Hasta La Gadget!

"Happy Christmas Everybody!" by allerleirau/flickr. Used gratefully via a Creative Commons license

New e-readers, new tablets, and new game console accessories are all wonderful, but even in a down economy, just keeping up with demand will be a serious challenge for many gadget retailers — especially as we get closer to the holidays.

Over at Teleread, Chris Meadows looks at order-to-ship times for two hot gadgets, the Kindle 3 and the iPad. The new Kindle is being staggered out to customers according to when they were ordered (dates from Amazon’s Kindle Community Forum via KindleWorld):

• Orders placed before 8 p.m. Pacific Time on August 1st will still ship by the August 27th release date.
• Orders placed before 10 p.m. Pacific Time on August 5th will ship on or before September 4th.
• Orders placed before 12 p.m. Pacific Time on August 12th will ship on or before September 8th.
• Orders placed after 12 p.m. Pacific Time on August 12th will ship on or before September 12th.

Apparently it’s the new “Pearl” E Ink screens that are the problem; PVI can’t make enough of them for Amazon to ship its Kindles out the door, especially since other companies are clamoring for the screens too.

The iPad, however, which had crazy wait times for months after launch, is finally meeting demand. “Apple basically ran out of product the first weekend and didn’t catch up for months,” Fortune reports: “The iPad 3G launch had to be pushed back, the international roll-out postponed by a month, and shipping delays at Apple’s online store reached as much as three weeks (15 business days).”

But now Apple can ship iPads within 24 hours. iPhone 4? Not so much. Will they be able to keep it up through December? Can Amazon catch up? If demand remains high, it’s not a bad problem to have.

Assuage your millennial guilt just a little bit with the EcoShield+ iPhone 4 case by Agent 18. Each case has been made from at least one recycled water bottle. That’s one way to turn trash into treasures. It’s the extras that really sell this case, though. It includes a built-in stand which rotates open and disappear when you don’t need it. That means you can easily prop up your iPhone to watch a video, then fold the stand away when you’re done.

Other perks include a sliding headphone jack door that keeps dust and dirt out of your audio port, a shock-absorbing design, and a bottom half that can be easily removed for easy docking. Look for it in either while or black for $39.95.

There’s a big difference between the iPhone 4 and Galaxy S. No, not iOS vs. Android 2.1 or even Retina vs. Super AMOLED. We’re talking batteries: one is removable and one isn’t — guess which is which? This perennial iPhone “feature” has spawned as entire industry of device-specific accessories that sate the need for more juice while simultaneously killing the form (and aesthetic) of an otherwise pocketable gadget. But hey, it’s your only choice when you’re either too busy (CES) or unable (intercontinental flights) to tether yourself to a power socket. And guess what? Those curvy battery packs that hugged your iPhone 3G/3GS won’t work with the boxy iPhone 4. So, here’s the latest, and one of the first iPhone 4 cases with an extended battery pack to ship. The Mili PowerSpring 4 starts shipping today for £54.99 (or $85 on Amazon). It claims to be the world’s thinnest iPhone 4 battery pack to double your battery life thanks to a 1600mAh capacity Li-Pol battery. That makes this roadwarrior necessity just a bit less evil.

Continue reading Mili PowerSpring 4 doubles the battery life of your iPhone 4

Mili PowerSpring 4 doubles the battery life of your iPhone 4 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Mili, Amazon  | Email this | Comments

What’s a boy to do when he desperately needs a portfolio full of galactic imagery of his own doing? In most cases, we’d suggest he grab up a telescope (or one of these), the biggest DSLR he can find and a planetary expert who knows a thing or two about exposure. But thanks to a mod that’s becoming more and more common these days, it seems that you can replace the latter recommendations with an iPhone 4. Yep — Apple’s latest smartphone, when paired up with a miniature tripod mount and a telescope, can apparently take lovely shots of our dear moon, and if you’re struggling to actually spot it, we hear that Planisphere app is pretty handy. Hit the source links if you’re scouting some inspiration.

iPhone 4 cuddles up against telescope, snaps impressive moon closeups originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Tomytec, Jurilog  | Email this | Comments

Remember when we actually used to carry a little black book? It may not have actually been black, but a little pocket notebook was essential if you wanted to remember a phone number, address or any of the snippets that today make their way into our cellphones. But what if you could combine the aesthetic of a leather-look book with the power of your phone? With the Little Black Book for the iPhone 4, you can.

The pocketable Moleskine-alike looks like a miniature version of several faux-book iPad cases and is in fact the little brother of the The Case, and iPad cover from Minneapolis-based Pad & Quill. The book comprises a wooden frame (birch) and a cardboard cover swathed in simulated leather. A bookmark-ribbon also sits in the case, but lies underneath the iPhone 4. One tug and the iPhone is popped free of the retaining corners and can be removed.

Yes, I made my own iPod Touch case from a real Moleskine notebook, but it hasn’t fared so well. If I wasn’t the kind of guy who goes commando with any gadget small enough to slide straight into a pocket, I’d probably consider this $40 case over trying to make another one myself.

The Little Black Book [Pad & Quill]

See Also:

• The Case: Another Beautiful Moleskine-Like iPad Case
• Moleskine-Shaped, Bamboo iPad Case
• Moleskine

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