Tuesday, May 25, 2010

iPad case development - Take #2

It is not often that a designer gets to share the process of creation with others.

In our case (sic) we are working on creating the best pouch/case/containment for an iPad - or a netbook - in everyday use.

So far we have proven that we can line our case with possum pelt, without compromising the external look too much. The pelt shown here is a long haired version, which takes up any 'slack' inside the case really nicely, but is difficult to get to not 'explode' out of the case!

We have now added a top flap - to close the case and hold the contents secure.

As shown here we initially used Velcro, but despite the fact that new versions of the material prevent 'pilling' on clothes (that's where your sweater or expensive silk shirt starts to fray, and you can't work out why), it just doesn't cut the mustard. Too much like 'yesterday'.

  • We are now looking to add a couple of small shielded magnets - one at either end of the flap. This to prevent the current top from developing dog-ears and looking decidedly manky within three months.
  • We may change the shape of the top.
  • We shall also look to replace the long-haired possum with a short-shorn and dyed version.

We want this to work!
And it will.
Posted by Picasa

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Sneak Peek: Development of an iPad case

Working gradually and persistently toward the creation of a leather slipcase that will hold an iPad, with or without a 'skin', plus any of the small form-factor netbooks currently on the market. The point of the exercise is to create a single product that will hold most all of the small portable handheld notebook and tablets, including, say, a Kindle eBook Reader, instead of multiple products that are made specifically for each form factor. The possum lining looks extremely promising.

The idea, so far, is a lining of soft, anti-scratch and anti-static New Zealand possum, wrapped inside an outer of genuine leather. So far we have created several development samples and tested them for size; next we have to decide on a method of cleaning up the edges...and closing the case securely.

Still pondering the effectiveness of offering an removable, and adjustable, shoulder strap.

And...most importantly, how to provide that extra layer of tuff-as-nuts protection that our customers have, naturally, come to expect from Nutshell. I have a few ideas on that. Suffice to say, the task poses problems, but I truly do not believe they are insurmountable.

Here's a link to the finished product:

http://tuff-as-nuts.com/apple-ipad-sleeve.aspx

Posted by Picasa

Monday, May 17, 2010

Extended full flap on a #247 to hold Business and Credit Cards

This shows an image from Picasa that shows how we can modify an existing full flap product to comfortably store credit and business cards by allowing them to lay flat inside the flap in their own little pocket.

However, before we get too excited, a few words of warning; the current #235 case (which contains most new devices available today) has a flap that is too narrow for regular cards, so it will require a bit of cost to modify it is we proceeded beyond the current case size, which is a general purpose #247.
Posted by Picasa

Monday, May 10, 2010

Playing possum

If you are dead but just don't know it...you could be said to be playing possum.

But for us down here down-under the possum is no joke.
The little blighters are eating our country - at an alarming rate.

Brushtail Possum - the Facts

By choosing a product containing Possum fur, you are helping save the birds and forests of New Zealand.

The New Zealand Brushtail Possum (sometimes known as Kiwi Bear and definitely NOT to be confused with the short-haired American Opposum) produces an opulent, luxurious fur which is 8% warmer and 14% lighter than wool. Its soft and silky fiber is hollow, so it retains heat and repels moisture, making it extremely warm to wear. It is regarded as the third warmest fur in the world, behind the Arctic Fox and Polar Bear. It also has unique anti-static qualities, making it a perfect complement to our range of top quality leather products to protect your top-end electronics.

The Brushtail Possum is not a native of New Zealand - it came to New Zealand from Australia, where the landscape there learnt long ago to protect itself against these sharp toothed devils. Today the ex-Aussie Brushtail Possum is destroying the birds and the forests of New Zealand in ever increasing numbers!

In New Zealand, the Brushtail Possum is an introduced species which has become a pest of mammoth proportions. At Nutshell, we agree with many other local manufacturers and merchants who believe that a commercially driven approach towards maximizing a return from a pest that is an environmental and ecological disaster is the only effective way to control the possum problem.

Why is the Possum a pest?

The Brushtail Possum was introduced into the South Island of NZ from Australia in the 1800’s with the well-intentioned objective of establishing a fur trade. That's when things went wrong. In its native land of Australia, the Brushtail Possum population is contained by dingoes, bush fires and less palatable vegetation.

But in New Zealand there are no natural controls; the population grew and grew and grew...and grew. Today the Brushtail Possum population is now of epidemic proportions.

It is estimated that there are approximately 70 million Brushtail Possums in New Zealand, and they devour nearly eight million tonnes of native trees and vegetation annually. This equates to the Brushtail Possum population munching its collective way through 20,000 tonnes or 4,000 truckloads of native forest every night!

In addition to their voracious appetites for our native forests, Brushtail Possums can also act as carriers of bovine tuberculosis, which may be transmitted to cattle and other farm stock.

And...in addition to destroying our native bush and harboring pestilence, the Brushtail Possum eats the eggs and young of native birds, including our own flightless bird and the symbol of our land, the Kiwi.

In New Zealand, it is illegal to...

* Farm possums.
* Keep possums as pets.
* To use traps that cause pain and suffering (a native animal may accidentally get caught and needs to be released unharmed).
* To sell or use any possum culled as part of the official eradication program.

We do none of these things. We believe it is our duty to do what we can to help our country rid itself of the possum.

However, considering there are an estimated 70 million possums that are very alive and well and munching their way through our forests, it could take some time.