FrankenPad is ugly, fears fire, and awesome!
MacRumors member eTip has come up with a pretty interesting mod for his Jesus tablet that appears to have solved his iPad typing problems, albeit perhaps at the expense of the iPad’s portability and cool factor…
“So, I was sitting on the couch last night, trying to find a comfortable way to balance my iPad and BT keyboard while typing….. It’s possible, but not easy and not comfortable. Now, I COULD have a) walked into the other room to use my desktop, b) used my MacMini connected to my TV, c) pick up my hackintosh laptop sitting right next to me…..
….Nah – the iPad is my new toy so there must be a way…..
So, today (while the rest of you were Jailbreaking or working or both), I gutted an OLD, OLD, OLD laptop to make room for the iPad and BT keyboard and gave life to….FrankenPad. I primarily did this to amuse myself (I should really find a job soon), but I must admit it’s pretty usable. With a few more tweaks, I could see myself using it regularly….”
Forum reaction seems somewhat mixed, and I wouldn’t get it too close to fire, lest it go on a beserker rampage. However one unforeseen benefit to this mod is that sticking an iPad inside a 18 year old Windows laptop will likely stop anyone from stealing it. On the downside, eTip will now burn in hell for all eternity.
[via MacRumors]
There’s one major reason of why this is ridiculously ugly device wouldn’t work.
It doesn’t use a mouse. So use any function your reaching across and trying to poke at the screen. Rather than it practically being in your hand.
Just get a dock….It’s the same thing. But without the ugly
“(I should really find a job soon)”
So that’s what the unemployment taxes for? So ppl can buy iPads? Not cool.
I have the same problem. I don’t like the ipad in portrait mode. I like it widescreen, and with the dock, you can’t do it widescreen. someone needs to invent a stand that will hold the BT keyboard and ipad at the right angle for sitting.
This is great! We need someone like iCooley or RainDesign to make this real…
Machined aluminum, place to plug in and use a MagSafe like plug… I love the idea. Patent it and sell it (could be this guys new job in disguise).
This guy has wisdom beyond his years. That’s not today’s iPad, that’s tomorrow’s MacBook!
@BillyBoydCapeWhy would you need a mouse when the iPad has a touch interface? How is reaching for the screen any worse than reaching for a mouse? If it works for him then that’s all that matters, I think this is a pretty innovative mod and he deserves credit for it. If you don’t like it, don’t do it.
@Dan Who said anything about him collecting unemployment? And even if he is, how do you know he bought the iPad and it wasn’t a gift? People really need to stop judging others and jumping to conclusions.
Just think of it as a hard-shell Samsonite case for his iPad and a Bluetooth keyboard.
Excellent idea! Could you give us step by step instructions? What old laptop did you use? What would hapen if you used an old bluetooth-enabled, laptop with a built-in trackpad or pointer? Schematics, instructions, please!!!
Only a matter of time before someone makes a case letting you do this.
Someone is making a real version of this…much nicer http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=911475