Hasta La Gadget!

Fiddling with wires when it’s time to charge your favorite gadget can be irritating. There are number of wireless charging pads that sit on a desk or table that allow you to just sit your device down to charge without messing with wires. A new wireless conductive charging stand has surfaced from a company called iOmounts.

The stand is called the iOdock and claims to be the first wireless conductive charging stand on the market. The docking station connects to a computer via a USB cable and is able to transfer power and data wirelessly to the user’s device through a case specifically designed for your gadget to work with the conductive charging stand. The product will be on display at CES this week.

The company promises that the required charging case needed for the system is much slimmer than other inductive charging cases on the market. The dock stand also allows the user to rotate the screen of their device for whatever angle is most comfortable for them. The iOdock is currently available for the iPhone 4S and the iPad.

The company does intend offer connector charging cases that will work with the iPhone 5, iPad mini, and other devices by the middle of 2013. At this time, it’s unclear exactly how much the iOdock will sell for. I would expect pricing to be somewhere in the range of the pricing for the company’s line of stands ranging from $90-$100.

iOdock wireless conductive charging stand debuts is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This year SlashGear had 292 product reviews over the 12 months that began with January 2012 with subject matter ranging from smartphones to automobiles, with accessories, computers, and some lovely stand-out apps sprinkled in-between. We’d like to express our extreme gratitude to the PR groups, manufacturers, developers, and every other individual responsible for helping us work with the products and services we need to show you, the readers. Have a peek at what we’ve explored in detail this year!

The most massive category for us this year was Accessory Reviews by a rather sizable margin. With 68 audio products, device cases, power units, and oddities galore, we’ve been working with a set of the coolest tiny (and sometimes massive) products that either assist you in working with your much more expensive products or stand alone as amazing products on their own! One category that broke out this year was Storage Reviews, another was Camera Reviews – never again will we categorize these items as accessories on their own!

The mobile sector continues to bust out as a massively review-friendly sector with Phone Reviews and Tablet Reviews being two more of our largest categories. Every single phone in the phone category was a smartphone, of course, and our total hit 61 while the number of Tablet Reviews we knocked out was a solid 26.

We worked with 20 lovely Laptop Reviews in 2012 while our Desktop Reviews numbered up to 16. In the Software Reviews section we’ve got our epic Windows 8 review as well as 19 other bits of excellent software. This section crosses over into the iOS Review section which this year had a whopping 39 entries on its own.

Another new category for us this year was Sci-fi Movie Reviews with 5 hot-hitting entries. We’re getting into the Entertainment industry with movies galore, too, with not just movies but beasts in gadgety with 14 eye-melting Entertainment Reviews. Another cross-over category this year was Gaming Reviews with a cool 14 entries.

Then one of the most exciting new spaces we’ve got is Car Reviews which stems from our brand new Car Portal – expect one whole heck of a lot more automotive action in 2013 as well!

This year the authors with the most units reviewed through the 12-month period were Chris Davies with 22 reviews, Vincent Nguyen with 28 reviews, and Chris Burns with 178 reviews. In addition to thanking the PR groups, manufacturers, and developers this year, we’d like to thank you, the readers, for making it possible for us to get our hands on these wonderful products so that we might show you what they’re all about.

What we’d like to ask you at this point is what you thought about our reviews this year and what you think we could do better in 2013 – did we leave anything out? Are there products or services you’d like us to cover more extensively in the future? Let us know!

SlashGear’s Product Review Rundown 2012 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

A company called Cool Invent has announced the latest version of an iPad and iPhone stand it offers called the Versi Stand. The new version of the stand is designed with the new Apple Lightning connector integrated allowing it to charge the iPhone 5 or iPad mini. The stand is also compatible with other Apple devices that use the standard 30-pin connector.

The stand is available in versions to hold single iPads or a larger version that will hold dual iPads. The device is able to hold the iPad or iPhone and charge the device the same time allowing users to surf the Internet, play their favorite games, or watch video without using the internal battery. The device is designed to allow full swiveling and rotation as well as tilting for optimum viewing angle.

Since the charging cable is built into the stand there are no wires to mess with, users simply dock their tablet into the holder to charge. All versions of the Versi are designed to look like something Apple would make with a minimalist, industrial look. The stands are made from CNC machined aircraft grade aluminum.

The aluminum also has a soft polyurethane backing to prevent scratches when the device is inserted into the stand. The design allows for 180° rotation and 90° tilt. The swivel action offers 300° movement and the stand is available now for $189.

Versi Stand for iPad mini launches is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you have an iPhone 5 and you’re the sort of user who spends a lot of time using your smartphone away from an outlet, you want to check out the new Mojo Hi5. The Hi5 is a case that protects your iPhone 5 from drops and scratches but also has a battery that can snap on the back to extend the runtime of your smartphone. The case will launch on December 8 and can be pre-ordered now.

One of the interesting parts about this case that makes it a bit different from some of the other battery cases on the market is that the battery itself is removable. What that means is you can just take your iPhone 5 and the thin protective case when you know you’re not going to need any extra runtime. That means you have a significantly less bulky case to keep up with.

When you know you will need the extra runtime you can take the iPhone 5 and the thin Hi5 case and snap the battery on the back for more runtime. The battery has a capacity of 2500 mAh promising to double the usable time for your iPhone 5. The external battery charges via a USB port. The thin case itself is only .66 ounces.

When the external battery is attached, the physical measurements are 4.95-inches long by 2.38-inches wide by 0.72-inches deep with a weight of 2.69 ounces. The case portion of the Hi5 can be had in glossy white or matte black. You can pre-order the case right now for $79.90 including the external battery.

Mojo Hi5 adds a removable extra battery to your iPhone 5 is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’re the owner of the Samsung Galaxy Note II or the Samsung Galaxy S III devices, Samsung is offering a bundle you might be interested in for the holidays. The bundle adds multiple Protective Flip Cover colors in one package allowing users to change the looks of their device. The bundles offer multiple colors at a discounted price.

The Protective Flip Cover is available in seven colors for both Samsung Galaxy devices. The covers available including titanium gray, marble white, light blue, pink, mint, lime green, and orange. Samsung says these covers are perfect for people who want the smartphone the match their wardrobe.

The Protective Flip the Cover is a one-piece folding design that has a front cover and a glossy snap on back. The front cover is designed to protect the screen of the device while the snap on back prevents scratches and helps protect from drops and bumps. The covers also help prevent fingerprints and dirt from getting on the device.

The Protective Flip Covers are designed specifically for the Samsung smartphones to add little bulk. The Protective Flip Cover for the Note II sells for $39.99 each with a bundle of four different color covers for $99.99. For users who want less colors a bundle of two covers is available for $49.99. Flip covers for the S3 are available for the same price.

Samsung offers Protective Flip Cover bundle for Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S III is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.