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Top video games, gaming consoles & accessories and apple accessories from Asia

ieCaseMore and more stylish iPad bags are being released onto the market. The Apple iPad is making the man bag cool again, and you can bet we’ll be seeing more and more hipsters carrying messenger bags to transport their tablets between the coffee house to the vintage clothing store. We have already done one roundup of iPad messenger bags, and now it’s time to do our second roundup of cool and stylish iPad bags. There’s something in here for everybody from budget conscious to jungle adventurer to stylish businessman. Check out what we’ve discovered!

ieCaseM Edge Journey iPad Bag

M Edge has released their new Journey Bag for the iPad which is a very functional and good looking messenger bag. It stores your ipad in a protective polar fleece sleeve to keep it safe, warm, and snug. The bag itself is large and has plenty of space for all your day to day carrying needs that a messenger bag should provide, and also includes two mesh pockets for additional organization. The shoulder strap is fully adjustable and padded for comfort. The top zips closed, and the front flap closes securely with a hidden latch to keep everything safe and secure where it belongs.

ieCaseSTM Micro Extra Small iPad Shoulder Bag

We already reviewed the awesome STM Scout messenger bag in our first roundup and we were big fans. If the scout is too large for you and you need something a little smaller then the Micro iPad shoulder bag is the way to go. The Micro is stylish and slim, but still has ample space for all the accessories, cables, and chargers that come with the iPad. The zipper compartment protects your iPad with rigid panels and high density foam. There’s plenty of organization and storage space with pen holders, key-fob, cable organizers, and it’s even big enough to fit A4 size documents without folding.

ieCaseCocoon Harlem iPad Sling

Since the 80’s are so popular these days with the young folk, it’s only a matter of time before the fanny pack comes back into style. Although you don’t have to wear the Harlem iPad Sling as a fanny pack, and it probably looks cooler cross body, we like to set trends here at iPadAccessories.com. Just like the original iPad bag Gramercy messenger sling, this iPad bag come with the Grid-it organization system and is constructed from similar durable water resistant nylon. Plenty of organization space can be found in it’s slim design with a small media pocket for your iPhone or iPod. It’s adjustable cross-body strap will hug you close as you travel around the city on your bike or board. Or you could always sport it fanny-pack style and rock those roller blades like they are cool again.

ieCasePadster Ultimate iPad Bag

After much mystery and rumors, Padster has finally released more information about their Ultimate iPad Bag. This iPad messenger bag is designed specifically for the iPad and constructed from the finest quality materials. Inside your iPad is protected with a neoprene pouch, and there is plenty of space as well for additional documents, accessories, and cords. Constructed from Balistic nylon, full grain cowhide, and all metal hardware, it’s a durable bag to say the least. It also looks very cool and stylish. It will blend in nicely in any club or corporate scene with it’s smooth black finish and chrome metal hardware and just feels professional. This is a very well put together iPad bag, and it will certainly be a hot item on the iPad accessory markets. However the price tag is quite steep at $165. We’d say it’s one of the top iPad bags out there right now, but we are reserving judgement on the “Ultimate” until we can get our hands on one to review in full. Update: We’ve got a full review of the Padster Original with loads of pictures.

ieCaseActon Treadway – Pad Pack

This bag will most likely sell on the platform of swivel .Yes, swivel. With a very minimalist design and ecologically processed leather, the Berkley crowd will be swooning. Well, maybe not the vegan ones. An army green sling strap connects to the mud colored ipad case that can be swiveled while still attached so you don’t have to go through all the trouble of removing the strap to use the device. This great travel case will be a hit with the college crowd. It is also a great idea for subway riders. Not having to take out the iPad but have it connected to you and usuable is perfect for the morning commute. No information on pricing or availability has been released yet, but you can find more photos on the Action Treadway website.

ieCaseTemple Bags’ Leather & Canvas iPad Case

This leather iPad case looks like something a modern day Indiana Jones would have attached to him at all times, just to the other side of his bull whip. It is comprised of a simple flap that opens to the iPad holding space. The iPad can be viewed both vertically and horizontally in the case. This one even comes equipped with extra pockets. The shoulder strap can be detached at the top by to gold colored hooks. The canvas and leather should age well and be fairly durable. There is a good chance it will, sniff sniff, outlive your iPad. This is good because the price tags on these bags can get quite high. This particular model retails for $149. The bag is also available in a full leather version which just looks awesome and sells for $189. Finally there is also a black on black leather and canvas version for $159 to make you look professional with a hint of weekend tomb raider. You can find all the information on the Temple Bags website.

ieCaseieCase is a newcomer to the iPad accessory scene, and it looks like they’ve got some pretty cool ideas already! They’ve already got 4 accessories on the market for iPads: The PTU hard case, a neoprene sleeve, and an iPad screen protector. Our favorite though is their flagship product, the deceptively simply named “iPad Case.” Their new iPad case is a combination iPad portfolio, iPad stand, and iPad bag. This 3 in 1 case has very sleek styling, it lightweight, and we love the clean professional design. Hit the jump for more details…

ieCaseieCases’ new iPad case is going to be a hot seller we are sure. It is multifunction and highly affordable! As an iPad portfolio it features a tri-flap design that holds a pen, documents, accessories, and business cards.

The secondary flap folds over to protect your iPad’s screen from any abrasion that may come from the accessories you are carrying. It’s a sweet little setup. As an iPad bag, the case features a detachable padded shoulder strap so you can easily carry your iPad with you wherever you decide to go for quick and easy transportation. As an iPad stand, there are three different viewing modes and angles you can choose from for easy viewing and typing on your virtual keyboard or watching movies. The case also comes with a screen protector to protect the face of your beautiful tablet.

This is a great budget option for a very slick iPad portfolio that has almost as many functions as the iPad itself! It looks very professional, and will fit right into the corporate world.

drawCasedrawCase is a newcomer to the world of cases and covers. It was born out of a collaboration between David Rees and Alex Wells and is based in Wales, UK. The drawCase is their first case to be manufactured and produced and is shaping up to be a solid (both literally and figuratively) choice in the world of iPad protection. It has yet to hit the market and their website is sparse on details.

What we do know is it’s built from a solid block of recycled aircraft grade aluminum that is CNC milled to fit the iPad safely and snugly. There is a lining of protective foam on the inside to help cushion the iPad from shocks and falls and provide a level of scratch protection. A clever set of magnets ensure the lid stays on, which, if they prove strong enough seems to be a great alternative to a bulky clip system. While the anodized colors have not been confirmed, the samples that they have on their site are looking to be bright and colorful. I like the idea of having a case that is crafted from a solid block of aluminum since the iPad is as well.

We’ll offer more information about this case as Draw gets closer to release. Hopefully we’ll get a review unit so we can give it a proper once over!

Quirky CradleIt’s no secret that we are big fans of Apple’s iPad. We love it. However, we do have one quibble with this new trend towards tablet based computers… they are heavy! It’s really hard to hold them up all the time, and especially difficult to use the iPad when laying down! Well, it looks like we’re not the only ones who have that issue, and Quirky, the makers of the Quirky Cloak iPad Case that we have already reviewed, has done it again with solving this issue in a slick and sexy way. Learn all about the new iPad Cradle desk below!

Quirky CradleIn case you are not already familiar with Quirky, they are a unique company that crowd sources their product research, development, and ideas. Their members get to pitch in and offer suggestions for how to make products that solve problems in a unique and quirky way. The outcomes generally are quite spectacular and appealing!

The new Quirky Cradle iPad lap desk this is one cool and unique iPad accessory. It solves an issue that most everybody has with the new iPad: How to read the dang thing in bed, or on the couch! Since the iPad is being promoted as a multimedia consuming device, and the true beauty of it is in it’s portability, the last thing anybody wants is to be confined to a desk to use it comfortably. The Cradle lap desk for the iPad solves this problem in an elegant, stylish, and sustainable manner.

Quirky CradleThe Cradle features a minimalist design made from Plyboo, which is a sustainable bamboo plywood. It looks beautiful and is one piece of bamboo bent to a soft curve. It’s like having breakfast in bed, only now you can read your iPad in bed too! There is an integrated circular dish in the middle that allows you to rotate your iPad around from portrait to landscape view for reading and watching movies. On the underside is a covered foam cushion for added support and comfort when it’s on your lap.

This desk will be amazing for anybody who loves to use their iPad away from their desk. It’s great for students in their dorm rooms, or anybody who likes to read and watch movies in bed. We love the minimalist styling, and the sustainable bamboo construction of this Cradle iPad desk.

Timbuk2Timbuk2, the San Francisco based maker of the quintessential urban bike messenger bag has recently announced not 1, not 2, but 3 new iPad satchels! We love Timbuk2, and have always found their products are of the highest quality, comfort, style, and value. They are designed to last and be very functional in a variety of situations. Plus their bike courier inspired styling is enough to make us buy a fixed gear and go traffic surfing with reckless abandon! Check out Timbuk2’s three new iPad courier bags, and just try and tell us that you don’t agree!

Timbuk2Timbuk2 iPad Quickie

This is a great little iPad bag for those of us who don’t need to carry around a lot of unessential stuff. It is perfect for transporting your iPad around the office quickly and easily. Hence the name… The Quickie will hold your iPad with a little room to spare for a few additional important items. It has all the essential features, is constructed from durable Oxford Nylon, has a removable shoulder strap and tuck-away handles, and it even has two large front pockets to hold the power brick and other essential accessories. This is a biggie, and an often overlooked feature of most iPad bags, one that irritates us to no end. Good job Timbuk2!

Timbuk2Timbuk2 Slingshot iPad Courier

This is an awesome case that is perfect if you need something that fits close to the body and won’t move around on you as you navigate the urban jungles on top of your custom Sycip fixed gear… yes we have always harbored dreams of being bike messengers and racing fixed gear velocipedes through city streets. Back to the bag… this is a durable bag made from lightweight Mission6 Nylon fabric, it is a workhorse that straps over the shoulder, around the hips, or cross the chest with the memory-adjust True Fit cam buckle. Fully padded inside, with plenty of external pockets to hold your other accessories, the Slingshot is an awesome little bag. To make it even more attractive, you certainly can’t beat the price!

Timbuk2Timbuk2 Freestyle iPad Messenger

If you are going to drop some cash on an iPad bag, it had better do a little more than simply carry around your iPad. Or at least, that’s how we feel about it. For us, our favorite iPad bag offered by Timbuk2 is the Freestyle iPad Messenger bag. It’s adapted from their classic and never out of style messenger bag, and has all the bells and whistles to keep your iPad and tech gadgets happy. Made from bomb proof ballistic fabric, this bag is waterproof and durable! Your iPad get’s it’s own special pocket lined with felt and covered with a velcro secured cover. There’s plenty more room to spare inside the bag for all your day to day needs as well, which makes it the most versatile and attractive of all Timbuk2’s offerings to us. It is secured with their messenger inspired adjustable cam buckle, and is available in 3 different cool styles. It can be purchased for $52 On Sale right now! This bag is also backed by Timbuk2’s legendary Quality Guarantee!

BluetoothiPad Accessories has had a dirty little secret for some time. We haven’t actually owned an iPad. We’ve felt that our iPad case and covers reviews haven’t suffered since it isn’t difficult to review style, value, quality and functionality without an Apple iPad, but when a portable bluetooth keyboard crossed our review desk we knew we were in trouble. After a lot of money and a wait time in the scale of plate tectonics (seems like the iPad is just a wee bit popular…) we finally got our brand spankin’ new iPad 3G 64 GB in our office yesterday. With that comes our review of the Freedom Pro Bluetooth Keyboard for the iPad. Special thanks to Wireless Ground for the unit and their patience.

The package is a striking yellow box with a thankfully easy to open blister pack. Inside the blister pack is the keyboard itself, a faux black leather carrying case with a magnetic clasp, 4 shortcut key cheat-sheets (sadly, the iPad isn’t one of them), a flat piece of shipping foam that I now use to set my iPad on, and 2 “AAA” batteries. Major points go to Freedom Input for including batteries. I wish other manufacturers would follow suit.

The keyboard uses a scissor action design that most laptop keyboard use, Macbooks’ chiclet keys notwithstanding. Scissor action keyboards are generally considered to be second in feel only to the venerable buckling spring design of the model M keyboards but considering we are living in 2010 and not 1985, it’s about as good as it gets. Of course, keyboard action and feel is highly personal so your mileage may vary.

BluetoothThe Freedom Pro has 5 rows of keys with only a row of dedicated function keys being left out. They are still accessible via a dedicated “Fn” button. This key also gives access to a home key, an internet key, the media player and media player controls, volume controls, mute, page up, page down, end, home, and 3 of 6 device specific soft keys. All but the dedicated soft-keys are enabled on the iPad out of the box, though the internet key brings up the home screen, and the home button (Fn + Esc) does nothing. Since playing music is one of the few functions that can be multitasked on the iPad, it’s nice to have the media controls available from inside other programs. There is also an “AltGr” button that gives access to various symbols living on the home row that are used for non-English languages. A row of buttons down the left side are for email, address book, tasks, calendar, answer call, and end call. These buttons didn’t work on the iPad and it’s not known whether it’s a driver issues, or an iPad issue. Of course, the iPad doesn’t have a phone so the answer call and end call will likely never work. Next to the row of buttons are a recessed bluetooth pairing button, a profile switch for either HID or SPP, a power switch, a connect LED, and a battery LED. The battery compartment is located on the far left and is easy to access. Finally, at the top of the keyboard is a sliding lock to prevent the keyboard from folding closed while in use.

At the top of the right side is tricky slide out stand. The iPad is simply too big and too heavy to use this stand but it’s a nice feature for those of us with smartphones. A dedicated iPad stand would need to be bought or improvised to get the full use of this keyboard.

Actually typing on the keyboard takes a bit of getting used to. My typing technique evolved from dual index finger hunting and pecking into a 7 finger blend of poor technique and positioning so I am probably not the best person to give an unbiased review. Still, I do type 65 wpm with relatively few mistakes outside of my terrible spelling. For anyone other then touch typists the Freedom Keyboard can be daunting to glance at. There is a lot of information packed onto the keyboard in the form of white labeled primary keys, red labeled function keys, and alt green labeled symbols. The space bar is also split down the middle to allow the Freedom Pro to fold in half. The right shift is on the right side of the up arrow and the delete key is located on the bottom left of the keyboard. All these little details add up to a learning curve. All that said, they are details that can be gotten used to and the keyboard works well.

Some users are reporting terrible input lag from the bluetooth connection, mostly from windows mobile devices. Lag on the iPad was present but didn’t interfere with even my fastest typing speeds. Overall, I’d say that with the hardware I tested input lag isn’t a problem with this bluetooth keyboard.

Bluetooth and I have a torrid history. Trying to sync my Samsung Blackjack with my laptop was an exercise in frustration and finally, futility. Imagine my surprise when I got the keyboard paired with the iPad on the first try; without any instruction reading or searching through shady internet forums (I WON AN IPAD!). Chalk it up to either a superior product by Freedom Input or Apple (or both) but set-up was a breeze. Now all I need to do is turn the keyboard on and it recognizes the device without any further action on my part.

SaddlebackFinally, a leather iPad sleeve that looks amazing, smells great, and is immensely durable! In fact, Saddleback Leather Co. is so confident in their products, they back everything they make with a 100 year warranty! Their slogan is “They’ll fight over it when you’re dead” and, while that’s not something to look forwards too… it certainly rings true with this iPad sleeve. This is the John Wayne of iPad sleeves, it’s what Marion Morrison would have used if he was still around, and it’s what you could be using for the next 100+ years.

SaddlebackThey call it the Gadget Pouch Large to reflect the fact that it’ll be around much longer then your iPad. We know what it will be used for in the short term though, a premium leather iPad sleeve. This stunning sleeve is made from thick (2.0mm – 2.2mm) full grain boot leather with a tough pigskin lining. The marine grade polyester thread is double stitched and UV resistant. The top corners have extra thread reinforcement to ensure they stay together for the life of the pouch. Edge protection is provided by the thick seams on the side, the large folds in the corner, and a 3mm thick strip of neoprene sandwiched between the pigskin lining and leather on the bottom.

SaddlebackIt fits the iPad like a glove and with time the leather will actually form to the shape of the iPad as it softens and stretches. It’s a nice feeling in our instant-gratification society that there are still companies out there producing high quality goods with longevity in mind. I feel that if this iPad sleeve lasts for 100 years it would save far more carbon credits then the dozens of other disposable products that would be bought instead making it a truly green option for iPad protection.

SaddlebackSaddleback Leather Co. knows how to make a product that lasts. So much so that they offer a 100 year warranty if the pouch falls apart. It rare that a product is meant to willed away. The fact that the leather is full grain and will look and feel better as it ages emphasizes this fact. If I were to nitpick I’d say that the lining could be softer for an iPad’s screen but that would be short sighted as the pouch is meant to be so much more then just an iPad sleeve. It’s also nothing that can’t be fixed with a screen protector. With that in mind I wholeheartedly give the pouch 5 stars. It’s available from Saddleback Leather Co. and comes in Tobacco Brown (shown), Carbon Black, Dark Coffee Brown, and Chestnut. It retails for $55.00 and will easily last you and your gadget’s lifetime.

SleevesYou probably won’t have this problem in your home or office, but around here, the place smells like a scuba suit factory. Or at least what we’d assume a scuba suit factory smells like… So many iPad cases made out of neoprene–what’s up with that? Well here’s something that won’t have that problem, Plaid Doctrine’s eco-friendly iPad Sleeve. This handmade sleeve is not only eco friendly and designed to minimize it’s carbon footprint, it’s also a stylish, travel ready, and vintage inspired good looking iPad sleeve! Check out our review below…?? Designed and manufactured in the tree-hugging state of Washington, it’s made out of polyester from recycled plastic bottles. But don’t get the wrong idea–you’ve never seen your empty bottle of Dr. Pepper look so good. And last I heard, Seattle gets its fair share of rain (who knew?), so this water-resistant iPad sleeve is made to keep your precious cargo dry when you’re going from coffee shop to coffee shop.

Some other key sleeve features:

* Two, count-em, two front pockets to keep your headphones, charger and other stuff from scratching the iPad.
* Padded with foam in case your iPad needs some extra protection. Note: we haven’t done any drop testing.
* Built with hardy ripstop nylon lining (don’t worry about the screen – it has a nice soft texture).
* Retro-styled, plaid’s comin’ back, baby!

After reading their blog, it’s interesting why they have made the choices they have to go with recycled bottle caps as opposed to going with another recycled product. Instead of using outdoor signs or billboard banners which are made from some scary toxic stuff sometimes, or recycled sailcloth which can be bathed in chemicals, the Plaid Doctrine iPad Sleeve is made from good ol’ recycled bottle caps. Who knew a bottle cap could look so good? These sleeves are designed and assembled just outside of Seattle, 15 miles away from the company headquarters, so the carbon footprint for these things is pretty darn low. Price is $79 – the price you pay for saving the earth in style – and includes free ground shipping. If you are looking for a vintage inspired, eco-friendly, waterproof, and just plain awesome iPad sleeve, then look no further! Pair it with a good nice iPad screen protector, and you are golden! Check out their website for more information: Plaid Doctrine iPad Sleeve.