A new third-party iPad peripheral coming soon to the U.S. will turn Apple's touchscreen tablet into more of a traditional laptop form factor, with a clamshell case that provides tactile input via an attached Bluetooth keyboard, reports "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com). It may bring the late, lamented eMate to mind for those of us who have been around Apple tech for several years.

Created by Shenzhen Paoluy Silicone Technology Co., Ltd., the product dubbed "BL-BKB76" passed through the FCC last Friday and will likely be available for sale in the U.S. soon, the article adds. The clamshell design allows the iPad to be used in a laptop-style configuration, with the screen propped up and a flat keyboard to type on, says "AppleInsider" (from whence the top photo of the upcoming device comes).

The eMate 300 (bottom photo) was a Newton with a built-in keyboard. The Newton was Apple's early, and fiscally unsuccessful attempt at a personal digital assistant. The eMate was introduced March 7, 1997, for US$800 and was discontinued along with the Apple Newton product line and its operating system on February 27, 1998.

-- Dennis Sellers