Hasta La Gadget!

Like a zombie hungry for brains, all LaunchPort can think about is your moneyyyyyy

Nickel and dime, nickel and dime. Ching, ching! If you could hear design and marketing strategies as sounds, then that’s the sound you’d hear coming from LaunchPort, makers of inductive iPad chargers and mounts.

The product itself is appealing. You put your iPad into the PowerShuttle case, which adds the necessary charging circuitry, as well as a widening the bezel and adding a chin. This will cost you $150.

Next, you buy the WallStation, a giant magnet that screws to the wall and charges the iPad by induction when it is stuck up there inside its PowerShuttle case. This will cost you another $150. Subtotal: $300.

And if you want to use the system at your desk? You go for the BaseStation, a triangle of brushed aluminum with a magnet and the same charging functions. The cost? $200.

If you’re keeping score, you’ll realize that we’re up to $500, or the cost of a new iPad, just to get an oversized case, a desk dock and a wall dock. And that’s not all. Because these are not yet ready to ship, they’re available for pre-order only. And here’s the kicker: in order to do this, you have to pay a $10 “Exclusive Reservation Fee.” Ker-ching!

Apple’s $30 iPad dock looks pretty cheap now, huh?

LaunchPort product page [LaunchPort via Da Giz]

See Also:

• WildCharger Promises Wire-Free Charging of Any Phone
• Palm's Touchstone: Not Just a Wireless Charger, But a Whole Line …
• IPhone Wireless Charger Takes Swipe At Pre Touchstone
• Powermat Puts a Price Tag On Its Wireless Charging Mat

Forget about that Klimt print and your torn John Belushi Animal House poster, if you’ve got a few of those Jony Ive-crafted iSlabs lying around, you should flaunt’em — according to the designers at Bluelounge. Available for iOS owners in the US, UK and EU, the company’s MiniDock makes use of your existing Apple USB power adapter for a cordless, outlet-mounted charging and display station. The design studio created the dock with a clutter-free existence in mind, but its focus on “customers who are passionate about their iPhones” is a much more telling inspiration. You can go ahead and snag one of these for $20 now, just keep it tucked away from any Android-toting houseguests.

Continue reading Bluelounge MiniDock for iOS cuts the cord, declutters your life

Bluelounge MiniDock for iOS cuts the cord, declutters your life originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When it comes to technology, the old adage of “bigger is better” died a long time ago, so it’s not a surprise to see “smaller is smarter” thinking apply to products and prototypes across the board. Today’s (relatively) tiny wonder is Evatran’s Plugless Power electric vehicle charging system: now smaller, more efficient, and primed for its first trial phase. The last time we saw Plugless Power, the system’s wireless charging “station block” stretched nearly the length of a full vehicle and charged at 80 percent efficiency. Today the charge block is only slightly larger than an average hubcap, boasts a 97 percent charging efficiency, and is less picky about your car missing the wireless charger’s “sweet spot.” Evatran is now working on launching a test fleet of up to 12 Chevy Volts to put the system through its paces, and hopes to expand the tests to as many as 30 vehicles by January. Ready to ditch pumps and plugs forever? Start saving: a complete Plugless Power system (including vehicle retrofitting) will set you back as much as $5000 after production starts sometime in 2012. Don’t be too surprised, cool stuff rarely comes cheap — besides, that old adage has to apply to something, doesn’t it?

Evatran’s Plugless Power wireless EV charger gets smaller, conscripts Chevy Volts for testing originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen some rather inventive USB chargers in our time, but surprisingly few have managed to make charging while traveling a painless process. Aviiq’s new Portable Charging Station, on the other hand, has threatened to make the outside world a more welcoming place when it comes to juicing up. Acting as a sort of USB hub in a bag, this little black travel sleeve lets you pack and power three USB devices — even an iPad — with one outlet. What’s more, the station allows for easy syncing by way of a retractable USB port. So $80 ain’t cheap, and it won’t cook up pork and beans while you sing Camptown Races, but if you’re willing to shell out a little extra scratch for a practical USB travel charger, you can get your hands on one at the source link below. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Aviiq Portable Charging Station does kitsch-free USB juicing in small black bag

Aviiq Portable Charging Station does kitsch-free USB juicing in small black bag originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 02:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vitamin Water bus-stop ad lets devices juice-up before the commute originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Jul 2011 03:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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