Hasta La Gadget!

Not interested in picking up an NFC-enabled smartphone? No matter — Morpho’s got you covered. The outfit was demonstrating a newly finished Simlink NFC keyfob here at Mobile World Congress, intended to provide contactless payment capability for those who lack it in their existing mobile. Rather than stopping at just payments, this dongle also supports frequent flier cards, membership accounts and pretty much any other members-only situation that may ever use NFC check-ins and registration. There’s even a WiFi module here and an onboard web server, enabling any WiFi-enabled phone to immediately see your most recent transactions as well as what data / cards you have stored on the device. We’re told that the onboard battery can last around a week if you don’t use it continuously, and a simple micro-USB connector is responsible for charging. The only unfortunate part is the size — it’s hardly inconspicuous, but we’re guessing revision two will lose quite a bit of weight. This particular model should go on sale by the end of Q4, with pricing to be determined. Head on past the break for a brief demonstration, you big spender, you.

Continue reading Morpho’s NFC / WiFi-enabled keyfob brings wireless payments, card management to the everyman (video)

Morpho’s NFC / WiFi-enabled keyfob brings wireless payments, card management to the everyman (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

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.

Permalink   |  Pre Central  | Email this | Comments

Well, ain’t that a shame. The XIM3 mega-adapter you’ve been waiting patiently for went on sale this week, and within 3.299 seconds, the company managed to blow through their entire stock. If you’ve been out of the loop, this here peripheral is designed to bring keyboards, mice and all sorts of other controlling devices to the average Xbox 360 owner, and it’s obviously far more sophisticated than its predecessor. The good news is that it’s only $149.99, but the bad news is that the source link currently directs you to a sign-up form to be notified of when stock is refreshed. It’s pretty clear that the company’s having trouble keeping ’em around, so we’d keep a pretty constant check on the site if you’d like to be a part of the first second wave. Oh, and don’t be shocked to see your online skills mysteriously decline over the weekend — something tells us a few folks will have an unfair advantage on the other side. Check out a Black: OPS example just after the break.

Update: Looks as if the store may be up and down (but mostly down) through Monday due to the crushing order load. A good problem to have, we suppose. Thanks, Tom!

[Thanks, Richard]

Continue reading XIM3 Xbox 360 keyboard / mouse / etc. adapter goes on sale… sort of

XIM3 Xbox 360 keyboard / mouse / etc. adapter goes on sale… sort of originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 21:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  XIM3 (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

We can’t say we make a habit of checking out Fommy.com or Mobile City Online’s digital shelves when searching for our mobile gear, but these obscure retailers look to be the first to come out with pricing for the Atrix 4G’s HD Multimedia Dock. Fommy lists it as a straight up $59.95 charge, whereas its direct competitor is already discounting the cradle down to $49.99. Both are offering pre-orders only at this point, with no known dates of arrival, but at least we’ve got a ballpark figure to play with.

Motorola’s Atrix 4G HD Multimedia Dock spotted online next to a $60 price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 08:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MobileCrunch, Phone Arena  |  Fommy, Mobile City Online  | Email this | Comments

Good news, fellow Bluetooth watch fanatics! Just as promised, Sony Ericsson’s finally doled out a major update to cure the LiveView once and for all. With this patch, users should now be seeing much better stability and compatibility with non-SE phones, as well as being able to install up to 30 plug-ins. We had a quick go on our refreshed LiveWatch and noticed that it now auto reconnects much better as well, and hopefully the same applies to everyone else. To get the update, simply use the SE Update Service for Windows (sorry, no Mac support) and follow the instructions — download link available below if you’re new to this.

Sony Ericsson LiveView update is here, promises improved connections and Bluetooth compatibility originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Sony Ericsson Product Blog  |  Sony Ericsson  | Email this | Comments