Gadgets: Linkase cellphone case aims to boost Wi-Fi reception

Cellphone cases are designed to provide protection, but Absolute Technology thinks they should offer something more: better Wi-Fi reception.

The company recently introduced Linkase, a $50 cellphone case for the iPhone 5 that uses electromagnetic waveguide technology to enhance the Wi-Fi signal.

When a smartphone is being used, the hand can block the phone's internal antenna, restricting its capacity. Absolute claims that the sliding antenna in the Linkase resonates with the device's antenna to bolster Wi-Fi reception up to 50 percent.

The Linkase comes in five colors, but the simple design is a little bland when you consider other options on the market. The case is made of a durable polycarbonate material that felt stiff and cheap and made it difficult to gain access to the phone's buttons.

The Linkase does increase Wi-Fi reception, but it seems as though Absolute paid a lot of attention to the technology and not enough to the design.

Kobo has produced what it said is the highest-resolution E Ink reader, the Aura HD, which means it should have the best-looking screen, right?

This is why you can't buy devices based on specifications. In a side-by-side comparison, we still preferred the screen of the lower-resolution Amazon Kindle Paperwhite.

It also has a 1 gigahertz processor (faster than the Paperwhite), so you shouldn't get hung up flipping pages. It comes with 4 gigabytes of built-in memory (double the ­Paperwhite). An additional 32 gigabytes can be added with a Micro SD card.

Like the Paperwhite, the Aura's adjustable backlighting makes it excellent for bedtime reading. It claims a battery life of up to two months.

The Kobo Aura is $170. The most similar Paperwhite model, which like the Aura is Wi-Fi only, is $140.