covers

Samsung has distanced itself from a Galaxy Tab accessory maker that developed a screen cover mimicking the functionality of Apple's iPad 2 Smart Cover.

Dubbed the Anymode Smart Case, the accessory can be attached to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and double as a screen cover and folded stand. The accessory, which was discovered yesterday by 9to5mac, comes in multiple colors.

According to Samsung, it generally "reviews and approves all accessories produced by partners" for its mobile products. When it does so, it gives those products the "Designed for Samsung Mobile" designation. In the … Read more

When I bought my iPad 2, I noticed immediately that the perfect case for my new iPad might not resemble what I bought for my old one. I was a big fan of Apple's microfiber case for my original iPad. However, like many iPad 2 owners, I bought a Smart Cover. I like its magnetic easy on/off flexibility, but it doesn't play nicely with many iPad 2 cases.

That's starting to change now, thankfully. The Smart Cover offers front protection, but what I was looking for was a good back protector. It seemed to me that a good back cover, plus the Smart Cover, would the best case scenario for the iPad 2.… Read more

Nearly everyone plays music on a computer, but the competition for attention and desktop real estate means you are constantly toggling between mini and maxi views of your media player just to see the song or artist name. If you use Windows Media Player and like its capability to fetch and display album cover art, you might like XDeskCover, too. It's a free desktop widget that displays the album cover, artist, song title, and time of the tune currently playing in Windows Media Player. You can also start, stop, and pause tunes from the XDeskCover interface.

XDeskCover's small, … Read more

Updated May 16 with five new covers

When Amazon released its third-generation Kindle, it also put out its own line of cases, which dominate Amazon's top Kindle accessories list. But that hasn't stopped dozens of companies from selling various covers and accessories for the Kindle. In fact, there are so many to sort through, it's hard to figure out which ones are really good--and worth considering. And that's why we've tried to boil it down for you to just a handful of products.

Of course, when it comes to protective covers, everybody has their own … Read more

It's no secret that companies of all kinds use third-party software in their own products. Mobile OEMs are a great example--new phones often contain code from of hundreds of code suppliers--both open source and proprietary.

A new "Software Integrity Risk Report" commissioned by software analyst Coverity and conducted by Forrester Research points to a growing discrepancy in the quality and security standards businesses are applying to their internally developed code versus code supplied by third-parties.

This can lead to an increased risk of software defects, translating to an increased risk of software failure and impact to brand … Read more

The other day I noticed that one of our tech editors here, Joe Kaminski, had a light blue Smart Cover on his iPad 2. Now Joe prides himself on being kind of a macho guy--some of you might know him from the Digital City podcast--so a little ribbing was in order.

I said, "Dude, why does a guy like you have baby-blue iPad cover?"

"I know, I know," he said. "It's kind of lame, but it's the best color they had in the cheaper version. What, I'm gonna get that DayGlo … Read more

It's a weird time for the NFL, to say the least. The league has been in a state of suspension since the Super Bowl in February, engaged in a lockout that seems, at the moment, to be lifted. And, of course, the NFL draft is about to kick off tonight amid the confusion. No better time to check out the latest edition of EA Sports' Madden franchise, which was unveiled today in playable form during an event in New York City's Times Square.

Enter EA Sports, which decided to engage in an unorthodox campaign of its own for this year's Madden 12 by putting the yearly cover athlete up for a bracket-based public vote.

In a shocker, the Cleveland Brown's gritty running back Peyton Hillis beat out the controversial Mike Vick, becoming the first cover athlete on EA's box in recent history who most people can't even recognize.

The cover photo shoot happened as a live event in Times Square, and alongside the session were the first playable versions of Madden 12, tucked away in a press tent. Needless to say, I stuck around to play (I'm a bit of a New York Jets fan, in case you didn't know).

I also spoke with Madden 12's art director, Mike Young, and executive producer, Phil Frazier, about how this year's version will fare amid a season that's still very much in flux. In addition, I asked about my continual pet peeve: Bill Belichick's mysterious absence from the Madden franchise. Check out the video above for the interview. Down below, I'll briefly discuss the game and my initial impressions.… Read more

I somehow doubt F. Scott Fitzgerald ever thought an image of the cover of his book would someday adorn the back of a portable phone. But now that iPhone case maker Speck has partnered with Out of Print, a New York accessories and apparel company that "celebrates the world's great stories through fashion," a "Great Gatsby" iPhone 4 case can now be yours.

Aside from Gatsby, Out of Print is serving up the "Catcher in the Rye," "A Clockwork Orange," "Moby-Dick," Edgar Allan Poe, "Lolita," and "To Kill a Mockingbird" soft-touch, fitted cases with fabric-wrapped backs that give the case "the comforting feel of an old book." Along with the iPhone 4 cases, Out of Print also sells some bookish e-reader jackets through a partnership with M-Edge. … Read more

After hunting with surprising difficulty last week, I finally ended up upgrading to an iPad 2. As for my old iPad, I packed it up and resold it. Along with it, I sent along some of my favorite cases, since they'll no longer be of use anymore.

Which brings me to my current conundrum. While I'm happy with the improved zippiness of the iPad 2, I'm not as thrilled with its case options thus far.

I played with a number of cases and bags for the original iPad, trying to find the best fit. For me, it … Read more