Hasta La Gadget!

Today’s Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 event in NYC wasn’t just about software — okay, it was mostly about software, but the company also unveiled a slew of accessories for its slick Android tablet. High atop the list is a number of new docks for the slate, including a $50 Multimedia Dock, which props the device up in landscape mode while charging it and offering HDMI out. The $80 Ultra Productivity Tool, meanwhile, also charges the device and includes a full-sized keyboard with Android shortcut keys. The $150 Premium Protective case turns the Tab into a makeshift notebook with a full-size Bluetooth keyboard and a hinge that lets the user adjust the tab’s viewing angle.

A new $40 HDTV adapter gives the tablet full 1080p HDMI output. The company also announced a $40 SD card adapter and a USB adapter for easy accessory input. For $60, Tab owners can pick up the Premium Book Cover, a high end case for the device that lets you prop it up for typing or viewing movies. And somewhere in the distance, you could hear Steve Jobs audibly shudder when the company unveiled a pen stylus for the device. The stylus has an aluminum body and a silicon tip, for when you need to give your fingertips a break. It’ll run you $20, and sadly won’t include meat.

Samsung reveals new Galaxy Tab 10.1 accessories: multimedia dock, HDTV adapter, case, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Pretty much the only thing stopping me from buying an iPhone to use as my next camera is the fact that I can’t shoot photos with a shallow depth-of-field, which throws the background into a distraction-free blur while keeping your subject pin sharp. The ridiculously impractical iPhone SLR Mount probably won’t change my mind, but if I had an iPhone already, I would be fingering my credit card right now.

The “mount” is actually more of a case. You slide in your phone, screw on the long cylindrical adapter and then snap on your SLR lens. The kit comes in Nikon and Canon flavors, so you can mount pretty much any Nikon lens ever made, or use any Canon lens manufactured since the 1980s (when Canon switched mounts).

You can’t remove your iPhone’s own lens, of course, so this adapter comes with its own focussing screen, just like the one in your actual SLR. The iPhone then just takes a snap of this screen, which results in a sharp, bright (but upside-down) images.

Like I said, I’d be fingering my credit card in anticipation. Once I saw the price, though, I might slide it back into my dusty, moth-infested wallet. The iPhone SLR Mount costs $250, or $190 if you choose the iPhone 3-compatible version. For that money, you could buy an actual lens for your real camera.

The iPhone SLR Mount [Photojojo]

See Also:

• 500mm iPhone Lens for Grungy Close-Ups
• Lens Turns iPhone Into Six-Inch Tablet
• Chunky Case Adds Lens and Mic to iPhone Video Camera

The latest announcement at the 2011 Cable Show comes from the seemingly unlikely pairing of Comcast and Skype, who have arranged to enable video calls through the cable box. All it takes is a camera, adapter and ‘specially-designed remote’ to turn HDMI-equipped Comcast boxes into Skype-on-TV machines when they start trials in the next few months. Senior Comcast VP Cathy Avgiris tells the Seattle Times that video will max out at 720p to start but will be ugraded to 1080p eventually. The tie-in will also means Skype features for the Comcast Xfinity apps on tablets and phones, but according to Avgiris it won’t “necessarily be limited to triple-play” (TV, phone and internet) customers only. Skype has already partnered with several TV manufacturers for HD calling in the living room, but working through cable boxes means a much greater prospective installed base. Beyond the still-unanswered questions of pricing and release dates, we’ve already seen enough Cable Show demos that didn’t amount to much (*cough* tru2way) so this will goes on the shelf with the others until it’s spotted in the wild.

Continue reading Comcast invites Skype into its cable boxes, mobile apps

Comcast invites Skype into its cable boxes, mobile apps originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 06:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Well, here’s a bit of a twist — a concept device designed to actually a fund a Kickstarter-like service for concept devices. While that may not exactly inspire the most confidence, these concepts from the folks behind upstart Makible are certainly unique enough to get us interested. They included the standard headphone adapter pictured above, which promises to turn any set of headphones into a proper (and eye-catching) headset, as well as an iPhone headset adapter that will let you use any iPhone headset with your Android phone (check it out after the break). Both will apparently be limited to 10,000 units apiece assuming they get the necessary funding, with the headphone adapter setting you back $20, while the iPhone version runs just $10. Want to see them become a reality? Then you can hit up the link below to get your order in.

Continue reading Android adapter concepts promise to accessorize any headset

Android adapter concepts promise to accessorize any headset originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Makible  | Email this | Comments

Ever find yourself wishing your iPad iPad 2 was free from the fickle whims of wireless internet connections? Neither do we — but, if you’re the cable-dependent type, your prayers may not go unanswered for much longer. Redpark (who gave the iPhone an RJ-11 dongle) has created the Console Cable with the ubiquitous 30-pin Apple connector on one end and an RJ-45 plug on the other. The $69 device is used in conjunction with a $9.99 Get Console app to allow Cisco engineers to use their iDevice of choice to perform maintenance out in the field. Cable and app are exclusively compatible with Cisco devices, however, so no Ethernet on the iPhone… yet. It’s only a matter of time before someone makes it happen — your move, hackers.

Redpark Console Cable gives iDevices an RJ-45 connector, not Ethernet access originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Pocket-lint  |  Redpark  | Email this | Comments