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Microsoft's Surface tablet vs. the iPad: Seven challenges

Microsoft came out with all guns blazing yesterday with its Surface tablets. Or did it?

The perceived success or failure of what was shown is obviously subjective, and comes down to whether or not you believe in what Microsoft is showing. Moreover, can Microsoft's strategy with the Surface -- and all Windows 8 tablets, for that matter -- succeed in not just being a No. 2 to the iPad, but in being a true iPad rival?

As a user of both the iPad and previous Windows tablets, I think it comes down to these key points.

Kickstarter project turns iPad Smart Cover into smarter cover

Much as I like the idea behind Apple's Smart Cover for iPad, I never much cared for the execution.

That's because it's no good at holding the iPad in portrait orientation for reading books and magazines, and it offers only two positions for landscape viewing -- one that's too high, and one that's too low for anything but typing.

The problem lies in the cover's design: it has too many folds. App developer Dotan Saguy figured out a way around that problem and created the Smarter Stand.… Read more

Apple debuts front-and-back iPad Smart Case

As anyone who bought an iPad Smart Cover knows it doesn't protect the back of your iPad. But now Apple is giving iPad owners an official Apple case that offers both front and back protection: the iPad Smart Case.

The Smart Case retails for $49, comes in six colors, and is compatible with the iPad 2 and the new iPad. At launch, there's no deluxe leather option; this one's made from polyurethane.

Here's what Apple has to say about it:

The iPad Smart Case covers your iPad -- both front and back -- yet still retains … Read more

Best Kindle Fire cases and covers

Like the e-ink Kindles and iPads before it, Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet has launched a cottage industry of cases and covers.

In trying to boil down the best of what's currently out there, I decided to take a stand -- so to speak -- and select mostly cases and covers that convert into a stand.… Read more

Evouni's leather Arc Cover an iPad case that contorts

TAIPEI, Taiwan--Evouni's leather Arc Cover might seem like a normal iPad case, but there's more than meets the eye.

The flexible leather lets you roll and shape the case according to how you want the device to be propped up. There are just so many ways to contort the case that we've decided a video would do the job better. So don't blink, or you'll miss something. … Read more

Best tech: Cheap speakers, hot cameras, and Wi-Fi scales

Memorial Day is considered the traditional start of summer here in the U.S., and we noticed the streets, subways, and elevators getting less and less populated as the week wore on. But it was another full week for the CNET Reviews team, who cranked out more than 20 tech product reviews -- including a few items that are beyond our usual purview.

Hot cameras We sampled only two cameras this week, but both were four-star winners.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V is camera royalty, of sorts: the compact megazoom model is the successor to 2011's DSC-HX9V, an Editors' Choice … Read more

Spotify releases iPad app: Hands-on

Spotify has released its first official iPad app today, with what a Spotify exec describes as "the most beautiful screen we've made for a Spotify app."

Spotify has previously released apps for PC, Mac, and Android with a tablet-compatible Android version to be expected "in the coming weeks," according to Charlie Hellman, Spotify's director of product development.

The app adds a dedicated Inbox icon grouped by user to access messages, Cover Flow-style navigation of playlists, and gapless playback and DJ-style crossfade.… Read more

Best tech: Ivy Bridge rigs, slim iPad keyboard case

Sometimes, CNET goes weeks without bestowing an Editors' Choice award. We give the badges only to tech that we love so much, we'd personally buy these devices. There must be some magic in the air (or our drinks) this week, because we doled out not one, but three CNET Editors' Choice awards.

But before I walk you through our award winners (a surprising and diverse group in their own right), I'd like to point out two non-winners that deserve your attention. These two four-star computers, the Origin Genesis and the Origin EON17-S are a desktop and a laptop … Read more

Apple's iPad Smart Cover targeted in patent lawsuit

The design of Apple's Smart Cover accessory for its second- and third-generation iPads is not so original, according to a new lawsuit filed against the company this week.

In a complaint filed in Colorado yesterday, and picked up by PaidContent, local resident Jerald Bovino claims Apple is infringing on a patent he owns for a "portable computer case" with its Smart Cover accessory.

The complaint also sets sights on retailer Target for selling the case with Apple's iPad in its stores. In return, Bovino seeks damages from both companies and royalties from Apple.

Bovino filed for … Read more

Apple secures 25 patents, including iMac, iPad Smart Cover

Apple made out well on a number of its pending patents today. The iPhone-maker was granted 25 new patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, according to Patently Apple.

Time Machine, iTunes Store, iMac, iPad Smart Covers, and Apple Store displays are just a few of the products that this round of patents cover. Many of the other patents are for items like connectors, security, and networking, according to Patently Apple.

Some of the patents are exclusively for different applications of Apple products, for example, the iTunes store patent, which is called "Content Rental System" and … Read more