case

Your MacBook is too classy to be wrapped in neoprene

While everyone else is rushing out to their local Apple store to buy a mass-produced, cookie cutter case for their new MacBooks and Pros, try to resist the urge and instead look around for something a bit more unique, like the newest "Held" MacBook cases from Hard Graft.

Although they're definitely gender neutral, I personally think this case looks like it was pulled directly off the set of a 1960s James Bond flick. It's actually designed to mimic the look of a leather shoulder holster pressed against a fine wool suit; the entire sleeve is wrapped in a thick heather gray felt with ivory herringbone elastic straps that keep your laptop safe and secure. Of course, all the Hard Graft distinctions are in place as well, including their signature external pocket made from dyed European cow leather and matching pull tab inside.

The Hard Graft Shop Window also features cases for your phone (several brands and styles are represented), iPod, Moleskine, eBook, and car keys. Even a foldable mouse pad is available through the site, and at a very affordable price.

iPhone cases are only $60 and the "Held" case for your Apple laptops starts at $115--not bad, considering Hard Graft strives to only use sustainable materials built independently in Austria in a "medieval Schloss surrounded by vineyards and apricot orchards." No joke, that's what it says on the page! And best of all, imagine how proud you'll feel when you break this baby out at the airport next to a sea of sheep staring drearily at their cookie cutter neoprene laptop cases. More pictures after the jump.… Read more

Faced with a struggling economy, the best accessories in life are free

I hate buying accessories for my iPhone; it's totally counter-intuitive. You're saying that I need to buy OTHER stuff to make the phone I just bought more useful? It doesn't make sense to me, and it doesn't make sense to Jeff Staple of Staple Design either.

Check out this iPhone/iPod Touch cradle he made out of a simple binder clip that (let's be real here) you can easily liberate from your company's supply closet! It might take a bit of tweaking with pliers to get the wire to stand up on its own, but I'd rather do-it-myself than give away more of my hard earned money! Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, don't get one, I'm about to make these by the dozen and and sell them all on eBay; watch the first ones go up tonight. How does $10.99 + tax sound? Race you to the patent office!

More pics after the break.… Read more

Head Porter showcases fall iPhone cases

Tokyo-based fashion designers Head Porter come prepared for the holiday season with a new collection of cases designed to fit both the original iPhone and the 3G. With a long history of catering to the fashion-forward tech consumer, Head Porter offers stylish cases for cell phones and mp3 players. This fall's iPhone collection sees the marriage between a new case form and classic Head Porter visuals, including "Black Beauty," "Monogram Black Beauty," "Dot Black Beauty," "Master Navy," "Navy Argyle," "Python," "Savanna," and "Zebra." … Read more

Breathe easy with Antec's open-air PC case

I've always maintained that PC case mods are strictly a geek guy thing. Case in point, so to speak: can you see a tech chick digging that Toilet PC with (faux?) um, stuff, dribbling down the sides? Sweet. Or the Pumpkin PC complete with R.I.P. tombstone keyboard and skeleton mouse? Err, nice.

Hello Kitty mods are the exception, naturally. Unless you plan to get mauled by Sanrio feline-frenzied fangirls, which might be a fantasy for some guys.

So blow me over. Finally, here's an enclosure I might actually get to like--the Antec Skeleton. It may be … Read more

What's the best DS Lite case?

Recently, I had a chance to check out the Logitech PlayGear Pocket Lite, a carrying case for the Nintendo DS Lite. Basically, it's a perfectly good case made of durable hard plastic with space for carrying four additional DS games. It even allows you to add customized skins (protected on the inside of the clear shell). But the whole thing seemed somewhat superfluous to me, mostly because the DS Lite is already so well-designed: the clamshell enclosure keeps the unit's dual screens safe (unlike the PSP, which really does need a protective case).… Read more

Artsy iPod dock makes you look and sound rich

If Apple's "I am rich" app limits your ways to show off, no worries. Here's another product that can help you do that with style, and is substantially more eye-catching, better sounding, and, most importantly, more expensive.

It's called the Art.Suono Wireless Music Transmission System and iPod Dock and it costs $1,500. Designed by David Wiener Ventures, which makes products under the DWV and Ferrari brands, the Art.Suono is a limited-edition, luxury iPod-compatible product that works as both an audio instrument and, depending on your tastes, a piece of art.

The product … Read more

Griffin adds more sight, sound to iPhone 3G

At Apple Expo in Paris on Wednesday, Griffin Technology unveiled its latest iPhone accessories, including the AirCurve acoustic amplifier dock and the Clarifi protective case.

The AirCurve dock collects and amplifies the sound from the built-in iPhone 3G speaker. It does so by using a coil waveguide within its base, and therefore doesn't need batteries or another power source to work.

While the acoustically amplified sound is not as loud as that made by electronic amplifiers, it's loud enough for you to enjoy music in a quiet room or to use as an alarm clock. The compact dock … Read more

New desktop case by NZXT is as silent as tomorrow

On Tuesday NZXT announced the appropriately named "Whisper." The Whisper is an E-ATX full-tower desktop case that features "advanced noise-dampening technology," according to NZXT.

This noise-dampening tech comes in the form of 10mm-thick foam pads that have been attached to the inside of the side and top panels, rubber grommets that reduce vibration noise on Hard Drives, and a padded power supply holder. According to NZXT, this should "dramatically reduce acoustic levels" within the case.

In addition to all that noise dampening, the case also features a total of nine hard drive bays and … Read more

Protect your iPhone without changing its look

I finally got my iPhone 3G. Love it, hate it, this is all getting old. However, one of the things I do really notice is that although the phone seems very sturdy and scratch-resistant, it attracts fingerprints and shows sweat stains easily. I have the black model and it looks dirty all the time.

For this reason, the Power Support Air Jacket for iPhone3G caught my attention Thursday. It's one of hundreds of jackets you can buy for the new iPhone, but with one unique attribute: it's very thin (merely 1mm thick), and see-through. This means your iPhone … Read more

GrooveShield Form the best iPhone 3G case yet?

It's rare that we get a mobile phone case that really excites us--as you can imagine--but we think we've found one. The Cygnett GrooveShield Form iPhone 3G case is as simple as it is beautiful--yes that's right, we just called a case beautiful.

The GrooveShield Form is very straightforward: it's shaped in such a way that it hugs your iPhone 3G perfectly and protects the back, corners, and edges from scratches and general wear and tear.

Because of its thinness, the GrooveShield Form almost looks like it's part of the case, and in fact many … Read more