Hasta La Gadget!

At this point, you’ve probably assumed that there’s simply no way any company can produce yet another iPhone or iPod dock that’s significantly different from the legions of alternatives already out. And you’re wrong. So wrong. In an effort to milk that Made for iPod / iPhone partnership for all it’s worth, Kensington has just introduced its Charging Dock with Mini Battery Pack, which not only charges your dock connecting iPod or iPhone, but also energizes an external battery pack through the same USB cable. When you leave, you’ll depart with a charged device as well as a charged battery pack in case you need to use 3G services for more than eight minutes. Brilliant, no? It’s up for pre-order now for $69.99.

[Via iPodNN]

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Kensington’s iPhone / iPod charging dock throws a mini battery into the mix originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Comixology may have solved the problem of reading comics on the small screen. The iPhone application takes advantage of the new in-app purchasing option of iPhone OS 3, allowing you to browse, search, download and pay for titles without leaving the application. The experience is similar to that of the App Store itself, only easier to actually find what you are looking for.

But although the buying of new comics is important (four of the five icons across the bottom of the screen are store controls, and only one takes you to your library), it is the navigation method that really stands out, making the tiny iPhone screen seem a lot more like a real, full-sized comic-book.

Central is the guided scrolling. You view one frame at a time and, when you tap the right side or swipe a finger, it moves to the next frame, filling the screen with that. But the crucial difference is that, if the next frame is on the next row down, it scans down and left to get you there, so you see the bits in between. This is what makes it feel like you are running an eye across the page.

There are lots more usability options in there, too. You can switch off auto-landscape mode, pinch to zoom in, and choose whether you want to see a shrunken, full-page layout at the start or at the end of reading page.

But the big surprise comes at the end of the video, and at the end of a comic. When done, you can opt to buy the print edition of the comic from within the app, using Amazon. Sounds dangerous for your wallet, right? Comixology will also come up with a list of local stores where you can buy the comics, for an even quicker fix. $1, and it comes with 30 free comics.

Product page [iTunes]

Whoa, Nelly! No sooner than we hear that Sony is informing Japanese retailers that the 80GB PS3 model won’t be shipping any longer after August 8th, along comes this to stoke the raging rumor fires once more. In a one-two punch that just can’t be coincidental, Sony has also hacked $50 off of its 160GB PlayStation 3 bundle from Amazon. But really, it’s the report from RTLinfo that has us most excited. According to it, the Sony elite are informing European retailers of an impending €100 price slashing on the 80GB console, which will dovetail nicely into the sudden and not-at-all unexpected debut of the PS3 Slim at the gamescom expo in Cologne, Germany. Reportedly, the willowy unit — which shouldn’t differ much in terms of specifications and features — will be properly introduced to the world during Sony’s pre-event press conference on August 18th. Obviously we’ve no way to confirm or deny just yet, but given everything else that has transpired over the past few months, we’d say an official reveal is definitely due. What say you, rumormongers?

Read – Sony PS3 Slim to be revealed at gamescom [Thanks, Dominic]
Read – 160GB PS3 price cut [Via GamesIndustry]

Filed under: Gaming

Sony’s PlayStation 3 Slim to debut August 18th at Cologne gamescom? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 06:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s mildly hard to believe that AMD‘s DirectX 10-compatible 780 Series motherboard GPU was introduced well over a year ago now, but the long awaited successor has finally landed. This fine morning, a gaggle of hardware sites around the web have taken a look at a number of AMD 785G-equipped mainboards, all of which boast integrated Radeon HD 4200 GPUs, support for AMD’s AM3 processors and a price point that’s downright delectable (most boards are sub-$100). Without getting into too much detail here in this space, the general consensus seems to be that the new platform is definitely appreciated, but hardly revolutionary. It fails to destroy marks set by the 780G, and it couldn’t easily put NVIDIA’s GeForce 9300 to shame. What it can do, however, is provide better-than-average HD playback, making it a prime candidate for basic desktop users and even HTPC builders. For the full gamut of opinions, grab your favorite cup of joe and get to clickin’ below.

Read – HotHardware review
Read – The Tech Report review
Read – Tom’s Hardware review
Read – PC Perpective review
Read – Hardware Zone review
Read – Hexus review

Continue reading AMD’s integrated 785G graphics platform review roundup

Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals

AMD’s integrated 785G graphics platform review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We really couldn’t make this stuff up — it would seem that T-Mobile has been sneaking some hi-tech contraband into the UK in the form of unlocked iPhone 3G handsets, which it is now peddling to its most valued clientele. And by that, of course, we mean the piggies that pay up the most every month. Limited to an extremely select 150 units a week, the Apple devices are being used as incentives for high-rolling customers to renew their eye-gouging contracts of £75 per month and above, though we suspect only a few chums in corner offices know exactly how much T-Mob is charging for the handset itself.

We’ve done some digging, and while O2 has exclusivity on the iPhone 3G until September, that does not prevent T-Mobile from essentially functioning as a reseller of unlocked SIM-free units. Further distancing itself from legal action, the carrier is only offering the handsets to upgrading customers (as opposed to newcomers), thus the phones technically come sans a SIM. So, the suits at Magenta Towers must be feeling pretty smug right about now, having danced through a loophole and secured a wildly popular (albeit older generation) phone, all in the name of keeping high-brow customers from jumping ship. While you won’t hear any PR from T-Mobile on the matter, we have a full statement from O2 on the subject of losing 3G exclusivity come September. You ready?

We have a multi-year agreement with Apple to sell iPhone in the UK. This relationship continues.

Man, those Britons keep it short and sweet, don’t they?

Filed under: Cellphones

T-Mobile UK sneakily offering iPhone 3G to moneyed customers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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