Got a Bunch of iPads to Charge? Kensington’s Charge & Sync Cabinet Has Got You Covered

Most of us probably have just one iPad – or maybe two in our households, so managing the chargers is pretty straightforward. But say you run a restaurant, museum, shop or office that’s started to use iPads in your business. How do you charge up a bunch of iPads at once? Well, Kensington has got you covered.

kensington charge sync ipad 1

The Charge & Sync Cabinet ($599.99 USD) for iPad can juice up 10 iPads at the same time. Simply side the tablets into the cabinet, and the system will charge the iPad right up. A single power cord charges all the iPads, and there are also built-in USB ports for charge and sync operations. You can stack up to three of these cabinets too, and they each have a cooling fan inside to make sure the iPads don’t get too hot.

kensington charge sync ipad 2

In addition, the cabinet has a locking front door, and can be secured using a mounting bracket or security cable, so you don’t have to worry about thieves walking off with 10 iPads at once. It looks like the Charge & Sync Cabinet currently only supports iPads with the 30-pin dock connector though, so if you’ve got iPad 4′s or later, you’ll have to look elsewhere for a charging solution – until Kensington releases Lightning adapter cables.

US retailer pegs Nexus 7 dock release for January 10th, we remain wary

US retailer pegs Nexus 7 dock release for January 10th, we remain wary

ASUS’ official dock for the Nexus 7 has been an elusive beast, to put it mildly: Americans, at least, have had to sit tight for half a year if they weren’t content with third-party hardware. We just might be reaching the end of that road, if B&H is right. The retailer is listing the audio-capable cradle as arriving January 10th for $40. The accessory could be tantalizingly close as a result, although we’ll believe it when we’re charging our tablets — we’ve seen as many retailers take stabs in the dark on release dates as those that use real information, so we may still be left waiting in a week’s time.

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Via: Phandroid

Source: B&H

Samsung ESP-30B Music Dock: Docking All Your Galaxies

Even though wireless speakers have come a long way, there’s still a need for audio docks. I’m guessing that this spherical dock from Samsung will most likely be announced at CES 2013. It’s already been spotted for sale on Amazon Germany.

Samsung ESP 30B audio dock

The Samsung ESP-30B Music Dock was designed to work with almost any device that Samsung has made, including the Galaxy devices as well as Windows Phone models. They will be able to dock on it using the microUSB port. It will also juice up your device at the same time. It will also support playback via an auxiliary jack or Bluetooth. Due to its size, the dock won’t be able to dock any tablets, but there aren’t many docks that can do phones and tablets very well anyhow. There haven’t been many other specs announced, but I’m sure that it will be adequate for what’s it’s supposed to do.

It’s listed for €129.90 (~$172 USD), but there’s no word on how it will be priced outside of Europe as of yet.

[via Ubergizmo]

Chisel 5 Bamboo iPhone Dock Frames Your Precious Phone

If you love everything about your iPhone 5, then this dock just might be the right one for you. This minimal dock is eco-friendly and you’ll be able to frame your precious phone for everyone to see.

chisel iphone dock bamboo

The Chisel 5 iPhone dock was designed by iSkelter and it is handcrafted out of rapidly renewable bamboo. Its most distinctive detail is the dedicated cable cutout for your charging cable, which keeps it tidy and also looks cool.

chisel iphone dock bamboo landscape

The dock is lightweight and can be used in either portrait or landscape mode.

chisel iphone dock bamboo portrait

In addition to working with the iPhone 5, It’s also compatible with the 5th generation iPod Touch, and there’s an earlier version for the iPhone 4/4S as well. The Chisel 5 dock costs $39(USD) and is made in the USA. It’s definitely an interesting dock, and a cool gift for any iPhone-lover.

[via Damn Geeky]

Japanese boffins transformed a dog into a duck

So you had to possibility to swap your black iphone into a white one, but what if you liked to swap pets?
If you ask anybody to name 1 country where crazy stuff comes from, chances are very high they’re going to reply you either Japan or China. This time Japan is the top dog..  or should I say duck?
The product pictured is as a matter of fact a collar for dogs to be applied after surgery or just to prevent them biting other people when you take them for a walk. It wouldn’t be …

Soundfreaq brings lightning to CES 2013 in massive audio preview

It’s less than a couple of months away from CES 2013 now and brands large and small have already begun war on the media with releases – today’s big news from Soundfreaq contains one heck of a rundown of future sound products. This rundown includes the first lightning speaker docks for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini as well as a set of Dual System Streaming products for futuristic audio action.

This party begins with the Sound Platform 2, continues on with the Sound Rise Lightning, and rolls forward with Sound Step / Sound Step Recharge Lightning. If those names weren’t long enough to get you riled up about the Apple device friendly show about to be brought on by Soundfreaq, perhaps you’d better get a look at the first basic specifications:

Sound Platform 2 takes what the first iteration was and brings on more enhanced bass, high-volume quality, large speaker drivers, Tone Control galore, and UQ3 spacial enhancement. This all comes with dual USB charging ports for whatever you’ve got that’s chargeable via USB, a Universal Device Tray, and connectivity to basically any mobile device you’ve got on hand. You’ve also got a rechargeable battery pack and Bluetooth integration for wireless music action – all of this coming on February 17th, 2013 for $149.99.

Sound Step, Sound Step Recharge, and Sound Rise are all products that’ve been out in the past, but are now going to be offered up with the new Apple lightning connectors for futuristic iPhone 5 / iPad 4 / iPad mini connectivity. Sound Rise is at its heart an alarm clock disguised as an iPhone dock, here with Bluetooth wireless connectivity and USB charging as well. You can also connect with any smart device – Android, Windows Phone 8, BlackBerry included – with the USB charging port and 3.5mm headphone jack – make it yours!

Sound Step Recharge (and the non-recharge Sound Step) are massive beasts of audio magic in a compact size, here now with lightning dock integration. It’s got a rechargeable battery, works with iOS devices as well as every other kind of smart device with USB charging and headphone jack integration, and makes the sound jump with UQ3 spacial sound enhancement!

We’ll see more on final pricing and release dates for these updated units as well as the rest of the Soundfreaq line at CES 2013 – join us in January and stay tuned to SlashGear until them for every single early release, rumor, and hands-on experience!


Soundfreaq brings lightning to CES 2013 in massive audio preview is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

R2-D2 Wooden iPhone Dock: Help Me Etsy-Wan Kenobi, You’re My Only Hope

You know, it’s funny that with all of the R2-D2 merch I’ve seen over the years, I’ve never envisioned the little maintenance droid in wood. But now that I’ve seen him made out of the stuff, I rather like the way he looks.

r2 d2 iphone dock 2

This rustic wooden iPhone dock was handmade by Mario of Valliswood, and bears more than a passing resemblance to R2-D2. He was made using sustainable hardwoods found in the woods of Croatia, and measures about 9 inches-tall, and his head swivels open to dock your iPhone or iPod Touch. I always thought that R2 should have an iPhone dock built into his body somewhere.

r2 d2 iphone dock 1

You’ll need to provide your own charger cable, but R2 is compatible with the iPhone 3G/3GS, iPhone 4/4S, iPhone 5 and iPod devices except the shuffle and new nano. R2 was always such a versatile droid, wasn’t he?

r2 d2 iphone dock 3

The R2-D2 dock is selling for $210(USD) over on Etsy. If you want him sitting under the Christmas tree this year, you’d better move quick before some sneaky Jawa snatches him up from under your nose.

Updated Sonastand Fits iPhone 5 Perfectly

When you’re on the go and you need a portable stand, it doesn’t hurt to have one that does more than just act as a stand. The Sonastand was just updated for the new iPhone 5, and it will hold your phone snugly, as well as acting as a passive sound amplifier.

sonastand amplifier stand iphone

The machined-aluminum Sonastand for iPhone 5 is said to have been improved over its original design. It’s supposed to provide a more stable base and better sound amplification, as a result of the iPhone’s smaller power connector. The Sonastand is available in different sizes to accomodate users who like to use their iPhones naked, with skins or cases.

sonastand amplifier stand iphone next

The Sonastand sells directly from Kinetic Custom Machine for $25 (USD) and it’s a nice gift for anyone with an iPhone.

[via Sonastand]

Easy-Dok CR34 alarm clock can charge six devices at once

I’ve had an alarm clock sitting on my nightstand for years that can charge one device at a time. If my iPad is charging, I have to use a cable from the outlet to charge my smartphone. If you have multiple gadgets and want to be able to charge them all at the same time, what you need is the Model CR34 from Easy-Doks.

This device is alarm clock the large digital readout that also has an AM/FM tuner inside. The big draw is that the clock is capable of charging up to six gadgets at the same time. Three of those devices can be charged using the embedded cradle on top of the alarm clock.

The other devices are charged via USB cables and those cables can be sorted using a cable routing system on the back of the clock. The clock provides plenty of charging power for smartphones, tablets, and MP3 players. The device uses smart current detection technology and has built-in surge protection.

The large digital clock numbers are 1.2-inches tall and all the controls for the radio and clock functions are digital. If you want to listen to music from one of your devices, it does have an auxiliary 3.5 mm input. The clock also has a battery backup using a pair of AAA batteries in case power goes out. The Model CR34 is available now for $99.99.


Easy-Dok CR34 alarm clock can charge six devices at once is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Apple Looking Into 3D App And File Drawer To Extend Mac OS X Dock

os-x-dock

A new patent application from Apple spotted by Patently Apple describes a modification to the OS X dock that combines elements of the iBooks shelves it uses in iOS devices with Launchpad to provide quicker access to more apps from a user’s desktop. The application, filed in May 2011, could be an indicator of how Apple is thinking about changes to OS X’s current app launching tools for upcoming iterations of its desktop OS.

The patent describes a multi-level dock that resembles the 3D bookshelf-type interface it uses for iBooks and Newsstand in its graphic renditions. The feature would be optionally configurable, and would feature quite a few more apps than it’s possible to include in the dock. The dock could be configured using a settings tool available when it’s fully extended, and there are sort tools described in the patent for arranging the elements it contains according to different criteria, or for searching for the app you’re looking for.

The app drawer concept actually has a lot of benefits over the Launchpad feature Apple introduced in OS X Lion. It sounds like it might be a little more useful in the concurrent computing model of the desktop environment where you’re running multiple apps at the same time in side-by-side windows. Still, it also seems to have some of the skeuomorphic design elements that departing Apple iOS chief Scott Forstall was known for, so I have to wonder if we’ll ever see it in shipping products, at least as described in this patent. Still, it does represent an alternative to the traditional Finder file system, which is something Apple seems to want to move away from.

If there’s anything really worth taking away here, though, it’s the usefulness of those auto-sorting and search features. Launchpad now has a dedicated search bar, but the other features — including easy sorting and labels that could classify files and apps in different rows on the 3D dock — would genuinely benefit usability, albeit at the expense of simplicity. Rumors are flying that we’ll see Apple’s OS X 10.9 sometime next year, however, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long to see if any of these concepts become reality.