Hasta La Gadget!

Think the CTIA is only good for swank trade shows? Think again! It’s actually a trade group created to fight for your interests — or at least those interests of your duly elected wireless providers — and apparently top among those lists of interests is plug standardization. Yes, we’re not the only ones sick of still having a sprawling mess of a gadget charging station, so CTIA is saying that micro-USB will be the power standard for all handsets and mobile devices. Likewise, the 3.5mm audio plug will be the standard for audio output on those same gadgets. It’s shocking, we know, if only because we thought the entire gadget universe was already on board, with everyone and their mommas signing up for micro-USB and even HTC finally making room for a 3.5mm hole in the bottom of their handsets. These standards are set to go into effect in January of 2012, meaning we should get a good 11 months or so of dongle-free gadget harmony before the apocalypse.

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

CTIA jumps on the micro-USB bandwagon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sometimes a gadget will just grab you as irresistible for no good reason. That’s how I feel about the Travel Charging Folio, introduced minutes ago from Charge4All. Look at this: it’s a book that charges up to four devices! It has a zipper! So awesome. This is going on the top my Christmas wish list.

Plug the Travel Charging Folio into one outlet to power four devices at the same time. It comes with five adapters: iPod/iPhone, miniUSB, microUSB, Samsung SCH, and LG Chocolate.

Besides a zipper, the Folio includes a non-ship charging surface and mesh storage pockets to hold the adapters. The case itself is vinyl. You can pick up the Folio from Charge4All, Amazon, or SkyMall (yes!) for $49.95. Adapters for charging other devices sell for $4.95 each.

While the Miccus ChargeBlock works with all iPods and iPhones (except the Shuffle), I think iPhone owners will be its biggest fans. The iPhone’s battery doesn’t last all that long, but when you start using power-hungry apps, like those for GPS navigation, you can practically see your battery gauge going down.

The ChargeBlock is an attractively compact iPod and iPhone charger. Charge it through a USB connection for four hours and it’s ready to go. Since it’s only 2.4-inches long and weighs 1.2 ounces, you can toss it in a bag or glove compartment so that you have it on hand when you need it. The internal battery is good for 500 charges and three LED lights on the front tell you how much power you have left.

You can pick up the ChargeBlock from Amazon or the Miccus site for $39.99.

Solar Technology’s CamCaddy universal camera charger has been available in a bundle with the company’s Freeloader Pro solar charger for a little while now, but it looks like the company has just now made it available separately for folks not quite ready to go solar. As you might expect, the charger isn’t quite fully “universal,” but the company says it should be compatible with more than 85% of the proprietary batteries used in digital cameras, camcorders and DSLRs, and it’s provided a handy tool on its website to let you check your camera before you buy. The charger is also naturally still fully compatible with the Freeloader and Freeloader Pro, and you’ll also get a car adapter, a USB charging cable, and both US and Euro plug adapters to ensure your camera stays charged wherever you go. Look for it to set you back £25, about $40.

[Via ePhotoZine]

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Misc. Gadgets

Solar Technology debuts universal CamCaddy camera charger originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’d love to believe you, Toshiba. Really, it would give us nothing but pleasure to sit expectantly for the next 60 days while you deliver wonderful, life-changing fuel cell technology to our front door. Unfortunately, we’ve been burned one too many times by your shattered promises, and we’ve developed a bit of a complex, to tell the truth. If you were being straight with us this time we suppose we’d be looking forward to a DMFC (direct methanol fuel cell) device capable of topping off small rechargeable devices like phones and PMPs, with extra juice just a cartridge replacement away. After that we could anticipate with bated breath your long awaited entry into directly DMFC-powered devices, claiming your rightful place as power generator for our phones and laptops. You tease.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Toshiba plans to launch fuel cell chargers in next two months, may be lying originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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