Mophie / mStation released iPhone 3G Juice Pack, the thinnest iPhone 3G battery.

The battery pack is a 1200 mAH lithium polymer battery housed on an ultra-thin case. How about its power capacity? Let’s just say it doubles the amount of time you can use that iPhone.

Juice pack will be available soon for $79.95. There will be Black, White, and Purple variants.

The press release boasted that the Juice pack iPhone 3G battery has an innovative “standby mode.” This special mode according to the manufacturer the special mode allows users to maximize the additional battery support versus simply using it as a protective case.

The battery has integrated 4 LED that indicates how much power there is on the external battery.

Ross Howe, Sales and Product Development Director for mStation said that the juice pack air is a simple yet elegant battery boosting solution for iPhone 3G power users. “Advanced features like standby mode and ultra-thin design make juice pack air the ideal option for both extended battery support and protection,” he continued.

Source: Engadget

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Snapture, the company that aims highly to better iPhone’s photo capabilities thru software shifted to a higher and more basic way – hardware.

They recently released a prototype unit that puts Xenon flash into an iPhone, giving the smart phone advanced capabilities in taking clear pictures and images even in minimal light. There is also an slide on case that has LED lamp for continuous video.

It may be rare enough but iPhone needs to be hacked first in order for Snapture’s device to work. Unlocking the iPhone will allow the unit to send electrical signals to the Xenon flash as well as the LED lights.

The Snapture’s device uses the standard battery of iPhone, right off the hook. But fortunately, Snapture company founder Bowei Gai said that it doesn’t draw much power even if the Xenon flash is 100 times brigher than the regular flash.

The makers of the product are currently seeking patent for it.

Source: Blog Wired

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The blogosphere and gaming community is talking about Apple aggressive approach at considering or rather pushing iPhone as an alternative gaming console.

In the ADC “iPhone Tech Talk” event in San Jose, John Geleynse, Director of Technology Evangelism at Apple made strong words regarding iPhone’s viability as a true gaming platform – so true that it will be considered future rival of Nintendo DS, PSP and other gaming platforms.

The director also called iPhone a “gaming console” and claiming that “it’s not a phone, it’s a console experience.” The company is clearly serious about their attempt to push iPhone into a different territory. Apple PR on related news announced a series of EA sneak peak events, dedicated of course to gaming at the Apple Stores in US. The press release states:

Throughout the month of December Apple Stores in New York, LA, San Francisco and Chicago will host special “EA Games Sneak Peek” events where Electronic Arts will discuss why the iPod touch and iPhone are amazing platforms for mobile gaming…

Analysts on the other hand and perhaps game platform owners are not happy about the plan, according to the blog Engadget. According to Joshua Topolsky, it’s a “pretty bold talk about a device that has yet to really prove its gaming mettle.”

Source: Engadget

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There’s a big storm coming this November, and no it’s nothing destructive like Katrina, rather it’s an amusing Storm. This is the BlackBerry Storm which is set to hit the market on November 21.

There is a great anticipation on the first touch screen phone of Research in Motion. A month after its first announcement, phone enthusiasts already regarded the phone to be one of iPhone’s most serious competitors – a claim that RIM itself do not deny.

Reports indicated that the new smart phone will have the same contract price as that of iPhone – $200, being the only difference is the $50 rebate.

BlackBerry Storm has 8GB storage and a touch screen display backed by 3.2 MP camera. It has GSM rado and microSDHC storage and a touchscreen that “clicks” to produce physical feedback.

The unit offered by Verizon Wireless doesn’t have Wi-Fi, but there is a voice-only or low-end data plan that works well with Verizon’s 3G network.

Source: Electronista

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The population of people using iPhone is fast increasing and as such newer products that support the smart phone are being introduced constantly. One of these products is FastMac;s iV iPhone battery booster. FastMac’s iV iPhone Battery Booster is an all in life battery-life extender device.

The maker of the gadget claims that it extends your iPhone’s battery life to up to 24 hours of straight talk time. It also lengthens your smart phone battery’s audio playback time to up 72 hours. In terms of video playback, using the FastMac’s iV iPhone Battery Booster will give you a total of 21 hours video playtime and 750 hours of standby time. It takes a regular iPhone user to know that these numbers are indeed a great boost to regular iPhone battery life.

FastMac’s iV iPhone Battery booster is rechared thru regular USB ports. An LED light is in display to indicate its current power and it can also serve as a flashlight.

FastMac iV is currently tagged at $80.

Source: PopuTech

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T-Mobile gets exclusive distribution of one of the most-talked smart phone since the iPhone 3G. T-Mobile will be the sole distributor of the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8820 in key areas and cities in Europe and the United States.

Among the new Blackberry phone’s amazing feature is the Enhanced SureType keyboard that is perfect for texting and email. There is also a built-in WiFi that allows users to surf the internet and connect to T-Mobile’s Unlimited Hotspot.

The camera sports a 2-megapixel camera. It has digital zoom, flash and video recording capability. Because Pearl’s camera got a video recording option and a flash function, hardcore users see it better than iPhone (at least on this particular aspect).

The gadget can use a microSD card. It has a stand alone built-in memory of 128MB. Users can opt to upgrade Pearl’s memory thru microSD. There are options up to 16GB capacity.

The new phone is tagged at $349.99 thru T-Mobile. It will soon be slashed to $149.99 after the rebates, $50 lower than the priced 8GB iPhone.

Source: Ars Technica

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Research and Motion hopes to steal some iPhone users with its new BlackBerry Pearl flip phone. A few minutes on the new smart phone and you will know that this is iPhone minus the Apple logo and perhaps the Apple bugs. The new phone sports connectivity with enterprise and other e-mail servers. It boasts up to 10 email account management plus text messaging and instant messaging services. The only low down perhaps is that this gorgeous flip phone is not 3G enabled.RIM is a serious dominator in the world of smart phones. According to the company, “nonenterprise” phone sales now make up 40 percent of the company’s 16 million subscribers. No doubt, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 will further increase the popularity of flip and clam shell phone types.

The new flip phone has a small exterior screen where users can preview e-mails, incoming calls, text messages and even the phone’s status. A 140 x 310 pixel LCD screen will greet you after you flip it. The screen is a good for viewing videos and mobile web surfing.

The new BlackBerry is also Wi-Fi enabled. It has support for UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) to extend the device’s wireless e-mail and data coverage capabilities.

The phone allows multimedia and music synching with iTunes. It has a microSD/SDHC memory card slot that can carry up to 16GB of storage. Its 2 MP built-in camera has a flash, zoom and video recording capability.

To further appeal to consumers, the Pearl Flip allows for syncing non-DRM music with iTunes. It also comes with a microSD/SDHC memory card slot that supports up to 16GB of storage.

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 will be released this fall and it will be under T-Mobile. The phone’s price remains undisclosed.

Source: eCanadaNow

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Have you noticed Apple’s fast ascendancy in various fields?

While it hasn’t beaten Nokia and Motorola just yet in the mobile phone industry, it has definitely won the ears of millions of people around the world with the iPod. Its notebook is still considered as a novelty items by many, but it’s fast gaining ground in its attempt to unseat heavyweights, such as IBM, Toshiba, Fujitsu, and Acer as the most wanted brand in portable computing.

I wonder if Apple’s OS would soon end Windows reign. Many doubt it, especially since the OS X has yet to reach a number of countries outside the United States. While I also share the same sentiment, I’m not totally closing the door on Apple. When the iPod was released a few years ago, I thought that the hype was just a fad. I was wrong. It totally shook the music industry and rearranged the order of things, with Apple on top of course.

Many expect the same kind of support for the iPhone. Unfortunately, a few technical, as well as business limitations, may have watered down the market potential of the gadget. But I’m sure Apple will think of something in order to entice people into dropping their N95 or Razr for the iPhone. The same thing is true for the OS X. It’s just a matter of time when Apple will start concentrating on its OS and make a bid for the distinction as the widely used operating system in the world.

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Would an entry about Apple’s latest mobile phone be out of place in this blog?

Everybody knows that most, if not all, of my ranting on this page are about computers. Even the cartoons that are occasionally posted here deal with the everyday goofs and frustrations that one might have had or is continuously having with his PC. So why feature something that has a different feather?

Not Just the Birds

Every electronic gadget wants to mirror the functions of a PC. As almost every human activity is assisted or dictated by Information Technology, it’s only natural for consumers to choose devices that would save them from being tied to their computer. Thus, mobile phones of today are not only made for placing and receiving calls. In fact, those two functions seem to be last things that cellular phone makers have in mind whenever they are revising or coming up with new designs.

An excellent example would be the iPhone. The only thing that makes it primarily a mobile phone instead of a miniature PC is its name. Nomenclature aside, one might need a few guesses before he realizes that it’s a cell phone. While Apple is billing it as such, 85% of its manual deals with its computer-like features. Nothing much has been documented about its call functions.

Consumer Demand

The evolution of the mobile phone to a mini PC is the result of the growing demand to be always connected to the Internet. While many saw laptops as the solution or answer for such desire, its bulky architecture has turned off a sizeable number of users who wants their e-mails to be accessible at just a touch of a button. You can’t do that even with an 11-inch notebook. The boot up process just takes too much time. On the other hand, handheld devices, such as smart phones and PDAs, can conveniently connect the user to the Internet in just a few seconds without impeding mobility.

It’s Still What It Is

Despite the fact that many of the mobile phones in the market today pack PC-like functions, its limitations as a miniature computer makes its bid to be an alternative computing device quite ambitious. iPhone’s graphics may be stunning, but it certainly cannot process heavy multimedia tasks that requires extensive video power. Its size also prevents it from using today’s latest processors which are needed in various computing activities. If you’ll analyze it closely, what you actually have is a mobile phone-cum-Web browser. It’s quite erroneous to claim that it’s a computer in the strictest sense of the word.

Foreboding

While I may not agree with the N95’s slogan: “It’s what computers have become,” I do agree that the mobile phones of today will shape the ultimate form of the PC in the next 10 years. Time will come when you’ll be buying anti-spyware programs or registry cleaners not just for your desktop, but for your mobile phone as well. It’s what computers will become.

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