Hasta La Gadget!

Popslate’s much hyped E Ink case still isn’t available half a year after it was announced, and now it could be beaten to the punch by an upstart called Gajah. The latter company’s InkCase screen cover popped up at Computex 2013 and bears a Kirf-like resemblance to Popslate’s nifty creation, which achieved its funding goal on Indiegogo last year. Gajah’s iPhone 5 version will carry a 3.5-inch, 360 x 600 E Ink display, Bluetooth 4.0 compatibility and Popslate-identical $99 price tag, while the Galaxy Note II model will sport a 4.3-inch, 600 x 800 screen, BT 2.1 and $129 sticker. The latter model will roll out in China and Malaysia first, followed by the iPhone 5 model and a possible Galaxy S 4 model after that, if sales justify it. Having its crowd-funded idea “borrowed” before it even hits the market is probably a good sign that Popslate is on to something, but we’re not sure that they’ll be flattered by this imitation.

Filed under: Cellphones

Comments

Source: Engadget Chinese (translated)

Over the years, Mophie has become synonymous with extending the iPhone’s battery life. The outfit’s range of battery-filled iPhone cases has garnered rave reviews across the industry, and even I religiously used one on an iPhone 3G. In more recent days, the company has cautiously expanded into a few new areas — namely, building battery cases for non-Apple phones, and creating the contraption shown above. The Mophie Outride is an action-cam case that’s designed to be strapped onto helmets, automobile hoods and any other place where your average X Games wannabe would look to capture extreme sports footage.

But, unlike the myriad rivals on the market today, the Outride doesn’t actually include a camera. Instead, you’re supposed to strap your iPhone 4 or 4S into it (an iPhone 5 model has yet to be announced), allowing the smartphone you already own to handle the bulk of the work. At first blush, it sounded like an ideal solution to me. After all, I’m generally in favor of convergence and consolidation, and as an avid traveler, having one less thing to carry (in this case, a dedicated camera) is a godsend. In practice, however, the Outride did little outside of convincing me that GoPro exists for a reason.

Filed under: Peripherals, Mobile

Comments

Source: Mophie

Two can play at the UK-banks-with-NFC-payments game. RBS (and by extension, NatWest) is partnering with Visa Europe to roll out TouchPay, a mobile payment system based around an iCarte case for the iPhone 4 and 4S — sorry, early iPhone 5 owners. In tandem with a native app, the service allows paying for goods at British shops by tapping the phone at a Visa-capable NFC terminal without needing the short-range wireless built-in. Any purchases under £20 ($32) can even skip the PIN code, if you’re just in that much of a hurry to get a Pret À Manger sandwich. Only 1,000 of the 9,000 who pre-registered for TouchPay are getting into Visa’s wallet-free initiative at this stage, although all NatWest and RBS customers with one of Apple’s semi-recent smartphones can participate once a trial run is over. We’re just wondering if and when Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 8 owners get in on the action.

Continue reading Visa lets iPhone-toting NatWest and RBS customers pay with NFC cases, join the future

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Visa lets iPhone-toting NatWest and RBS customers pay with NFC cases, join the future originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Pocket-lint  |  NatWest  | Email this | Comments