Unplggd: Reasons for Not Buying a First Generation iPad

“Many people are going bonkers for the iPad. It’s a device that has definitely changed the mobile computing industry. While Apple released the iPad earlier this year, many other manufacturers are planning on releasing their own version pretty soon. The question is, should you buy one?

1. First Generation Product
While I agree that the iPad is a nifty device, there are probably a few kinks that will get corrected when the second generation of products will be released. I always wait at least for the 2nd generation, that way I make sure that my tech will last.

2. Product Lifespan
It’s hard to justify spending that amount of money on a product that will get an update within a few months. You’ve probably heard the rumors. The next iPad will most probably have a camera, which is sorely lacking from the 1st generation, and bigger screens. This means that if you’ve bought an iPad this year, you’ll probably be tempted to buy a new one next year.

3. Consuming Media
While you do consume media on your laptop and/or desktop, you’ll probably consume more on the iPad. You’ll download books, subscribe to magazines, watch movies and TV episodes, etc. All of these things will cost you money.

4. Apps
A lot of apps are free, but you’ll most likely spend a bit of money on apps. There are apps for almost everything, and it was a stroke of genius when Apple used the app store model to sell their software. The other thing is that you can’t really install programs that don’t come from the app store. That is a deal breaker for a lot of computer enthusiasts.

5. Spotty 3G Service
Yes, we’ve heard the problems with the AT&T 3G service, but that’s not the only issue. On top of already paying a monthly fee for your cell phone, you’ll end up paying another one for your iPad. These devices can get expensive very quickly.

By Range. Image by Joelle Alcaidinho.”