Gadget Lab Notes: The iPad 2 Can Stick to a Fridge With Its Smart Cover

Pretty handy: The iPad 2's Smart Cover can stick to refrigerators and other metal surfaces. Photo: Gizmodo

Gadget Lab Notes is an eclectic roundup of gadget news briefs and intriguing products that catch our eye.

Your iPad 2 Can Stick to Your Fridge

Be careful trying this one at home in case your fridge isn?t quite as magnetic, but several people have found that the new iPad?s Smart Cover will stick to metallic, magnetic surfaces like a fridge. This could make it very convenient to look at recipes online or watch videos in the kitchen as you cook. This is a much more reasonable application for the iPad?s magnetic capabilities than as an oversized clock dangling from your neck.

Smartcover Doubles As an iPad Fridge Magnet [9to5 Mac via the Giz]

Burglar Blaster Shoots Pepper Spray to Ward Off Intruders

The wailing alarm and the threat of police on the way aren?t enough to keep some criminals from robbing you blind. Set up an alarm they?ll never forget: the Burglar Blaster. When this passive infrared detection system is triggered, the canister’s 4 oz squirt contains enough juice to coat 2,000 square feet in its eye-searing contents. $600 will get you the system, but you?ll probably have to shell out extra for a cleaning service if it ever does go off.

Burglar Blaster [BedBunker via Oh Gizmo]

Samsung 55-inch Glasses-Free 3-D TV Prototype Has 9 Different Viewing Angles

A prototype 55-inch 3-D TV from Samsung features 9 different viewing angles, so you and 8 friends could strategically sit around it and enjoy the same 3-D experience. It can also easily be switched into 2-D mode by altering the optical refraction index of an LCD panel on top of the TV?s LCD. Samsung hopes to use an LED backlight in the finished product?right now it uses a CCFL backlight.

Samsung 55-inch Glasses Free 3-D Prototype [Tech On! via Engadget]

Ford Goes Green with SmartGauge With EcoGuide Patent

The SmartGauge with EcoGuide helps drivers maximize their miles per gallon, alerting drivers when they could be driving more efficiently (ie when they?ve put the pedal to the metal). The EcoGuide displays vines and leaves that ?react? to short-term driving behaviors. The SmartGauge displays what mode hybrid vehicle drivers are operating in, shows information related to gas and electric power use, and lets drivers monitor their level of driving efficiency.

Ford Receives Patents for SmartGauge with EcoGuide [Crunchgear]

Western Digital?s My Book Studio Edition II Stores 6TB, But Lacks Thunderbolt

The My Book Studio Edition II is an external dual-drive array with a storage capacity of up to 6TB with RAID 0 (but can also be set to RAID 1 to help ensure you won?t lose any data). It can connect through FireWire 400, FireWire 800, eSATA, and USB 2.0, and is Time Machine compatible, but it lacks Thunderbolt. You can get it now for $550.

Western Digital My Book Studio Edition II [Slashgear]

Pinball Magic Transforms Your iPhone into a Mini-Pinball Machine

Now you can sure play a mean pinball (The Who, anyone?) on your iPhone or iPod, as long as it?s running iOS 3 or higher. The iDevice accessory works with a free pinball app from Apple?s App Store. It?s not quite the same as the real thing, but it looks pretty fun anyways.

Pinball Magic for iPhone and iPod Touch [Mobile Fun via Ubergizmo]