At last, the Raspberry Pi mini PC has an official case

There’s no question that the Raspberry Pi is successful among the homebrew computing crowd. However, it’s not what you’d call consumer-friendly — the bare circuit board you normally get is clearly intended for tinkerers who plan to put the mini PC inside their own projects. Mercifully, you won’t have to devise a shell for it (or run it exposed) for much longer. Raspberry Pi has released an official case that gives a home to either the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B or the original’s Model B+. It’s a fairly unassuming piece of plastic, but it’ll both protect your gear and give you access to both the primary ports and the GPIO port often used for DIY creations. More importantly, this add-on costs just £6 ($9). At that price, it’s a no-brainer if you’re treating the Raspberry Pi as a tiny desktop, an ad blocker or some other kind of self-contained machine.

Filed under: Desktops, Misc, Peripherals

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Source: Raspberry Pi

V-MODA announces worlds first 3D printed custom designed headphone shields for the M-100 and XS line-up

Looking to make your headphones stand out in a crowd? V-MODA is the pioneer in giving you that option with the launch of the world first 3D printed custom-design headphones. You may have read our review of the V-MODA Crossfade M-80’s a while back. They are a great set of headphones with a lot to offer consumers including custom laser engraved shields for the outside of the ear cups. V-MODA is now stepping up the customization game with all new options using a variety of materials including Fiber, Stainless Steel, Raw and Plated precious metals. Yes, you can get a set of 14K gold plated shields that say and look however you want, for a price.

“This new offering is not merely a game changer, it is the first time in history mass customization merges jewel-grade 3D printing with consumer electronics,” says Val Kolton, CEO of V-MODA. “Additive manufacturing for wearable technology is not only a product, but a 360-degree service and paradigm-shift for design and manufacturing.”

“3D printing has captured the imaginations of people, but this is the first application that can be worn every day on an award-winning product. This technology ends the ubiquity of carbon copy, plastic consumer electronics and ushers in an era of bespoke designs and metals that transform products into hand-crafted designer relics,” says Val Kolton. “What seemed impossible is now  a reality with V-MODA’s new platform.”

Specialized customization isn’t going to be cheap though. Depending on the material you select and if you upload your own design or not (still in beta) you can put some serious hurt on your bank account. In the end though, you will have a truly unique and personal look for your headphones. Here is the break down –

Price
Sterling Silver: $430 for on-ear, $650 for over-ear shield kits; $620 with XS, $900 with Crossfade M-100.
Solid Gold: $4,000-5,500 for on-ear including XS, $9,000-12,800 for over-ear including Crossfade M-100;
Platinum: $12,000-16,000 for on-ear including XS, $27,000-40,000 for over-ear including Crossfade M-100.

All precious metal offerings include a lifetime warranty on the headphones and the option to upload your own design for 3D sculpting by V-MODA’s Italian designers.

Raw, Rhodium and Gold-Plated Metals – Luxury within reach. Personalized shields offer sophisticated designs at an accessible price point. Available in raw brass and raw bronze that patina over time as well as brilliant rhodium plated, 14k gold plated and 14k rose gold plated.

Price: $180-$330 for on-ear, $350-$550 for over-ear shield kits; $370-$520 with XS, $600-$800 with Crossfade M-100. Upload your design (Beta) is included.

Stainless Steel – Steel shields feature a distinctive “Damascus steel” effect that allows you to proudly showcase the advanced 3D technology. Available in matte black, stainless steel, polished gold, polished bronze and matte bronze.

Price: $100 for on-ear, $150 for over-ear shield kits, $270 with XS, $400 with Crossfade M-100. Upload your design (Beta) is included.

Fiber – Available in nine matte and vibrant colors, 3D printed fiber is lightweight and features a matte touch.

Price: $40 for on-ear, $50 for over-ear shield kits (add $20 for upload your design); $200 with XS, $270 with Crossfade M-100.

To get a better look at V-MODA is doing and to gt your order started, direct yourself over to V-MODA.com

The post V-MODA announces worlds first 3D printed custom designed headphone shields for the M-100 and XS line-up appeared first on AndroidSPIN.

Pelican ProGear Protector Cases for Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Review: Streamlined, yet protective

Pelican cases live in the same realm as Otterbox cases do when it comes to ultimate protection for your electronic technology. If you’re the type of person who braves the elements, or is unfortunately clumsy, a heavy duty case is usually what you’re looking for. And if you’ve just bought a Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge, and you live one of the two aforementioned lifestyles, then you’ll probably be looking for a case like the Pelican Protector cases, which we’ve been taking a look at.

What’s in the box

We’ve got one of each of the Pelican Protector cases to look at: one for the Galaxy S6 and one for the S6 Edge. Both are relatively simply affairs packaging-wise with a simple box containing only the case itself. Pelican lists the cases as constructed from “PC ABS + TPR” which I can only assume means the hard parts of the case are made from an Acrylanitrile Butadiene Styrene Polycarbonate alloy and the softer rubbery parts are made from Thermoplastic Rubber. What this translates as is a very hard outer shell with rubbery, malleable insides which act as a cushion.

The look of the cases themselves is not unlike the Otterbox Commuter series – a hard case with a hard polycarbonate shell and rubbery insides. However, while the Commuter manages to be quite bulky, the Protector cases remain quite streamlined and even thin. That’s quite rare in a heavy duty case so it’s a welcome design choice.

How does it perform

To put your phone into the Protector case, you’ll need a bit of elbow grease – because the case is so rigid and thin, there’s actually very little give in the case itself, meaning you’ll need to press quite hard to get your phone inside. You’re instructed to put one end of your device into the case first and to press the other end in – this wasn’t a trivial task and it concerns me that it’s so difficult to put your phone in, particularly if you’re the type of person who likes to change cases a lot.

Once it is in, however, your Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge will be firmly snuggled into the Protector case with not a care in the world. The Protector cases provide impressive protection for all access ports (audio, microUSB, speaker), covers for all side buttons, and there is ample room for the camera to be operated.

If you own the Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge, you will already be aware that the camera actually protrudes quite a long way from the body of the device. One of my primary concerns with another Galaxy S6 case we reviewed, the Moshi iGlaze, was that the back of the case wasn’t raised enough to prevent the camera possibly stratching on the surface it was put on. There’s no such concern with the Protector cases – the rubber ring around the outside of the back cover provides an extra lip which provides enough leeway for your camera if you’re putting the phone on its back.

One of the other main concerns of any smartphone user looking for a case is whether the screen is protected, and much like the back of the case, the front of the Protector cases have a raised lip which protects the screen from harm when putting the phone on its face. This is even true for the S6 Edge case which has the lip on the top and bottom edges. An additional note about all this rubber around the outside of the case is that it makes it quite good to grip, which is a big plus if you’re the type of person with butter fingers.

What I like about the Pelican Protector cases

I mentioned earlier that the Protector cases felt quite slimline despite being quite heavy duty. This is especially obvious on the S6 Edge version which really minimizes the additional bezel that is added to the sides so as not to impeded your use of the curved edges. I can’t confirm just how easy since I was only using a dummy unit, but it really looks like it was a consideration for designing for this unusual form factor.

What I don’t like about the Pelican Protector cases

There’s not much to dislike about the Protector cases, but if there is one criticism, it’s that it’s so hard to get your case into the case. Removing the case is relatively easy – pushing on the camera and pulling on the top lip will pop out your phone quite quickly – but I was expecting an easier time getting the phone into the case, particularly seeing as the phone is generally perceived to be quite fragile. It’s definitely not a deal breaker seeing as there are much more difficult cases to use out there, but it’s just something to be mindful of.

Final thoughts

The Pelican Protector cases for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are definitely top choices if you’re looking for a heavy duty case that’s protective, yet still streamlined. It’s not waterproof or dustproof, but if you’re looking for that case to give you that extra little insurance when you’re heading into the great outdoors, you’d be hard pressed to find better cases than these.

Availability-wise, the Pelican Protector Cases for Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are apparently only available from the American telco, AT&T, who is offering the cases for $29.99 USD as an online special. If that’s you’re cup of tea, you can check out the Galaxy S6 product page here and the S6 Edge product page here. We’ll update this post in future if they become available elsewhere.

The post Pelican ProGear Protector Cases for Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Review: Streamlined, yet protective appeared first on AndroidSPIN.

Pelican ProGear Protector Cases for Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Review: Streamlined, yet protective

Pelican cases live in the same realm as Otterbox cases do when it comes to ultimate protection for your electronic technology. If you’re the type of person who braves the elements, or is unfortunately clumsy, a heavy duty case is usually what you’re looking for. And if you’ve just bought a Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge, and you live one of the two aforementioned lifestyles, then you’ll probably be looking for a case like the Pelican Protector cases, which we’ve been taking a look at.

What’s in the box

We’ve got one of each of the Pelican Protector cases to look at: one for the Galaxy S6 and one for the S6 Edge. Both are relatively simply affairs packaging-wise with a simple box containing only the case itself. Pelican lists the cases as constructed from “PC ABS + TPR” which I can only assume means the hard parts of the case are made from an Acrylanitrile Butadiene Styrene Polycarbonate alloy and the softer rubbery parts are made from Thermoplastic Rubber. What this translates as is a very hard outer shell with rubbery, malleable insides which act as a cushion.

The look of the cases themselves is not unlike the Otterbox Commuter series – a hard case with a hard polycarbonate shell and rubbery insides. However, while the Commuter manages to be quite bulky, the Protector cases remain quite streamlined and even thin. That’s quite rare in a heavy duty case so it’s a welcome design choice.

How does it perform

To put your phone into the Protector case, you’ll need a bit of elbow grease – because the case is so rigid and thin, there’s actually very little give in the case itself, meaning you’ll need to press quite hard to get your phone inside. You’re instructed to put one end of your device into the case first and to press the other end in – this wasn’t a trivial task and it concerns me that it’s so difficult to put your phone in, particularly if you’re the type of person who likes to change cases a lot.

Once it is in, however, your Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge will be firmly snuggled into the Protector case with not a care in the world. The Protector cases provide impressive protection for all access ports (audio, microUSB, speaker), covers for all side buttons, and there is ample room for the camera to be operated.

If you own the Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge, you will already be aware that the camera actually protrudes quite a long way from the body of the device. One of my primary concerns with another Galaxy S6 case we reviewed, the Moshi iGlaze, was that the back of the case wasn’t raised enough to prevent the camera possibly stratching on the surface it was put on. There’s no such concern with the Protector cases – the rubber ring around the outside of the back cover provides an extra lip which provides enough leeway for your camera if you’re putting the phone on its back.

One of the other main concerns of any smartphone user looking for a case is whether the screen is protected, and much like the back of the case, the front of the Protector cases have a raised lip which protects the screen from harm when putting the phone on its face. This is even true for the S6 Edge case which has the lip on the top and bottom edges. An additional note about all this rubber around the outside of the case is that it makes it quite good to grip, which is a big plus if you’re the type of person with butter fingers.

What I like about the Pelican Protector cases

I mentioned earlier that the Protector cases felt quite slimline despite being quite heavy duty. This is especially obvious on the S6 Edge version which really minimizes the additional bezel that is added to the sides so as not to impeded your use of the curved edges. I can’t confirm just how easy since I was only using a dummy unit, but it really looks like it was a consideration for designing for this unusual form factor.

What I don’t like about the Pelican Protector cases

There’s not much to dislike about the Protector cases, but if there is one criticism, it’s that it’s so hard to get your case into the case. Removing the case is relatively easy – pushing on the camera and pulling on the top lip will pop out your phone quite quickly – but I was expecting an easier time getting the phone into the case, particularly seeing as the phone is generally perceived to be quite fragile. It’s definitely not a deal breaker seeing as there are much more difficult cases to use out there, but it’s just something to be mindful of.

Final thoughts

The Pelican Protector cases for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are definitely top choices if you’re looking for a heavy duty case that’s protective, yet still streamlined. It’s not waterproof or dustproof, but if you’re looking for that case to give you that extra little insurance when you’re heading into the great outdoors, you’d be hard pressed to find better cases than these.

Availability-wise, the Pelican Protector Cases for Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are apparently only available from the American telco, AT&T, who is offering the cases for $29.99 USD as an online special. If that’s you’re cup of tea, you can check out the Galaxy S6 product page here and the S6 Edge product page here. We’ll update this post in future if they become available elsewhere.

The post Pelican ProGear Protector Cases for Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Review: Streamlined, yet protective appeared first on AndroidSPIN.

Convert your Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge into the Iron Man edition with SlickWraps

By now, you must have heard about the limited edition Iron Man Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and the insane bidding wars on eBay this device has given rise to. Even if you are willing to fork over an unspecified but large amount of money for this version, the device itself is in short supply, with only a 1000 to be made available. If you love the look of this red and gold version though, there is luckily a rather simple and more cost-effective solution available to you, courtesy of SlickWraps.

With their recently released Iron Man skin for devices such as the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, as well as the latest iPhones you can essentially transform your device into an Iron Man edition phone. Is this a viable alternative to getting the real thing? We find out, as we take a quick look at how to convert your Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge into the Iron Man edition!

On first hearing about this skin and what it aimed to do, I have to admit that there was some amount of skepticism as to what the quality was going to be like, and how much it’d be able to mimic the actual version. Luckily, I was very pleasantly surprised with the product, which proved to be a very high quality and does look a lot like the real thing, save for the image of the Iron Man mask that is on the back panel on the actual device.

When it comes to installation process, it is recommended that you check out the video guides the company has available on their website. Overall, the installation is quite simple, especially for those already comfortable with installing skins on their devices, with the difficulty ranging from easy to a moderate difficulty. With a lot of components present, however, the process can be somewhat time-consuming and will require your full attention and care, but the final result is certainly worth it.

The various parts include the red front and back pieces, the gold side pieces that go around and cover the metal frame, along with all the smaller components to cover the camera unit, the heart rate monitor, and the physical home button. While installing the various parts, it is recommended that you have a blow dryer to help attach the bits that are being finicky and not wanting to stay stuck. The packaging also includes duplicate pieces for a lot of the smaller components, which is great if you do end up messing up with these parts that are a little harder to install.

Worth a mention is that, while there is a skin available for the home button up front to help maintain the overall style and look, because what you’re essentially doing is putting a sticker on top of the fingerprint sensor it doesn’t work anymore. If you are someone who does use the finger scanner a lot, this a part that you will have to leave out.

As you may have noticed with the original device, there is a special edition wireless charger that is available alongside it, that looks like an arc reactor. SlickWraps has a skin available for your Samsung wireless charger as well, that mimics that look, which you can get your hands for an additional $4 if you buy it as a part of the set, or for $9.50 if you pick it up separately.

As far as the pricing is concerned, you’re certainly not going to have to shell out the hefty premium that you would have with the original device. Instead, the SlickWraps Iron Man Hero Series skin is priced at just $25, with the additional amount mentioned above for the Samsung wireless charger skin. This skin is also available not only for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and Galaxy S6, but for a few other devices as well, including the latest iPhones.

So there you have it for this quick look at converting your Samsung Galaxy S6 to the limited edition Iron Man version! SlickWraps has allowed for a great alternative to the real thing, at only a fraction of the price. The look it results in is absolutely spot on, and the quality is great overall, and the fitting and the cutouts are perfect. If you are an Iron Man fan, this is definitely worth a look. You can find out more about the SlickWraps skin and place an order for it here.