The PlugBug is a small adapter that attaches to your Apple notebooks power adapter and adds a USB charger capable of charging your iPhone or iPad. The add-on couples to your Apple charger, in place of the extension cord or plug adapter, allowing you to leave one of your chargers at home.

This sort of simultaneous charging is especially beneficial when you have two devices and only one power outlet, without any means of diverting the power to the second device. PlugBug users a 10 watt charging system, which essentially is in accordance with the charging protocols of iPad and other Apple mobile devices. Because PlugBug takes its power directly form the wall socket it charges much quicker than having the iPad plugged in your 5V USB port. The PlugBug Charger is currently available on sale with a price tag of $34.99.

[GizMag via Twelve South]

The post New PlugBug Charger Innovates Your MBP Charger appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

What else is coming? Other features include: “deep linking capability, the ability to link features like Messages and News Feeds to the Start page, Features toasts and tile notifications and the ability to pin selected elements of the app.”

Having push notifications is being warmly welcomed by Windows Phone users.

[Source via Windows Phone]

The post Facebook App For Windows Phone Updated: The Missing Mango Features appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

While the 11” and 13” MacBook Air notebooks could serve as lower-cost laptops, the next-generation thinner 15” and 17” models could feature additional RAM, faster processor, and a possible option to add in a second hard drive (with the removal of the optical drive) to use in conjunction with the SSD.

The probability of Apple being far along in the development of these machines is good, and it may only be that the company is waiting and watching to see how an updated MacBook Air fares on the market before deciding whether or not customers are ready to embrace a similar form factor. In any case, there is good chance that we’ll see a larger, Pro-level ultraportable before 2012.

The post Why An Apple 15-inch MacBook Air Might Be Really Real appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The device is sporting a radical new look that breaks apart from the standard BlackBerry design most of us are used to. With a stainless steel front, leather back and 1.2GHz processor, the P9981 is a new breed that can certainly draw attention to on lookers. The operating system is built on the new BlackBerry 7 OS, however it features custom Porsche Design Icons as well as the Porsche front all around. The screen is described as being a “crystal clear touch display”.

Anyone who has $2, 000 to spare, which is roughly what the device is said to cost, will be able to pick one of these up later this year when it goes on sale exclusively in Porsche Design stores. Also, it’s said that this will be the world’s sleekest BlackBerry, and of course will be only made in limited quantities. It’s quite a premium to pay for such an averagely spec’d device, but hey, if you have the money to spare and you’re need something new to play with while you’re waiting at the shop to get your Porsche fixed, this may be for you.

[GadgetReview via BlackBerry]

The post New Porsche Blackberry Concept, Ugly appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It’s well known that Apple is no stranger to competition. The newest Photo Stream feature for Mac OS X and iOS are already fighting a little rose war with Adobe’s Carousel app and service for Mac and iOS. Judging from the buzz around Carousel though, it might be even turn out to be a formidable competitor to Photo Stream.

Adobe Mac and iOs apps are free, but since your photos are stored in the cloud, you will need to purchase a subscription to the app. You can use the full version of Adobe Carousel at no cost for 30 days, after which you’ll need to spend $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year which isn’t exactly free at all.

So here what’s in store for you: familiar and multi-touch gestures provide a fun and interactive experience to explore tens of thousands of photos quickly and easily, and Adobe’s powerful photo-processing engine lets user adjust exposure, shadows, highlights, white balance, vibrance, clarity and contrast. There are also over a dozen “Looks” that allow customers to quickly experiment with the appearance of a photo. Users can also share their photos by sending them directing to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr or via e-mail.

Carousel really seems to be what’s marketed to be – the only photography solution that gives you access to your entire photo library from all your iPad, iPhone and Mac.

The post Adobe Carousel Photo App Pretends To Be Free For iOS and Mac appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The first model of Hisense Smart TV with this unique feature is Series XT710, which has been introduced to consumer markets in China to mark the October 1st National holidays. Users will enjoy a natural, new intuitive way of interacting with their TV sets. They will be able to control basic TV functions, without having to move out of their comfortable viewing position to reach the remote control. Users will also be able to play games using intuitive gestures and touchless use other applications on the device.

But how does all this work, your all too human neurons might be asking you. Well, these smart TVs will use motion monitoring cameras to read a persons hand and body gestures and in turn control various functions. Hisense will be making use of eyeSights SDK on their new XT710 smart TV, which makes use of 2D cameras to monitor hand gestures and movements. It’s back to the future, folks!

[UberGizmo via PR]

The post Android Coming To TV With Gesture Recognitions appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Lt. Chris Monahan of the San Jose police department draws attention that it’s only legal to talk to Siri as long as it’s not in your hand. But if you need to touch Siri, you better abstain, the police officer says. And don’t even think to oblige, if Siri’s inviting you to read some directions off her you could easily be distracted!

It appears that the real problem with using Siri on your iPhone whilst driving is that you still need to use your fingers to hit the home button to activate the voice assistant, and then of course, there’s some touch required when using Siri and this is where it falls under the California law’s steel shoe.

But there might be a way out of this, as some spokeswoman for Apple said that Siri’s voice assistant can also be activated via a Bluetooth device or headset.

[via Mercury News]

The post Talking And Touching Siri While Driving Could Get You In Trouble appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

ITRI, Taiwan’s largest and one of the world’s leading high-tech research and development institutions have introduced the I2R e-Paper. The first electronic paper ever proven to be re-writable, re-usable and environmentally friendly. This is the real deal – the “electronic paper” is the latest entry to the attempt to end our overwhelming use of traditional paper.

“It’s a fact that a significant portion of daily office printed papers will be discarded in days or weeks after use,” said Dr. Janglin Chen, general director of ITRI’s Display Technology Center. “i2R e-Paper’s re-cycle and re-use capabilities, positive effects on the environment and low cost of production are paving the way for mass acceptance of green e-paper technologies.”

This e-paper requires heat to transfer images and text to the surface and can be erased by inserting the e-paper into a thermal writing device (like your typical fax machine). I2R e-Paper’s special energy-conserving display technology is a flexible cholesteric liquid crystal panel that requires only heat to transmit images without using expensive inks. Because of its memory capabilities, the e-paper can be preset to display images at certain intervals – making it suitable for digital signage (TVs and billboards) that typically require more energy to maintain. It can also replace many printed paper products like event tickets, posters, flyers or promotional materials.

I2R e-paper is unlike e-readers and tablets, which require electricity for back lighting. This product does not require electricity to maintain the visuals much like the Kindle.

[GizMag via ITRI]

The post Rewritable Reusable ePaper In The Making appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

I don’t know how they make it happen, but the ThinkGeek crew has just given birth to another gadget-wonder for the world. I, for one, would like to welcome the new IRIS 9000 voice control module for Siri, which pretty much will assimilate.. er turn your trusty iPhone 4S into HAL 9000.

The name sounds familiar? Why? Because it’s taken from the famous science fiction saga 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke for you youngsters. The Iris 9000 is a voice control module that makes it possible for you to control Apple’s Siri voice assistant from your… couch.

All you have to do is place your iPhone 4S into the Iris 9000 cradle and tap the included micro remote control once to trigger Siri. Other goodie features include a built-in microphone that picks up your voice form up to 50 feet away and the embedded speaker to amplify Siri’s spoken response.

Even more cool stuff you can do with this little bundle of AI is making and receiving phone calls using Iris 9000 like a standard speakerphone. If you’re interested in Iris 9000 all you have to do is go register to ThinkGeek today. The accessory will go on sale in Spring 2012 for $59.99 if we haven’t been turned to borg by then.

The post IRIS 9000: The HAL Controller Dock For iPhone 4S’ Siri appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Now I have another reason to make me want go back to school, and that is Supernote. Supernote is an app that helps you take…notes, but in a super way. It had previously been shown on the Eee Pad Transformer and Slider earlier this month, when ASUS brought out the OTA update to Android 3.2.1, but now there are more details on new features within Supernote and they sound really nice.

Students will be able to write or scribble (doesn’t anyone doodle in class anymore?) using the keyboard or their own fingers and the Supernote app will go ahead and convert each hand-drawn item into an image, thus, allowing users to modify or delete their own characters. You can also insert graphs and charts when you’re in math class, resize the image and drag it around and you can also insert those diagrams into your lecture notes.

Supernote will even let you take the lazy way out of class (yes!) and let you snap a picture of whatever your teacher is scribbling on the blackboard and then you can insert those pictures into your notes, thus, letting you worry about it later or perhaps never.

[engadget via Asus]

The post Supernote Takes Super Notes On Your ASUS Tablet appeared first on Mobile Magazine.