The HyperMac batteries from Sanho Corporation are a popular external batterie choice for several Apple devices. Problem is, Apple doesn’t really like them. Apple has sued the company over six patents related to MagSafe and the iPod.

The company claims to use original Apple MagSafe connectors to ensure compatibility, and obviously that connector is a proprietary connector. Instead of mimicking Apple’s patented MagSafe connectors, Sanho’s products actually rely on recycled official MagSafe products made by Apple.

I would bet I owned a dozed Etch A Sketches of varying sizes during my youth. My kids have several of them and still play with them each time we check out at the store since they tend to have little versions near the register. I remember the challenge just to make stairs using the white knobs when I was a kid.

Headcase has announced a very cool new case for the iPad that is called the Etch A Sketch iPad case. The case looks exactly like the Etch A Sketch that we are all used to. The thing has a couple white knobs printed on the corners of the case for looks. Those knobs are only images, not the real deal.

Apple never rests and as proof, an SEC filing today revealed that it has struck a “multi-year agreement” with Rovi in what may be a strategy to support the new Apple TV. The terms are secret, but will let Apple license Rovi’s technology over the course of the deal. Neither company has commented yet.

It’s hard to say what Apple would use the tech for. The company makes interactive program guide material that taps into TV channel lineups. It also makes software for set-top boxes to access and share media stored both on the Internet and the local network. So Apple TV is a good guess.

Norwegian Mac Site Mac1 is reporting that Apple has just bought all shares for the Swedish face recognition company Polar Rose. Neither Apple or Polar Rose have commented on the speculation just yet, but Polar Rose did take down its Flickr service late last month.

This is an interesting move for Apple who already have some Face recognition built into iPhoto for its Faces functionality. Polar Rose’s technology can be built into web applications like MobileMe as well. Polar Rose also had an Android version but, well Apple isn’t interested in that.

When it comes to rear seat entertainment there are a lot of vehicles on the road that have TVs and movie players for kids and adults to watch on longer trips. Watching DVDs can be a bit boring after a while though and in most cars, you are out of luck.

BMW has unveiled at the Paris Motor Show new factory iPad docks for the rear seat passengers. The dock is very nice looking and integrated well into the design of the car. Some aftermarket docks just don’t look good.

We all know that Apple’s iPad is a smashing success, but just how many netbooks and notebook computer sales is it destroying? Well, Best Buy’s CEO has dropped a shocking statistic out of nowhere.

According to him, the iPad has cannibalized sales of notebook computers by at much as 50 percent! If true and if those figures are consistent across many retailers, then maybe Apple is killing netbooks faster then anyone thought.

An update to Apple’s online store a few days ago was all we needed to tip us off to the possible arrival of Apple’s 27-inch LED Cinema Display. Apple is pretty predictable after all. And of course we were right, the display is finally available for purchase on Apple’s online store.

The display delivers a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, LED backlighting, and a 178-degree viewing angle. The 27-inch Cinema Display first announced back in July and it is estimated that it will ship in 1-2 weeks and will cost $999.

I am an unorganized person by nature and don’t care for keyboard trays and other things that some folks use to keep their desk organized and tidy. I prefer to just set my stuff directly on the desk and work with what I have. There are a lot of folks out there though that want a keyboard tray and can’t stand the clutter.

If you are one of these organized sorts and happen to use a Mac, Combine Collective has a cool new keyboard tray made from black walnut wood that may be the best-looking tray ever. The thing is hand-made in Canada with water-based glue and a food safe stain finish.

Amazon is laying the smack down in the e-reader wars, with this latest ad for the third-generation Kindle that directly attacks Apple’s iPad. The 30-second ad, already shown on ABC, points out that the iPad’s glossy LCD is hard to read in bright daylight. It shows that the Kindle doesn’t have that problem.

In fact, it is so easy to read, that this sexy Kindle owner can keep her sunglasses on. The ad also points out that a Kindle costs just $139 versus the iPad’s $499 starting price. Ouch!

We’ve seen our share of battery packs for the iPhone, but this just might be the first for the Apple iPad. The Kensington PowerBack will add an extra five hours to your iPads battery life so you always have some extra juice.

It also features a built in micoUSB port for charging the battery pack and your iPad. There’s also a built in kickstand so you can use it to watch your favorite movies or surf the web comfortably.

Rumor is that the iPad might hit Target stores in October. There’s no concrete proof yet, but some info from a tipster seems to suggest just that. Among the compelling evidence is a list featuring a mysteriously unnamed product that’s set to become available on October 3rd (in six different versions), and a series of images from a Target PDA that seem to show that the item numbers match the iPad prices exactly.

Also it will be located in the Digital Audio section, which is apparently how e-readers like the Kindle are classified, as well as iPods.

Remember when “antennagate” turned into a big deal and Steve Jobs went out on stage and offered everyone a free case, as well as extending the normal 14-day return policy to 30-days? Good times. But, now it’s September 12th today, and the program is closing in 18 days.

While Apple is ending the overall program, which meant that owners of the iPhone 4 could get a free case, it also meant that Apple’s return policy was “upgraded” from 14-days to 30, and the traditional restocking fee of 10% was waived. But, those two features are going back to their old ways.

Apple just launched the latest version of their iOS for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and it is now available to download from iTunes. Some of those new features to the iPhone and iPod Touch include a bunch of bug fixes for the iPhone 3G which should speed things up. There’s also a fix for the proximity sensor issues on the iPhone 4.

New features in iOS 4.1 include HDR Photos, the ability to upload HD video over WiFi, TV show rentals for your iOS device and Game Center.

We’ve seen our share of coffee tables here at the ‘Brick, but this is the first giant iPhone 4 table we’ve seen. We don’t have many details, but obviously it lacks flash.

We do know that it’s a one of a kind custom piece, so you wont be able to get one unless you make it yourself. Then you too can kick off your crocs and put your bare feet beneath it, hopefully with no signal loss.

Motorola is pretty happy about their Droid line. There’s the great sales to be proud of along with the fact that the Droid 2 supports Flash. So the company hasn’t hesitated to get it’s digs in on Apple. Here is the latest.

The company has posted a full-page newspaper ad that parodies Apple’s “there’s an app for that” campaign, with the tagline “there’s a phone for that”. The question is, is Flash support an important factor to buyers?