Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Everyone loves a music festival: the mud, the cold, the inevitable rain, the ludicrously priced drinks and of course the music. However going to live in a field for a weekend does mean you have to survive without mains for a couple of days, so portable gadget recharges are becoming increasingly popular. This leads nicely onto the ‘Dance Charge’ prototype that has recently been released by Orange, which essentially converts the kinetic energy from your dancing into juice for your phone.

Using a system of weights and magnets you can convert ‘The Monkey’, ‘The Robot’ and ‘The Worm’ into electricity which can recharge your phone, and this is all contained in a strap that goes on your arm and closely resembles those worn by joggers for their MP3 players, which looks fairly discreet and not a bit ‘uncool’. However for those who don’t feel confident either dancing or wearing what looks like a doormat, Orange has also lined-up the Dance Charging Man which we can only guess is a small (and probably interactive) man which will dance an do the work for you.

So far Orange has only made a few prototypes (which will be scattered around Glastonbury) so we do not know how popular it will be, but it does show some promise.

Via [Register Hardware]

Brando Ultra-Smart Cable – USB charger/microSD card reader is such a huge name for such a tiny device. Unlike its name this device is very compact and is available in an array of colors which makes this a stylish way to keep data, music and photos at your fingertips. 

Orange, gray, blue, green and black make up the collection. Each one reminds me of a baby rattle – but the Smart Cable (as I will call it) appears to be a toy for big boys and girls. You can charge your cell phone or other USB device, read your microSD card and even exchange data between devices (when microSD card is onboard).

The Brando Ultra-Smart Cable is designed to hang on a key chain or as a cell phone strap. It could actually hang on any device with a wrist strap hole. Loosing pieces should not be a problem. There are only two. It is difficult to see everything in a photo but the cable – hence the name, has one end with the mini USB plug and the other with an ordinary size USB plug. From what I can tell the microSD slot is directly below that. There is a small plastic center piece that apparently snaps the two cable ends together while it’s just hanging around.

I like interesting little gadgets like this. Would I use it - absolutely.  Would I strap it to my cell phone - not. The $14.00 price is reasonable in my opinion.

Product [Brando] Via [SlashGear]

Having more gadgets will at some time or another lead to worrying about having enough power to get though the day. Enter the Powerstick, a USB charging device that is small and portable and should be able to give you a charge while on the go. The Powerstick weighs just 40 grams and ships with a variety of connectors that will work with Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG, Motorola, Blackberry, Samsung as well as the Apple iPod and iPhone. It features a small LED display that will show you how much power is left, the Powerstick itself can fully charge from any USB port in 90 minutes. It is currently available and retails for around $70. Sounds like a device I would have loved to have prior to CES, maybe then I would not have had to worry as much about draining my iPhone’s battery.

Product [Powerstick] Via [SlashGear]

Griffin Technology is quite famous for its many iPod accessories, more specifically it’s iPod docks. Well it seems Griffin has another item to add to the list, the TuneFlex Aux. The Griffin TuneFlex Aux is a dock, charger, and direct line-in connection to your car’s stereo.

The TuneFlex plugs right into your car’s 12 volt accessory outlet to power and charge your iPod with it’s flexible neck. The TuneFlex is also very flexible when it comes to playing your music through your car’s stereo with it’s built-in 1/8” stereo line-out audio jack. Don’t have an aux-in on your car stereo? No problem. You can use a range of other Griffin products to listen to your music, including: the iTrip FM transmitter, SmartDeck cassette adapter, as well as a slew of other options.

The TuneFlex Aux is compatible with both 4th and 5th Gen iPods, and the TuneFlex Aux nano is nano-sized and made specifically for your 2nd Gen iPod nano. There is no release date for the TuneFlex Aux current so in the mean time, check out the site.

Turbo Charge, makers of cell phone chargers, has created an iPod charger that uses a standard AA battery. The iTurbo retails for $29.95 and is ready to work with most new iPod versions (mini, nano, U2 SE, color display and video). It’s guaranteed to not overcharge your iPod or they will replace your iPod battery—assuming you can prove that it actually “overcharged” your battery. If you use a rechargeable AA battery in the iTurbo, you could recharge a rechargeable battery with a rechargeable battery. Whoa, dude, like, trippy.

Side note: Is it me or does the Techie Diva (the icon) look like one of the FragDolls cartoon characters? Hmmm…

Site [iTurbo] via [Techie Diva] Site [FragDolls]

Would you believe me if I told you that you can charge your gadgets wirelessly? Yup, all you have to do is place your gadgets on a charging pad and the juices will flow, resulting in a full charge after a few hours. That’s what a company called WildCharge claims to do with its new product.

All you need to do is lay your cell phone, PDA or other device on or near its “WildCharger,” a flexible roll-up pad with a power adapter attached to one edge. The devices, which can even include laptops, then absorb their electrical charge wirelessly, the company says.

Pricing for the WildCharger, which is slated for debut at CES in January, has not been released (though early reports put it somewhere between $40 and $100). The company refers to it as “wire-free,” but the WildCharger needs a cord that connects to a power source. Still, we can live with one wire if this product works as billed.

Read [Wildcharge] Via [Crave]

So the Zune will cost $249.99 but what about the must have, long list of accessories...check ‘em out:

• Zune AV Output Cable: Connects to a TV or stereo for $19.99.


• Zune AC Adapter: power for $29.99.


• Zune Sync Cable: Connects to your PC or AC Adapter for $19.99.


• Zune Car Charger: Works with the FM Tuner for $24.99.


• Zune Dock: For Syncing or displaying next to your TV when using the AV Output Cable for $39.99.


• Zune Wireless Remote for Zune Dock: self explanatory, but you may need the on-screen menu as well to see the menus $29.99.


• Zune Dual Connect Remote: An in-line remote that hooks up to your Zune and your headphones for $29.99.


• Zune FM transmitter with AutoSeek: AM, FM, XM, Sirius, and ZM...Zune radio? (once your transmit it over) $69.99.


• Zune Gear Bag: A bag for $29.99.


• Zune Premium Earphones: Admitting that it comes with crappy headphones for $39.99.

And remember, these are only the first party accessories, just wait till Belkin, Griffin, DLO...you get the point...get their hands of the Zune.

Read [Microsoft] Via [Gizmodo]

Griffin is now selling a kit that offers you no more excuses why you are the only one without white earphones when traveling abroad. The PowerBlock is a outlet to USB charger designed for iPods, cellphones, or other USB powered devices.

PowerBlock’s flat-blade, non-polarized prongs impose no limitations on how they fit into twin-prong outlets—and are ideal for international use. The travel package adds adapters that, cover most any AC connection you’ll encounter in your world explorations. PowerBlock handles all voltages from 100 to 240 AC, converting to the voltage that your USB devices need.

The PowerBlock Travel package ($34.99) includes a Griffin dock connector cable for your iPod as well as an accessory pouch to help you keep track of your adapters. PowerBlock Travel won’t do away with all the hassles of traveling; you’ll still have to keep track of your luggage, and how many Yen are in a Euro (or vice versa)… but with PowerBlock Travel in your travel kit, you will never have to worry about how to charge your iPod and other USB devices.

Read [Geekanoids]

Griffin Technology, creator of all things iPod, announced the TuneFlex for iPod. Unlike some other models the TuneFlex does what it says, it is flexible to position where and how you like, making your screen easy to read while going 80 MPH--oh right, not a good idea to be looking down.
The TuneFlex plugs into your car’s outlet, powering and charging your iPod while you use it and displaying the charging status via a colored light.

For those of you who are loyal to iTrips the TuneFlex has a pass-through dock connector that lets you use your dock accessories while charging. For you analog junkies the device also has a 1/8” stereo line-out audio jack makes it easy to connect your iPod to your stereo via the included cassette. Finally, the TuneFlex has a low/high audio output switch to reduce distortion and comes with a trial edition of iFill all for $49.99.

Read [Playlist Mag]

Looking to juice up your gadgets on the road? Tekkeon myPower ALL MP3400, is a universal rechargeable battery that powers and charges most notebook computers and virtually any mobile device on the go like portable DVD players, digital cameras, camcorders, portable media centers, portable MP3 and CD players, PDAs, and mobile phones.

myPower ALL will power a device, while simultaneously recharging the device battery. Offered as an alternative to expensive notebook batteries that are dedicated to a single device and heavy to carry, the lightweight myPower ALL also provides up to seven hours of extra play time on a portable DVD player, up to 5,500 extra photographs, or up to 14 hours of recording time on a digital camcorder--before needing to be recharged.

To ensure compatibility with a majority of popular personal electronic devices, myPower ALL comes with eight adapters, enabling connection to over 300 devices. The MSRP for myPower ALL model MP3400 is $159.95.

Read [Tekkeon]