Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve seen some rather inventive USB chargers in our time, but surprisingly few have managed to make charging while traveling a painless process. Aviiq’s new Portable Charging Station, on the other hand, has threatened to make the outside world a more welcoming place when it comes to juicing up. Acting as a sort of USB hub in a bag, this little black travel sleeve lets you pack and power three USB devices — even an iPad — with one outlet. What’s more, the station allows for easy syncing by way of a retractable USB port. So $80 ain’t cheap, and it won’t cook up pork and beans while you sing Camptown Races, but if you’re willing to shell out a little extra scratch for a practical USB travel charger, you can get your hands on one at the source link below. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Aviiq Portable Charging Station does kitsch-free USB juicing in small black bag

Aviiq Portable Charging Station does kitsch-free USB juicing in small black bag originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 02:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Have you ever looked longingly at your mouse, noting its underutilized input device real estate? Canon has, replacing that excessive unused space with a built-in calculator in its X Mark I Mouse, announced today for folks in the US. (If you’ll recall, we spent a few quality moments with this guy in Germany last year at Photokina.) The combo device provides users with both a physical ten-digit adding machine and a numeric Bluetooth 2.0 keypad, which you can use seamlessly with a variety of apps, replacing the number pad now absent on many desktop and portable keyboards. The company’s camera design team helped to create the hybrid input device, which also includes a trio of mouse buttons and laser tracking. Canon also announced its X Mark I Keypad, a full-size calculator with Bluetooth support that’s powered by either AAA batteries or a built-in solar panel. Both devices will be available for $60 in August and September, respectively, and will ship in both black and white.

Continue reading Canon launches X Mark I Mouse Lite, pairs ten-digit calculator and Bluetooth laser mouse (video)

Canon launches X Mark I Mouse Lite, pairs ten-digit calculator and Bluetooth laser mouse (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Sam, who couldn’t be more excited to hop onboard the SuperSpeed bandwagon. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I finally got a new laptop with a lone USB 3.0 port. I’m now looking at getting a USB 3.0 hub with a power adapter so I can use both of my USB 3.0 hard drives at faster speeds. I’ve read lots of horror stories where some hubs either don’t come with power adapters — and as a consequence the portable drives don’t work with them properly — or they are designed poorly which results in USB 2.0 speeds. Or, the hard drives keep getting disconnected. Do your readers have any suggestions or experience using USB 3.0 hubs? Thanks!”

A timely question, indeed. We too have seen USB 3.0 hubs act awfully finicky — particularly when mixing USB 3.0 and 2.0 HDDs — so we’d love to hear what one(s) are working out for folks. Shout it out in comments below!

Ask Engadget: best USB 3.0 hub on the market? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jul 2011 22:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll give Nicholas Negroponte one thing, he’s nothing if not ambitious. The OLPC founder always has some pie-in-the-sky vision for the XO line of child-centric computers, including dual-screens and hand-cranks. Now that we’ve skipped right past the XO-2 for the ARM-powered, and still MIA, XO-3 it’s time for a whole new round of concepts. The latest is a series of accessory cases for the potentially Android-sporting tablets that boast satellite internet capabilities or solar panels for charging its battery. The former MIT Media Lab head has even suggested that a more mundane cover with a keyboard could be on tap. Of course, it would probably help if the foundation could get the machines out the door first. We haven’t heard much about the XO-3 since the last round of delays pushed its release back to February… of 2011. But you know what they say, better late, and all that jazz.

OLPC XO-3 cases may sport solar panels, satellite internet, grant three wishes originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What’s the difference between a case and a cover? The Korean company Anymode is provoking just that question with a Galaxy Tab 10.1 case (cover?) that looks awfully familiar. The Smart Case, as it’s known, comes in multiple colors, protects the tablet’s front, and folds into a triangular stand. You might be thinking that sounds remarkably like Apple’s Smart Cover, and if so, you’re not the only one. Ah, but the plot thickens: 9to5mac reports that the maker of this blatant knock-off has strong ties to Samsung. Family ties, even, as their tipster claims Sang-yong Kim, the Anymode CEO, is the nephew of Kun-Hee Lee, Sammy’s chairman. We couldn’t confirm any blood relation, which could mean we’re dealing with a cover-clone conspiracy theory. Either way, we suspect this’ll lead to more billable hours for Cupertino’s lawyers.

[Update: Samsung has responded on its official blog, distancing itself from Anymode’s product:

As a general practice, Samsung Electronics reviews and approves all accessories produced by partners before they are given the “Designed for Samsung Mobile” mark.

In this case, approval was not given to Anymode for the accessory to feature this official designation. We are working with Anymode to address this oversight and the product has already been removed from the Anymode sales website. The product has not been sold.

Thanks, Phil.]

Anymode’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 case cops Apple’s fashion sense (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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