Hasta La Gadget!

Ah, fiddlesticks! It was bound to happen sooner or later with phones becoming increasingly anorexic, but we can’t say that HP’s solution to not having room for a 3.5mm headphone jack or a microUSB port is… um, awesome. Just as consumers had their voices heard when HTC decided to require an ExtUSB adapter to use standard headphones with the T-Mobile G1, we’re guessing that quite a few potential Veer buyers will be soured by the idea of carrying around yet another dongle just to have access to a very basic port. After all, what’s the point in toting around the world’s smallest webOS device if you’re also forced to lug around one (or two) of the world’s most annoying adapters? According to Pre Central, the Veer will ship with a pair of these clips — one of ’em attaches a USB cable for charging, while the other adds a headphone jack. Of course, Bluetooth listeners needn’t worry over the latter, but those who’d rather not mess with a Touchstone will need to be extra cautious when it comes to packing your charging cable and USB nub. We’d obviously prefer the oxygen we breathe to simply recharge our gizmos in a feat of perpetual engineering, but till then, it looks like Veer owners will be tied tight to at least a couple of accessories.

HP Veer too small for 3.5mm headphone jack and microUSB port, gets magnetic connectors instead originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Regardless of whether the internal combustion engine gets snuffed out this century, EV chargers aren’t going to replace gas pumps at the rate they’re presently rolling out, so it’s quite likely new Leaf and Prius PHEV owners will need to charge at home. How might that affect one’s electricity bill? It’ll probably go up, but a Virginia utility says that a full tank of juice might not cost all that much. Dominion Virginia Power is volunteering to cut its rates by more than half for off-peak charging as part of a proposed pilot program, whereby 750 lucky EV owners will get enough electricity for a 40-mile commute for just 35 cents so long as they charge overnight. The utility’s not talking kilowatt-hours here, but it says it typically gets $0.86 for the same amount. The deal requires the installation of a specially-approved charging station, but Virginia’s looking at a second scheme too — if those 750 agree to pay a flexible off-peak rate of between $0.33 and $0.41 per 40-mile dose, they can power the rest of their house using the budget volts as well. PR after the break.

Continue reading Virginia pilot program halves electricity bill for charging EVs overnight

Virginia pilot program halves electricity bill for charging EVs overnight originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 07:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Idapt has its new i4 and i1 Eco universal chargers on the CES show floor, and if you’re not a fan of iGo products but hate the need for multiple chargers you should maybe give these a look. The i2+ simultaneously charges three different devices (plus one via USB), and comes bundled with six tips for charging pretty much any gadget you can throw at it. The tips can be interchanged quickly by clicking on either side, and it even puts your devices on display. The i1 Eco utilizes the same interchangeable tip system, but only has room for one in addition to a USB port. This one has hot swappable end tips for charging in the car or on the go, and costs around $25. Check out both of them in the gallery below.

Idapt 2011 charging systems hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES is most definitely in full swing, which means the wave of accessories is coming hot and heavy. Xtrememac has just revealed a trifecta of USB chargers, all of which seem to boast subtle changes from the norm that piqued our interest. First off, the universal dual USB wall charger has not one, but two USB charging ports, delivering a full ten watts of power (read: enough for the iPad) to a pair of your favorite gizmos. Moving on, there’s the universal USB car charger, which sadly doesn’t sport two USB ports. The universal USB battery pack and wall charger looks mighty similar to the PowerPak XT, doubling as a USB wall charger as well as a portable battery pack when it’s unplugged. As for pricing? Try $14.99, $24.99 and $59.99 in order of mention, with the whole lot being available now directly from the company.

Continue reading Xtrememac’s dual USB wall charger gets it right, car charger and battery pack ain’t bad either

Xtrememac’s dual USB wall charger gets it right, car charger and battery pack ain’t bad either originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MiLi Power — the same guys who pushed out the thinnest iPhone battery case earlier this year — are back in Las Vegas, but this introduction represents quite the deviation. The MiLi HD is fairly simplistic in nature, and we get the feeling that iPhone and iPad owners may actually appreciate the understated motif. Aside from being a fully-featured charging dock, this here device also includes an internal speaker, a mini-USB connector and an HDMI output to boot. The goal here is to pipe those iTunes downloads from your iDevice right onto your television sans an Apple TV, and if that’s exactly what you’ve been hunting for, you can seek it out shortly for $99.99.

Continue reading MiLi HD iPhone / iPad charging dock boasts internal speaker, HDMI output

MiLi HD iPhone / iPad charging dock boasts internal speaker, HDMI output originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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