Hasta La Gadget!

One of the lesser known predictions of the Mayan calendar foretells that 2011 will be the year of NFC. The contactless communications stuff looks to be building all kinds of stream in the Western world, but don’t lose faith in your current smartphone if it doesn’t already have it. Japanese carrier Softbank has responded to complaints about the iPhone 4’s NFC deficit — the FeliCa payment system is pretty popular over in the land of sumo, sushi and sun-rising — by introducing a new “seal” for the back of Apple’s latest and greatest. It sticks on, covering almost the entire rear, but is apparently thin enough not to get in the way of using one of Apple’s own Bumpers alongside it. From our reading of the press release, the sticker doesn’t actually communicate with the iPhone, it’s just a dumb NFC card, but hey, other people don’t need to know that when you’re swiping payments with your phone, now do they? On sale in February at a price of ¥2,980 ($36).

iPhone 4 gets stuck with NFC ‘sticker’ from Japan’s Softbank originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First the tease, now the payoff. Thrustmaster has officially announced the full specs and price for its T500RS steering wheel and pedal set, otherwise known as the official driving simulator for Gran Turismo 5. The T500RS purportedly lets “users truly feel the emotions experienced by drivers on real racing circuits,” though whether this includes feelings of unquenchable anger from being put into the wall at Daytona is unclear. A contactless magnetic sensor system known as HallEffect AccuRate Technology gives gamers sixteen-bit precision input that represents a significant upgrade over the twelve-bit version in the Ferrari Wireless GT Cockpit 430 Scuderia Edition. Additionally, 1080 degree wheel rotation gives drivers a half-turn more than Logitech’s Driving Force GT, and the system comes with fully adjustable pedals configurable for floor mounted (F1-style) and suspended (GT-style) positions. Slated for a late December or mid January release, depending on your location, the T500RS has a hefty list price of $599.99 MSRP, but how else will you find out what a Bugatti Veyron really handles like on the ‘ring?

Continue reading Thrustmaster T500RS steering wheel unveiled: $599 of Gran Turismo perfection

Thrustmaster T500RS steering wheel unveiled: $599 of Gran Turismo perfection originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Dec 2010 04:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Surely you haven’t forgotten about Clamcase! Merely 14 hours after Apple introduced the iPad, someone on Clamcase’s staff filed a patent application for the device you’re peering at above. Between then and now, a smattering of iPad keyboard cases have come to light, but quite a few folks have apparently been waiting for the original to materialize. This week, the company opened up the pre-order hotline for the device, hawking it for the not-exactly-bargain-bin price of $119. It’s available in any color you want, so long as it’s black, and if all goes well it’ll hit the shipping docks next month. It’s definitely the nicest of the bunch based on pictures alone, and it’s not like it’ll have to try awfully hard to beat the rivals that have already let us down. So, what’s it going to be? You in for one?

Update: Thanks to a snazzy gift card, it’s just $99 for a limited time.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Clamcase iPad keyboard case / stand now on sale, ships January 2011

Clamcase iPad keyboard case / stand now on sale, ships January 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 11:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Your desk is a mess. Didn’t your mother teach you anything? I mean, really, wouldn’t that pen be better off in a drawer or something instead of tossed haphazardly behind your keyboard? And how long are you going to keep those empty soda bottles there? Maybe you should organize yourself a little, and maybe Thanko can help with its LCD monitor hub. It attaches to the sides and bottom of your LCD, giving you a four-port USB replicator below to help reduce cable-clutter and a series of tilt-out drawers on either side of your display where you can stuff the pens, pencils, cables, candies, thumb drives, screwdrivers, utility knives, digital cameras, toy cars, Gorillapods, memory cards, stickers, scissors, headphones, Wiimote wrists straps, and everything else that might not otherwise have a home. Or maybe that’s our desks and we’re just projecting.

Thanko’s monitor hub takes all your desk clutter and hangs it from your LCD originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frankly speaking, the vast majority of knockoff gear is a giant leap backwards from the real-deal. This, friends, is one of those fringe cases where the opposite is true. The 3-in-1 iPad camera connection kit (available in black or white) is a single dock connecting apparatus with a trifecta of ports: USB, SD and microSD. In order of mention, you can offload photos from your camera onto your iPad via a direct USB connection, offload photos from your SD card and offload photos from your microSD card. It’s all pretty self explanatory, and at just $29.90, there’s hardly a reason to even consider the official version. Hit the links below to get your order in, but don’t expect it to ship until early next year.

Knockoff 3-in-1 iPad camera connection kit improves Apple’s own design originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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