Mili Power MiFlip re-ups your smartphone battery without the extra baggage

As if we weren’t excited enough about MiLi’s HDMI iPhone dock, the battery powerhouse has announced yet another multifunctional device for re-juicing your smartphone. The MiFlip foldable smartphone charger — compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and BlackBerry — functions as a charger, battery backup, and viewing stand, and it’s small enough to keep your mobile phone, well, mobile. This skinny battery booster provides eight hours of talk, 15 hours of video, or 80 hours of music, and uses a mini-USB connector to sync with iTunes. MiFlip will be available for $49.99 on MiLi’s website, and we’ll look for it at CES this week.

Mili Power MiFlip re-ups your smartphone battery without the extra baggage originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Macnews  |  sourceAppmodo  | Email this | Comments

Improv Electronics shows off color-changing iPod touch cases, details upcoming Boogie Board ‘Recorder’

We haven’t heard much from Improv Electronics since it first introduced its reflective LCD-equipped Boogie Board “writing tablet” last January, but the company’s now back at CES with some new products and some new promises. The first of those is a new iPod touch case based on the same reflective (or “Reflex”) display technology, which allows the case to change colors without the need for any power — the company says it’ll last “several years” before it finally dies out. Look for those to launch around the middle of the year for under $50, with iPhone cases expected to follow. The company’s other upcoming product is a “Recorder” version of the existing Boogie Board, which we managed to check out in a very early prototype form but weren’t able to photograph (though it admittedly wasn’t much to look at). It will apparently be much like the current Boogie Board, but pack two buttons up top — one to erase and one to save what you’ve written or drawn, which you’ll then be able to transfer to your computer via USB. Look for it to launch in the third quarter of the year for “under $100.”

Update: Video after the break!

Continue reading Improv Electronics shows off color-changing iPod touch cases, details upcoming Boogie Board ‘Recorder’

Improv Electronics shows off color-changing iPod touch cases, details upcoming Boogie Board ‘Recorder’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 22:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Griffin gets an iPhone all up in your car’s OBD-II port with the CarTrip Bluetooth adapter

Garmin gets an iPhone all up in your car's ODBII port with the CarTrip Bluetooth adapter

If you’re not a car person there’s a good chance you don’t know much about the OBD-II lurking mysteriously beneath your dash. It’s there — if your car was built since the first Bush administration, anyway. Usually its needs go unfulfilled until your check-engine light pops on and some mechanic with greasy paws clumsily stuffs a code checker in there, but more and more tools are coming out to change that. The Autobot Mavia is one, and now Griffin is doing similar with the CarTrip. It’s an OBD-II adapter that connects wirelessly to an iOS device or writes directly to SD card, storing information on information related to car mileage, even giving you a real-time efficiency readout on your display with the CleanDrive app. And, yes, it’ll even pull warning codes and the like if things aren’t quite running how they should. All that for $89.99, a fair bit less than the Mavia will potentially be and available sooner — sometime before the first quarter is through.

Griffin gets an iPhone all up in your car’s OBD-II port with the CarTrip Bluetooth adapter originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TUAW  |  sourceGriffin  | Email this | Comments

Orbitsound T14 soundbar debuts at CES, will take its sweet time getting to market (hands-on)

You’ll be forgiven for being a little misty on who exactly Orbitsound is — the British company has only sold its T12 soundbar in the domestic market — but today it’s reminding everyone of its presence with a brand new product for CES-goers in the T14 you see above. The company’s patented “spatial stereo” sound is still the big selling point, promising a revolutionary aural experience that eliminates the need to occupy the traditional sweet spot for enjoying stereo sound. That’s achieved via six 2.5-inch drivers and a studio-class amp that “senses” surrounding acoustic conditions and calibrates output for best results. A bold claim, to be sure, but you’d expect no less for something that will cost $600 when it becomes Orbitsound’s first global launch later this year. Wireless technology is also put to good use, with the T14 communicating through the air with its accompanying subwoofer and wireless iPod / iPhone dock. We’ll be tracking one down while here in Vegas and trying to figure out just how spaced out its sound really is.

Continue reading Orbitsound T14 soundbar debuts at CES, will take its sweet time getting to market (hands-on)

Orbitsound T14 soundbar debuts at CES, will take its sweet time getting to market (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

OverDrive Media Console app for iOS now features free e-book downloads

OverDrive, a digital media company that specializes in digital content distribution, has recently announced an update to its Media Console for iOS. As well as giving you access to audiobooks from something like 13,000 libraries and educational institutions the world o’er, the new app offers — wait for it — free e-book downloads! Free app, free e-books (as long as you have a library card, of course), and access to the world’s great literature: it doesn’t get much better than that, does it? Hit the source link to try it for yourself. We suggest that you start with Under The Volcano — we always thought you looked drank like a young Malcolm Lowry.

OverDrive Media Console app for iOS now features free e-book downloads originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mobile Tech Review  |  sourceApp Store  | Email this | Comments

Skype video calling for iPhone is official, available now (update: hands-on)

All signs have been pointing to this release for a few days now, but we’ll admit: we expected Skype to wait until CES next week to pull the covers off what could become its crown jewel service over the coming months. Skype’s official iOS client has finally sprouted the ability to make video calls, allowing iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and fourth-generation iPod touch users to share real-time video amongst each other and users of Skype’s Windows, Mac, and Linux clients along with the ASUS Videophone (obviously, 3GS users won’t have the convenience of a front-facing camera, but they’ll still be able to broadcast video from the rear-facing one). Additionally, you’ll be able to receive video from others if you’re using an iPad or a third-generation iPod touch. The service is free and works over both WiFi and 3G — and considering Skype’s existing PC footprint, we’d argue this stands a very real chance of putting the hurt on FaceTime usage. No word on when Skype will be making video-capable clients available for Android or other mobile platforms, but Skype says that there’ll be “plenty more” announcements in Vegas next week, so we wouldn’t be surprised.

Update: So we just gave 3.0 a spin, calling iPhone-to-iPhone (both WiFi), iPhone-to-desktop (both WiFi), and again iPhone-to-iPhone (both 3G). The first two worked great, although the desktop camera produced better quality. As for the worst-case scenario, 3G-to-3G video calling, well… we wouldn’t recommend it unless absolutely necessary. Video after the break, and be sure to note the battery life — after about 10 minutes of use, we dropped from 66 percent to 61.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Skype video calling for iPhone is official, available now (update: hands-on)

Skype video calling for iPhone is official, available now (update: hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceiTunes  | Email this | Comments

Arduino, iPod touch turns an LCD into a browser-based sketch pad (video)

Of all the Arduino projects we’ve seen ’round here, this is certainly one of them! Using nothing but a Graphics LCD, an Arduino, and a WebSocket server he wrote using Python / Tornado, this young engineer created a system that allows him to connect to the server with his iPod touch (or any browser, we suppose — although he’s apparently only tested this with Chrome on his desktop PC) and draw a design on the web browser. In turn, his movements are recreated on the LCD. Pretty mean feat, if you ask us. If you’d like to marvel at his code — or even try it out for yourself — hit up the source link. If not, be sure to at least check out the thing in action. Video after the break.

Continue reading Arduino, iPod touch turns an LCD into a browser-based sketch pad (video)

Arduino, iPod touch turns an LCD into a browser-based sketch pad (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 01:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Make  |  sourceEngineering Etch-A-Sketch  | Email this | Comments

Apple Remote app updated for AirPlay video streaming

Version 2.0 of the app already brought support for the new Apple TV and the iPad, but Apple’s has now just released another more minor update to its Remote app for iOS devices that adds another much-anticipated feature: support for AirPlay video streaming. What’s more, the app now also boasts the ability to access internet radio stations from iTunes on your computer, as well as the ability to control movies and TV shows on your computer that are rented from iTunes — not to mention the usual stability and performance improvements. As always, it’s also completely free — you know where to find it.

Apple Remote app updated for AirPlay video streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Dec 2010 13:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  sourceiTunes Preview  | Email this | Comments

Parental supervision shocker! iPad use leads to costly in-app Smurfberry orders

After the Soviet Union collapsed, many of its so-called satellite states had to struggle to find ways to keep afloat — none more so than Smurf Village, that bastion of communal living where everyone looks nearly identical, has the same surname, and works “according to his ability” (and in return lives “according to his needs”). How has Papa Smurf and Co. survived in the post-Soviet geopolitical climate? It seems that Capcom’s Smurfs’ Village game for iOS might be free, but the in-app purchases will cost you dearly. Actually, it’s the in-app purchases that your pre-literate toddlers make that will cost you dearly. And this is a lesson that a lot of parents are finding out, according to a recent AP article, which notes that “warnings may alert parents, but it’s doubtful that they’d deter children who can’t read and don’t understand money.” Sure, Smurfberries may grow freely on magical trees, but a virtual wheelbarrow full of ’em will run you $60.

Parental supervision shocker! iPad use leads to costly in-app Smurfberry orders originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceYahoo!  | Email this | Comments

Unreal Engine 3 dev kit adding iOS support tomorrow, Infinity Blade clones coming Friday

The Unreal Engine 3 already made a quite spectacular debut on iOS with Epic Games’ own Infinity Blade, but the company’s decided it’s time to finally stop teasing and give us the software to really play with it. Tomorrow’s planned update to the UDK will deliver iOS support, meaning that all the fancy tools that helped make Infinity Blade such a blindingly gorgeous game will be at your fingertips should you be feeling creative. Licensing for the Engine is free for testing and non-commercial use, but you’ll have to pay $99 if you want to sell anything you produce with it, to be followed by a 25 percent slice of your earnings beyond $5,000 and, of course, Apple’s 30 percent cut of whatever’s left. That might not sound like the best business plan in the world, but consider that Infinity Blade is estimated to have racked up over $1.5 million in sales already — we’re sure there’ll be enough change left for ice cream even after Epic and Apple have had their share.

Unreal Engine 3 dev kit adding iOS support tomorrow, Infinity Blade clones coming Friday originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TUAW, Joystiq  |  sourceWall Street Journal, @MarkRein (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments