Christmas is fast approaching, and many people will get an iPad, or already have an iPad and may want a case. I have had a search around and found some really cool cases. The iPad is a fashion accessory as much as anything else, so wrapping it up in a cool fashionable case is the only way to go. It is hard to find lots of designer cases all under one roof, so I have compiled a few cases which I like, with a variety of price tags.

One thing which I am unsure of is how much do you spend on a case? An iPad will set you back at least £400, so is spending £300 on a case a silly idea? You can decide, I will just show you what is currently on offer at the moment.

The first case I have to write about is in fact not a fashion case, but a very cool one non the less. It is called a G-Form Extreme case, and is made of special materials. It is soft, lightweight and flexable, but has proven to be one of the most durable and tough cases which you can buy.

It has been tested and showed off a lot with its amazing strength; The case is said to have properties which change, so it is soft and flexable but when impact is made it becomes rigid and tough and can withstand quite a lot, including a bowling ball dropped on it. Check out this test below!

Quite impressive! If you are scared about dropping your beloved iPad on the floor or down the stairs it looks like this is the case for you, it looks pretty cool too.

It is currently available on pre-order for £70 in most places, and can be pre-ordered on Amazon and Firebox. Amazon release date is 15th January 2012. It does come in a variety of colours like black which is above, and yellow.

Now for the fashion cases…

1. Mulberry case – Brown leather case, cool stitching and suede interior. £375 from MR Porter
2. Louis Vuitton – One of the most recognisable brands out there, the traditional LV patterned design will give your iPad some high-end fashion looks. £255 from Louis Vuitton
3. Ralph Lauren black leather case. nice clean design with front emblunm £125 from John Lewis
4. Marc Jacobs – One of my favourite designs, bright blue so it will stand out a mile away, and it looks cool too. Embossed lettering throughout the case design with Marc by Marc Jacobs logo. £45 from MR Porter.
5. Ted Baker Case – with a zip fastening and a sleeve to store extra swag. £32 from Nordstrom
6. Mulberry Sleeve – Black leather sleeve, very simple and sleek design. £150 from John Lewis
7. Dolce And Gabbana – D&G designer iPad case, with zipped front and opening. £335 from Luisaviaroma.com
8. Gucci Case – Available in brown or black leather, this case has the Gucci diamond leather pattern embossed throughout and comes with an interior compartment. £325 from MR Porter.

My favourite has to be the Marc Jacobs case for the cool design, or if I were going for a more traditional contemporary look the Gucci case.

I was browsing the Apple site before and noticed the iPad started at £329. I could of sworn it used to start at £429, and they did. I already heard yesterday that Apple in the U.S. were giving $100 off, and it looks like the UK is getting £100 off.

This is while stocks last, so dont expect it to last long. All models have £100 off. So if you are feeling cheap, you can get the current old iPad brand new for as little as £329.

p.s. if you have bought an iPad in the last 14 days and are feeling hard done by, Apple will refund the difference if you contact them.

Yes, just a short time ago the Apple iPad 2 has been officially announced. So, what do you wanna know? Well…

• It will be released 11th March in USA, and 25th March in the UK and Europe
• The price points remain the same

What about the new additions and features? Well as expected, there is nothing outstanding about it, it is more of a refined iPad than something which will take your breath away.

Its lighter and thinner than before. It has twice the power, with a new A5 processor which is dual core, and better graphics. It has dual cameras, one on the front for Facetime and the other on the rear. Its available in white aswell as black, and has an improved speaker.

Also has some new accessories, an HDMI connector and some new covers called “smart covers“, another add-on for Apple to cash in on. The smart covers cleverly clip onto the front of the iPad and can be folded up to form a little stand. They are magnetic and very very thin, at only 2mm.

And thats about it. Did I expect more? Well not really, what more could it have? A better screen perhaps, maybe a bigger screen which I would really want. Also more storage, get rid of the 16gb and start at 32gb going upto 128gb. Flash support? hahaha! That was never going to happen but we can dream.

I may get one, I may not, I havent seen anything from todays announcement which makes me wanna run out and buy one or have a play with one. I didnt get the original iPad, and it looks like I may sit this one out and get the one after, there are some rumors which say that could come this year too.

What do you think?

I havent bought any gadgets for ages and I want something to play with! I was thinking of getting the next iPad when it comes out, that is if its any good.

Then I got thinking about the Macbook Air. They recently re-launched them, with 2 models, an 11″ and a 13″. They do look really cool, and the 11″ would be just a bit bigger than an iPad, and way more powerful and you can do so much more with it. The downside is I want something which I can just pick up and use, and put down. I dont wanna have to wait for a while for startup, or worry that the battery is going to die. Also no 3G card slot, so you cant get a true mobile internet experience, I suppose you could get a dongle. I have also read some not so good reviews about it, maybe its overhyped.

The next iPad? I resisted temptation to get this one, so why would I get the next? Well maybe I would. I do like the idea of one, but maybe as an all round device, e.g. web browser, media player etc. We will have to see what “the next” iPad has to offer. I would go for it if it was maybe bigger, certainly more powerful, and have a bigger hard drive. An 11-12″ tablet with 128GB HDD and the same RAM and screen as the iPhone would make it tempting. It has to offer something my iPhone doesnt, a huge HDD to store music and vids might do the trick.

The Sony HX7v aka the update to the HX5v which is my current phone. Sony have announced this at CES2011, it has 3D capabilities and takes pics all the way upto 16.2MP. Looks like Sony is in the Megapixel race again. Some people are saying this is too many for the camera and will actually make the image quality worse, we will have to wait to find out. Also it may be too early to upgrade my camera to this, its only a year old, will this be a big enough jump to justify getting one?

So…What do you think of the iPad?

I purposely didnt write about them on the release day, i was waiting for the hype to die down. Apple have said that they have now sold 2 million of these in the 2 months they have been on sale for. Thats faster than the iPhone.

I still dont think i want one; I may get one, but thats a different matter They just dont do anything which hasnt already been done. I have an iPhone, and this is a bigger version. I dont use that in terms of the apps, or use it in any way in general, other than using it as a phone. I do check Twitter and Facebook on the go, and blog a bit, but that doesnt happen very often, and that fits into my pocket.

If you watch the F1 you have probably noticed in the past 2 races that Jake Humphrey walks around with one…That does make me want one

But i know that i will hardly use it, and it will gather dust. I have an iPhone, desktop and laptop. Where does this fit in?

I will definatly wait a while before getting one, if i get one. I will see what the other companies have to offer, Dell, H.P. and others are said to be bringing devices out.

The UK iPad price has now been announced, with no real suprise. My last guess was £399-£429, and the lower end was being really optimistic; and now we have confirmation that the base model will be £429.

16GB WiFi-only £429
32GB WiFi-only £499
64GB WiFi-only £599

16GB WiFi+3G £529
32GB WiFi+3G £599
64GB WiFi+3G £699

I might get one, but i doubt it. Why? Well it really is just a big iTouch/iPhone. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but i already have an iPhone, and will probably get the next generation one when its released, my contract runs out next month. There is no need to have a bigger version of this. Not only that, i dont use apps, not enough to justify buying this. I will wait it out, and maybe get whatever HP or Dell will be offering, which will be more of a computer than this. If i see a better reason to get an iPad then i will

If i were to go for one of these configurations i would get the 32gb WIFI, its only a little more than the base model, and is probably the best value for money at these pricepoints.

You can pre-order on Monday 10th May, with it supposedly being released later in the month…its already been delayed in the UK.

UPDATE: Release date is 28th May

If you get an iPad, you gotta get this!

This is PLAYER!

oh dear oh dear……

I have laughed at people who pay for apps, called them sad losers, and thought they were pathetic. Now Sports Interactive are trying to make me look like a sad geek!

They have released Football Manager for the iPhone! It is more or less a fully featured game, yeah there are some things which arent in the full PC version, but this is a download for a phone! More or less all the playability is there, but it is said to be faster (to get from match to match) and is like an updated lightweight version of Football Manager.

This is exactly what i want!!! I play the retro old versions of Championship Manager, its still great fun, because of its speed and ease of use. Now we have an up-to-date game which is just as fun and fast.

The cost? Its £6.99 which is alot for me to spend on just an app…But this is a full game! Not just an app

The steady slope has begun

If you are American, and a geek, then today you would of woke up from your wet dream. The Apple iPad was finally launched today.

No word yet on a UK release date, or even pricing.

Look at this guy, this is what an Apple Fanboy looks like.

So, If you are American, you can pre-order an iPad today. If you live anywhere else, you cant. Not only that, the price STILL has not been revealed for the UK or Europe. They claim a revolutionary price, but dont say what it is…

So what is your guess? Well its $499 (starting) in the U.S. If you were to convert it, that is £332, but we know things never work that way. My original guess was £349-399, i think i will change that to £399-429

I will probably get one, because, it is a cool gadget….But it is nothing more than that. I would never recommend one to a friend, but if i had spare cash and i was in the mood for a gadget, then this may be the one. It is just a large iphone/itouch, but like i say, still a cool gadget.

Its supposed to be coming to the UK in April, maybe they are waiting to see the response it gets in the U.S. before they market and sell it in Europe and the UK, to price it better; If its a big success, they can sell it for more; If its a flop, they can try to sell it for more, but it will fail and nobody will buy it.