Hasta La Gadget!

Smartphones take a lot of abuse, so you might as well have yours wrapped in the new Ballistic SG case. SG stands for shell gel, and this case is meant for iPhone 4 owners who want a slim case that can withstand some shocks. The outer layer of this case is made of soft thermoplastic polyurethane for shock absorption. This layer is co-molded to the middle layer, which is made of tough impact-resistant polycarbonate. These two combine to create a strong shell.

The inner layer is made of soft silicone, with “ballistic corners” to absorb the shock of a drop. You can get one at an AT&T store or the Ballistic Web site for $29.99. It comes in black/black or black/red.

Headphone-maker Sennheiser has announced a partnership with the Dallas Mavericks, a collaboration that combines sports, music, and one pricey accessory. As part of the deal, the Mavericks have chosen the newly launched Sennheiser MM 550 Travel Bluetooth wireless mobile music headset as their official traveling headset. It’s pictured here and lists for $499.95. The Mavericks have expensive tastes.

This headset enhances music with Sennheiser’s NoiseGard 2.0 active noise cancellation technology. It also offers extra-large ear cups and SRS Labs’ new SRS Wow HD technology for more immersive listening. Frequent fliers will appreciate the TalkThrough technology, which lets travelers speak to flight attendants or seatmates without removing the headset. It’ll be available sometime this fall.

If your iPhone or iPod is your car stereo system, you’ll love these two new options from Griffin. The iTrip DualConnect (shown) is a strong choice for multi-car households or frequent travelers. It combines an FM transmitter with an AUX jack for a direct connection to car stereos equipped with an auxiliary input jack. Either connect your player directly or use the FM transmitter. Use it with the iTrip Controller App, free in the iTunes Store. The DualConnect is $59.99.

Also, check out the TuneFlex AUX HandsFree, which lets you talk hands-free while charging your iPhone’s battery. Set your player in the TuneFlex’s cradle and position it just where you want it. Calls play through your car’s speakers and the cable’s mic picks up everything you say. It lists for $49.99. 

Allow us to clarify, the colors are “fresh” as in “new,” not as in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Don’t get us wrong, though: white almost always looks fresh (in the Fresh Prince sense) on a phone, and the Torch seems to be no exception — partly thanks to the matching white keyboard. As expected, it’ll be coming in red and white and will be available on November 7 (a day before the HTC Surround and Samsung Focus, interestingly) at the same time as a sweet new promotion that’ll allow folks to buy any two accessories from AT&T and get a third one of equal or lesser value for free. Don’t violate any fire codes stuffing yourselves into your local stores, alright? Follow the break for the press release.

Continue reading BlackBerry Torch coming to AT&T in two fresh colors next month

BlackBerry Torch coming to AT&T in two fresh colors next month originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you didn’t get your fill of the Google Nexus phone, there may be a second chance. Google may have tapped Samsung to create the Nexus Two, a new smartphone that could debut early next month, according to a report on an Android news site.

Samsung will announce the Nexus Two on November 8, claims Androidandme.com. The phone is likely to ship with the upcoming Android ‘Gingerbread’ version of the operating system, and would be the first device to do so, says the site.

Whether the rumors around Nexus Two are true or not, one thing is clear. There is a press event for that date and Samsung does plan to introduce a new Android device then. “We’re not commenting on the rumors and speculation,” says a Google spokesperson.

Despite the problems with its Nexus One experiment, Google has said in the past it isn’t averse to introducing more Nexus brand devices.

Google launched the Nexus One, a phone designed by HTC, in January. The Nexus One was initially available only on T-Mobile’s network. But instead of being sold through T-Mobile stores, the search giant said it would sell Nexus Ones through its website and handle customer support itself.

That strategy didn’t resonate with consumers. Nexus One’s online store failed to catch on. Potential customers couldn’t get their hands on a device to try before they buy and Google was flooded with complaints related to customer support. Finally, in July, Google decided to stop selling Nexus Ones.

If the latest rumors pan out, then it seems that Google is ready to dive into the smartphone market. And this time it would have, hopefully, learned from its mistakes.

It will be interesting to see what Google and Samsung do differently. Already, Google’s choice of Samsung stands out because the search giant has had a very close relationship with HTC — one of the biggest cheerleaders and manufacturers of Android phones.

The launch of the Nexus Two phone may also mean more information about the Gingerbread version of the Android OS, which is reported to have made significant improvements in the user interface and multimedia capability. A software developer’s kit or SDK for the OS could also be out around the same time.

See Also:

• Google Nexus One Leaves Customers Sour
• Google to Stop Selling Nexus One
• HTC Clones Nexus One, Launches 3 New Phones
• 5 Lessons for Google From Nexus One’s Sluggish Start
• Nexus One Reaches Its End in Google Store

Photo: Nexus One