Hasta La Gadget!

A couple of weeks ago, we told you about how Apple planted authentication chips inside their new Lightning cables to prevent third-party manufacturers from making Lightning cables of their own. However, it was only a matter of time before we would see the chip get cloned, and it looks like today is the day.

Chinese hackers announced today that they’ve been able to successfully clone Apple’s Lightning authentication chip, which now paves the way for third-party Lightning cables and accessories that will be much cheaper. The first of which is now out on the market. For $39, you can get a Lightning dock and a Lightning cable that also lights up as you charge your iPhone 5.

It’s not as cheap as you would normally see from a third-party manufacturer, but we’re guessing the high price has something to do with exclusivity. However, that won’t be for long as we’ll see more and more manufacturers take advantage of the cloned authentication chip. This specific cable/dock combo can both charge and sync the iPhone 5, and it should still work even after iOS 6 updates roll out.

Apple will no doubt attempt to stop manufacturers from making the cables and accessories in order to get an MFi licensing fee from the Chinese suppliers, but we’ll see what really happens when they cross that bridge eventually. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to snatch up these accessories while you still can, but hopefully we’ll see more in the near future.

[via M.I.C. Gadget]

Apple’s Lightning authentication chip successfully cloned is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

When Motorola launched its Webtop concept alongside the original Atrix 4G, it had grand visions of replacing our PCs with a smartphone, a Lapdock and some optimism for a mobile-focused future. Most of us don’t appear to have shared that rose-tinted view, as Motorola has confirmed that devices from the Photon Q 4G LTE and Droid RAZR M onward don’t carry Webtop and won’t get it in the future. The firm is blunt in explaining the cut and says that “adoption has not been strong enough” — we just weren’t buying those desktop- and laptop-oriented docks in the large numbers Motorola would need to devote further attention. As CNET explains, the move isn’t surprising in light of Google’s cost cutting as well as an initial $500 Lapdock price that likely chilled any momentum, even after prices dropped to as little as $200 in the Atrix 2 era. We’d also point to a market that still favors budget laptops and tablets: when $400 will get you an entirely separate Transformer Pad TF300, albeit without a keyboard, it’s hard to justify buying what amounts to an empty shell. At least we’ll still have our PadFone to keep us company while you read the full statement below.

Motorola’s Webtop app helps users extend their smartphone experience to larger screens. While consumers around the world have adopted Webtop and the concept spurred a lot of innovation in the industry, the adoption has not been strong enough to justify continued resources being allocated to developing Webtop on future devices. We have also seen development of the Android operating system focus on the inclusion of more desktoplike features. Beginning with Photon Q and Droid Razr M/Droid Razr HD/Droid Razr Maxx HD, we will no longer be including Webtop on our products moving forward.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile, Google

Motorola phases out Webtop, points to a Lapdock-shy world originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Oct 2012 13:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smartphone cases have been sort of a saturated market lately. Pretty much everyone and their siblings are making all kinds of different cases that are flooding the market, and it seems only a few good case manufacturers are getting the press coverage they deserve, like OtterBox, Mophie, and Moshi to name a few. However, a company called Loop Attachment is looking to make a dent in the market with a unique Halloween-themed iPhone case called the Mummy.

The Mummy iPhone case is only compatible with Apple‘s newly-discounted iPhone 4/4S line currently, but the company has said they’re planning on stocking up on iPhone 5 cases sometime this month and early November, so stay tuned for those if you happened to upgrade to the latest iPhone.

When you put the case on your iPhone, it essentially looks like mummy wrappings are covering the back of your device (hence the name of the case in the first place). However, it’s not just all about looks. All that fancy silicone on the back is also meant to hold credit cards, money, ID, etc., so it actually doubles as a makeshift wallet, while at the same time providing your iPhone with a little protection. The Mummy is available in 10 different colors and is priced at $25 each, or three for $60.

Loop Attachment’s flagship product isn’t actually for the iPhone, though. It’s simply called the Loop, and it’s a wristband for your 5th- or 6th-generation iPod Nano that turns the device into a glorified watch. We’ve seen these types of products before, but the Loop is a unique one-piece band that snuggly fits an iPad Nano on top, and can be easily removed if need be. It comes in seven color varieties and will cost you $20 each or $50 for a bundle of three.

Show your Halloween spirit with the Loop Mummy iPhone case is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Eye-Fi‘s unique line of memory cards have been serving photographers’ wireless transfer needs for some time now, but the 8GB maximum the company had on their cards was a huge barrier for some photo snappers. Fortunately, Eye-Fi has now doubled the capacity storage and has released a 16GB model of their Pro X2 memory card.

The 16GB Eye-Fi Pro X2 is the company’s new flagship offering and boasts a Class 10 rating that offers the same geotagging features and cloud service that’s provided with all of their other products. The new card will allow you to wirelessly connect your camera to your mobile device, or utilize a WiFi network to move images directly to your computer.

CEO and co-founder of Eye-Fi Yuval Koren says, “Cameras have more megapixels, and pictures and videos are more demanding in terms of size. Moving to a 16GB, Class 10 card keeps up with these trends and delivers what our customers have been asking for.” With megapixels of point-and-shoot cameras reaching into the teens, even regular consumers need more storage space for their photos, and Eye-Fi is looking to deliver on that.

The 16GB model will cost $100 and is currently available for pre-order from Amazon. The new memory card will also see launches in Australia and Japan soon, with a price tag of $108 AUD and ¥9980, respectively. The company also cut the price of their 8GB Pro X2 and Mobile X2 by $20, now priced at $80 and $60, respectively.

Eye-Fi announces 16GB Pro X2 wireless memory card is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The update cycle of consumer electronics can make a mess of your Kickstarter plans, but one new project that just launched is designed to provide a useful products that remains useful no matter what changes come down the road, in terms of modes of connectivity or hardware design. It’s the CompleteDock, and I had the chance to sneak a peek at an early, functional prototype at Disrupt SF this year.

I noticed it at a booth for a cloud services startup, and was immediately intrigued by its solid aluminum construction. It looked like a dock that was immovable, implacable, and designed to stand the test of time. And after going in for a closer look, it turns out that’s exactly what it was, but also with a unique, modal twist that means it can be used with just about any gadget out there.

Here’s how it works: The CompleteDock’s business end (where it gets connected to its data/power cable) is swappable, meaning you can change it out for a 30-pin dock connector to USB cable, micro-USB, or an Apple iPhone 5 Lightning connector. These will be available to purchase separately in case you buy new devices, but there’s also another wonderful benefit for backers: The first change is free. Meaning when you change devices initially, you’re covered.

There’s also a support that can switch out to accommodate different devices and different angles, and both a mini and full-sized version, depending on your needs, but for my money the regular version looks great with either tablets or smartphones.

The best part? This is already a real device, which I saw, and handled in person thanks to project founder Gligor Dacevski. The company has a manufacturing facility with CNC machines ready to pump them out. Compared to a lot of projects I’ve backed, they’re way ahead of the game, and actually stand a fair chance of hitting their December 2012 ship date.

I actually miss using my iPhone 4S dock, and I haven’t found a suitable replacement. The Elevation Dock looks promising, especially with its upcoming iPhone 5 compatibility update, but the CompleteDock is more multi-purpose, and seems sturdier, too. Plus, this may be naive, but I’m hoping this is the last dock I’ll ever buy.