JBL Brings Five New Audio Accessories To CES

JBL Rumble 640x284 JBL Brings Five New Audio Accessories To CES[CES 2013] If you’re looking for some new audio accessories in your life this year, especially if you’re the owner of an iOS device with a Lightning connector, then you might want to take a look at the lineup JBL will be bringing to CES next week.

The products JBL will be showing off at CES range in use and price, such as the JBL Charge, which is a Bluetooth speaker which the company is stating will last for 12 hours on a single charge. Not only that, but the JBL Charge doubles as a high-capacity battery and will charge mobile devices while on-the-go. The JBL Charge will be available in three different colors: black, blue and green.

The JBL Rumble is another speaker, but has a Lightning connector so you can dock your iOS devices right into it and will offer superior sound quality with a deep bass. It also has the ability for other devices to stream music through it as well as compatibility with DJ applications.

Here’s the full rundown of everything JBL will be showcasing at CES:

(more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Griffin Updates StudioConnect Music-Creation iOS Accessory To Support Lightning Connector, Belkin Thunderstorm iPad Speaker Case,

[CES 2013] JBL Brings Five New Audio Accessories To CES

JBL Rumble 640x284 [CES 2013] JBL Brings Five New Audio Accessories To CESIf you’re looking for some new audio accessories in your life this year, especially if you’re the owner of an iOS device with a Lightning connector, then you might want to take a look at the lineup JBL will be bringing to CES next week.

The products JBL will be showing off at CES range in use and price, such as the JBL Charge, which is a Bluetooth speaker which the company is stating will last for 12 hours on a single charge. Not only that, but the JBL Charge doubles as a high-capacity battery and will charge mobile devices while on-the-go. The JBL Charge will be available in three different colors: black, blue and green.

The JBL Rumble is another speaker, but has a Lightning connector so you can dock your iOS devices right into it and will offer superior sound quality with a deep bass. It also has the ability for other devices to stream music through it as well as compatibility with DJ applications.

Here’s the full rundown of everything JBL will be showcasing at CES:

(more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple’s Rumored Pandora-equivalent Radio Service Predicted For 2013 Announcement, [CES 2013] Behringer Makes It Possible To Connect AirPlay With Analog Audio Equipment,

Apple snagged partial rights for ‘Lightning’ trademark from Harley Davidson

DNP Apple Lightning trademark

Who says big companies can’t be bros when it comes to trademarks? Since Apple had no need for its Lightning connector to appear on “motorcycle parts, slot machines or tachometers,” it buddied up with Harley Davidson to secure partial use of the cycle maker’s IP for its new iDevice interface, according to recent info from the European trademark office. That allowed it to use a name that’s sympatico with its Thunderbolt moniker, while presumably letting Harley retain the rights for its heavier metal accessories. Also, should Cook & co. run up against a mid-life crisis, at least they’ll have quick relief on speed-dial.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Via: Gizmodo

Source: OHIM (European trademark office)

Nomad Lightning Cable Puts an Apple Lightning Connector on Your Keychain

When I upgraded to the iPhone 5, I didn’t really think about  how much of a pain it would be to find charging cables that fit Apple’s new Lightning connector. Sure, there are more and more products hitting the market these days, and I carry around the Lightning-to-30-pin-adapter in my bag, but I really like the idea of the Nomad Cable, a tiny Lightning-to-USB cable you can carry around on your keychain.

nomad connector 1

Invented by Chicago product designers Kegan & Roberto, the idea is simple but brilliant. The Nomad is a stubby little cable that’s got a USB connector on one end and an 8-pin Lightning connector on the other. The USB end has a special cap that slips onto your keychain. Given the size of the original iPod 30-pin dock connector, it might not have been too practical to carry one on your keychain at all times, but the new connector is small enough that such a cable is not much bigger than a key.

nomad connector 2

The 3″ long Nomad Cable is just long enough that you can plug your iPhone 5, iPad Mini, 4th gen iPad, 5th gen iPod Touch, or 7th gen iPod nano directly into your computer for charging or syncing. Plus. the cable has enough flex in it to deal with USB ports at just about any angle.

Overall, I think the Nomad Cable is a really convenient and inexpensive way to make sure you can juice up your latest Apple gadgets anywhere you go. While a small number of very early backers were able to grab one for as little as $5(USD), the current wave that’s up for pre-order is going for $15 – which I still think is reasonable. If you think it’ll come in handy, head on over to Kickstarter and place your pre-order for February 2013 delivery. I already did.


Scosche announces Lightning Wall and Car chargers

Scosche Industries is no stranger to those who are firmly entrenched in the world of accessories for smartphones, tablets, notebooks and computers. In fact, here they are with their latest announcement that are sure to please the new iPhone 5 owners out there – especially since Scosche is the first accessory manufacturer to have unveiled both 5 and 12 watt Lightning wall and car chargers. In order to keep up with the times and be forward looking, Scosche has decisively done away with 10W chargers from its range since these are unable to charge the new iPad 4th generation at the fastest charging speed possible. iPad mini owners, on the other hand, are able to make full use of the new 12W chargers from Scosche, where these are more than capable of powering the smaller tablet in a matter of 3 hours, which is far faster than the 4.75 hours required via the 5W charger that is included with each iPad mini purchase.

Kas Alves, Executive Vice President of Scosche Industries, said, “Smartphones and tablets are an integral part of our daily lives, but keeping them all charged can create several challenges. We designed our Lightning chargers with flexibility in mind. The new line provides power solutions for home and on the go and addresses the varying wattage requirements of our favorite devices, the need to charge multiple devices simultaneously and is capable of powering multiple devices with different connections with the same charger.”

The new strikeDRIVE for the car and strikeBASE for the home boasts of a captive (connected) Lightning cable, where it will be available in both 5 and 12 watt models. There is a similar strikeDRIVE 12w + 12w that makes use of a captive cable with both a microUSB and Lightning tips while boasting a second, tablet-friendly, 12w port that enables it to charge a couple of USB powered mobile devices simultaneously. All of Scosche’s Pro Lightning chargers will come with dual USB ports, accompanied by a 3 ft. charge and sync cable with both Lightning and microUSB connections. Talk about convenient charging on the go!

Press Release
[ Scosche announces Lightning Wall and Car chargers copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]


JBL Lightning-Enabled Speaker Docks Revealed

Folks who picked up the iPhone 5 should know that with this latest smartphone from Cupertino, there would be plenty more money flowing out from your pockets as you start to look out for new accessories that will take advantage of the Lightning connector on your iPhone 5. Well, audio specialist JBL does not want you to wait too long, having just announced the first wave of Lightning-enabled speaker docks which are said to be compatible with the latest iOS devices such as the iPhone 5 , iPad mini, the refreshed new iPad , and the latest iPod nano and iPod touch. The JBL OnBeat Venue LT will come across as a tabletop speaker dock, while the compact and affordable OnBeat Micro is the other offering.

The OnBeat Venue LT will retail for $200 a pop, where it delivers 30 watts of amplification and dual full-range drivers for “big sound”. It is a Lightning-friendly version of JBL’s current Venue speaker dock when you think about it, sporting Bluetooth connectivity, the ability to be paired with up to eight devices for wireless audio streaming.

As for the $100 Micro, it is more of an on-the-go device that operates up to 5 hours on a full battery charge, boasting a USB port that will also juice up other devices whenever you are not within vicinity of a power outlet.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Belkin is first off the blocks with decent third-party Lightning accessories, Lightning-to-USB cable works like a charm,

JBL Unveils Speaker Docks for iPhone 5 Lightning Connector

One of the most irritating things about Apple moving from its tried-and-true 30-pin connector to the new Lightning connector is that people are being forced to buy new accessories. Accessories that use the tiny new 8-pin connector have been slow to hit the market, but JBL has announced two new audio products that are aimed at the iPhone 5, 5th-gen iPod Touch and other Apple gadgets that use the new Lightning connector.

jbl on beat micro

The OnBeat Micro and the OnBeat Venue LT speaker docks are the first on the market to use the new Lightning connector interface. The Micro is a battery-powered mobile speaker dock that also has a USB port for connecting older Apple devices as well as a 3.5mm audio input. The internal battery is good for up to five hours of playback and charges via an included AC adapter. Its two small full-range drivers are powered by a 2W-per-channel amp.

jbl onbeat venue

The Venue LT is a larger dock designed to be used in the home or office that connects to iPhones using Bluetooth and has its own Lightning connector for charging the iPhone 5, and the latest iPod nano and touch as well. It has a 15W x 2 amplifier, and a pair of full-range speakers.

Both devices work with the JBL MusicFlow app for viewing album art, changing tracks, and adjusting volume. The Micro retails for $99(USD) and the Venue LT sells for $199.


Belkin is first off the blocks with decent third-party Lightning accessories

Reception towards the new Lightning connector is a mixed bag of goodies, where it was released in conjunction with the iPhone 5, and not everyone embraced yet another different kind of proprietary connector as this would mean they will have to purchase adapters as well as upgrade their accessories collection should they decide to jump aboard the iPhone 5 bandwagon. In particular, the Lightning 8-pin plug came with an authentication chip that allows data transfer and manages the charging of the smartphone, but upon checking it out in greater detail, the authentication chip is not the most secure thing in the world, resulting in China flooding the world eventually with cheap third-party cables. Belkin does seem to have join the fray as well, sporting a car-charger for your iPhone 5 at $29.99 a pop, while the Charge & Sync Dock will also retail for the same price.

The Charge & Sync Dock will rely on your current Lightning cable which was part of your iPhone, so it is not that groundbreaking, and neither will it turn heads – functional is the word that I would use to describe it. Expect both accessories to ship by the 15th of this month, as they are now available for pre-order.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Belkin NetCam Wi-Fi Camera sports Night Vision capability, Lightning-to-USB cable works like a charm,

You Can Finally Charge Your iPhone 5 with Normal USB Cords

The new iPhone (and new iPads’) cable connector has been about as controversial as a gadget cable connector can get. It’s smaller, which is nice, but it’s expensive and incompatible with everything. Which is why I love this little adapter. More »

Lightning-to-USB cable works like a charm

China might be labeled as the world’s supermarket in the eyes of some, but they do come up with some pretty interesting devices from time to time, although it more often than not appears to be to the chagrin of some other companies where intellectual property is concerned. Well, it did not take far too long after the authentication chip inside Apple’s Lightning connectors had been cracked for knock-off cables for to appear in the market. What you see above is actually a Chinese knock-off that cost just $3.50 to purchase – while Apple charges $19 for one of these puppies, going to show just the kind of profit margin that Cupertino makes.

It goes without saying that these knock-offs are not 100% guaranteed to run, which is always a risk when it comes to such accessories, although we are quite sure that most folks do not mind taking the chance. So far, folks who have placed an order for it and received it claimed that it worked just fine without any hitches, although there is some noise to contend with in the connection itself because of the non-existent shielding.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple sued over FaceTime by company holding a single patent, Fusion Drive support on legacy Macs with Mountain Lion,