Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re on the go a lot, away from a power outlet you may have tried all sorts of things to help get more run time from your gadgets. A new solar power kit has turned up and features a small portable battery that can be recharged from the sun or a wall outlet. The charging kit is called the Sherpa 50.

The first time the Sherpa 50 turned up was during CES 2012 and it was delayed over a year and a half coming to the market. The good news is that it is here now and for $399.95(USD) you can get the complete kit including an AC inverter and a portable battery. The device can also be purchased a la carte – without the AC outlet or the solar panel, for as little as $199.95.

In addition to the standard AC outlet, the device also has a USB port for charging devices and a special port for your laptop. The battery weighs less than a bottle of water according to the manufacturer and can give you one full recharge for most laptops, and multiple recharges for other gadgets.

The battery can be charged completely in about five hours using only the included solar panel. You can also recharge the battery from the wall outlet in about three hours.

The Sherpa 50 is available now from GoalZero.

Remember Motorola’s Atrix and Photon 4G? They were phones that could be plugged into a proprietary dock that turned them into Linux netbooks. If you ever wished you had something like that for your phone, check out the Casetop.

The Casetop doesn’t give you a desktop OS but it does add three useful things to your phone: a full-sized keyboard, an 11.1″ 720p LEd-backlit screen (not a touchscreen) and a battery. That’s right – the Casetop has its own battery, and if you plug your phone in via a USB cable the Casetop will charge your phone. The Casetop works with any smartphone that has Bluetooth connectivity (to connect to the keyboard) and a video output via HDMI, MHL or micro-USB (to connect to the screen). It also has a couple of 1W speakers, but you’d probably be better off plugging in a pair of headphones via the 3.5mm connector. Here’s a brief demo of the prototype Casetop:

And here’s the full Kickstarter pitch video:

It’s kinda weird having to navigate via your phone’s touchscreen, but aside from that I think this device could find its niche. Pledge at least $250 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a Casetop as a reward.

[via Ausdroid]

By all metrics, Kingston’s wireless Wi-Drive has been a successful product: the company is still selling it two years later, and has since refreshed it with beefier storage and Android compatibility. If there’s one thing customers complained about, though, it was the lack of expandable memory — a problem if you used all the space on the drive, or if you already had stuff stored on an SD card. With that in mind, the company’s coming out with the MobileLite Wireless, which ditches internal storage in favor of an SD slot and USB 2.0 port. (It will also ship with a microSD adapter.) At the same time, it packs a modest five-hour battery you can use to recharge USB-powered gadgets; Kingston says there’s enough juice in there to fully charge a phone, but probably not a tablet.

Technically speaking, you can access everything stored on the device by typing the MobileLite’s IP address into a browser. But for all intents and purposes, this is currently an iOS exclusive, as that’s the only platform for which you can download an app. As with the Wi-Drive, though, Kingston plans to add an Android app, as well as one for WP8. In the beginning, at least, it will be available through just a couple sellers (Amazon and Staples), with street prices expected to fall somewhere between $50 and $70. Any questions? We hope not: this thing’s aimed squarely at mainstream users, so if Engadget readers don’t get it, we’re going to be seriously concerned about all the regular folk.

Filed under: Storage, Mobile

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Most people use and carry around a bevy of mobile devices these days. There’s nothing wrong with that, since I do it myself. However, it gives rise to various inconveniences like having to carry around tons of different chargers for all the devices.

One solution comes in the form of the USB Utility Charge Tool that’s like a Swiss Army knife of connectors that geeks and non-geeks alike would appreciate.

The charge tool has four connectors tucked neatly into it: a standard USB extension, a Micro USB connector, a Mini USB connector, and a 30-pin connector. It’s compatible with a range of devices, from your iPhone to your Nexus 7, so it’s especially convenient if you’re traveling and need to charge your devices while you’re on the go. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have Apple’s Lightning connector, so it can’t be used with the latest iPhones and iPads.

You can use it to charge your device using your laptop as the power source. Or you could plug the USB extension into a generic USB charger to power your devices up.

The USB Utility Charge Tool is available for pre-order from Fred Flare for $20(USD).

[via Chip Chick]

If you own a MacBook, then you’re probably thankful for its handy MagSafe, the magnetized power connector for your laptop’s charger. Not only does it make connecting the charger to your laptop insanely easy, it also detaches fairly easily. When you trip over the cord or yank it off forcefully, it won’t take your precious MacBook down with it. The Neo-Plug works just like the MagSafe, except it’s for mobile devices.

Invented by Jacob Brozek, the Neo-Plug takes its name from the neodymium magnets that connect its two parts together. Jacob’s design essentially divides the connector end of a charger or data cable into two parts. One end stays on the cable while the other end stays on the port of your mobile device. The magnets embedded on both halves connect the two parts effortlessly.

Brozek is seeking to raise $167,000(USD) on Kickstarter by May 8 to finish his product, but with such a good product I think he’ll raise more than that amount. As of now the Neo-Plug has three variants – micro-USB, 30-pin and Lightning. Pledge at least $30 and you get a Neo-Plug of your choice. You can also learn more about the Neo-Plug on its website.