Leave it to the fine folks at Casemate to come out with colorful, chic tech accessories as soon as the new iPad drops. Gone are the days when early adopters have to search for weeks, if not months, for decent accessories for their new devices.  When I first got my 2nd gen iPad, I initially settled on a 1st gen case, then an envelope and now, after several months, I finally feel like I've found accessories that appropriately match my personality. With on-trend colors like turquoise, hot pink, and orange, you won't need to settle.

Case-Mate has tweaked many of their popular iPad accessories to make them new iPad ready, however I feel that the two most solution-driven designs are the Tuxedo and the Barely There. The Tuxedo ($60) provides full device protection for your iPad, plus comes with smart magnets and the cover doubles as a stand. No need to worry about matching your back cover to your frong, as this is an all-in-one case. However, if you were anxious and picked up a Smart Cover for your iPad (I don't blame you, I did the same thing), then check out the Barely There ($40). This case works in conjunction with your Smart Cover to provide hard shell protection to the vulnerable back of your device.

These and other new Case-Mate accessories for the new iPad will start to be available beginning March 15.

Finds of the week:

• High: Charlotte Le-Tan Man's Presumptuous Brain Felt Embroidered Canvas Clutch, $1,520
• Low: Kate Spade A Tale of 2 Cities Book Emanuele Box Clutch, $325

Off the wire:

• Madonna is launching a footwear line to be produced by Aldo.
• Karl Lagerfeld can cook?
• Everything you need to know about the new iPad.

Smart reads:

• Dress By Number: Kate Middleton's Navy Blazer and Coral Jeans - The Budget Babe
• Why I Rock The Red Pump Today and Every Day - Afrobella
• Sartorial Taste and Judgement - Already Pretty

The first time I heard of Native Union's Pop Phone handset, I admittedly scoffed at the idea. Why would I want to use a traditional phone handset with my iPhone? Well that would just be silly! Then one of my coworkers was shopping around for one during Christmas. After that, I began to see them everywhere and by the time Fashion Week came around, I was in full on lusting mode. Something about combining the old with the new seemed fresh, not to mention I began to remember how easy it was to talk on the phone when you could cradle the handset between your ear and your shoulder.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a team from Native Union at Robert Verdi's Fashion Week Retreat this season. Naturally when I met them, I gushed about how into the concept I was and they explained that it's not only chic, but it also serves a practical purpose. Remember all that chatter about radiation concerns and cell phone usage? It's becoming more and more of a legitimate concern and the team at Native Union realized that a wired handset, like the Pop Phone, could help to eliminate additional radiation consumption.

I keep my pink (naturally) Pop Phone next to my bed and use it for conversations with mom or the occassional off-hours conference call. Admittedly it's one of those products that you don't think you need until you have it, and then you can't imagine your life without it.

If you haven't tried the Pop Phone, they're $29 and come in fab colors like pink, red, orange, polka dots and a gorgeous gold.

Confession: I have serious iPhone wallpaper ADD. I want something new and different almost every week, whether it's a photo that I took myself, a popular quote I saw on Pinterest or a fresh print that makes me smile. When I discovered Cuptakes, an app that provides fun prints, calendars, and designs for your iOS device monthly, I officially became obsessed.

This month, my iPhone is rocking a robin's egg blue polka dot print (at left). Last month I alternated between hot pink/white and black/white chevron prints. Some of the backgrounds feature a calendar, while others feature specially designed boxes that look like your apps are sitting on a shelf. If the current month's designs aren't your cup of tea, you can browse the full archive to find something that's more your style.

The Cuptakes designs are definitely on the more girlie side, as the name would suggest. The app is produced by the team behind the Cuptakes website, who also produce a line of iPhone cases and can even redesign your blog.

The Cuptakes app is available in the App Store for $0.99. I've had this app installed on my iPhone for over a year and I still love it as much as the day I downloaded it.

Reader poll: what image is the background in your smartphone right now?

Since my first cell phone had rechargeable double AA batteries (yes, you read that correctly), I have been in love with mobile technology. Fast forward to the Nokia I had in college - the one with the customizable faceplates and keypads - that I changed to match every outfit. These days, I have a couple of different cases for my iPhone 4. While most of them serve utilitarian purposes, like my Mophie, my favorite is just plain pretty.

While obsessively refreshing the Kate Spade website in hopes of catching a glimpse of the latest spring bags, I saw the perfect outfit for my iPhone: the All Eyes case.

Between my obsession with thick black liquid eyeliner and my day job as a Social Media Manager, the imagery couldn't be more perfect. It also doesn't hurt that the eyes remind me of Audrey Hepburn and I hear the song Moon River run through my head now and then.

How do you dress up (or down) your technology? PS - how excited are you for the iPad 3?

Smythson Leather iPad case

$290.00 by Smythson at Net-A-Porter

As you may have noticed by my recent (read: obsessive) tweets, I became the proud owner of a 32 GB iPad 2, after a 6 hour wait in line this past Friday. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

What's the first thing any good fashion nerd does when buying new technology? Buy new accessories, of course. I selected the red leather Smart Cover (pretty genius), plus the camera kit for optimum blogging on the go. As much as I love the Smart Cover, it protects the screen, leaving the aluminum backing exposed. Naturally, I've been obsessively searching for a case to protect my new friend from whatever rogue objects might be in my handbag.

This Smythson case has been slipping in and out of my dreams for the past two nights. While it's not designed specifically for the iPad 2, I do want to account for the size of the Smart Cover. Plus, the handy tab across the top will keep it from falling out. Now if only I could blink and make it appear....

Some people laugh at me, and some people stare at me in amazement when I tell them a pretty basic fact about me: I don't have a cell phone.  That's right, if you want to call me, you can't unless I'm home (and that's only because I have Skype).  You may be asking yourself "how the heck do you live without a cell phone?" and to be honest I might have said that myself 3 months ago, but the truth is, it's been a very easy transition, thanks to my friend Peek.

Peek is a device created to do one thing - deliver text based messages, ie email and texts.  That's it - no more, no less.  The device costs anywhere from $79.95 - $99.99, depending on where you buy it, and it's available at Target, Amazon, and GetPeek.com. Service for the device is a simple $19.95, with no hidden fees, extra charges or contracts.  Turn it on, turn it off, it's all the same price.  Pretty smart, eh?

I really love that I can text, receive emails and Twitter on the go - it makes being away from home much more productive and also gives me something to do on the train.  I'm not sure that when they designed the Peek they designed it with a heavy user in mind (Most days I receive 200 emails).

How it works:  Peek downloads emails in groups (usually around 5), and checks your email anywhere from every 5 - 15 minutes.  It can open some images, but not all, and is not compatible with PDF or Word documents.  You cannot open links in a browser, you can only see the text of the url.  Also, Peek does not communicate with your inbox in regards to opened or deleted messages, so when you come home, you have to delete and mark messages as read.  You can reply to emails and the replies will show up in your inbox, as well as any emails you send on the go.

The interface is incredibly self explanatory and works like an old-school Blackberry with the scroll button on the side.  There's no home screen or menu, you simply see your inbox as the main (and pretty much only) screen, aside from the option menus.  I found the system to be a big laggy, especially when retrieving multiple messages, but as I said before, I don't think Peek was designed for heavy users such as myself.  Don't get me wrong, I love the device, and it works for me, but I am also realistic about how my usage effects technology.

The battery life is amazing - I can use it for 2 full days without having to recharge (the website says 4-5, which is possible if you're not me) and it charges very similarly to the Blackberry.  In terms of service, the Peek could have a bit stronger attachment to a signal, as it doesn't always hang onto one, but when compared to the cost, I have no room to complain.

Who it's for:  If you don't have a cell phone like me, or you don't want to pay the service charges associated with data usage or your phone is so old school it doesn't allow you to access your email, the Peek is the device for you.

So the big question is - could you survive without a phone?