Wandering around the show floor, it seemed like there were at least a hundred different ways to hold our mount an iPad. At the time, it seemed to me to represent a certain lack of innovation in a market usually brimming with new and unique ideas. It was some hours after the show closed that I was finally set straight. Waiting for our rides at Portland International after several long days at the Expo, I found myself talking to Preston Hodges from Hub Innovations , a local company immersed in this segment of the market. He concurred that consumer interest in iPad holders was not their sweet spot. But with iPads moving into retail spaces, ...

Text much? How many times have you found yourself sitting at your desktop Mac, a text message pops up on your phone, and you turn away from your comfy, full-size keyboard to fat-finger an abbreviated reply? Matias, long-time masters of the art of keyboard design introduced an ingenious solution this week at CES, the One series of keyboards. These are wired USB keyboards for your Mac (or PC) that can connect to your phone via Bluetooth. Press a button on the keyboard and it toggles over to your iPhone, letting you text almost as fast as a teenager. The two full size models will cradle your phone; the slim-line version comes with the company'

The holiday season is upon us already, and welcome to MacDirectory’s latest Buyers Guide. Get started with your gift-giving. WI-DRIVE: PORTABLE WIRELESS STORAGE Share your favorite content with your favorite people. Kingston’s Wi-Drive offers up to 32GB of portable storage and wireless file sharing for Apple devices, including iPod touch Gen 3 & 4, iPhone and iPad. Your content can be shared simultaneously by three users on their own devices. Rugged and easy to use, it comes with a USB cable and requires an App downloadable at Apple’s App Store. Wi-Drive features Flash-based technology, integrated Wi-Fi and four hours of battery ...

Sonnet’s Edge Last issue we wrote about Sonnet’s incredible Tempo Sata Pro Expresscard, the world’s fastest eSata interface to your Macbook. Two things could have been improved: price, and bulk. The card’s connectors do stick out of your laptop. Sonnet just released the Tempo Sata Edge Expresscard. It fits flush against the side of your Macbook or other laptop. And it’s an astonishing 1/4 the price of the Pro, at $49 MSRP. What’s the downside? Most users won’t notice any difference between the two cards. The Edge will happily connect your external or RAID external. But the Pro has an additional channel (and an additional ...

Sonnet Technologies: RackMac mini The latest Mac mini makes a popular and inexpensive server. Sonnet’s $169 RackMac mini solves the problem of rack-mounting one or two of them. The RackMac mini is sturdy, convenient, and elegant. Yet again, we award Sonnet for identifying opportunities to manufacture well-engineered products that satisfy an emerging need. Did we call it right? We told you at press time in early October there would be an 11-inch Macbook Air. And by the end of the month, there really was. Whew! We gave our annual award to Dell's Alienware 11mx because it was then, and still is by far, the most powerful 11-inch laptop ...

What's that? You'd like to turn your decidedly modern-looking iPad into a vintage TV? What a coincidence, because that's exactly what designer/crafts genius Paula Patterson is offering! What began as a personal project for Patterson has since morphed into a Kick Starter movement where $500 can nab your very own copy of the wooden masterpiece dubbed the V-luxe. An extra comportment in the base even allows an extra speaker for better audio. Patterson is also working on a V-luxe Jr. for the iPhone and iPod touch so those without an iPad can still get in on the vintage fun. [Gizmodo]

The Seagate GoFlex 500GB hard drive isn't has large as some of the mammoth storage devices available, but you won't see many of those other hard drives move files around with a few swipes of an iPhone. The free GoFlex Media app controls transfers between any iOS device and the hard drive, as long as a Wi-Fi connection can be found. At least you won't have to look for a power outlet –– the GoFlex HD, which hits shelves in July, comes packed with a rechargeable battery that lasts for up to 25 hours. At $200, the HD is a little costlier than other options, but those extra features may make the price worth it. [Gizmodo]

For everyone who didn't get the memo about how to get a free Square iPhone/iPad/iPod credit card reader, Apple is making it easier to pick up the device by sticking it in all 235 of its U.S. Apple retail stoers as well as online. For $9.95 you too can use your iGadget to grab payments from customers as long as you have a data connection and they have a Visa, MasterCard, AmEx or Discover card. Square, which is run by Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, gets a small nip of every payment –– $2.75 percent. Oh, and about that free Square reader: Sign up for the Square service online and you'll get your first reader for free. [BGR]

The iPad works so well in part because our fingers makes a good stylus. We can swipe, click and type just fine with our stubby digits. But what if you want finer control, say to draw or sign a document? Wacom promises to offer that control with its Bamboo Stylus. Arriving in May for $29.99, the stylus boasts a tip that is 25 percent narrower than other alternatives on the market. That smaller tip in theory should offer tighter control, so I'd have nobody but myself to blame for my fourth grade-level penmanship. [Gizmodo]

Kickstarter lets entrepreneurs crowdsource funding for their good ideas. That description obviously holds true for the Pad Pivot stand because it's eclipsed its goal of $10,000 by almost $110,000 with five more days of funding to go. The device folds small enough to fit into a front pocket and, when opened, can act as either a stand or as a hands-free holder when used on your lap. Imagine the iPad as a steering wheel –– the Pad Pivot locks onto your leg to give you complete control over your tablet, setting you up for some slick gaming maneuvers. It's advertised for use with the iPad 1 and 2, but it's also supposed to work with the ...

Matias just released their Dvorak Keyboard for PC & Mac — a USB keyboard with an onboard switch hardwired to the Dvorak layout. Most famously used by Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak, the Dvorak layout was scientifically designed by University of Washington Professor August Dvorak, to reduce typing fatigue and increase typing speeds. The world's fastest typist (Barbara Blackburn) used a Dvorak keyboard to reach peak speeds of 212 words per minute — more than 17 key presses each second. “The nice thing about this new Matias Dvorak Keyboard is that it's easily switchable. You just push a button,” said Edgar Matias, CEO of Matias.

Some dude named Dean thought it would be a cute idea to create a cheese cutting board and name it after the iPad. Apple's lawyers, he says, weren't so thrilled with the concept and told him to cut it out (haha!) or they'd attack him over "likeness" issues. So Dean backed off, and now, months later, he's decided to step forward with his story. That, and pictures of his iPad cutting board that looks... okay, I guess. Dean says he can't sell them but he's willing to give them away to anyone who catches his eye. Want that cutting board? Let the courtship begin. [Gizmodo]

Along with leg warmers and Don Johnson's rolled up sleeves, there aren't as many visuals that scream "80s!" quite like the giant mobile phone. And your iPhone, now it can be one. The brick-like case from The Mobile Phone Massif costs $20 and is guaranteed to grant you instant street cred, if you can find a time machine that goes back 25 years. But fashion is cyclical, right? So maybe it's hip again. Perhaps it's time to go shopping for an Italian sports coat too. [Gizmodo]

A video was posted on YouTube yesterday that reveals that Apple has redesigned its bumper case for the iPhone 4 rather than making a new model for just the CDMA version. The change is simply making a bigger cutout for the mute switch that allows both models to fit. Apple has already updated their online store to reflect the change from model A to model B. This makes purchasing a case much simpler for the everyday user, and is a good move for Apple. Check out the video below to see what it looks like. [via: MacRumors]

There are few iPhone and iPod case manufacturers on the market with as much experience as Mophie. It is a company that started small, but through wise business, hard work, and great ideas, it has grown into one of the most well-known accessory manufacturer for Apple's iPhone and iPod, as well as other manufacturers. I spoke with Ross Howe, an executive at Mophie, and I think you might enjoy what he had to say. MacDirectory > First of all, tell me a little bit about the history of Mophie. Where and when did it start? Ross Howe > The company actually started in Michigan as “mStation Audio” in 2006. We created high-performance speakers ...

According to Mobile Magazine, a Kinect-like gesture system will be demoed for the iPad at CES 2011. Apparently all of the games and hacks that the Kinect has been used for has inspired Elliptic Labs, the creator of such a device, to introduce an iPad-compatible comparable system. The technology uses ultrasound, but requires the iPad to sit in a dock. The dock creates a zone that is one foot in front and to the side of the iPad's screen in which it can detect motion and gestures. Check out a demo in the video below. Knowing Apple as we do, I can easily see Apple introducing something of the same caliber or perhaps even buying out the ...

Looking for an environmentally responsible way to shield your iPhone 4? bioserie is first company to release a line of iPhone 4 covers that will give earth-conscious Apple device owners a way to protect their phone as well as the environment. The company’s unique use of the latest in bio-plastics technology offers considerably less greenhouse gas emissions during manufacturing. When the cover is discarded, it will degrade completely and without toxic substances. The iPhone 4 cover is the newest addition to bioserie’s existing line of “made of plants” covers for the iPhone 3G/3GS, iPod touch and iPod nano. Using Ingeo by ...