Archive for the 'Accessories' Category

Samsung has introduced two new sound bars in the US market. They’ve announced HW-C450 and HW-C451 that are not only aesthetically appealing but provides high-fidelity audio too. The smooth, thin and no-grill sound bars boast prism Touch of Color design to complement Samsung’s HDTV lineup and features 280W of power output and a wireless subwoofer that claims to give a virtual surround sound effect.
Additionally, Samsung has also announced HT-WDC10, a wireless dock for iPhone and iPod that can be placed anywhere in the room to play music from the sound bars.
HW-C450 will be offered in black from this month for $349.99 whereas silver colored HW-C451 will arrive in May for the same price. The wireless dock is expected to start retailing from March for $149.99.
If you’re looking to improve the picture taking feature of your iPhone, there’s always a cool Crystal Case to purchase. Pictured below, this accessory incorporates a macro lens and it’s compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS units.
The case comes with an ergonomic design, it protects the device from scratches and hits, plus it’s a pretty lightweight piece of equipment. Crystal Case also lets the user access all of the iPhone’s physical buttons and if you’re wondering about the performance of the macro lens, have a look at the comparison shots below (with and without it).
Product goes for $19.99 and can be bought from here with a $2.99 shipping fee.
[via ispazio]
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Tags: Crystal Case price, iPhone case, iPhone Crystal Case, macro lens
The Duo seems to have been a failed experiment for battery maker Energizer in more ways than one. Sales of the USB nickle-metal battery charging station never really took off, and now, via a press release, the company has announced the monitoring software distributed with the Duo packs a fairly nasty Windows trojan. The rogue code, according to Computerworld: “listens for commands on TCP port 7777… can download and execute files, transmit files stolen from the PC, or tweak the Windows registry. The Trojan automatically executes each time the PC is turned on, and remains active, even if the Energizer charger is not connected to the machine.” Energizer released a statement saying: “Energizer is currently working with both CERT and U.S. government officials to understand how the code was inserted in the software.”
Want to wake up at the sound of your favorite tune or radio station? You can have a go at the iLuv iPod alarm clock, that’s also a pretty neat iPod/ iPhone dock, as shown in the image below. The device comes with a strange accessory, linked through a wire to the clock and ready to vibrate under your pillow in order to wake you up.
A built in speaker is also on board, as well as volume controls, all of those for a $90 price tag. iLuv also packs many other features, like programmable alarms, treble/bass control, unique buzzer alarm sounds, a time sync feature that syncs with your iPhone and iPod and 8 preset FM radio stations.
[via crunchgear]
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Tags: FM radio alarm clock, iLuv iPod alarm clock, iLuv iPod alarm clock price, iPhone dock alarm clock, vibrating pillow
Are you a prolific Nexus user who streams videos while listening to music while using location-based apps connected to 37 social sites that all feed you status notification updates? Or maybe you just use your phone quite a bit. Either way, you’ll probably be interested in learning that you can now buy Nexus One batteries directly from Google. Check out their sales pitch:
Choosing Nexus One: Additional Batteries
One of the great things about the Nexus One is that you can easily remove and replace the battery. If you would like to be able to carry a fully charged spare battery, we recommend official Nexus One batteries for performance and reliability.
Please note that there is a purchase limit of five batteries per customer.
Technical specifications:
- Removable 1400 mAH battery
- Charges at 480mA when installed in Nexus One phone connected to USB, at 980mA when installed in phone connected to charger
- Talk time: Up to 10 hours on 2G, Up to 7 hours on 3G
- Standby time: Up to 290 hours on 2G, Up to 250 hours on 3G
- Internet use: Up to 5 hours on 3G, Up to 6.5 hours on Wi-Fi
- Video playback: Up to 7 hours
- Audio playback: Up to 20 hours
Instructions for installing a battery are available from the Nexus One User’s Guide.
Note: Package includes battery only; does not include charger. Battery charges only when inserted in Nexus One phone that is connected to USB or phone charger.
Interesting to note that last line – there should bean easy way to charge spare batteries, even if it just means providing a dock that has a place to dock both your phone and a spare battery. Or I suppose they could make batteries big/powerful enough and OS/apps nimble enough to last a long time. The main problem is our hardware and software demands grow so quickly it’s hard for battery life to keep up (at a reasonable size).
Google is charging $25 for the battery compared to these alternatives:
- EXTENDED Battery (1600mAh) from Phandroid.com – $54.95
- EXTENDED Battery (1600mAh) from Seidio.com – $54.95
- EXTENDED Battery (1600mAh) from Seidio.com through Amazon- $46.70
- EXTENDED Battery (2800mAh) from Seidio.com – $$64.95
I’m thinking $25 looks pretty good – you just charge up an extra when you’re in your house and bring it with you when you expect to be out/gone for long periods of time. Although patronizing Phandroid isn’t such a bad idea and what the HECK would your phone look/feel like with a 2800mAh battery?

I’m guessing they don’t really show you the whole profile because it makes the phone chunky as heck. But on the other hand… if you like the heft/thickness of the Motorola Droid then you might not mind the added weight/bulk. Anyone out there rockin’ this?
Unfortunately Seidio makes no battery life claims in the product description – I’d love to hear a few first hand reports.
[Thanks jdavet!]
Get ready to take iPhone gaming to a new level, thanks to the iControlPad game controller accessory. This product has gone into mass production and we know that it’s compatible with jailbroken iPhone or iPod Touch units.
We know that two versions of the controller are coming, one complete with an internal battery, doubling the iPhone’s battery life. The other version will be cheaper, because it lacks a battery, but all in all these accessories will be excellent for playing games emulated from consoles to the iPhone.
As you can see in the video below, the controller features a D-pad, two analog controllers, A/B/X/Y buttons, Select/Start buttons and a slim form factor. Here’s the accessory in action, with the iPhone playing a PlayStation game (Wipeout):
[via crunchgear]
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Tags: iControlPad, iPhone games, iPhone gaming accessory, iPhone gaming controller, mass production
You should have trusted us when we told you the Motorola Devour would be available at BestBuy. If you didn’t before, you will now – the woodworks have churned out a picture of the price tag:

And a case:

And how you’ll feel when you rip open your Devour:

With the Motorola Devour headed to Verizon Wireless and the Motorola Backflip headed to AT&T… MOTO is really starting to run game!
For those of you who have been dying to be able to print or use a USB flash drive with your Moto Droid, this is for you. Well, unfortunately there is no cable manufactured at this time. However, with these steps, the world of USB devices awaits you and your Moto Droid.
Android currently doesn’t offer drivers for USB peripherals, so no USB devices will work currently… with currently being the keyword here. It would be easy enough for developers to get some apps and drivers out there so we can use our phones and hook them up to a printer or a flash drive. Sounds like a great improvement for Android. I know, I for one, would love to print photos and etc. directly from my Droid, how about you?
[via UberGizmo]
When I heard the Nexus One Car Dock accessory was coming I wasn’t at all surprised – the Motorola Droid had the same thing and it became necessary since Google Navigation was featured on Android 2.o. But I just watched the Nexus One: Day One video and… guess what was spotted in it? The Nexus One Car Dock:

That isn’t ANYTHING like I expected. At first glance I thought that metal rod had a different phone – not the Nexus One – attached to it. But after closer examination it seems the Nexus One Car Dock features a suction cup on one end, a swiveling Metal Rod that moves in any direction connected to it, with a “frame” on the other end to which the Nexus One “snaps” in.
I’m hoping the suction works well and frame holds the phone sturdily. It also appears as if the metal rod MIGHT be telescopic, allowing you to pull the nav unit closer towards you or push it further away, depending on the preferences of the driver and the specific vehicle. I really like that idea/concept.
Here is the video – fast forward to 1 minute and 9 seconds in to see the glimpse screen-shotted above:
So Google… when can I buy this, buddies?
Any of you Nexus One fans seen the video below of the creation of the Google Nexus One? Well, keep your eyes peeled because they give you a shot of some already available, and, hopefully, soon to be available accessories. There appears to be a dock with a slot to charge a spare battery also what looks like it could be the car dock.
Shall we hazard a guess as to when we can expect to see these new Nexus One accessories?
[via AndroidCentral]
For those of you who are Nexus One owners out there, your long awaited accessories are now becoming available. Head on over to the Google store and check out the new Desktop Dock. For $45, users get the dock as well as a 3.5mm RCA audio cable so you can listen to your music through your stereo.

Once you place your Nexus One in the dock, it immediately opens the clock app. Similarly to the other media jacks, you’ll be able to set alarms, play music, check weather, and watch slideshows of your photos.
Unfortunately, this is solely a media dock and the user manual shows that you should not connect your dock to a computer since it does not transmit data. So who is ready to order up this sweet dock for your Nexus One?
The Nexus One has bluetooth. The upcoming Nexus One Dock has bluetooth. The Nexus One Dock has an audio-jack for plugging in speakers. Connect those dots and its very likely that you’ll be able to bump tunes from your Nexus One without it being docked. Nexus One owners better brush up on their DJ skills and start dusting off their illmatic speakers.

The word comes from an Android Guys reader who said he had time to play with the dock itself:
…it’s a small dock where the phone sits in it vertically. My friend has a soft case around his Nexus one and it sat in the dock just fine even with the case on. The dock itself has an audio mini-jack allowing speakers to be connected to it, but unlike any of the iPhone docks that only play when you have the phone in the dock, the Nexus One Dock uses Bluetooth to transmit music. You can play music through the speakers or within Bluetooth range. The range was surprisingly good, able to play music with the phone 20+ feet with a wall or two between. He had computer speakers attached, so I’m assuming the audio port is a standard mini-jack.
I’m not sure how I feel about the whole “vertical” docking thing. I like the multimedia dock of the Droid and hoped the Nexus One would offer this same horizontal experience, but I haven’t given up hope yet. We shall see… but I might take the bluetooth music over that anyways. You?
Colorware has done it again! For those of you who are unfamiliar, Colorware is a company that gives you the complete control to customize the color of your device and they have now added the Nexus One to their repertoire. The Nexus One will take three weeks to undergo its complete custom makeover at a cost of $175 if you’re supplying your own…

But who could live for three weeks without their Nexus?!?!?!? So for the low low cost of $800, Colorware will customize a brand new one for you. That also makes it cheaper to send them your own since $530 + $175 = $705. And then there is shipping and all that jazz, but it’s worth the fun – right?
The site allows you to play with various colors and aspects to your phone so good luck and happy customizing.
[via Colorware]
If you’re frustrated by the accelerometer-based control system on the iPhone games or the horrible titles with the on-screen controls, here’s a brand new solution for you: the iPhone steering wheel, demoed in the video below:
The steering wheel mechanism looks as if it were made out of LEGO pieces, which is a pretty neat touch actually. However, we tend to believe that the system will get weak or break down at some point and we also notice it’s not as accurate as we’d like it to be. Add a bunch of pedals and you’ve got a mini simulator!
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Tags: driving game, iPhone accessory, iPhone steering wheel, video demo
Just like the Motorola Droid, it seems like the Google Nexus One will be getting a Car Dock for use with Google Navigation. On the actual Nexus One support page they specifically tell us the Car Dock is coming soon – just read the first line!
You can also assume that the Nexus One Multimedia Dock will be available soon as well since a Google Employee hints at this (using the plural word “docking stations”) on the Google Support Site.
So which will you buy?
- Car Dock
- Multimedia Dock
- Both
- Neither
Hmmm…. we should really get a polling plugin for Phandroid… shouldn’t we?
- Yes
- No
Whoops. Yeah… probably.
















