Up until now, there have been just two ways to get HD Radio in a portable, handheld solution: buy a Zune HD, or opt for Insignia's NS-HD01. As of today, Gigaware is changing all that, and it's hoping to give HD Radio a kick in the pants by opening it up to every single iPod touch and iPhone user in the US. iBiquity's own HD Radio module has been tucked neatly inside the clickwheel dongle you see above, giving any iPhone / iPod touch with iPhone OS 3.0 (or greater) the ability to listen to HD Radio and FM stations in their area. The (now available) adapter itself sells for $79.99 exclusively at RadioShack, while the accompanying app -- which sports a manual tune wheel or auto-seek option, social network integration, bookmarks and iTunes Tagging -- is available to download free of charge. It's a novel idea, sure, but something tells us the limited availability and lofty price tag will keep it from selling like gangbusters.

If there's one thing that's sure to break a new Droid owner's heart, it's scratching the hell out of it -- or worse yet, dropping it to its untimely death. Wouldn't that be a tragedy? Of course, one quick and dirty way to avoid a lot of that heartache is to equip your phone with a beefy protective case, and from what we're seeing here, it looks like there won't be any problem whatsoever finding such cases on day one of the Droid's availability (whenever that happens to be). What we've got here is a third-party case (excuse us -- "carrying solution") that's popped up over at Best Buy Mobile, though interestingly, the Droid's model number of A855 is being featured far more prominently than the catchy name itself. Given the look of this thing, we think you'll need to have an extreme dedication to preserving your phone's rugged handsomeness to actually equip it, but hey, more power to you -- meanwhile, we'll carry on with letting our phones rustle around with coins, keys, pens, and switchblades in our pockets.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Silicone skins for the Storm 2 are starting to find their way into shipments destined to Best Buy stores around the country, another solid signal that RIM's second touchscreen effort is hitting retail sooner rather than later. What we found amusing about this first batch is that the packaging seems conflicted about what to call the thing -- 9550, Storm II (as opposed to Storm2 or Storm 2, interestingly), and even the phone's codename Odin all make appearances front and center. We suppose they're just trying to make it crystal clear what phone the skin's intended for, and with leaks going back a solid year, you've got to cover all your bases.

[Thanks, Caffoni]

Um, where to begin? How about a definition:

twinge n. A brief experience of emotion, typically an unpleasant one.

Funny, that's the reaction we had when first laying eyes on Mobile Mechatronics' iTwinge iPhone keyboard. At the moment, we're unclear if the iTwinge electronically docks to the base of the iPhone or if it's just a $30 (plus shipping) sleeve with Pogo-like coating for capacitive touchscreens. According to the FAQ, the ultra-low power iTwinge "uses the phones power" but doesn't require any software to work with Apple's iPhone 3G or 3GS handsets. Regardless, after 4 hours of usage an "average user" will increase typing speed by 30% to 40% with 70% to 80% fewer typing errors. Golly! If you pre-order now you can expect shipment in November. So go ahead, we dare ya. Another pic after the break.

[Via ChipChick]

We're not sure why we didn't hear more about this way back at RIM's WES conference way back in May, but it was apparently mentioned by VP Antoine Boucher at the time that they're working on a Bluetooth-enabled watch. Furthermore, it's said to be more advanced than the models Sony Ericsson has put forth so far, featuring streaming audio (3.5mm jack on the watch, perhaps?) and Twitter / Facebook updates in addition to the usual things like caller ID and text messages. Note that the image floating around today of this thing isn't real -- it's just a Sony Ericsson MBW-100 with a swapped logo -- so it remains to be seen what this magical wrist accessory will look like, assuming it's real and coming to retail. It seems Boucher also mentioned a high-end Bluetooth headset codenamed "Alpha 1" that'll allow you to stream music and get navigation directions through some sort of totally awesome silicone earpiece boasted to possibly be "the best solution on the market." It's pretty hard to pique a lot of interest these days with something as vanilla and ubiquitous as a headset, but at any rate, it's interesting to see the depth of RIM's apparent commitment to the accessory market right now.

[Via techfresh.net]

TomTom told us that its long-awaited iPhone navigation app and in-car mounting kit would be landing "this summer," and at least on our watch, summertime is quickly drawing to a close. If a pre-order listing over at Handtec is to be believed, it looks as if the outfit is exceedingly close to finally having both the software and hardware ready for shipping. The £113.85 ($194) asking price includes a suction mount for your iPhone as well as the mapping software, though there's no indication of exactly how much the app and hardware will run by themselves. Of course, until the iPhone supports multitasking, using it as a dedicated PND is still a risky move; one stray call during a pivotal moment in your travels and you can consider yourself lost. Oh, and then there's the fact that this thing has a TomTom logo on it -- if the iPhone app functions anything like the company's high-end GO 740 LIVE, we'd say you're better off asking Mr. Gas Station attendant (or buying a different brand).

[Via DaniWeb]

At this point, you've probably assumed that there's simply no way any company can produce yet another iPhone or iPod dock that's significantly different from the legions of alternatives already out. And you're wrong. So wrong. In an effort to milk that Made for iPod / iPhone partnership for all it's worth, Kensington has just introduced its Charging Dock with Mini Battery Pack, which not only charges your dock connecting iPod or iPhone, but also energizes an external battery pack through the same USB cable. When you leave, you'll depart with a charged device as well as a charged battery pack in case you need to use 3G services for more than eight minutes. Brilliant, no? It's up for pre-order now for $69.99.

[Via iPodNN]

Historically, the Gorillapod's lease in life has been all about mounting cameras to tree branches, goalposts, and strangers' limbs -- but, you know, cameras aren't the only things in the world that could use that kind of superhuman capability, are they? To that end, Joby has introduced Gorillamobile, a package of goodies that includes the company's Gorillapod Original -- its smallest flexible tripod -- along with tripod, suction cup, and adhesive clips for attaching various smartphones and point-and-shoots. What's it good for? Well, that's entirely up to you and your overactive imagination -- but Joby shows iPhones being securely stowed on desks, exercise bikes, and strollers, so we're sure you'll be able to figure out something. Look for it to ship on August 10 for $29.95.

Not going to lie here -- we're having a really tough time determining whether this is just mildly weird, astonishingly strange or adorably cute. While we wrestle with our emotions, we'll candidly explain that this stuffed Care Bears head does nothing more than hold your cellphone and cast dubious glances in your direction. If that's all you need to be happy, you can snag yours now for $13.27. Just don't be alarmed when guests begin making up excuses to bounce approximately 3.9 seconds after seeing this on the kitchen table, okay?

[Via OhGizmo]

Curious to know if your Benjamin will be well spent on mophie's iPhone 3G Juice Pack? TestFreaks is out to make sure you have an accurate answer to that, and judging by their report after two solid weeks of usage, the response is an emphatic "yes." Not only was the device sleek enough to not be incredibly cumbersome, but it actually performed as advertised. Reviewers were able to get their iPhone 3G from near-death to fully charged (twice!) on a single mophie charge, leading them to conclude that it "basically doubles the run time of the iPhone 3G" in a worse case scenario. Granted, even they couldn't overlook the particularly large price tag, but if you've been running bone dry with any level of frequency, we suspect the asking price won't matter nearly as much.

[Thanks, Kristofer]

For many, dropping $199 / $299 on an iPhone 3G (provided you actually locate one not hidden behind a 4+ hour line) is enough. For those who fell head over heels with the original iPhone dock, it's not. Here's your chance to send 29 more US bucks Cupertino's way, as the official iPhone 3G Dock is now on sale at Apple's website. Oh, and if you're really a sucker, you'll lay down 9 whole US dollars for a 3-pack of iPhone 3G Universal Dock Adapters to slip your new mobile into a Universal Dock.

Update: So apparently these have been in Apple stores since day 1. Considering just how long it'll take to get in one, though, this whole "online route" is still probably your best bet.

[Via Wired]

Read - Apple iPhone 3G Dock
Read - iPhone 3G Universal Dock Adapter 3-Pack

Oh sure, there's a plethora of portable USB chargers out there to keep most every cellphone around juiced up for one last call, but those handling a Palm handset with the polarizing Multi-Connector have long been shut out cold -- until now. Tech Center Labs has just come to the rescue with its Tiny Emergency FuelCell, which holds a single AA and enables power to be passed along to Centros and any other Palm / Treo device with the proprietary connector. Best of all, the pocket-friendly device is just $9.95 (or $10.95 with a bundled battery). Not a bad way to spend a Hamilton if you're a Palm lover.

[Via Palm InfoCenter]

Frustrated by the lack of a proper dock in your new cellphone's packaging? Fret not, as Hong Kong's Earth Trek has your best interests in mind. The all-in-one Mobile Stand enables your phone's LCD to be easily viewable while you're trapped toiling away in your cubicle, and it also triples as a USB hub / charger and multicard reader. There has yet to be a peep made concerning the price, but we are told to expect it in black and white motifs.

Probably not worth rushing out to a store for, but some AT&T retail locations are starting to receive stock of the upcoming Motorola Z9's incredible batch of accessories. So, you know, if for whatever reason you were still holding out an irrational belief that the Z9 doesn't exist, this is probably the straw that breaks the camel's back right here. Now, let's just hope that we get something to actually put in the holster any minute now. Follow the break for another shot of the goods.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]