The PadPillow is one of our most popular products, and we decided to offer up a Do-It-Yourself Guide for making your very own PadPillow from scratch. Now making PadPillow is just as much fun as using it! This DIY project is great for families or just anyone who loves some hands-on arts and crafts.

Here’s what you need to do, one step at a time:

1. Buy (or reuse) a large piece of sturdy cloth for the PadPillow exterior. It should measure 0.45 yards (about 16 inches) long and 45 inches wide. A tough material like denim works best, but you can experiment with other fabrics. Gather a few necessary tools: scissors, pencil, a sewing needle and thread, a sewing machine, a razor knife, and a ruler. Lastly, you will need a small piece of leather to make a leather tab.
   
2. Purchase a large chunk of carving foam, which can be found at art supply stores or other specialty stores. This will form the soft body of the PadPillow.
   
3. Download IPEVO’s printable .pdf file of PadPillow cutouts, and print the document in its original size. Cut out the shapes from the printed document with scissors. Place the four cutouts onto your chosen cloth. Trace the shapes with a pencil.
   
4. Cut the cloth according to the shapes with scissors. You will now have three cloth cutouts — one long rectangle and two chisel-like shapes.
   
   
5. Using the cutout document as your guide, sew the leather tag onto the rectangular cloth cutouts using needle and thread.
   
   
6. With a sewing machine, sew the chisel shapes onto the rectangular shape using the cutout document as a guide for where to join the pieces.
   
7. When you’ve sewn all three cloth cutouts together, you’ll have the basic shape of the PadPillow with a hole in the back to stuff foam into.
   
   
   
8. From your carving foam, cut your first piece of foam using a ruler and razor knife. The smaller piece should measure 12.6 x 9.1 x 1.6 inches (32 x 23 x 4cm).
   
9. Shave down one side of the foam piece to form a semi-triangular shape rather than a simple rectangle.
   
10. Cut your second triangular piece of foam. This piece measures 6.3 x 5.7 x 12.6 inches (16 x 14 x 32cm ), where 6.3 inches is the base of the triangle, 5.7 inches is the height, and 12.6 inches is the length.
    
11. Carefully stuff the foam pieces one at a time into the opening of the sewn-together cloth cutouts.
    
    
12. Try folding the two foam sections together. If it doesn’t fold quite right, you’ll need to remove the foam pieces and trim them for a better fit.
    
13. Enjoy your very own homemade PadPillow! It’s perfect to hold iPad and ebook readers in the lap or anywhere else.
    

Today we check in with Mazendo, an unconventional Chinese restaurant in the heart of Taipei, Taiwan. Its specialty is spicy dishes like the beef noodle, and its modern aesthetic attracts plenty of urban professionals. But just as exciting as the great food and atmosphere is the innovative way the owners are using iPad to streamline the entire customer service process.

Mazendo has incorporated iPad in three distinct ways. The host uses an iPad at the front desk to manage and track table seating. The waiter uses an iPad to take customer orders and relay those orders to the cooks. And finally, the waiter uses a POS (Point of Sale) app to process the customer’s credit card to complete the order. Top to bottom, it’s amazing how many different things the iPad is accomplishing for the restaurant.

We’ve heard good things about existing POS apps like ShopKeep and Lavu, but the POS app Mazendo uses deserves special mention. It’s a brand new app developed by iChef — so new, in fact, that it’s still being tested and is not quite available on the App Store yet. This iChef app, intended specifically for restaurants, streamlines the POS process and integrates the workflow so that everyone can access the info in real time. Mazendo reports that iPad use has proven to be significantly more efficient than the traditional system. Surely this level of integration will become the norm rather than the exception soon.

Mazendo chose IPEVO’s Perch S Desktop Stand to pair with the iPad at their front counter. Not only does the sleek metallic stand mesh well with the restaurant’s hip vibe; Perch S puts the iPad at the perfect height to operate, complete with customizable viewing angle and orientation. iPad, Perch S, and POS integration. It sounds like restaurants are in for a real treat!

If you’ve used the Point 2 View or Ziggi USB document cameras, you know that IPEVO delivers quality doc cams for education and for business that blow away the competition with a combination of low price and smart features. But how do you make a good thing even better? That’s what we asked about Ziggi. And after feedback from educators and businesspeople, we’ve just released the Ziggi-HD USB Document Camera to take your professional-level doc cam experience even further.

What makes Ziggi-HD different? Well, first let’s talk about the features it shares with the original Ziggi. It still has a long, multi-jointed stand which makes capturing your subject — even a full A4-sized sheet of paper — so simple and intuitive. And it still has a 270° swiveling head to make orientation a breeze. Ziggi-HD also comes with the IPEVO Presenter software to make your real-time video capture easy and customizable, including tools like auto-exposure, a 6x digital zoom, and integrated Evernote support for sending snapshots to your Evernote notebook.

But what has changed is the camera itself. We’ve added plenty of extra muscle — 5.0 Megapixels worth — for absolutely stunning high-definition images. Whether it’s fine text and equations, iDevice LCD screens, science subjects or intricate artwork, there are so many things Ziggi-HD brings to life for students and for everyone else. The highest resolution has been increased to a staggering 2592 x 1944 pixels, which will make your classroom and conference room projections simply beautiful. And even better, Ziggi-HD still has a macro mode, meaning you can get as close as 2 inches away from your subject. Details have never been more detail-y. Also new for Ziggi-HD is a built-in microphone, a direct result of customer feedback. For Skype and similar programs, you can use Ziggi-HD as a web camera and mic all in one, which is perfect for webinars, remote demonstrations, and distance learning.

Screenshots from the IPEVO Presenter software

Check out Ziggi-HD’s product page for pictures and more information. We’re pumped about Ziggi-HD’s potential, and we’re standing by to help you make the most out of your camera. As always, thanks!

Musicians — and specifically guitar players — this entry’s for you. iPad is changing everything from logistics to laundry lists, but what about sheet music and songwriting? We’ve put together a list of 4 essential elements that’ll strike the perfect note for the modern guitarist.

iPad — You kind of saw that one coming. Where else could you put an entire library of tabs and sheet music into one place that’s smaller than a conventional sheet music book? No more carrying around bulky physical documents to your practice session or gig, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are a plethora of music-centric apps that’ll help you push your music further. But more on that in the next bullet.

Guitar Pro — This exceptional app from Arobas Music is the easiest way to edit and arrange your guitar tabs. Grab files from the web, iTunes or email — no more photocopying! — then build a library you can access anytime and anywhere. Robust multitrack functions, a countdown and metronome, looping, and even PDF exports are just a few key features. You can even set up on-the-fly tempo changes and transpositions. They really thought of it all with this program.

AirTurn Pedal — Trying to turn the page with the touchscreen is a bummer, and it will definitely throw off your rhythm. Don’t stop the music — get the AirTurn Pedal. With this simple pedal (which connects easily via Bluetooth), you can turn the page with your foot instead of stopping to use your hand. A battery life with an extra-impressive 100 hours of standby makes sure you can keep the music flowing all week long.

Perch M Stand — This heavenly setup isn’t complete without the Perch M Stand for iPad. You can’t look cool — and your music probably won’t sound too great — if you’re trying to read off the iPad while it’s cradled in your lap or face-up on a table. Perch M puts the iPad at just the right position for a seated guitarist. Its legs can fit underneath tables and furniture, so that’s a bonus. And the viewing angle can be customized with a quick tug. You can’t ask for too much more when it comes to a perfectly-positioned iPad.

Have any other essential apps or must-have accessories for guitar players? Let us know and maybe we can add to the list!

As we work our way deeper into the digital revolution, distance education and remote learning have never been more popular. IPEVO has created a way to make voice chat conferencing simpler and better: the X1-N6 Internet Conference Station. And we think educators and businesspeople will really enjoy the value it delivers.

This distinctive X-shaped station looks great, but of course it’s all about the technology. It’s USB plug-and-play for Mac and PC, and it both sends and receives voice communication with crystal clarity. Whether you prefer Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk/Hangout, GoToMeeting or a plethora of other apps, the X1-N6 will deliver distinct, high-quality sound thanks to a 16-bit Digital Signal Processor.

Sound is further enhanced by advanced background noise filtering and echo cancellation, as well as full duplex technology to enable simultaneous two-way communication. We’ve all had those conference calls where you can barely make out what the person is saying on the other end. Those ear-straining conversations are a thing of the past with the X1-N6. One-touch volume and mute controls as well as a headphone jack for times you need to take the chat private are just two more smart features.

But perhaps the feature which really “closes the deal” when it comes to separating the X1-N6 from the pack is the ability to transmit and accept voice in a full 360 degrees at an impressive range of 5 meters (5.4 yards). That way, an entire classroom or conference room can both participate in the conversation and clearly hear the speaker on the other end. This is what makes the X1-N6 an indispensable complement to distance education, remote meetings, webinars, and similar 21st-century ways for people to virtually get together and interact.

For the ultimate e-learning package, pair the X1-N6 with the Point 2 View USB Document Camera. With both powerhouse products, you can interact with students or peers anywhere in the world using high-quality audio and video. Now that’s a winning combination.

As we like to say, the world just got a lot smaller with the X1-N6 Internet Conference Station. Check it out and see what you think!

In our previous entry, we introduced the WS-01 Wireless Station for iPad. It allows your IPEVO doc cam (Ziggi or Point 2 View) to wirelessly stream to iPad. And a key part of that equation is the IPEVO Whiteboard app. You can get it for free from the Apple App Store. In this entry, we’ll share all the exciting possibilities for what this versatile app can do.

Whiteboard displays the high-resolution real-time video from your doc cam. But importantly, it also allows you to annotate that video. What do we mean by annotate? You can add emphasis, highlights, multiple colors, shapes, text boxes, and pointers — you know, all the interactive elements that enhance learning for your students or audience as you go along. And these are all accomplished with a simple touchscreen toolkit.

Let’s run down a list of the specifics:

• Two freehand drawing tools, each with 16 different colors (8 solids, 8 translucents)
• Arrows and straight lines with 8 colors
• Ovals and squares with 8 colors
• Editable text boxes which can become larger and smaller
• An Eraser tool to clear your drawings
• One-touch undo and redo, along with a Clear All function

Whether it’s highlighting a literature passage, stepping your students through a science diagram, or pointing out key points of interest in everything from maps to mathematics to Monet, chances are you’ll find a ton of uses for an easy-to-use interactive whiteboard.

Two more things to mention. Annotation doesn’t stop at just your doc cam image. You can create multiple “boards” and switch between them. These boards can use multiple backgrounds, including an image from your iPad’s Photo Library, the iPad camera feed itself, or simply a blank white canvas. Secondly, Whiteboard features integrated Evernote support. You can send drawn boards directly to your Evernote account to share or refer to later.

All in all, Whiteboard delivers plenty of smart utility for teachers, lecturers and presenters — all at no charge. Check out the Whiteboard page for more information on how to transform your iPad into an interactive whiteboard.

IPEVO document cameras including the Point 2 View and Ziggi have won over teachers and businesspeople around the world. Now we are pleased to present a great new way to use your doc cam: wirelessly with your iPad! With the WS-01 Wireless Station for iPad, you can stream real-time video right to your iPad.

The WS-01 is a compact device that communicates via your existing Wi-Fi network. Plug your IPEVO doc cam into WS-01, and then download the free IPEVO Whiteboard app onto your iPad. (We devote the blog next entry to Whiteboard, so check it out.) Whiteboard will communicate with WS-01, and you’ll stream high-resolution images in real time to your iPad, wirelessly.

WS-01 also works with PC or Mac via a special “Live-view” mode in your internet browser, so no matter which computer you choose, you’ll enjoy wireless streaming convenience. WS-01 can even connect your device to the internet all by itself.

Let’s talk about what’s possible with the iPad + WS-01 + Doc Cam setup. We’ll save the specifics of Whiteboard for our next entry, but basically the app allows you to draw on and add text to your doc cam image. In other words, WS-01 and Whiteboard turn your iPad into a portable interactive whiteboard. From there, you can project video and annotations onto the big screen via a wired VGA connection to your projector. Or, you can use Apple TV to project your video and annotations wirelessly.

For lectures, demonstrations and presentations, this setup is a complete teaching solution for everything from literature to art to science to business. Now your interactive whiteboard can be held in one hand. Pretty cool, huh? We think so! If all that wasn’t enough, here’s one more bonus. The WS-01 can also be used as an SD card reader and USB disk drive. You can save and manage files — wirelessly — with simple browser-based file management.

Check out the WS-01 page for more information on how to unlock the true potential of your doc cam and iPad with the Wireless Station.

IPEVO’s family of Perch stands have found themselves in a remarkable number of venues. But in the case of Tian Cai Refreshment Saloon — and yes, that’s the best name for a restaurant ever — Perch S found a home very close by our branch office in Taipei, in a place we visit all the time. And that makes this story a little more special.

Tian Cai is well-known for excellent Japanese cuisine such as sushi, sashimi and oden, which is a dish of boiled eggs, radish, konnyaku and fish cakes in a light broth. With its combination of good quality and affordability, the Refreshment Saloon has been a lunch-hour favorite of IPEVO employees for many years, and a favorite of the Taipei business community for more than 40 years. For the vast majority of those 40 years, Tian Cai’s menu was text-only. The restaurant’s reputation and great food had visitors coming back for more, but the owner knew he could take his restaurant into the 21st century for an even better presentation of his offerings.

After a cook took some impromptu iPhone images of some dishes, the owner knew that strong visuals of his cuisine was the way to go. But what was the best way to display signature dishes for newcomers in a fresh, exciting way? The owner tried a couple digital frames and some iPad cases and stands as part of a lobby display, but he wasn’t satisfied. These accessories weren’t complementing the overall vibe of the restaurant. They looked clunky and inorganic, like they didn’t belong.

A couple folks at IPEVO saw the owner’s need and introduced him to Perch S Desktop Stand. With its sleek lines and aluminum leg, THIS is a stand which can match the high style of an upscale restaurant. We like to think it’s every bit as elegant as the iPad itself. The Perch S was set on the host’s counter, and its dual-axis hinge allowed it to be oriented and angled just rightto catch customers’ eyes. Images of signature dishes were uploaded into a slideshow on the iPad. And the rest, as they say, is history. Tian Cai broke free from the text-only tedium and now features an ultramodern, eye-catching display which communicates the deliciousness of the dishes as well as the sophistication of the restaurant itself. What more could you ask for? We bet Perch S Desktop Stand could deliver a similar “wow” for your business!

Heard of Wishpool? It’s IPEVO’s new way of getting education technology into the hands of more teachers. And we’re extremely pleased to announce a big milestone in this initiative. Even though it’s only been going on for a month or so, we’ve already received 500 wish stories from educators! And each day, we’re trying our best to make as many of those wishes come true as we can.

To date, we have delivered 356 Point 2 View USB Document Cameras and 325 Typi Folio Cases + Wireless Keyboard to 230 schools across 4 countries (Canada, Finland, United Kingdom and United States). And reports have been trickling in about how these handy ed tech accessories have impacted learning and teaching in the classroom. It feels great to know that IPEVO tech is making a difference, and we can’t wait to see what else our enterprising teachers have in store.

We want to keep the momentum going, so if you’re an educator who thinks IPEVO technology could help maximize teaching as well as learning, we’d like to hear from you. Make a wish today for free, and you might join all of the folks who have already had their wish stories come true.

What kind of teachers are becoming Wishpoolers? Check out the Wishpool site and see for yourself, and here’s also a small sample:

Colleen Rose at Nipigon-Red Rock District High School
Red Rock, Ontario, Canada

“Our art program has started to embrace technology! The Point 2 View document camera would help me demonstrate a variety of ways to use media for studio lessons, but it would also allow students to show their methods as well.”

Chelsea Rawhoof at Pecatonica Elementary School
Pecatonica, Illinois

“My kids and I do a lot of writing. I would love to be able to model writing for them using this camera. It would allow me to edit right along with them using the same paper.”

Brian Dunagan at Mooresville Middle School
Mooresville, North Carolina

“If my wish were granted, the Point 2 View would be used mostly for demonstrations. I often use demonstrations so students can experience scientific experimentation when the materials are either too expensive or are dangerous. As the old adage says, ‘Seeing is believing.’”

To all the teachers who have submitted wishes: a sincere THANK YOU. And to all the teachers who haven’t yet, we’re accepting wish stories on an ongoing basis. It won’t take long, it’s completely free, and we just might be able to make your wish come true. Let’s keep it up!

Tricia Fuglestad is a visual art teacher who has done some truly innovative things in her art class with IPEVO’s Point 2 View USB Document Camera. And as it turns out, she had plenty to teach us (and potential Wishpoolers) about what’s possible with our favorite featherlight doc cam. What can you do with IPEVO ed tech in the classroom? Maybe the better question is: what can’t you do!

Working with K-5 students at Dryden Elementary School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, Tricia is the current recipient of the NAEA 2012 Illinois Art Teacher of the Year. Her art blog was an Art Ed finalist for Blog of the Year as well as a finalist in the 2011 Edublog Awards for best new blog. (Translation: it’s really good, check it out!) Tricia originally became interested in the Point 2 View after attending an education tech conference in her area. Many educators were praising the Point 2 View for its high quality and low price, and she decided to try it out.

There’s nothing like digging in and trying things out first-hand, and Tricia did just that with the Point 2 View. She developed 6 ways to use the Point 2 View in art class, and we even have an additional couple of updates to share. We’ll let Tricia tell you more in her own words:

1. Animation: “The Point 2 View was a perfect tool for explaining and demonstrating the stop motion animation process to my students. Just move an object, click the snapshot button to take a still image, and move the object again.”
2. Augmented Reality: “We printed out an Augmented Reality marker in order to view a 3-D model of the Parthenon on the projection screen during our study of Greek art. Students could hold the marker at a comfortable level to view the model from all angles.”
   
3. iPads and iPods: “I connect the Point 2 View to the computer and project these devices for demos. This use is perfect for the Point 2 View.”
   
4. Photo Booth: “Apple’s Photo Booth allows the Point 2 View to record video. I can aim the Point 2 View at my students who are too small to reach the desktop camera or who can’t position themselves because of a disability. We recorded students’ lips for artwork we created.” (Here’s their amazing video presentation of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax using this method.)
   
5. Sharing sketches: “The Point 2 View gives my students a way to share their sketches or writings with the class quickly. It’s perfect for playing guessing games or sharing with the class to see if artwork has communicated ideas clearly.”
6. Fine Art Techniques: “The Point 2 View is great for demonstrating small detailed techniques. Instead of calling all the students out of their seats to stand over me as I demonstrate, I use the camera to make art along with them.” (See picture below for the setup Tricia used to demonstrate in real time how to create the illusion of a curved 3D apple.)
   
7. Update #1 — Collaborative Sculpture: Students made clay mask sculptures. To supplement the activity, the iPad was loaded up with an app called 123D Sculpt. The Point 2 View was set up to capture the iPad for projection as students took turns digitally sculpting the same image. Fun!
   
8. Update #2 — International Exchange: Mrs. Fuglestad’s fourth-grade students had a Skype conference with Professor Juan Carlos Castro’s students (future art educators) studying at Montreal’s Concordia University. The Point 2 View was turned up and used like a web camera to capture students presenting for their audience. As Tricia explains on her blog: “Each student presented one slide and glowed in the polite applause of their audience in Canada (that was so sweet). Then they lined up to answer questions and later ask questions. We all learned so much!”

Tricia sums up the Point 2 View this way: “The Point 2 View has amazing clarity and great weight balance, and I like that it uses USB as opposed to other document cameras that use VGA, which requires more fiddling with the projector. $69 is a very affordable price for a teaching tool that can make a world of difference for students.”

Interested in trying out some of the same techniques or a few of your own? We created Wishpool to help you. Become a Wishpooler, tell us your story, and you just might get a free Point 2 View or other IPEVO ed tech for your school. It’s free and it’s easy. Meanwhile, remember to check out Tricia’s art blog for more great artwork and teaching ideas.

To learn more about Wishpool, please visit http://www.ipevo.com/wishpool.