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Jan

[CES 2013] Fulton Innovation Shows Off A Tablet Working As A Wireless Charging Mat

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, News

Fulton Innovation, a pioneer of wireless charging, is no stranger to showing off their tech at CES. This year, though, they've got something a little unusual – a prototype technology that allows a tablet to charge a phone wirelessly.

It looks relatively simple, but there are a few rules – both devices can charge using the Qi standard, and the tablet can charge any Qi-compatible phone. You won't be able to use the tablet while it charges another device, though.

At first blush, the tablet/phone charging duo seems to have limited application – after all, you'd need to stop using your tablet for quite a while, just to get a little more juice into your phone.

Dec

Andru, The Loveable Bugdroid Charging Adapter, Now Available In White 'Chill' Version For $25

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Accessories, News

You remember this little guy? Of course you do. He's freaking cute, how could you not remember? Don't act like you don't want one. Everyone does. However, if you've loved the idea but were holding out for one in white, today's your lucky day. Right now, the useful bugdroid buddy has gone on sale in a new 'Chill' flavor. Perfectly white with a nice silver accent along the neckline. Fantastic.

If you want in on this, best to order sooner rather than later, as Android paraphernalia tends to go rather quickly. As with the previous versions, this adapter supports 120~240V AC current, comes with a 1.2m micro-USB cable, posable arms and glowing blue eyes to make you feel safe at night.

Jun

[Deal Alert] NewTrent iPulse 10,000 mAh Dual-Port Portable Charger From Daily Steals for $50 (50% Off)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Deals, News

If you need as much juice as you can get while on the go, then this 10,000mAh portable charger should fit the bill perfectly. This massive battery pack features dual USB ports (one 2A, one 1A) so you can charge two devices at one time, enough juice to charge most smartphone at least four times, and compatibility for "tablet PCs."

While it's going for $90 on Amazon right now, you can score one for $50 from Daily Steals for today only. That's a pretty good deal, especially for a portable charger packing that much on-the-go power. Hit the link below to buy.

Jun

[Deal Alert] Get Two 5000mAh New Trent iFuel Portable Smartphone Chargers For $40 With Coupon Code

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Deals

Remember the days when your smartphone could last multiple full days without needing a charge? Haha, neither do we. But you could pretend it can if you have a portable charger. The New Trent iFuel 5000mAh charger is on sale today for $40, but with coupon code CONGRATS, you can get a second charger for free. Carrying around 10,000mAh of spare electricity for your gadgets has never been so cheap!

To reiterate, there are two deals going on here. The normal price of the device is $69, but that's been cut down to $39. To get the second charger, add a second unit to your cart and add coupon code CONGRATS before paying (as seen above), and the price of one unit will be knocked off your total.

May

New DDR4 Memory Coming To Tablets Could Mean Reduced Power Consumption And Increased Performance

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News

In the endless components arms race of the Information Age, cheaper, faster, and smaller are the mantras that perk up the customers' ears and line the tech giants pockets with cash. The latest innovation in one of the key areas of electronic components is DDR4 memory. The spec is said to reduce power consumption by 20-40% based on a maximum 1.2 volts of power use.

While running at the same bandwidth as its predecessor, DDR3 memory, the new spec will run with up to 40% less power draw. Running at full capacity, which is roughly double the amount of throughput of DDR3 memory, the new RAM will draw the same amount of power.

Dec

ZAGGsparq 2.0 6000mAh Portable Battery Review: Powerful On Paper, Underwhelming In Practice

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Other Reviews, Reviews

The stakes for the ZAGGsparq 2.0 aren't low -- after all, the 6000mAh charger won not one, but two innovation awards at CES 2010, and its claim to charge a smartphone up to four times is downright stunning. But underneath the shiny black exterior and all the fancy marketing prose, is it really all that? Well, not quite...

At A Glance

The ZAGGsparq 2.0 features:

6000mAh of juice
Dual charging ports -- one labeled "general," and the other "optimized"
Compatibility with both phones and tablets

The Good

6000mAh – It’s not the most powerful or juice-filled portable battery we’ve come across, but with 6000mAh under its hood, the ZAGGsparq 2.0 still isn’t anything to scoff at… at least not on paper.

Sep

Go Launcher Dev Team Launches Switch GOWidget - Free, Clean, And Compact, Yet Functional

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

The unstoppable GO dev team keeps pumping out amazingly polished products seemingly almost every week - they've already won me over on the launcher side with the GO Launcher EX (and its gorgeous Calendar widget), and yesterday they've added Switch GOWidget to their arsenal.

This toggle widget is compact and only occupies one row on the homescreen, showing 4 primary toggles you've configured, but with a single press of the "..." button, it opens up a full page's worth of other toggles along with the phone and media volume sliders. Pressing the Edit button lets you re-order all the items to your liking.

Aug

[Review] Scosche goBAT II 5000mAh Portable Charger: Great For Phones, Meh For Tablets

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Other Reviews, Reviews

Last week, Artem took the Primo Power Core 8200mAh portable battery pack for a spin, and he really liked it. But as good as it may be, for some, 8200mAh may be overkill. With that in mind, I took on the Scosche 5000mAh goBAT II portable charger and backup battery to see how well it would fuel my devices during everyday use.

At A Glance

First off, lets take a look at what this power pack has to offer.

5000mAh, which should be able to charge a 1500mAh battery around 3 times, with a little left over.
Dual charging ports: one 5V 1 amp port, one 5V 2.1 amp port
Works with phones and tablets
In the box: the battery, USB charger, USB adapter for Galaxy Tab (more on that in a bit)

Now that you have a better idea of what the goBAT II is all about, lets look at what it does well, and where it lacks.

Jun

Mugen 4500mAh HTC Thunderbolt Extended Battery - Put A Real Bulge In Your Jeans

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Off-Topic, Videos

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I would love it if my phone had better battery life - in fact, I wouldn't mind it being roughly three times thicker and infinitely more cumbersome to handle, either." Have I got a product for you.

Yes everyone, a 4500mAh extended battery for the Thunderbolt, just what we've all been waiting for - you'll have so much equipment jammed in your pants that Representative Weiner will be jealous.

Hey baby, is that a 4500mAh Mugen Power(R) Extended Battery in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

The folks over at Mugen have introduced yet another one of their signature ridiculously large extended batteries, and they've taken it to the extreme for the famously juice-thirsty Thunderbolt.

Apr

PowerAMP Updated With App To SD, Dolby/SRS Support, Open API For Developers

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, Apps/Games, Development, News

The popular Android music player PowerAMP received an update this morning with new features and numerous bug fixes. Take a look at the change log below:

New:
- PowerAMP now has open API for 3rd party developers. Please check PowerAMP site for reference, samples, and complete Widget Pack sources
- PowerAMP now can be moved to SD card. You can still use PowerAMP widgets if you install PowerAMP Standard Widget Pack
- added Dolby/SRS support for HTC Desire HD (and few other HTC phones with Dolby/SRS) (Equalizer => DHD button)
- added song number/total counter (Settings => Look And Feel Tweaks => Show Track Counter)
- auto-advance option for queue (Settings => Auto-Advance Settings)
- PowerAMP now re-shuffles lists on repeat
- playlist/queue reordering can be now toggled on/off via special icon in list headers
- PowerAMP now shows embed lyrics from tags in its Album Art area.