Gallery: 8 Pieces of Flair for Your iPad
01logitech-ultrathin-keyboard-cover
Even if you had all the money in Guam, you couldn't buy every iPad accessory on the market. E-tailers' virtual shelves are awash in keyboards and stands and cases and speakers and bags. And, big surprise: A lot of those add-on tchotchkes are cheap, worthless junk. But there are some accessories that are truly smart and useful, things that extend the iPad beyond its lot as a luxury item, or turn it from a niche product into something with a broader purpose. Here are some of our favorites. __Above:__ Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover --------------------------------- When I started researching external keyboards, everyone online was raving about this $100 [Ultrathin](http://www.logitech.com/en-us/tablet-accessories/keyboard-cases/ultrathin-keyboard-cover). And when Logitech sent me a review unit, I understood why -- it's far nicer than every other Bluetooth keyboard out there. Paired with your favorite productivity apps, it immediately transforms your iPad into a suitable laptop replacement. The keys are very comfortable, with just the right amount of travel. All the common keyboard shortcuts work as expected, and at the top, there are special keys for controlling media playback and for cutting and pasting. Where the Esc key would normally be, there's an iOS home button. It's a little weird using a keyboard without a trackpad or a mouse, but the interaction language of iOS bridges that mental gap for you at least a little bit -- when you're using an iPad, it's already natural to reach up and touch the screen. The iPad mounts into a little slot just above the keys (it fits both the iPad 2 and 3) where it's held in place with a magnet. To tote it, you slap the plastic magnetic hinge against the iPad and close the whole assembly like a notebook. The keyboard really is thin -- it's about the same thickness as your iPad, so it looks like you have two iPads sandwiched together, face to face. *-- Michael Calore* __WIRED__ Comfortable, fast typing -- the best of the keyboards we've tested. Charges over USB, and the battery lasts forever between charges. Hinge mounts and releases effortlessly. Thin and neat. __TIRED__ Can't use it with other cases like a Smart Cover. The plastic hinge feels flimsy, and it rattles. Smooth bottom slides around on desks and tables. Made for landscape mode, and a little iffy in portrait mode.
02bluelounge-kicks
BlueLounge Kicks ---------------- If your iPad slides around too much when you place it flat on a counter or a table -- or if you're just a paranoid freak about scratches -- you'll want a set of these. [BlueLounge](http://www.bluelounge.com/products/kicks/)'s silicone strips ($12 for four) attach to the underside of your iPad like a set of hard plastic rails on your Tony Hawk skate deck from the '80s, protecting the back and giving your gadget some grip. The strips use a light adhesive from 3M that leaves zero residue, so they're reusable. You can peel the Kicks off and then stick them back on later. These are actually a great addition to the Logitech keyboard case. Stick the Kicks on the case instead of the iPad, and when you're in "laptop mode," they act as feet to keep the keyboard base from sliding around. *-- Michael Calore* __WIRED__ Less intrusive than a full back-case. Removable and reusable. Gummy strips leave no residue when you peel them off. Work great with a Smart Cover. Cheap. __TIRED__ The adhesive is so light, they tend to move around, requiring re-adjustment. Can only be positioned lengthwise.
03wacom-bamboo-stylus-pocket
Wacom Bamboo Stylus pocket -------------------------- Don't let Steve's ghost hear me say this, but I sometimes find myself wishing I had a stylus. It's really only when I'm messing around in a drawing app, but for those only-so-often moments, [Wacom's Bamboo pocket pen](http://www.wacom.com/en/products/bamboo/bamboostylus/pocket.aspx) ($35) fits the bill. This is the company's new "pocket" version of its best-in-class input pen line for iPad. It collapses, so you can make it tiny and stash it in your pocket, then pop it open and use it as a full-sized pen. The nib is soft and large (about the same size as a Sharpie, and about as easy to write with). When the nib wears out, you can replace it. The extra-cool feature: The pen's cap has a headphone plug that slides into the iPad's headphone jack and acts as a little leash so you don't lose it. *-- Michael Calore* __WIRED__ Fat aluminum housing is comfortable for sketching. Collapsable design slips into a pocket. Optimized to work with Wacom's fun and free [Bamboo Paper](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bamboo-paper-notebook/id443131313?mt=8) note-taking and drawing app, but works as a navigation tool through all of iOS. __TIRED__ Tip is quite fat and doesn't offer much precision for writing. Sometimes misses swipes and taps when being used to navigate around other apps.
04magnus-magnetic-stand
Magnus magnetic stand --------------------- Two key uses for my iPad: watching videos, and looking up recipes in the kitchen. For those things in particular, Ten1 Design's [Magnus stand](http://tenonedesign.com/magnus.php) ($50) excels. It's a flat piece of metal with a magnetic plate sticking up at an angle. Nestle the iPad against the plate in landscape mode, and it stays sitting up like a very expensive digital picture frame. You can use it in portrait mode if you'd like, though it's not nearly as sturdy. I find it especially useful in the kitchen, since I can put the Magnus on hot, wet, or dirty surfaces -- something I can't do with my Smart Cover, which would get gunked up. It's also an excellent way to stabilize an iPad when typing on an external keyboard. *-- Michael Calore* __WIRED__ Sturdy and tough. Holds an iPad 2 or 3 without worry. Minimal design, and it's quite pretty. __TIRED__ Expensive. Hard taps can knock it loose. Doesn't hold the iPad confidently in portrait mode. Works if you have a skin on the back, but not if you're using a case. Not portable.
05seagate-goflex-satellite-wi-fi-hard-drive
Seagate GoFlex Satellite Wi-Fi Hard Drive ----------------------------------------- This [500GB hard drive](http://www.seagate.com/external-hard-drives/portable-hard-drives/wireless/seagate-satellite/) ($200) has a Wi-Fi radio inside. Connect to it wirelessly wherever you are and partake in the movies, shows or music stored within. Fill it up and charge the Lithium-ion battery by plugging it into your computer. When you want to watch a movie or listen to some music, whip out your tablet and switch your connection from your regular Wi-Fi network to the ad hoc network created by the drive. Seagate has been selling this drive for a while ([read our full review from 2011](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/reviews/2011/11/seagate-satellite/)) but there's a new firmware update that allows a "pass-through mode," so you can stay attached to the drive via the ad hoc Wi-Fi network, but access your regular Wi-Fi network so you can browse the web. To access your files, you can use Seagate's free app for iOS, which has a nice embedded player for watching the videos and playing the songs stored on the drive. Battery lasts between four and six hours (I always made it through two movies) and there's a car charger in the box for keeping it alive during road trips. *-- Michael Calore* __WIRED__ Carry 500GB of videos with you, and watch them on your iPad. Juice up the six-hour Lithium-ion battery over USB, or with a car charger. USB 3.0. 3-year warranty. Up to three users can connect at once. __TIRED__ Formatted NTFS, so while Windows users can plug and play, Mac users will need to load some utilities first.
06breffo-spiderpodium
Breffo Spiderpodium ------------------- The [Spiderpodium](http://www.breffo.com/) for iPad ($35) is well-named, because it's precisely what you'd get if you somehow managed to convince a spider and a podium to mate. It has ever-so-slightly unnerving segmented legs surrounding a tiny platform. The legs -- eight of them -- bend easily but stay in place firmly, and they're covered with a nice, friction-enhanced surface that holds onto plastic, aluminum and glass pretty impressively. You can bend the podium into all sorts of useful shapes, from a low stand for typing to a high stand for reading, to a sort of hanging mount for hanging over a treadmill or from a shelf. It's kind of like a grade-school pipe-cleaner sculpture with a purpose. I routinely came up with new ways to use the iPad stand -- and new configurations for old uses -- just for the pleasure of bending the legs into something interesting. It hangs very nicely over the steering wheel if I want to browse the web while eating drive-through, and in the absence of an actual table, I've found that with a bit of adjustment it can hold my iPad steady atop my thigh, or keep the screen level when lying in a soft bed. *--Lore Sjoberg* __WIRED__ Perfectly designed for its purpose, providing strength, grip, and a surprising amount of amusement. Bending it into strange arachnoid shapes will open your eyes to new uses for your devices. Stays put once configured. __TIRED__ Doesn't provide firm support while tap-typing. Though its versatility at mounting an iPad in odd positions is unmatched, it's not as portable as a folding stand or keyboard case. (Read [Lore's full review of the Spiderpodium for iPad and iPhone](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/reviews/2012/08/breffo-spiderpodium/).)
07touchfire-keyboard
Touchfire Keyboard ------------------ If you're not sold on a keyboard case or an external keyboard, try the [Touchfire](http://www.touchfire.com/). This Kickstarter-backed project ($50) is a clear, rubbery keyboard that sits directly on top of the iPad's screen, where it's held in place by magnets. You can flip it down to use the whole screen, then flip it up when you want to type. It lacks a certain amount of visual grace (it's reminiscent of a prophylactic) but it does enable real touch-typing on the iPad's on-screen keyboard. When you rest your fingertips on it, the Touchfire doesn't record any keystrokes. But when you press down gently on the keys, your keystrokes start registering. Well, most of the time -- in my tests, on an iPad 2 propped up with a Smart Cover, the Touchfire worked with about 95 percent accuracy. That means about one out of every 20 keystrokes was a dud. It's nice to be able to touch-type (it's totally silent, so I can see it being used to take notes in a lecture hall) but the frequency of missed keystrokes was just too annoying over a 600-word piece. Even with spelling correction cleaning up behind it, it's not as precise or as easy to use as a Bluetooth keyboard. *-- Michael Calore* __WIRED__ Touch-typing on an iPad's screen. Folds out of the way when not in use, and stays there thanks to some magnets. Hard plastic carrying case. Kickstarter pedigree gives one warm fuzzies. __TIRED__ Inaccurate. Unpretty. Build feels flimsy and delicate. Gummy texture is a little creepy. Expensive.
08jambox-bluetooth-speaker
Jambox Bluetooth speaker ------------------------ Yes, we're recommending [the Jambox](https://jawbone.com/speakers/jambox/overview) again. Go ahead and get angry, but Jawbone's versatile and portable little Bluetooth speaker really is the best compact sound system for iPad owners. In our tests, we found it provides excellent sound for movies, makes Rdio and Spotify streams shine, and, since it has an internal mic, it works as a great 2-way audio device for FaceTime sessions. The Jambox's battery lasts just about as long as the iPad's, so the wireless speaker only needs to be charged when it's time to plug in the tablet. Originally priced at $200, you can find Jamboxen on sale for around $150 online these days. Or, take things up a notch and get the $300 [Big Jambox](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/reviews/2012/05/big-jambox/). It's everything you love about the original, just, uh, bigger. *-- Michael Calore* __WIRED__ Wireless Bluetooth speaker you can carry anywhere. Rubber casing is rugged enough to handle the outdoors. Built-in mic works with FaceTime. Loud enough for a hotel room or a car. Battery lasts at least eight hours. __TIRED__ Expensive, even if you can find one for $150 -- a lot of options have arrived at the $100 mark since the Jambox's debut.
