A backup battery as close as your hip

The AmigoCase, which combines an iPhone case and backup battery, is a clever take on a problem that all phone battery packs face.

That problem is bulk. People pay a premium to get a phone that is a centimeter thinner than the previous model -- who wants to double the size and weight with a case?

Granted, marathon talkers will make that trade-off, but the AmigoCase is not so much a case as a holster. The phone charges when it is in the holder, and then you remove the phone to use it.

The AmigoCase's maker says the battery will double your phone's working time, adding 7.5 hours of talk time, 6.25 hours of video playback, 18.75 hours of audio playback and 195 hours of standby time.

The design may annoy people who constantly fiddle with the phone, though. The phone mounts with the screen facing in, so you have to take it out of the case to use it, although the case accommodates headphones so you can listen to music while the phone is holstered.

So there is a new iPad, and that's great. But for those willing to put up with last year's model, there is a strategy that can help you save big -- if you know where to look.

Among the nice things the arrival of the iPad 2 brings are lower prices for last year's model. The original iPad is not as flashy as the iPad 2 (no camera, slower processor, no cool Smart Cover), but if you really want an iPad and a difference of $150 matters to you, read on.

An oft-overlooked part of Apple's online store are the links at the bottom of the left-hand navigation pane, the ones under Special Deals.

There you will find new iPads (first generation) marked Clearance starting at $399 -- $100 less than the starting price for the iPad 2. Want to save even more? Factory refurbished models (which come with a one-year warranty and new batteries and outer cases, among other things) start at $349.

So you will not be at the leading edge of tech, but you will be $150 richer.

Think of all the apps you can buy with that.

NEW YORK TIMES