Posted By Christa Mrgan on April 30th, 2010

[Hey there – I’m Christa, the designer here at Rogue Amoeba. I’ve been with the team for about six months now, and it’s going great—it feels really good to be a part of making awesome software even better while working with super-fun people. Today I wanted to share some RA-themed iPad goodies I made.]

Though Rogue Amoeba’s dissatisfaction with the app store is well-known, we still recognize it as an important platform. In fact, everyone at the company received an iPad on release day. Jealous? I know. But hey, we need them to work on the newest version of Airfoil Speakers Touch, part of a forthcoming update to Airfoil.

I baked some cookies for Paul and Quentin as a way to say, “Yay! Thanks for the iPad, you guys!” and decided that, as long as I was mailing stuff all the way across the country, I should think of a little something else to send along.

Custom iPad Sleeves
I am not a skilled seamstress. In fact, I learned everything I know about sewing from the instructional DVD that came with my Martha Stewart™-endorsed sewing machine, and I’m fairly sure I’ve spent more time coaxing that machine to work than I have actually sewing anything. Still, I managed to make a couple of iPad sleeves for Paul and Quentin with some leftover fabric I had lying around.

They’re pretty straightforward; fleece on the inside, cotton fabric on the outside (looks like I should’ve ironed it first!). The details are felt applique, applied with Fabric Fusion glue. On Paul’s One Foot Tsunami-themed sleeve, I hand-stitched for reinforcement and a crafty look.

Quentin’s case is actually two cases in one. I made him a small sleeve for his iPod Touch, which can be used on its own or velcro-ed to the front of the iPad sleeve. Marsupials!

“Sure,” you’re thinking, “that’s kinda cool and everything, but what about ME, the reader and long-time Rogue Amoeba fan? What do I get?” Well, I have anticipated your needs, too, my friend. Just wait until you see what I’ve made for you:

Two Rogue Amoeba-themed iPad wallpaper sets!

The first set is photographic evidence that everyone’s favorite guerilla protist, Ammo the Amoeba, has shot a hole right through your iPad. Look, the bullet is still lodged in the cover! Bummer. And if you open it up to reveal the circuit board, you can see that the hole goes straight through. Ouch!

The other set features a re-imagined Ammo—an Ammo from the Powerpuff Girls or Dexter’s Laboratory universe. The lock screen shows him leaping through the air with his faithful firearm; the home screen details his surly, rebel attitude. Sweet!

To save these yourself (from your iPad), just tap the image to zoom to full size, keep holding, and choose “Save Image”. Once they’re saved, set them as your wallpaper in the Settings app.

Coming Soon…
Now, not to worry: I’ve been doing plenty of other things besides making iPad sleeves and wallpapers. We’re currently hard at work on major updates to Pulsar, Airfoil for Mac, and Nicecast. I look forward to telling you all about what’s new, design- and interface-wise, in the near future. For now though, enjoy these iPad goodies!