Tag Archives: SmartCase

Apple seeks patent for Smart Cover with embedded secondary display

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Apple seeks patent for Smart Cover with embedded flexible display

According to a patent application made public by the USPTO this morning (and originally filed a year ago), Apple believes it's possible to build a flexible display into an iPad cover in order to "greatly enhance" the functionality of the tablet itself. Taking power and data from a dedicated connector on the side of the slate, at least one segment of the name-deserving Smart Cover could be used to augment the main display with space for extra icons, or operate as a separate media control interface, or simply display notifications. Drawings collected in the gallery below also hint at using the entire inner surface of the cover as a keyboard (ala Microsoft Surface) or as a drawing area. As with all patent applications, there's nothing to say such an idea will ever see Californian sunlight, but it'd be crying shame if it didn't.

Gallery: Apple Smart Cover display patent application

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Apple seeks patent for Smart Cover with embedded secondary display originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 07:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google’s Nexus 7 discovered to have Smart Cover-like magnetic sensor

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Google's Nexus 7 discovered as having Smart Coverlike magnet sensor

You won't find this on its official specs list, but Google's Nexus 7 tablet apparently has a magnet-enabled sensor that'll automatically set the display to sleep -- it's hard not to think of the iPad's Smart Cover. YouTube user wwscoggin was able to discover and pin-point the functionality near the bottom left of the device by gliding a magnet along its bezel. As Android Police notes, this appears to be the only Android tablet with such a feature, yet there's no word on whether ASUS' decidedly Smart Case-esque cases will make use of it. We've been able to replicate the action on our end, but don't take our word for it, catch the video after the break.

Continue reading Google's Nexus 7 discovered to have Smart Cover-like magnetic sensor

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Google's Nexus 7 discovered to have Smart Cover-like magnetic sensor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 17:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad Smart Case hands-on

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iPad's Smart Case handson

Surreptitiously introduced to Apple Stores in the midst of new MacBook introductions and hardware refreshes, the Smart Case is Apple's latest official option for iPad protection. It's teamed together the foldable Smart Cover of last year with a soft-touch rubbery shell to defend the other half of Apple's premier tablet. The case fits both the Retina display-decked new iPad and the iPad 2, so we decided to grab one to protect our iOS slab. Does it do the job? Well, it certainly protects the tablet from keys, spare change and other pointy objects, however, because it's made for two slightly different sized devices, it didn't fit as snugly as we'd hoped, with an especially wide rim around the front also reducing the premium feel of the Smart Cover-esque front flap. So, is it still worth the $50 price tag? That's a little trickier to say, so check out some more impressions and our verdict after the break.

Gallery: iPad Smart Case hands-on

Continue reading iPad Smart Case hands-on

iPad Smart Case hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple intros new iPad Smart Case: clever enough to cover both sides, priced at $50

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Apple intros new iPad Smart Case, clever enough to cover both sides

And we're still not done. A new iPad case has managed to sneak onto the Apple Store's online shelves, and it'll protect your precious slab on both the back and front. The Smart Case appears to augment last year's Smart Cover with an additional (polyurethane hardshell) coating for the back of your iPad. Priced at just under $50, the case fits both second and third-generation iPads and will arrive in six different color options. And yes, you can still get that ever-pressing message engraved onto it too.

[Thanks Nikhil]

For more coverage of WWDC 2012, please visit our event hub!

Apple intros new iPad Smart Case: clever enough to cover both sides, priced at $50 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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