Trend: iPad-friendly stuff

When Apple started selling its iPad tablet computer in April, people were puzzled about how to carry the gadget. The iPad's unusual size — much bigger than a smartphone but much smaller than most laptops — is creating lots of opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Kate Clark in Fairbanks, Alaska, created a white cotton cover called "iMaxi" as a play on the feminine-hygiene-product jokes that were made about the iPad name when it was first revealed in January. Thousands of orders for the $30 case have been placed on Etsy's handicraft market.

"We're super crazy busy just sewing," Clark told The Wall Street Journal. She's now looking for a production firm to help her keep up with the orders.

Scottevest, a travel-clothing maker in Sun Valley, Idaho, began marketing its multi-pocketed travel vests, which can hold magazines, water bottles and lots of gadgets, as iPad-compatible. The company has hired extra workers and more than doubled production and is now developing an iPad-compatible trench coat.

Many iPad owners say they love the thing, except for one big problem: it is all screen. With no keyboard, users have to use their fingers to make things happen on it. But don't worry: the waterproof, transparent TrendyDigital cover designed by MZ Services lets users operate the touchscreen cleanly, clearly, safely, on the beach or in the bath.