New iPhone Juice Pack adds oomph to iPhone batteries

Posted by Sparky Categories: Accessories, Apple, Smartphones, Misc. Tech, Wireless / WiFi,

Mophie’s new Juice Pack promises to more than double the life of your iPhone at the expense of a little pocketability. The sled style battery pack offers up an additional 250 hours of standby, 24 hours of music playback, 8 hours of talk time, 7 hours of video playback, or 6 hours of internet use. Featuring a soft grip case to help avoid those terrifying iPhone drops the Juice Pack seems like the perfect solution for anyone looking for a little extra juice out of their iPhone on long trips or while away from convenient AC power. The Power Pack is less than $100 and promises to ship by Christmas.

Read More | Mophie via Gizmodo

Spy Cam Works on Flourescent Lighting

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Design, Misc. Tech, Wireless / WiFi,

NEC has come up with a wireless spy cam which is powered by fluorescent light sockets. Based on technology developed last year, the camera utilizes the magnetic field of the 45 to100 kHz power source. It takes images every 10 seconds and supports VGA, QVGA, and QQVGA resolutions. Image transferral is by wireless Lan to PC. The cam will be making its debut at the 2007 iExpo in Japan this week or in an office or bank lobby that isn’t trusting near you.

Read More | Tech-on

Apple slowly bumping up the speed on iPhones?

Posted by Sparky Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Portable Audio / Video, Wireless / WiFi,

With the new 1.1.2 firmware many users reported that their iPhones ‘felt a little snappier’. This could be in part due to the fact that with the 1.1.2 firmware the processor is actually being used at a slightly higher speed. iPhones ship with a 624mz processor, but originally Apple capped them at 400mz for typical use to help enhance the battery life. With 1.1.2 that’s been bumped up to 412.

While this may not be major news right now, it does hint that Apple may have more features planned which require the additional horsepower. Another side of the coin may be that as Apple continues to refine the iPhone code base and make various functions more efficient they can ramp up the processor without adversely affecting battery life. Whatever the cause we can hopefully look forward to seeing our iPhones get faster and faster with each coming software update.

Read More | iPhone Atlas

A pouch for the paranoid: cellphone blocker

Posted by Sparky Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Wireless / WiFi,

Brando is now offering the Black Hole phone bag, a pouch for your phone with two pockets. One of the pockets is ‘normal’ and just carries your phone, but the other pocket features a cell blocking material which essentially turns it into a Faraday cage. Slipping your precious mobile into this special pocket blocks all incoming and outgoing cell signals. It seems like a strange solution when simply turning off the phone offers the same functionality without the $12 price tag, but somehow we suspect that that may not be enough for the ultra-paranoid among us.

Read More | Brando Mobile

AT&T says: 3G iPhone in 2008

Posted by Sparky Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Internet, Rumors, Wireless / WiFi,

AT&T‘s CEO Randall Stephenso let slip that a 3G iPhone is indeed on it’s way sometime in early 2008. This is an obvious evolution for the platform and is no surprise, but hearing it ‘right from the horses mouth’ certainly is a nice reassurance.  While the exact timing of the release is unknown, he did indicate it would likely be prior to May. Based on AT&T’s HSDPA technology the 3G iPhone would feature the same blazing download and upload speeds as other 3G devices currently on the market. Apple has yet to comment on Stephenso’s early-announcement.

Gear Live’s prediction: the announcement of the 3G iPhone will come hand in hand with a more proper unveiling of the SDK at Macworld, likely with a bump to 16GB of storage to match the current generation iPod Touch. Gear Live’s predicament: we can’t wait.

Read More | AT&T via iPhone Atlas

Spy Cam Tilts and Pans

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Misc. Tech, Wireless / WiFi,

We love these spy-game goodies. This wireless cam pans 210º and tilts 63º via remote control with a 2.5-inch transistor LCD and a 480 x 2344 resolution. The camera’s infrared LEDs allow for night vision for up to 16 feet. Choose from 3 different channels on its 2.4 GHz signals. At a size of 6 x 2 2/3 x 1-inch and a weight of 6 oz., it comes with earphones and adapter and needs 4 AAA batteries (not included.) Available for only high-end secretive types, its price is $249.99.

Read More | Hammacher Schlemmer

Transform Your Cell Phone Into a Web Cam

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Smartphones, Internet, Misc. Tech, Wireless / WiFi, USB,

You can now have the capability of turning your cell phone into a Bluetooth or USB webcam for plugging into your laptop. Warelex’s Mobiola can screen capture you on Skype, Yahoo, YouTube, ICQ, AOL, and other IMs. The cam is compatible with Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices including Smartphones, several Nokia phones, and some by Sony-Ericsson.The Mobiola is available for a free trial session for a week for up to 5 minutes at a time and is priced between $4.95 and $19.95, depending on your mobile phone.

Read More | Warelex

Bluetrek Releases Sense Headset

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Wireless / WiFi,

Bluetrek’s Sense Bluetooth V1.2 headset has replaced the need for buttons with a touch-sensitive capability. The earphone also features an LED battery level indicator, and a voice alert to confirm your function choice, missed calls and low battery. A detachable wire ear hook is provided and you should get about four hours of talk time or five days of standby. At a size of 50 mm x 15mm and a weight of only 8 grams, the Sense will work up to a range of 10 meters. Look for it early next year at a price of £49.99 (~$103.00.)

Read More | Bluetrek

Sakura Robot,  for Princesses

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Toys, Transportation, Wireless / WiFi,

She answers yes and no questions, tells fortunes and jokes, sings and can keep a secret (via a key in her controller.) Who is she? The Sakura Robot has all the girly features you want in a bot including fashion tips, a cutesy demeanor, and wearing pink. She comes with her very own Segway and wireless remote. We may prefer the more macho type bot, but we suspect this will be a big hit for the more feminine group this holiday season. You can find Sakura for ~$100.00 at Amazon.

Read More | BotJunkie

Dell Unveils Slim XPS One PCs

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Home Entertainment, Movies, Music, PC / Laptop, Wireless / WiFi,

In time for the holiday rush, Dell is releasing four XPS One PCs for your entertainment pleasure. All of them feature Windows Vista Home Premium, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (E4500 for the lower priced and E6550 for the higher,) a 20-inch widescreen display with WSXGA and one-touch control, 2GB of memory, Adobe Elements Studio, and a hybrid analog/digital TV tuner with remote control. They also feature Bluetooth 2.0, stereo speakers, an integrated 2 megapixel digital cams with mic, and a wireless keyboard and mouse. You can find the XPS One with a starting price of $1,499.00.

Read More | Dell