Hasta La Gadget!

When Apple dropped the 30-pin connector in favor of Lightning for the iPhone 5, new iPods and new iPads, it also dropped much of the current accessory market: short of an expensive adapter, years of collecting docks and more exotic peripherals were for nought. Belkin is stepping into that vacuum with what it says are the first officially sanctioned third-party Lightning accessories. Neither its Charge + Sync Dock (seen at left) for the iPhone 5 nor its Car Charger for Lightning (right) are what we’d call revolutionary, but they both cover missing pieces of the puzzle — including Apple’s, as the tech firm skipped making an iPhone dock of its own for this generation. Should either the audio-supporting dock or the iPad-capable charger sound appealing, both are up for pre-orders today and will ship in mid-November for $30.

Continue reading Belkin fills the void with first third-party Lightning accessories for Apple devices

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablets, Mobile

Belkin fills the void with first third-party Lightning accessories for Apple devices originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s partners in India have confirmed that the iPhone 5 will be reaching the subcontintent’s shores tomorrow, November 2nd. We’ll likely hear an announcement from Apple shortly, possibly mentioning other countries to which the handset is also headed. Lack of compatible LTE networks notwithstanding, the starting prices for an upgrade will be 45,500 rupees ($850) for the 16GB variant, moving on to 52,500 rupees ($980) for 32GB, and 59,500 rupees ($1,110) for the 64GB model — enough to buy a brand new 150cc motorbike in Mumbai.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple

iPhone 5 will say ‘namaste India’ tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 09:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Day one has come and gone, but we are just twenty percent of the way through our weeklong mission to give out five iPhones. Today’s contest is made possible by Tanga, an e-tailer known for offering tech magazine subscriptions on the cheap as well as closeout prices on just about anything you can think of. Tanga is hooking the lucky winner up with an Apple gift card with enough credit to cover the no-contract cost of an iPhone 5, which means you have more flexibility in choosing a carrier. So head below, read the rules and leave a comment to enter again! You have until Saturday to get your entry in, but the longer you wait, the easier it is to forget — believe us, that happens to us all the time. (At least, we think it does.)

Continue reading Five iPhone 5s in five days: win an iPhone gift card, courtesy of Tanga!

Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile

Five iPhone 5s in five days: win an iPhone gift card, courtesy of Tanga! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We noticed during the iPhone 5 launch that Apple had a big caveat with its Lightning to 30-pin adapter: no video or iPod out support. Now that the new iPads are here with that same connector, the problem’s been partially rectified — for a sum. Namely, you can grab the Lightning to VGA or digital AV (HDMI) adapters for a rather princely $49, though there’s no sign of any iPod support yet. If you’re still holding out for generic models instead, you may want to rethink that plan, as there’s a control chip inside each, and so far only Apple holds the authentication keys. Also, a new $19 12W USB power adapter (which connects directly to the Lightning port) has also appeared for the 3rd and 4th generation iPads, bumping the previous version’s 10W — meaning your slate might get charged a bit quicker.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablets, Apple

Apple Store now has Lightning to HDMI and VGA adapters at $49 a pop, souped-up iPad charger originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shopping for a smartphone can be an exciting and arduous experience. Along with the promise of something new and fantastic, it brings the fear of commitment, and even worse, the prospect of saddling yourself to a lousy device for two years. Fortunately for you, Engadget spends tons of time playing with the latest gear and we’re constantly on the lookout for what’s coming next. If you’re wanting to take the pain out of shopping for a smartphone, you’ve come to the right place. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: your one-stop resource to finding the best and most exciting handsets on the market today.

Before you dive in, however, we’ve introduced a few changes to the buyer’s guide, so take a minute to prepare yourself for what’s in store. First and foremost, you’ll now find alternate selections to supplement our top picks. This should already be familiar to many of you, which is the same format we use for our seasonal gift guides. The next one is a biggie: we’ve dropped the QWERTY selection. By and large, manufacturers and carriers alike have shifted their focus away from keyboard-equipped smartphones, and you’ll rarely find more than one option on any given carrier. That said, if you still insist on the tactile experience, you’ll always find everything you need to know in our reviews. Finally, whenever possible, you’ll now find prices from Amazon Wireless, which allows us to provide you with more compelling budget selections and highlight the substantial savings that you can score by circumventing the carriers. It’s not like they need your charity, anyway.

If you’re curious to see how it all unfolded — and we know you are — join us after the break, where we round up the very best smartphones of the season.

Continue reading Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: fall 2012 edition

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, HTC, Nokia, Google, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, LG, T-Mobile

Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: fall 2012 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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