If you’re among those who aren’t willing to spring for the new iPad 2 just yet but would still like to enjoy Apple’s new Smart Covers, you’re in luck. As it turns out, the guys over at Three Russians Used A Pencil have effectively hacked the Smart Cover (sort of) to make it work with the original iPad (sort of).

Understandably, the hack required the procurement of 3/8” x 3/16” x 1/32” magnets – which, unfortunately, aren’t the least expensive components to buy. Throw in some super glue and a bit of strategic planning and component placement, and you’ve got a brand new Smart Cover concealing the original Apple tablet. To see the modified Smart Cover in action, check out the brief video above.

Where the hack falls short is that the modified Smart Cover cannot wake up your iPad or, conversely, put it to sleep. What’s more, the stand functionality is far from rock solid. But, all told, the Smart Cover can be used on your first generation iPad. And, perhaps from afar, someone might actually think you have the iPad 2

Source: Three Russians Used A Pencil

It turns out that the magnetic "Smart Covers" introduced in conjunction with the iPad 2 earlier this month are every bit as "magnetic" as they sound. Based on the not-so-surprising findings of the iFixit team, a teardown of the new iPad 2 Smart Cover reveals that 21 magnets are housed in the new accessory with another 10 corresponding magnets built into the iPad 2 itself.

Based on the teardown, iFixit found the Smart Cover has only one magnet that turns off the iPad 2′s screen (although it should be noted that other magnetized tools can similarly activate on/off). The other 30 magnets are used to either clamp to the iPad on the right side or to establish the triangular shape needed to create a stand for the tablet. As expected, the alternating polarity of the magnets in the iPad 2 is "complemented by the opposite alternating polarity of the magnets in the Smart Cover," making certain that the revolutionary iPad cover always sits in the same orientation.

Although the iFixit crew is particularly adept and tearing down and reassembling no shortage of tech products and iDevices, the team points out (with tongue in cheek) that a disassembled Smart Cover has a "repairability score of zero." To read the full iFixit teardown of the iPad 2 Smart Cover, click here.

Source: iFixit

On Monday, a new photo of a supposed iPhone 5 part surfaced, sparking further speculation about what phsyical attributes Apple’s fifth generation iPhone will sport. The image in question puts the spotlight on a 30-pin dock connector cable (part designated 821-1300-02 HF/c1.) that is rumored to be an integral part of the iPhone 5. Originating overseas, the pic first surfaced on apple.pro.

Additional details speak to the recently suspected sliding screen cover that could very well indicate the iPhone’s adoption of a physical keyboard for the first time in the device’s life. According to the Chinese report, other recent photos that have surfaced (specifically, of the larger edge-to-edge screen) are, in fact, fake. Of course, at this stage in the game it’s impossible to decipher reality from rumors. But the apple.pro revelation suggests that Apple will take a completely different direction with the next refresh of its handset.

It’s only fair to say, however, that this particular online hub of part leaks has been incredibly accurate in the past. From revealing images that foreshadowed everything from the iPod nano to the white iPhone 4, apple.pro has some serious credibility when it comes to dishing up hush-hush images of supposed new iDevice parts. If such is the case yet again in this instance, the iPhone 5 may take on an entirely new shape and appearance than its siblings of yesteryear.

Source: apple.pro (for Google Translate click here )

Apple continues to look at circular designs as better ways of using the limited screen space, especially on mobile devices. A few weeks ago we looked at a patent for "radial menus" that would allow a user to use one finger – or mouse movement – to scroll and select items from a list. A new patent application published yesterday discusses a "receding spiral" GUI that would replace Cover Flow.

The new patent, User Interface for Media Playback, notes that because of the size of the images, it’s only possible to see "about one or two files before and after the selected file" in Cover Flow. To deal with this limitation, Apple would instead use a spiral in future OSes, for use with a mouse or other pointer device, or touch interface, or pen based contact pointer. The largest icon in the spiral is the currently playing track. Tracks ahead in the list are progressively smaller in size, receding into the virtual distance in a spiral. Apple had a similar patent out in September describing a new way to control iTunes.

It’s an interesting approach, if not immediately intuitive. The patent describes editing a playlist by having an icon in the center of the spiral representing the entire playlist. You would spin the spiral to find a track, then drag the icon to the center of the receding spiral. You could also use this interface to create a Genius playlist using similarity data related to the track you drag into the center of the spiral.

Obviously, this interface could be used to manage any list, much as the way Cover Flow can, theoretically, be used in the Finder (though I’ve never seen anyone use it there). The patent also discusses a receding-V design, which would be similar to the spiral, but limited to selecting one item rather than adding items to a playlist or group.

Like the windows-icons-mouse-pointer (WIMP) interface first popularized by the Macintosh way, way back in 1984, circular and spiral menus aren’t new. The mouse pointer was developed in 1963, and radial menus appeared as early as 1969. But also like the graphical user interface, it will take a user-friendly implementation to make the radial and the spiral something we want to use. Apple won with the mouse, but pretty much failed with Cover Flow. Spirals will only take off if they’re easier to use and more effective than what we’re used to now.

Source: ipodnn