Hasta La Gadget!

It’s been just over a week since Mophie quietly intro’d updated Juice Packs at IFA, and now — as we’ve reacquainted with our offices — the company’s given us a sneak peek at its Juice Pack Plus Outdoor Edition. Aside from a special olive drab and orange colorway, the charging case itself is your standard $100 iPhone 4 Juice Pack Plus. So what’s the big deal, you ask? This Pack’s bundled with Mophie’s Outdoor Navigation app (a collaboration with NeoTrecks) positioning itself as an alternative to pricier handheld GPS units. Purchased separately, said app’s slated to sell for $30 along with optional desktop access priced at $20 annually, while you’ll get the software and that first year included out of box with the OE.

The app works using your iPhone’s GPS to provide highly detailed maps and a robust suite of options to get you where you’re going, even if you’re offline for most of the US — sorry, Alaska. We checked out an early build of the software showcasing its three modes for tracking, downloading new maps, and a library you can check back on. The maps feature hand-shaded topography for extra clarity and a unique “grid-mode” for downloading new sections, although it appears you’ll be stuck there while you wait for it to finish. The software also pulls up points of interests and you’ll be able to track your trips, allowing you to then view your statistics or even share the details over the web. Mophie’s expecting to have these available sometime in October with full details forthcoming, but in the meantime, there’s a brief demo on how it’ll help you navigate your local trail past the break.

Continue reading Mophie intros Juice Pack Plus Outdoor Edition for adventure loving iPhone owners (video)

Mophie intros Juice Pack Plus Outdoor Edition for adventure loving iPhone owners (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Maingear intros redesigned Vybe gaming desktops, stuffs ’em with updated internals

Maingear intros redesigned Vybe gaming desktops, stuffs ’em with updated internals originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What’s the point of investing $100 million in a mobile payment system if you don’t have the goods to back it up? AT&T may be adopting this philosophy, beginning with the Galaxy S II. With the aid of eagle-eyed Android dev François Simond, we conducted an extended analysis of Ma Bell’s latest gem and discovered it’s rife with NFC. In addition to containing kernel drivers and a pre-installed APK, the system files also indicate the device is running in a mode named NDEF — short for NFC Data Exchange Format. We haven’t been able to determine if the handset will be capable of making payments, but the presence of Near-Field Communications in the Galaxy S II is definitely a good sign. T-Mobile is keeping a tight lid on its variant for the moment, preventing us from getting an in-depth look, but FCC filings confirm it will contain NFC as well.

As for the third handset announced last night, the Epic 4G Touch contains no mention of NFC. Upon further analysis, we uncovered something else potentially more disturbing: it’s using the same WiMAX module (cmc732) as the Samsung Nexus S 4G, a handset that was plagued with performance issues when it was originally released (those concerns were eventually resolved in a later update). In this case, it’s hard to tell if that means we’ll relive the painful experience once again, or if it will come with improved firmware to ensure it doesn’t take the same path as its 4G brother. We’re starting to unravel the mysteries, folks, and will continue to fill you in as we learn more. If you’re considering one of these three lovely models, will these discoveries sway your decision in a particular direction?

[Thanks, François Simond]

Samsung Galaxy S II logs confirm NFC support for AT&T, none for Sprint originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Do you own a Boxee Box and have an account with a little streaming music service called MOG? Well, soon enough you’ll be able to pick and choose from the company’s 11.5 million song strong library right on your TV. That’s 320kbps audio and album art in 1080p that you can peruse using your double-sided Boxee remote and a welcome expansion of the media box’s music repertoire — which currently includes Last.FM and Pandora. You can try MOG for 14-days for free, but after that you’ll have to sign up for either a $4.99-a-month basic account or a $9.99-per-month Primo account if you want to keep enjoying its streaming audio selection. Check out the PR after the break.

Update: We just got word that MOG should be live on Boxee around 6 a.m. on Tuesday, so get ready to crank those speakers and wake up the neighbors.

Continue reading MOG brings its music streaming magic to Boxee

MOG brings its music streaming magic to Boxee originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve got more info for you on the pair of Android tablets Sony plans to launch next year month, as our source indicates the dual 5.5-inch screened clamshell, thus far codenamed the S2, will launch as the Sony Tablet P. Hardware specs include a weight of 370 grams — less than the iPad 2’s 601 grams, but more than say, a Kyocera Echo at 193g — 512Mb of RAM, 4GB of storage and a 2GB SD card, with connectivity over 4G or WiFi. Both the Tablet P and the Tablet S will share NVIDIA Tegra 2 processors and 0.3MP (not 3.0MP as we’d previously reported) front cameras, but the more conventional, WiFi-only Tablet S weighs in at 600g, has 1GB of RAM and will be available in 16GB or 32GB versions. There’s still no word on price or exact shipping dates but retailers have reportedly been told to expect more information soon, so stay tuned for further updates.

Update: This post previously stated the tablets would launch next year, that was a mistype. We’re still expecting to see them launch in September.

Sony Android tablet details and specs continue to leak, ‘S2’ is the Sony Tablet P originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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