Frackulous is new, and it’s going to rock the app world to its very foundations. You heard it here first. Except I would say that, as it’s my own personal baby.

We’ll be releasing an episode each week day (I have just found out how many of those there are in a week – panic!) and each Friday, scooping them all up and delivering them lovingly as an omnibus for your viewing pleasure.

It’s been a fairly hectic launch week – we’ve covered iMovie, Spotify, Camera+ and Flipboard, as well as advising on the best iPhone 4 tariffs and illustrated the iPhone’s antennae problems using a monkey. Phew. This week, we’ll be diversifying into all platforms, although you’ll find the monkey is a constant.

Here’s a handy omnibus, which is perfect for that spare moment on the plane, train or automobile (providing you’re not driving any of them), and if you’d like to see the episodes in smaller two-minute bitesized chunks, just check out www.frackulous.com.

Here at Dork Adore, opinion is still divided on the iPad. Susi has learned some big iPad lessons, and I really, really want one…although I’m still not completely convinced why.

If you’ve already got your iPad, you’ll probably want to keep it in the perfect, glossy condition it arrived in. We looked at some of the early iPad cases a few months ago, and an eco-friendly range last month. Now our friends in the crafting community have caught up with a selection of handmade cases and sleeves.

Emporium Of Geek over on Folksy have this hand-tailored pinstripe iPad sleeve for £19.99. A white-collar dream.

Here are four more crafty sleeves and cases for your Apple tablet.

Part teenage boy’s duvet cover, part grandad’s pyjamas, this cover should be really wrong. I quite like it though, especially as it did in fact start its life as a pair of retro curtains. It’s from Folksy seller toggle for £26.

This sparrow and leaf design is a bit pricier at £65, but it’s 100% leather. The range is by Beautiful Skin, who will also adapt all of their current iPod and iPhone designs to an iPad size.

One for the geeks now, a Gameboy iPad Sleeve ($34). It’s by Etsy seller Yummy Pocket, who also has Etch a Sketch, cassette and personalised cases.

Finally, we’ve got a luxurious-looking case from Janine King Designs on Etsy ($39.99)

Seen any good crafty iPad cases or sleeves? Let us know in the comments

Having gone public on my complete bafflement as to what the iPad was supposed to be, it took only 23 hours post-launch for me to find myself in the Apple shop willing to part with proper amounts of cash for one. And I can’t help it – I frickin’ love it.

But you’re definitely a more considered person, which means there’s certain things you should know before diving in.

AKA, I make the mistakes, so you don’t have to:

1. Don’t bother loading up any apps that aren’t optimised for the iPad.

There’s nothing more disheartening than loading an app and finding it appears as a little box in the centre of that beautiful screen – it means you’re going to get a substandard, meh experience, and for the amount of
money you just spent on the thing, that’s going to make you sad. The apps that are iPad-compatible are a thing of beauty, and they make the most of all that lovely screen real estate (or ‘space’ for those uninitiated in tech-wank-speak).

2. It’s not destined to become a commuter-aid

When I get it out in my flat, I find myself looking over my shoulder to see if there’s anyone that looks likely to pinch it. I live alone. You can only imagine the amount of paranoia I had getting the thing home from the shop.

First I was worried I’d be mugged, so I hid the bag under my seat. Then I worried I’d forget it. So I wrapped the bag strap round my wrist. Sitting with your wrist awkwardly hidden under your seat is not the most
ninja-incognito way of travelling, it turns out.

3. Bedtimes are 3,000 times better with an iPad

Whether it’s video you’ve downloaded, looking up all those things that you spent the day thinking ‘ooh, I must Wikipedia that’ or one of the classic books you always meant to read (classics are free, innit) before you know it it’ll be 1.30am, and you’ve got to be up in five and a half hours. So when I said better, maybe I just meant later.

4. Wired magazine on the iPad is… mixed

Some of it’s gorgeous, some of it’s confusing (swipe right or down? Right or down?) and some of it crashes. But you may as well get it at least once to see what all the fuss is about. Who knows, this might be the future of publishing…

5. It’ll make you look a bit of a twat

I have been taking mine to both the gym and Starbucks, all the time being well aware that it’s still enough of a novelty for me to look like the most ostentatious type of early-adopter. Whilst it helped my slog on the treadmill to have the TED talks to watch, I was so busy hiding it when I left the gym I walked straight into the men’s changing rooms. Nothing says ‘nothing to see here’ like a girl wandering into a room of naked and surprised men.

A few months ago we did a round-up of the latest iPad covers and cases in anticipation of its UK release. At the time choice was extremely limited, but we’re now inundated with options, matching the variety available to the iPhone.

Happily, there are also a few eco-friendly options available. One particular manufacturer, Proporta, currently offers business-like leather cases for various mobile and tablet gadgets (right) which are made from 100% recycled leather. The iPad version (£34.95) also doubles up as a stand.

So if you’re getting an iPad, it might be a good idea to limit your carbon footprint with this range (and don’t forget you can recycle your mobile phone too!)

We’ve looked at speakers in the past for children, wireless speakers for those fed up of tripping over USB leads all the time, and the high tech BOSE SoundDock 10.

But what about those of us who like to combine our dorky love of gadgets with our preference for seriously pretty products?

Finding stylish yet functional speakers was a tougher challenge than I anticipated. Crawling through hundreds of Barbie, Hello Kitty and Hannah Montana speakers, I finally came across this IXOS Speaker Cube, Amazon, £4.25 which is definitely girly and budget friendly. Whilst you might not want to rely on it for a HD movie marathon, it’s perfectly suitable for a spot of outdoors musical entertainment.

Moving away from the barbie pinks, I came across this Branex Design iTam Tam Blue (Madeindesign, £359) a product that allows you to play your tunes whilst taking a seat! I’m not entirely sure why you’d want to do that, though I guess the bass vibrations might have something to do with it…

It also charges your iPod and works with a remote controller. It comes in an assortment of colours, so you can get one of these speaker stools to suit your bedroom decorating scheme.

Another cube shaped speaker comes from Tesco with this iHome iH15WE LED Colour-Changing Stereo System, £59.97. Like a modernised version of a lava lamp, the iHome stereo system scrolls through a variety of colours at the touch of a button whilst playing your favourite tunes through the iPod docking station.

It also comes through adaptors for other MP3 players and an auxiliary line.

Finally, the Limit IP-CR100 Alarm Clock Radio Speaker and iPod docking station, Play, £17.99 is a multi-purpose option for morning wake up calls and late night dance tunes.

Search for pretty radios and you’ll be inundated with Cath Kidston DAB radios, candy coloured PURE Digital radios and retro designs by Roberts. Speaker manufacturers, take note! We don’t necessarily want bright pinks, gimmicks and cartoons splattered across them, just a bit of a style.

Missed your favourite? Let us know!

Following on from last week’s post (Apple or Android? The iPhone vs HTC Legend), I’ve had time to ruminate over my transition, and having given the Legend back a week or so ago, I’ve had time to miss the things that I actually grew to kind of love.

For instance, as much as I love the clean layout of the iPhone, it was useful to be able to sprinkle apps and widgets about, dedicating one page to the apps I used most regularly, one to favourite contacts and one to a calendar overview. It’s a different way of working to the iPhone, but one I found I enjoyed.

I loved Spotify. I really liked the maps, and the addition of a compass which my old skool iPhone lacked (you can’t imagine how gratifying it is not to have to spin in circles on the pavement, trying to work out which direction was which).

But as much as I wanted to, I did not love Android.

My conclusion is that Android is still for early adopters. The marketplace is incredibly disorganised, and lacks the sleek standardisation that Apple’s draconian rules result in. The apps themselves were wildly varying in quality, which is something most app stores suffer from. However, this was highlighted in the Android store by certain apps that promised to do one thing, and once downloaded would just direct you to an advert – just when you thought spamming had nowhere else to go.

The Legend, however, I would be all over if it magically started running the iPhone OS: good to hold, super-bright screen, and fast – ohsofast — compared to my sluggish iPhone 3G. So that’s what I’m pushing for in the inevitable June iPhone announcement — simply a partnership and HTC to bring me the new phone of my dreams. Fingers crossed, eh?

If you’re a lover of air conditioning and cool air, get yourself down to Hell right now. It has temporarily frozen over whilst I temporarily dump my iPhone for an HTC Legend.

When announced, I wrote that the Legend might just have the potential to make the swap from iPhone to Android, but it was always going to be a tough transition. Here’s a little diary on how it’s gone.

Day One
This has officially been the worst day of my life.

What, you want an explanation? Oh alright. I have tried to de-Apple myself, and Googlify my life by swapping my sim to an Android phone. The result? A kabillion duplicated contacts on my iPhone, calendar appointments appearing two or three times and inexplicably adding alarms at every opportunity, an iPhone wiped of music and a whole load of tears. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming Google, and I’m doing my best not to blame Apple. I’m sure there are ways of smoothly transferring all of the above between operating systems, but I’ll be damned if it’s ever happened to me.

Day two
I’ve yet to find the time to take advantage of all the things that make Android phones a compelling option, and I’m still in mourning for my well organised, if slightly Apple-dominated, life. Having said that, I spoke to my mother today, and her review of the phone was as follows: “Buy this phone immediately, Susannah. This is the first time I’ve been able to hear you properly in several years”. I’m thinking of getting her a column in Mobile Reviews.

Day three
The battery seems to be worse than my iPhone, which is saying something, and it takes me a while to realise this is because of that damned multitasking I was so excited about. Exiting to home from the middle of a programme keeps it running, and I’ve now got a dozen things sucking up the battery all at once. A quick Task Killer app installation, and I think I’ve got it sorted.

Day four
Today it came close to clicking. I always thought Spotify was my killer app for an Android, or at least the ability to run it in the background made it leaps and bounds ahead of the iPhone version. I’ve now upgraded Spotify and so could listen to my cached playlists. If I keep the Android handset it’s going to change the way I listen to music – currently I have 2,000 songs on repeat, most of which are old news. With Spotify I can see myself preferring whole albums, simply because the playlists are easier to manage that way. No bad thing, actually, as it might increase my musical concentration from ‘first line….bored of this…skip…hate this one… skip…’.

Find out if Susi survived the week in the next gripping instalment.

Fallen in love with the new Apple iPad, and now counting down the days until they’re released in the UK? Why not use your time more effectively, by investing in a case or cover to keep it box-fresh and scratch-free.

Griffin Flexigrip

Griffin were one of the first brands to bring out a range of iPad cases. These Flexigrip cases on the right are made of a silicone skin which will protect against bumps, whilst still allowing for use of the touch screen. Like many of the cases, the price is still undetermined.

Luxury pink sleeve case for Apple iPad

This case on Amazon is only £9.99, but the design still offers a waterproof and shatterproof protection.

With a similar shape and style to the netbook cases, you could use this as a multi-purpose case.

Apple’s iPad Case

The official iPad Case is only available in the USA at the moment (priced at $39) but we should see it over here soon with the rest of the Apple iPad accessories.

The case protects your iPad and when folded backwards works as a stand to prop up your screen when you’re watching movies,

Contrary to the picture, it’s not a hardback case, but it should still provide enough resistance to keep it safe.

Belkin Grip Sleeve

Belkin have also gone down the silicone route, bringing out a selection of grip sleeves that don’t look a world away from their laptop covers.

I’m still not quite convinced by the iPad, and I get the impression the accessories brands are unsure too. The current range of products is fairly limited, so it’ll be interesting to see if this changes once it’s released in the UK.

C’mon now, you didn’t think we’d get through February without at least one Valentine’s Day post, did you? I know it’s all a scam thought up by Hallmark to get us all spending money, but well….it’s all a bit of fun really.

Floundering for ideas for the dork you desire? We’ve come up with a few suggestions,

For the cosy couple

Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday this year and Sunday is the day for loafing about, I can’t resist suggesting the Double Slanket, (Firebox.com, £49.95). The big brother of the classic Slanket, it’ll make life a little easier for the newlyweds joined at the hip.

For the old romantic

For a modern take on a classic love token, consider the USB Mix Tape by Suck UK from Prezzybox.com (£9.95)

The USB Mix Tape allows you to create an hour long playlist of ‘your songs’, load them onto a USB stick and store them in the retro cassette case with your special message on the cover. There are six styles of cassettes available.

For the computer geek

This red love heart shaped USB PC optical mouse is from Amazon (£9.49) and will happily compliment the laptop accessories of your favourite computer geek. Sure, it’s cheesy, but isn’t that what Valentine’s Day is all about?

For the music fan

Everyone loves iPods,but now you can take it to the next level and get your very own personal (and possibly embarrassing) message engraved into the back.

Engraving is free, so all you need to do is order your iPod from the Apple website.

Prices for the video iPod start at around £118.

For the Folksy fan

Folksy has some wonderful and thoughtful gifts this year for the cash-strapped. These love tokens on the right are only £1.50 for five, and you can customise them with your message. Give them one for 3 hours of uninterrupted PS3 time, a massage or a Star Wars marathon.

There is a thin line, between being a normal run-of-the-mill dork, and becoming The Uber-Dork.

Buying this iPhone bedding set on the right would shove you right over that line.

The set is from Swedish website Ellos, and is aimed at the teen and ‘tween’ market. Displaying the standard iPhone icons and a mini iPhone for the pillow, you can see why this particular line of bedding has sold out until March.

Perhaps the next step is for them to expand into the double duvet market, emblazoned with the Apple iPad?