Mophie ships Juice Pack Helium, gives iPhone 5 a 6-hour shot in the arm

Mophie ships Juice Pack Helium, gives iPhone 5 a shot in the arm

Although Mophie isn’t the first to have an iPhone 5 battery case, there’s no doubt that some have been waiting for the company’s take — and it might justify the patience. The just-launched Juice Pack Helium slides a 1,500mAh secondary battery on to the back of Apple’s flagship in a protective frame that’s 13 percent thinner than earlier Mophie cases, but still promises a hefty amount of extra runtime. Mophie estimates another six hours of cellular calling and data (seven on WiFi), or about enough to push through an all-nighter or a long airport layover. Color-coordinating black and silver versions of the Helium are shipping from the 14th onwards for about $80. That’s lot for something so model-specific, but it’s possibly the sleekest way to extend an iPhone 5’s charge.

[Thanks, Nik]

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Source: Mophie

BlackBerry Z10 vs. the competition: fight!

BlackBerry has finally, officially unveiled its maiden BB10 flagship, all-touch device, the Z10, and you can read all about RIM BlackBerry’s new handset in our review. But, if you’re looking to see how it and BB10 stack up against the competition running Android, iOS and Windows Phone, you’ve come to the right place. Check out our chart below for all the specs you can handle.

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Zoom iQ5 professional stereo microphone hands-on

Zoom iQ5 professional stereo microphone for Apple lightning devices handson

Earlier at CES, we got our hands on the Rode iXY 30-pin stereo microphone iPhone add-on that left our Lightning users a bit sad. Cheer up! The folks over at Zoom got us over to their booth to take a peek at the company’s new iQ5 professional stereo microphone. The iQ5 is a different beast than its aforementioned competition in that it works in conjunction with native iOS applications. What this means is that you can use it while recording video on your iOS device. The microphone itself rotates for this specific purpose, allowing for both horizontal and vertical audio recording in raw, 90- and 120-degree field positions. The recording resolution is capped at a respectable 16-bit/44.1kHz — though slightly less than we were hoping.

We didn’t get a chance to actually hear an audio sample from the iQ5, but we’re pretty confident it’ll sound better than the standard mic equipped on any of the supported devices. The Zoom iQ5 lacks a bit in customization department as well as build quality — we’re generally not fans of the cheap plastic construction, which is unlike most other Zoom products. The spec sheet certainly leaves us wanting, but it’s a start in the right direction for current-gen iOS devices. The iQ5 will set you back $100 and will start shipping Q2 of this year — until then check out the gallery to hold you over.

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Romo gen 3 gains Lightning connector, we go hands-on (video)

Romo gen 3 gains Lightning connector, we go handson video

Remember Romo, the adorable iPhone-faced track-equipped robot? We met up with Romotive in Vegas at CES 2013 to play with the 3rd generation model that was recently launched on Kickstarter. The company also gave us an exclusive first look at a 3rd generation prototype with Lightning connector. We sat down with CEO Keller Rinaudo to discuss the new robot and catch up on what the team’s achieved over the past year.

As a refresher, we first encountered Romo when we covered it for our Insert Coin feature in October 2011. Back then, the robot used rudimentary analog electronics and plugged into the iPhone’s headphone jack. After a successful initial Kickstarter campaign, Romotive moved from Seattle to Las Vegas where we caught up the team on our stage during CES 2012. The 2nd generation model was available both pre-assembled and it kit form with support for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. It was upgraded to digital electronics but still used the audio interface to control its tracks and featured hacker-friendly auxiliary ports. Hit the break for more.

Continue reading Romo gen 3 gains Lightning connector, we go hands-on (video)

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iPhone 5 coming to Walmart’s Straight Talk prepaid plans January 11th

iPhone 5 coming to Walmart's Straight Talk prepaid plans January 11th

Customers have been able to enjoy the iPhone experience on Walmart’s Straight Talk “BYOD” phone plans for quite some time now, but the prepaid provider will begin directly selling the iPhone 5 — as well as the iPhone 4 — on January 11th. The iPhone 5 will be offered in 16GB and will be sold for $649, while the iPhone 4 will come with 8GB storage and go for $449. If you don’t want to pay the entire cost up front, you can take advantage of Walmart’s monthly installment-financing plans for $25. For more specifics, head below the break to get the full press release.

Continue reading iPhone 5 coming to Walmart’s Straight Talk prepaid plans January 11th

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Source: PRNewsWire

iBattz beats Mophie to iPhone 5 charging case, ups the ante using interchangable i9300 batteries

iBattz beats Mophie to iPhone 5 charging case, ups the ante using 'interchangable' i9300 batteries

It’s usually a no-brainer — Mophie exits quickly out of the gate with a battery-equipped case soon after a new iDevice gets announced. This year, however, it appears iBattz is poised to hit it out of the park faster with two of its own iPhone 5 cases. Notably, each case comes packed with two swappable i9300 Li-ion battery packs (the same kind for Samsung’s rival Galaxy S III, seriously). The cells are rated at 2,200mAh each, which is notably larger in capacity than the iPhone’s roughly 1,400mAh batts. The streamlined Mojo Fuel (pictured) will set you back $90 come February, while argonauts can sang the ruggedized Mojo Armor for $100 in March. The cases charge via microUSB, and an external battery charger will also be included with each. The company has also detailed its waterproof AquaSeal Hi5, featuring a detachable 2,500mAh aluminium battery back — no further details just yet. We’ll be sure to report back if catch ’em on the show floor here at CES. Find the full press release after the break.

Continue reading iBattz beats Mophie to iPhone 5 charging case, ups the ante using interchangable i9300 batteries

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French reporters infiltrate Foxconn iPhone 5 factory, find few of the vaunted changes (updated)

French reporters infiltrate Zhengzhou Foxconn iPhone 5 factory, find few of the vaunted changes

Envoyé Spécial, a 60 Minutes-like program from public TV station France 2, went undercover at the Zhengzhou iPhone 5 Foxconn factory recently (within the past two months) and reported many of the same problems the Chinese manufacturer and Apple promised to fix earlier this year. According to the story that aired last night, dorms at the new factory were occupied by workers despite the fact that many were still under construction and had no elevators, electricity or running water — apparently because builders focused on the production lines at the expense of housing. A Foxconn manager even warned employees on hidden camera not to plug devices into dorms that did have electricity, saying that eight workers were killed in a fire after overloading circuits.

Continue reading French reporters infiltrate Foxconn iPhone 5 factory, find few of the vaunted changes (updated)

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Source: France 2 (Envoye Special)

GoPano Micro brings 360 degree video to iPhone 5, now on pre-order for $69

GoPano Micro brings 360 degree video to iPhone 5, now on preorder for $69

Not all Kickstarter projects take flight, to say the least, so it’s nice to see one like GoPano Micro that not only went somewhere but is continuing to evolve. The company has just put a new version of the 360 degree camera lens adapter on pre-order, this time for the iPhone 5. The tiny lens is mounted to a case for Apple’s latest smartphone, and lets you film while panning in any direction by swiping the screen left or right — as shown in the video for the last model, after the break. It even lets you scroll around the video after its been recorded, since it films the entire circular panorama at once. It’ll run you $69 to grab one, including a second case for the iPhone 4/4S, so if you’re looking add to your bag of cinematic tricks, click on the source.

Continue reading GoPano Micro brings 360 degree video to iPhone 5, now on pre-order for $69

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Source: GoPano Store

Apple confirms iPhone 5 coming to China on December 14th, iPads due December 7th

DNP iPad mini review

Tim Cook may love secrecy, but those pesky government notices always seem to rain on his classified parades. Apple has confirmed that the fourth-generation iPad and iPad mini will arrive in China on December 7th, while the iPhone 5 turns up a week later on December 14th. Customers eager to reserve the devices can do so the day before launch, and while the company hasn’t detailed which networks the hardware is coming to, we’re reasonably sure that China Unicom and China Telecom will be making some announcements of their own very soon.

Continue reading Apple confirms iPhone 5 coming to China on December 14th, iPads due December 7th

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Apple begins selling unlocked iPhone 5 in the US, starting from $649 (update: LTE band questions)

Apple begins selling unlocked iPhone 5 in the US, starting from $649

It’s that special time of the year… that is, when Apple decides to unfetter the iPhone for US shoppers. The Cupertino crew has quietly started selling the iPhone 5 in an unlocked, off-contract form that will work on GSM, HSPA+ and (if you’re in the right countries) LTE networks. There’s few surprises versus what we’ve seen in years past, or in other regions: the unlocked iPhone 5 ships in the same capacities and colors as the carrier-bound model, and starts from $649. That’s still expensive for those still used to buying on an agreement, and it won’t represent as much bang-for-the-buck as a $350 Nexus 4. If you’re yearning for the LTE the Nexus 4 lacks and don’t mind living in an iOS universe, however, Apple is ready and waiting.

Update: Apple doesn’t explicitly say which LTE bands this iPhone covers, although its sharing a similar core part number with the Canadian unlocked variant (MD293) suggests it might be the A1428, which offers LTE on AT&T and Canadian carriers. We’re working to confirm this, but we wouldn’t count on LTE beyond North America.

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Via: AppleInsider

Source: Apple