Hasta La Gadget!

Look, there’s no arguing that Apple charges a boatload for its first-party adapters, and this isn’t the first time that one of those overpriced dongles has caused an uproar (Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter, anyone?). But when the company trots out an iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter and promises to enable users to “see their videos and slideshows on the big screen,” it should probably make a few clarifications. Instead, more than a handful of consumers are revolting over on Apple’s own webstore, noting that any video laced in any type of DRM (iTunes flicks and Netflix streams included) won’t output at all. Contrary to popular belief, this adapter doesn’t actually mirror the iPad’s display, which is fairly absurd in our eyes — teachers are even stating that Apple’s own Pages and Keynote apps won’t output via the dongle, making this effectively worthless for blowing up presentations for all to see. We (sort of) get the DRM thing, but not including support in your own presentation app? Unacceptable. A tipster has noted that Apple informed him that “it’s up to the app makers to enable the video out function,” so we suppose all that’s needed to solve a lot of controversy is for some switch to be flipped in some direction. Any other hang-ups with this thing that the world should know about? Drop ’em in comments below.

[Thanks, Tony]

Update: A few tipsters have noted that Keynote does in fact work here. Here’s a growing list of what does and doesn’t work with the adapter.

Apple iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter not accomplishing the simplest of tasks originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mousepads, who needs them? That’s the question that’s been keeping Tom’s Guide up at night lately, so they’ve done the only responsible thing a tech site can do and rolled up a mega roundup review of some of the more popular ones. Unsurprisingly, you’ll find plenty from Razer’s gaming collection, including the dual-sided Vespula and the Engadget-approved Megasoma, which are faced off against entries from Saitek, SteelSeries and lock specialist Kensington. The one that will have inevitably caught your eye, though, is that steel saw impersonator known as the Greensforged Remember Ravensholm pad. Built especially for a Half-Life 2 fan, it’s made entirely from steel, but we’re told its usefulness is apparently not quite on par with its good looks. Anyhow, dive into the source link for the complete roundup.

[Thanks, Ben]

Mousepad roundup: Razer, SteelSeries, Saitek and Kensington battle for two-dimensional supremacy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’d love to say that many have tried, but really, the bona fide docking station market dried up years ago in every sector save for enterprise, and while a few companies have served up “universal” alternatives, none of them were particularly well-designed. Out of nowhere, Henge Docks has emerged in order to provide a solution to your MacBook docking woes, and we’ve got to say — for a first try, the products being offered up here look mighty fine. Designed to work with most modern MacBooks as well as 13/15/17-inch MacBook Pros, these all-white stands hold your machine vertical while providing seamless access to desk-strapped peripherals (a monitor, iPod dock, mouse, heated USB blanket, etc.) It also uses Apple’s own MagSafe adapter, and your optical drive is still flipped out if you need to access it. The 13-inch MBP model is available now for $59.95 to $64.95, while every other flavor is available for pre-order; check out a video after the break if you’re having issues pulling the trigger.

Continue reading Henge Docks: finally, a well designed docking station for Apple’s MacBook line

Henge Docks: finally, a well designed docking station for Apple’s MacBook line originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Still weeping over the fact that your iPad won’t charge on that 2002 Latitude your company refuses to replace? Take heart, young buck. Scosche understands your frustrations, and it’s out to make coping somewhat easier with the Revive II dual-USB chargers. With one for the car and one for the home, you’ll most likely never, ever be in a location where your iPad can’t be juiced. In case you haven’t guessed, one of the USB ports on each charger is of the high-power variety, while the other will happily charge your iPhone, iPod or nearly any other USB-infused gadget that’s smaller than a 9.7-inch tablet PC. Both of ’em are up for pre-order now through the company’s website, though the $24.99 (car) and $29.99 (home) price tags do feel a touch steep.

Scosche intros Revive II charger with iPad-optimized USB power port originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wait a second, can it be true? Is Apple really caving to the pressures of supporting a socket that’s used by pretty much every home entertainment owner ever? In the Tech Specs section that went up with this morning’s MacBook Pro refresh, there’s a fourth video output listed: “HDMI output using Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (optional).” That’s the first mention we’ve seen of such a cable from Apple itself; to date, users have had to rely on third-party solutions in order to get an HDMI connector from the Mini DisplayPort. Of course, we’re guessing those alternatives sold at Monoprice will best Apple’s in terms of price, but as of now, the company has yet to even reserve a product portal within its store. Let’s just go ahead and call it: $29.99, shipping in May. Feel better?

[Thanks, Arnav]

Update: Ars Technica has it that Apple actually won’t be making its own adapter; instead, these new machines will simply support audio pass-through with the aforesaid third-party dongles. Glad that’s cleared up!

Apple teases Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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