Steve Jobs has, for the third time since 2004, been granted a medical leave of absence by the Apple board of directors and according to the Wall Street Journal, COO Tim Cook will once again be running day to day operations for the company.
This should come as no surprise when we saw Tim Cook announce the Verizon iPhone with Verizon President and COO, Lowell McAdam, instead of Steve Jobs. On the same day that Jobs’ leave was announced, Apple’s (AAPL) stock tumbled an astonishing 8% which revived concerns over the company’s long-term success once Jobs’ time comes for him to step down from Apple.
Quate (via Steve Jobs):
Team,
At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.
I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.
I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.
Proporta’s Soft Feel silicone case for the second generation iPod touch is out of this world. It is by far the best silicone case reviewed by TechGeec.com because of it’s protection as well as it’s unbelievably stunning design. As for all of Apple’s touch screen devices, the Soft Feel case is only available for the second generation iPod touch and sells for a price of $20.95.
Along the lines of protection, the Soft Feel case does a magnificent job, offering dual-layer protection. The case is made of a fairly thin white layer of silicon and about that is a thicker black layer of silicone. These two different colored layers really work well together playing off of one another to create a very unique look.
The design (being a silicone case) blows my mind and what really attracts me to it is the stealth-like look. The holes in the black layer of silicone allow the raised parts of the lower, white layer of silicone to rise through creating a very pleasing design. Although the Proporta logo (an armadillo) does get displayed twice (once on the front, lower left-hand corner as well as on the back along with the company’s name), it truly does not bother me at all because it flows very nicely with the rest of the case’s design. Of course you have all of the proper cutouts to allow easy access to the volume rockers, power/sleep button, and the 30-pin dock connector as well as the headphone jack.
As previously stated, this case is phenomenal and I highly recommend it to everyone. You can find more information on the case at Proporta.com and if this case doesn’t particularly interest you, can check out the other 2,700+ gadget accessories in Proporta‘s catalog.
A Note From the Editors of TechGeec: Though all products and services reviewed by TechGeec are “final,” many companies now make changes to their offerings after publication of our reviews, which may or may not be reflected above.
I was given the opportunity to review two cases distributed by Ideal Case. The two cases were the Cubic Series silicone case as well as the Bubble Series silicone case. Both cases are relatively similar with a few minor tweaks. They are made out of high quality and durable anti-dust material, it covers the entire device to ensure complete protection, it is easily washable, and it offers a fantastic non-slip, grippy surface.
Both cases are excellent, however, there are a few drawbacks. The best aspects of both cases are that they have an elegant shine effect. The cases are completely smooth on the outside. It is on the inside where the designs are incorporated. On the Cubic Series case, there is a continuous pattern of cube-like shapes. The entire case is clear which allows the chrome backing to be seen while the case is being used. It is the chrome backing that gives the case it’s “shine” effect. When the case is not accompanied by the device, it looks as if there are multiple translucent diamond-like shapes on it. The effect takes place when the case is on the device. The chrome backing allows the the silver color to come through, thus enhancing the shapes and giving the 3D effect. This effect has also been incorporated into the Bubble Series.
The Bubble Series case that I was given was blue with translucent circles throughout. Again, the chrome backing on the device shines through the translucent part of the case (the circles) giving it the luxurious shine effect. It was with this case that a had a few, but minor, problems. The edges on this case are much smoother than on the Cubic Series. Because of this, it is a little bit harder to navigate your fingers to the volume rockers and the power button. Another thing that I was a little bit confused about, was why there was a cutout where the WiFi antenna is. The Cubic Series does not have it and it really does not make a difference if there is a cutout or not. This is definitely not a big problem but I feel as though the case would be that much better if there was no cutout.
The grip on these cases is amazing. In the review video below, I show that the iPod (accompanied) by the case is able to stay on my laptop while it is at a nearly 90°. Because the case is able to form so well to the shape of the iPod, one can hardly feel that it is there. Because this case is so thin, it won’t help protect your device as well as some of the other silicone cases, however, it will prevent from scratches, dents, and any other sort of damage. Overall, these cases are two of the best cases that I have. What I like most is not only the fact that they do not collect any lint, but that they both have the “shine” effect. For only $12.99 I would definitely recommend buying one of these cases from Ideal Case.
