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Brando unites external iPhone battery with speaker at long last


Nothing says "I'm mad as hell about my iPhone 3G's battery life and I'm not going to take it anymore" better than blasting it out of a loudspeaker. Bonus points for that loudspeaker being integrated with a battery pack, which in turn connects to your -- you guess it -- iPhone 3G (or original iPhone, if that's how you roll). Well, $44 to the folks at Brando will buy you that very opportunity, it turns out. Who knew?

Motorola "Jay-Z" Bluetooth headphones hit the FCC, branches on the ugly tree


Hmm, Hov, you may want to check the fine print on whatever deal you've got with Moto, because these Jay-Z-branded MOTOROKR S7-HD Bluetooth headset aren't exactly big pimpin' -- and compared to Dre's big ol' cans, they look downright sad. Of course, the FCC's legendarily nasty product photography isnt helping here, but even A2DP stereo support and the integrated mic can't salvage this mess -- was this really worth unretiring for?

[Via Crave]

Researchers create solar tie that charges, carries cellphone


There's certainly no shortage of folks working to incorporate solar cells into clothing and accessories, but a team of researchers from Iowa State University now look to have devised a way to make the wearable technology slightly more discreet, with them using digital textile printing to print fabric that matches the pattern of the solar cells. The solar cells themselves are then attached using a "liquid stitch" method, although that apparently presented its own set of problems, as the application of the cells made it difficult to tie a knot. As the researchers helpfully point out in thier paper, however, a clip-on tie would solve that problem. Combine that with the special pouch for carrying your cellphone, and you've got a combo that can't be beat.

[Via textually.org]

Zivio Boom offers 10-hours of talk... before it breaks


Announced at the turn of the year, Joby's 13-gram Zivio Boom Bluetooth 2.1+EDR headset with 10-hours of talk time (300 hours standby) is now shipping. The obvious feature here is that extending boom, which grows from a base of 53.5-mm to a delicate 137-mm. That little trick puts the mic directly in front of your hot, steaming chat box which supposedly results in better audio pickup (no yelling!) to the benefit of those on the receiving side of the call (and around you). $130, that's how much.

mophie tries to make up for iPhone 3G's shortcomings with new Juice Pack


Perhaps the only part of iPhone 3G ownership more maddening than the non-removable battery is the fact that there's no hope of an internal extended pack ever materializing (at least, nothing even remotely official). That's where accessory maker mophie comes into play, announcing a new version of its Juice Pack that slides on back and alleges an additional 6 hours of data usage attached to a 3G network. It features an on-board charge indicator in the form of four LEDs and can pass a USB connection through to the iPhone 3G within, simultaneously charging both the Juice Pack and the handset. Like the headphone jack extenders for the first-gen phones, this product seems like a necessary evil (albeit a well-designed one) for a good number of owners -- particularly considering how difficult it can be to get through an average day without the 3G model passing out from malnutrition. It'll be available this fall for a hundred bucks.

REDFLY now available for $499, purpose even less clear


Sure, we just saw the Celio REDFLY unboxed last month, but come on -- you know you really wanted one of the Foleo-like WinMo "companions" all to yourself, and now you can have one -- for $499. Yep, 5 bills to use WinMo 5 or 6 on an 8-inch screen -- and you can't use it at all if you don't have your phone. Or, you could spend your money on something 1000x more useful and get one of the million netbooks that have been released since this thing was first announced, but hey -- don't let a silly thing like common sense stand between you and your phone's desire to be loved. One more short unboxing vid after the break.

Sony Ericsson busts out new music accessory range


Gotta have shiny kicks to go with the tailored suit, and just the same, you gotta have new speakers to go with that fresh Walkman kit. To that end, Sony Ericsson has unleashed a big gift basket's worth of music accessories that pair nicely with its latest Walkman models, among many other phones from its present and past. Skipping right past a handful of new wired headphones, we get first to the MPS-100, a pair of mini-speakers that plug right into your mobile for a relatively low-tech solution. Next we have the HBH-IS800, a shockingly discrete pair of A2DP earbuds (think of the Etymotic ety8, then think of the opposite of that) connected by a cord. Finally we come to the MBS-200 -- a shiny sphere with a penchant for belting out tunes mono-style via Bluetooth -- and the MBS-400 (pictured), essentially an MBS-200 times two for true stereo action. Everything should be available in the fourth quarter, meaning your Festivus gift shopping chores have pretty much just solved themselves.

T-Mobile to let users craft their own Gekko shells?


Geckos don't have shells, but Gekkos will -- and it looks like T-Mobile is going to be serving up an unprecedented level of customization for its latest Sidekick. Hiptop 3 is showing mockups of what appears to be T-Mobile's shell creation site, a special little place on the internets where users will be able to design their own Gekko (aka Gecco, aka Sidekick 2008, aka "please just release this thing already") skins, which in turn will likely be outsourced to Skinit for manufacture. Considering the Sidekick's line wild, crazy, and creative target demographic, it seems like a great idea and a potential gold mine of secondary revenue for the carrier. Who's going to be the first with an Engadget shell, hmm?

HTC Touch Diamond gets extended battery, bigger butt


The Touch Diamond's controversial rear-end styling not bold enough for you? Well, that's an easy fix, mate -- just make it stick out a little bit more. HTC has now detailed an extended battery kit for the Touch Diamond which includes a 1340mAh pack (up from 900mAh out of the box) and a larger battery cover to help you contain all that go-juice. Looks like it's still on pre-order at this point, but once it pops, it'll run £40.95 (about $81).

[Via MoDaCo, thanks Ward]

Sony Ericsson, Maria Sharapova release accessory line


Like a dagger through Motorola's heart, we're sure, Sony Ericsson's collaboration with tennis superstar Maria Sharapova is starting to pay dividends with the Maria Sharapova Design Collection of custom phone accessories. Launching in the third quarter, wares include the "Courtside Case," Excercise Case, Travel Wallet, and "Party Bag" -- at least three of which we weren't aware we needed -- but the custom branding should push at least a few of these out the door. One word of caution, though: Miss Sharapova assures us in the press materials that "I am looking forward to using the collection with my Sony Ericsson T303," and if her phone of choice is seriously an EDGE-less slider with a 160 x 128 display, we're forced to cast her good taste into serious doubt.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Motorola intros H560 and H620 Bluetooth headsets


Moto's rolled out a pair of new Bluetooth headsets for delivery in the third quarter, one ho-hum and one with a fairly unique distinction. Starting off with the boring stuff, the H560 (pictured left) features a three-color light to indicate battery level, echo cancelation, noise reduction, automatic volume adjustment based on ambient noise, and a selection of earpieces. Here's where it gets a little more interesting, though: Motorola is calling out its H620 as its first headset optimized for in-car use. None of the features of the headset itself seem specific to the model -- it just features the same auto volume adjustment and noise reduction as the H560 -- but it includes a dashboard headset holder and rapid car charger, which is kinda cool if a dedicated car kit isn't your cup of tea. Personally, though, we're still holding out for that bone conduction set we've been promised.

CSR crams Wibree, eGPS, and FM into BlueCore7 wireless chip


UK's CSR has been making waves in the Bluetooth and eGPS waters, so it's only fitting that it's the first to cram Bluetooth, eGPS, and FM all on one chip. The BlueCore7 silicon combines Bluetooth v2.1+EDR, ULP Bluetooth (or Wibree), eGPS (which they say works better in indoor and other non-GPS-friendly locales), and FM Tx and Rx in what they say is a major step in reducing the size, cost, and power needs of wireless devices. CSR boasts that this chip integrates "more wireless technologies on a single chip than any other product on the market." Who are we to argue? They expect to have BlueCore 7 to be available in volume starting in Q4 2008, when you'll be able to listen to FM radio on your Bluetooth headset while finding your satellite position indoors.

[Via CustomPC]

Motorola releasing first bone conduction headset this summer


We've learned from a source close to the project that Motorola is planning on rolling out a bone conduction headset "this summer" based on Nextlink's technology. This totally jibes with recent news that Moto and Nextlink had partnered up -- and furthermore, that the long-overdue Invisio Q7 would be straight up Moto branded by the time it actually hit store shelves -- and sure enough, the photo we've been provided certainly looks like a Q7 in Moto clothing. We don't have anything else solid at this point, but we're told that the headset performs brilliantly in windy conditions, a common complaint for Jawbone owners. Motorola, Nextlink, whomever, we don't really care what this thing is called, we're just happy to hear we'll finally have it out in the next few months.

HTC Touch Diamond dock stealthily makes the scene


We're already big fans of the Touch Diamond's sleek black aesthetic, and it looks like the design language is going to carry over to the official accessories, like the dock. Yeah, it's just a dock with a USB connector and a headphone jack so you can listen to music while charging / syncing your phone, but it's definitely one of the slickest form factors we've seen -- too bad it's listed at £25 ($49).

[Via Tracy and Matt's Blog]

Aliph Jawbone 2 exposed


So there are a couple of big complaints about Aliph's otherwise-lauded Jawbone noise canceling Bluetooth headset: one, it's rather porky, and two, the charge connector is about as reliable as a Comcast installation appointment. Hang tight, though, because help is on the way -- help in the form of the Jawbone 2. The new model just broke through the FCC's surly bonds in full visual glory, showing a headset that maintains the distinctive industrial design of the original while getting just a bit smaller and adopting a new connector that looks moderately less sketchy. The last thing we all want to do is blow another hundred on the next best headset, but if this means we can run a teleconference standing next to a freight train traveling 40 miles per hour and do it in style, count us in.




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