Technabob » ibook

iBook as iPad Case: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Technabob — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:07:22 +0000

A while back, I showed you guys a casemod that took the original toilet-seat shaped iBook laptop and turned it into an iPad dock. While that thing definitely had questionable looks, at least this iBook/iPad mash-up mod is a little easier on the eyes.

In this particular case, modder Gary Katz and his son gutted the insides of a later-generation iBook, lined it wit a “soft fuzzy material” and turned it into an iPad case. They even kept the original keyboard intact – although it doesn’t appear to be functional anymore.

A small leather strap with a magnet on the end keeps the iPad safe and secure for transit. The best part of the mod is how they removed the Apple logo, letting it show through to the screen of the iPad, so when the iPad is turned on, it looks like a cool apple-shaped LCD screen. See it in action in the video below:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

If you happen to have an old, dead iBook lying around, this might be a fun mod. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if they turned the keyboard into a bluetooth one so it could be used with the iPad.

[via TUAW]

iBookPad: Clamshell iBook Turned Into iPad Dock

Lambert Varias — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:23:19 +0000

The Mac Classic iPad dock looks elegant, but this clamshell iBook iPad dock is slightly more functional as it has a working Apple keyboard.

The iPad doesn’t have a USB port but as some of you already know, some USB devices can be indirectly connected to it using Apple’s Camera Connection kit. The modder combined the Camera Connection Kit with an iPod Dock Extender Cable to link up the keyboard with the iPad.

One USB port, Apple. Just one USB port. Is that too much to ask? *sigh* Anyway, the hack seems to work just fine.

If you want to make a similar mod, you should check out the modder’s blog for more details. He does warn though that as it is the iBook cannot be closed without harming the iPad’s display. I think the keyboard is too thick for the case, so if you want a truly portable clamshell iPad dock, you’ll have to mod this one further.

[via Apple Noir via Engadget]

Mac + Magnadoodle = Macnadoodle

Technabob — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:45:19 +0000

What do you do when you drop your old laptop on the ground and break it? If you said “bring it to the Geek Squad” or “throw it in the dumpster”, you’re dead wrong. At least that’s the case if you’re the guy who took his recently trashed iBook G3, and turned it into a Magnadoodle (sorta).

When modder leadoffdouble dropped his old iBook G3 on the floor and busted its CD-ROM drive, he decided to take his freshly squozen Apple and make himself some tangy Apple-ade.

While he did manage to cram the iBook’s circuitry and LCD screen into the Magnadoodle’s case, there was no room for a keyboard or trackball, so an external one needs to be connected to actually use the computer. What this thing really needs is a touchscreen, which would eliminate the need for such pesky appendages. Plus, you could actually use it just like a Magnadoodle, complete with stylus.

Wanna take a stab at building your own Macnadoodle? Head on over to MacMod and check out the full worklog.

Of course, if you don’t feel like busting your laptop open, you could just go for an Etch-a-Sketch laptop sleeve instead.