Mobile Technology

Designers of solar chargers need to deal with a certain issue: how to build a charger so that it had easy access to maximum sunlight, without much effort on the user's part. One clever solution was to combine solar cells with a bikini, but unfortunately that's really only useful on the beach. The Quirky community, a social project based around product development, has come up with another solution – it's the Ray solar charger, and it features a suction cup and a kickstand. Read More

In his first product launch since becoming CEO, Apple's Tim Cook has announced a new version of the iPhone at Apple HQ in Cupertino, California. The iPhone 4S retains the ground-breaking Retina display technology and glass back of its predecessor, but has undergone something of an internal overhaul. Apple's new smartphone gets a brand new dual-core processor, an 8 megapixel camera capable of also shooting full high definition video, and a new personal assistant application that uses voice recognition. The 4S also promises up to double the previous download speeds and will be available on over 100 carriers worldwide. Read More

If there's one issue with the gorgeous COOL LEAF keyboard from Minebea, it's the less-than-satisfying feel of the touch panel keying action. When not in use, the equally good-looking Levitatr Bluetooth keyboard has a similarly flat upper surface but when activated the chiclet keys rise up and illuminate to offer some gratifying tactile typing. Read More

LaCie has unveiled a local network-based bridge unit called the LaPlug, that allows users to share any USB-powered storage drive over a local network. It also enables the sharing of private files outside the LAN through an external address, and the wireless streaming of files to UPnP/DLNA-certified products such as gaming consoles, LaCinema Classic HD, or any other compatible equipment. Read More

Looking to supplement sales of the new Kindle line, including the Kindle Fire, Amazon has announced deals with offline retailers Best Buy and office supply giant Staples. The question: why now? Why start selling your product offline when it was already the most recognizable brand in the e-reader market. The simple answer? More. Read More

In news that will no doubt be of great concern to owners of HTC smartphones, a security team is claiming to have uncovered a “massive security vulnerability” in HTC Android devices that allows any application with Internet access to gain access to private data, including user accounts, email addresses, GPS location, text message data and phone numbers. The vulnerability is said to affect HTC smartphones running the latest version of HTC’s software, including the EVO 3D, EVO 4G, Thunderbolt, and others. Read More

For hospitals, businesses and schools that have kitted their workforces and classrooms out with iPhones, iPads or iPods, keeping the various devices charged and up to date can be a time consuming chore. Griffin Technology has made the task a whole lot easier with the release of its Multidock that charges, syncs and stores up to ten iDevices at once. And if that still isn’t enough, up to three Multidocks can be linked to accommodate up to 30 iDevices. Read More

Toshiba has announced that its 10.1-inch Thrive tablet will soon receive a smaller and lighter sibling in the form of Thrive 7''. Weighing in at 399 grams (0.88 lbs) and 11.94 mm (0.47 in) thick, the Android 3.2-based Thrive 7'' tablet is powered by NVIDIA Tegra 2 platform with a dual-core CPU and 1GB of RAM, has a 1280×800 resolution LED backlit screen and will be offered in 16 and 32GB models. Read More

Lonely Planet Publications published its first travel guide in 1973 and has been giving travelers a helping hand on their journeys ever since, growing to become the largest travel guide book company in the world. In 2009, the company dropped the “Publications” from its name to reflect the move to digital products, including its website and smartphone apps. Now the company’s wide selection of city guide and phrasebook apps have been joined by a family of translator apps that allow users to obtain written and – thanks to speech recognition technology – spoken translations offline. Read More