The Apple iPad has clearly taken the crown in the fight for tablet domination. Its speed and feature set are complimented by the Apple App Store’s huge variety of time-wasting and time-saving apps. The iPad is a fantastic device, but anyone who has ever used the device to try to conduct business that is more involved than sending an email might have found it to be a little less than satisfying. Technology currently limits just how many business-friendly features are available on a device as slim as the iPad, but there are a few add-ons that the business types out there might find helpful.

Touchscreens are great, but it is hard to replace the tactile experience of pushing your fingers down against little pieces of plastic to type out your sentences. The great minds at Apple probably had a feeling that consumers would feel that way. So, they have put out the Apple Wireless Keyboard, which uses Bluetooth to allow for typing within a ridiculously long range. As long as you are within the same zip code as your iPad, you’ll be able to type on your Apple Wireless Keyboard. You’ll no longer have to smudge up your screen while typing up those business proposals or reports.

Anyone who has ever had a transoceanic flight knows the terror of slowly watching the little battery icon in the top right corner slowly hemorrhage color until you’re hanging onto one little sliver of red. When you’re feeling powerless to plug in your iPad, look to the Morphie Juice Pack. This little wonder charges your iPad four times as fast as most portable chargers. This device powers via USB. So, it can also be paired with iPhones and most other USB devices.

Finally, when you’re typing on your Apple Wireless Keyboard, you don’t want to have to strain your neck and lean over your iPad or try to awkwardly balance it against something. You want the LUXA2 H4 to stand with its six rubber arms that support your iPad with 360-degree adjust-ability. The stand is priced reasonably at $59.99 and will save you a trip to the chiropractor.
In the race for business device supremacy, tablets are still lagging behind laptops and desktop computers, but with these iPad accessories, you can finally start to get down to business.

Author’s Bio: Ryan is a blogger who gets a kick out of writing about tech, smartphones, and how to get a bargain using an HP coupon for a new HP computer.

Nokia has already released their Lumia 800 with its 3.7″ AMOLED screen, Nokia N9 polycarbonate derived body in Europe. But for the US, Nokia has released at the CES the oft-rumored Nokia Ace, now known as the Nokia Lumia 900.

Tech Specs

• Networks: GSM/EGSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 850/1900/2100, LTE Band 4 (1700/2100) & 17 (700)
• OS: Windows Phone Release 7.5 – Mango Commercial Release 2 (Mango + LTE)
• Memory: 512MB RAM
• Storage: 16 GB internal memory (14.5GB user memory) + SkyDrive cloud storage
• Weight: 160g (5.6 ounces)
• Dimensions: (max): 127.8 x 68.5 x 11.5 mm (5 x 2.7 x .45 inches)
• A-GPS
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
• USB 2.0 high-speed
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

Sporting larger 4.3″ AMOLED screen and larger single polycarbonate body than the Nokia N9 and Nokia Lumia 800. Also comes with the standard 8mp camera (at least for the Nokia N9 and Nokia Lumia 800) as well as a larger battery and a forward facing 1.3 megapixel a must have for the upcoming Skype release for Mango/Tango – the Nokia Lumia 900 will hopefully reinsert Nokia as a household name in the US.

[ Links: Nokia Conversations ]

It was with the launch of Apple iPhone that the real craze for smart phones began. Mobile phones were just meant for calling and sending text messages but Apple iPhones are mini computers themselves. Equipped with every program or application these phones help in performing multiple things at a time. But the thing that hampers the ability of the iPhone to be a complete productive device is its battery life. Though it depends how a user uses his iPhone, here are a few tips that may help one to increase the battery life:

• Keep the Apple iPhone away from heat. The smart phone is at its best from 32° to 95° F.
• Update It Regularly: Make use of the latest firmware to update your iPhone to ensure that your phone has the latest technology to maximize the battery performance.
• Turn off the vibration of your phone unless it is necessary.(I keep my vibration on when I am attending any important conference or meeting)
• Turn off the Auto Brightness: Auto Brightness is responsible for changing the screen brightness of iPhone on basis of the surrounding light. This consumes a lot of battery power while changing from low to high level of brightness. Turning off will put an end to this process thus saving a lot of your battery life.
• Downloading From App Store Or iTunes irelessly Is Not Suggested: Downloading applications consumes a lot of battery power. Use your computer for downloading is always suggested for Apple iPhone users.
• Vibration In Games Should Be Turned Off: A number of games come with frequent vibrations that drain battery life. If it is possible, then turn the vibration off in game settings. Playing too many games is not advisable.
• Turn off 3G: Your battery is low and you want to keep your iPhone alive in case of emergency situations, turn off 3G.
• Keyboard Clicks should be turned Off: If the keyboard of your phone is frequently used then just turns off the keyboard clicks. This can be done by going to Sounds pane of setting and searching the particular option.
• Use Of Third Party Application Should Be Limited: The third party apps such as games prevent the options for auto power savings such as switching off or screen dimming.
• Directly Charge The iPhone From the Computer: When you are connecting the iPhone to a wall socket for charging it, it is advisable not to connect it to the keyboard or some other USB bridge. It should be directly connected to one of the USB 2.0 ports of your computer.
• The iPhone Should Be Used Regularly: Weird but true! If the iPhone is not being used for a long time at a stretch then it results in decreasing the battery life of the phone.
• Turn off EQ: A lot of battery power is consumed when the EQ settings is applied to the phone. For keeping the phone alive throughout the day, the EQ settings should be turned off.
• Always Use Your Discretion: Being a user you can decide best how to improve your battery life. If you do not have enough time to charge your battery, do not play too much games or go for downloading apps. Do not even pass the phone to friends who always look out for new games and apps. Be smart with your smart phone!

Author Bio:Emma Hamilton is a freelance content writer and she writes articles and blogs on behalf of Charter internet and others cell phones related technologies.

Quite possibly the worst kept secret ever, Apple continues to provide developers updates to their upcoming dot release of their mobile OS, iOS for the Apple iPhone and iPad in a recently announced 5.1 Beta 2. So far the updates have been coming rather rapidly, most centering around jailbreaking security updates, but here’s to hoping that 5.1 brings performance enhancements too.

[ Links: Apple, Apple iOS Dev Center ]

Remember the Polaroid Spectra from the 1980′s? And no, I don’t mean those hipster versions that kids are wearing for belt buckles. Well, Polaroid has shoved a very modern 14 megapixel and a Zink printer into a decidedly retro case.

Camera Features:

• 14.0 megapixel digital camera
• 2.7” bright color LCD for viewing images
• SD compatible for expanded memory
• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Integrated Printer Features:

• Snap, print, share—no computer connections needed
• 3X4” full-color prints
• Smudge-proof, water-resistant, tear-resistant photos
• No Ink. No Hassles.™—no ink cartridges or ribbons to throw away using ZINK® Zero Ink® Printing

Technology from ZINK Imaging

• View and crop images on camera before printing
• Option to print date, file number
• Add a fun and useful border to your photo including the Polaroid Classic Border Logo format
• Upload custom borders
• Print up to 25 photos per full battery charge

Costing $299, with the Zink printable paper costs about $20 for a pack of 30, this is a cool way to get back that old school Polaroid feeling. Even shake and blow on it for old times sake.

[ Links: Polaroid ]

Skono, a Norwegian fashion brand (www.skonokorea.com), launched at the end of October, fashion item “Revolution Indi Lace” to lead the trend this winter.

The “Indi Lace” for both men and women is made of suede to keep warm in the winter with weaving of a peasant feel. It provides shoelaces of two colors for different looks.

It comes in five colors of yellow brown, dark brown, khaki, navy and purple, and it is sold in Skono shops and shopping malls (www.skonokorea.com) nationwide. It costs KRW 99,000, or about $90 USD.

Skono, which was born in 2003 in Norway, is a practical and modern looking fashion brand with chick points for the lifestyle of the new generation particular to Northern Europe.

It is both casual, career wear, and sporty wear with various styles. Its modern and classic design is distinctive and it has about 400 stores in Korea.

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We all have credit cards, debit cards, passwords and other stuff we’d love to keep secure someway, somehow. OneSafe for all of the iOS devices – iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch – can do just that.

Lunabee Pte Ltd is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of oneSafe app, a reliable and secure password manager and data vault that securely stores confidential information relating to credit cards, bank accounts, logins as well as various types of documents and images. With a great interface and functionality, the powerful and feature-rich application is truly the place to store anything private or in need of high security.

OneSafe delivers a broad range of possibilities, enabling users to securely store passwords and logins, bank account numbers, loyalty cards, access codes, IDs and may more. The app protects the sensitive information using 256-bit AES encryption and locks the data behind a four-digit unlock code, visual pattern or an alphanumeric code. With unique browser technology, oneSafe automatically logs users into websites where they used those passwords. Ready-made templates are designed to enter the details and keep them in order. The data can be organized by categories, marked as favorite and easily searched.

The guys over at Lunabee have crafted OneSafe to be as easy to use and secure as you can be on your iOS device with an easy to use and remember pattern or alphanumeric code as well as browser integration for ease of automatic sign-ins.

Best of all, it’s free. But if you want additional capacity, you will have to purchase that via an in-app purchase.

[ Links: OneSafe via iTunes Music Store, OneSafe ]

Big things come in little packages, right? Well, Orb Audio is out to prove that old adage right with their new Class T amplifier, the Mini-T to go along with their small, but full of sound, handmade Orb speakers.

The Mini-T allows consumers to use high quality home speakers instead of poorly built, questionable sounding computer speakers. By pairing the Mini T with Orb’s award-winning speakers, consumers now have a simple, elegant audio solution that looks as good as it sounds. This is a great way to bring high quality audio to your desktop or TV without large, complicated surround sound receivers.

The Mini-T is based on legendary T-Class amplifier technology, known for its audiophile sound quality and low harmonic distortion (just .04%). Like Orb’s speakers, the Mini-T produces a rich, brilliant soundstage with detailed imaging. Together, the speakers and amp create an immersive listening experience that will not disappoint.

The Mini-T is also small, measuring six inches wide, one and a quarter inches high, and five inches deep. Finished in an attractive charcoal gray, with black gloss front, the Mini T complements any of the six available Orb speaker colors.

The Mini-T can be purchased by itself for $88 USD or can be purchased alongside a matching pair of Orb Audio speakers for $299, for a savings total of $29 off of MSRP. I’m personally digging the hand polished steel enclosure on the speakers.

The Mini-T can accept audio input from many sources including your iPod, iPhone, PC and many other sources.

[ Links: Orb Audio ]

Lytro, the first light field camera is up for pre-sale with an expected delivery date starting in early 2012 at prices that range from $499 for the Red Hot (red) 16gb or $399 for the Graphite (grey) or Electric Blue (cyan) 8gb. The 16gb version will hold 750 pictures and 8gb will hold 350 pictures.

So what’s so special about Lytro?

Technology: Lytro Light Field Sensor and Lytro Light Field Engine 1.0.
Lens: 8x optical zoom; Constant f/2 lens.
Controls: Power button: Shutter button; Zoom slider; Touchscreen.
Display: 1.46 in | 33 mm back-lit LCD display with glass touchscreen.
Exposure: Tap on touchscreen to set exposure.
Battery: Long-life Li-Ion internal battery.
File Output: Light field picture file (.lfp).
Light Field Resolution: 11 Megarays: the number of light rays captured by the light field sensor.
Software: Includes a free desktop application for importing, processing and interacting with living pictures from the camera. It is built for Mac OS and requires Mac OS X 10.6 or higher. A Windows application is in development.
Picture Output: Produces HD-quality interactive, living pictures.
Picture Storage: Free storage for living pictures on Lytro.com, subject to the Terms of Use. (Internet access required)
Picture Viewing: View and interact with living pictures on the Lytro camera as well as any internet-connected computer, smartphone or tablet supported.
Light Field Engine: Version 1.0. This is the software that processes light fields to produce interactive pictures. Keep watching this space!
Shell: Ultra-light anodized aluminum structural skin.
Grip: TPSiV-Injection Silicon Rubber.

That equates to a picture that you can zoom in and out of without having to reshoot the picture. So if you see something interesting going on in your background, you can zoom in at a later date – take a look at the Adobe Flash based photo gallery. This takes picture bombing to a new level.

The software is Apple Mac only at the moment, but there is a Windows version in development.

[ Links: Lytro Light Field Camera ]

On September 4th, AT&T unveiled its first 4G LTE/HSPA+ tablet, the HTC Jetstream. It’s also the first 4G tablet to run on the Android 3.1 Honeycomb operating system (which is specifically designed for mobile devices and tablets).

The JetStream comes pre-loaded with AT&T Family Map, HTC Hub, HTC Watch, Friendstream, AT&T Navigator and Android Market. Thanks to the Honeycomb OS, the JetStream also includes easy access to Google Talk (including video chat), Chrome browser and the new Google Maps 5.0.

In addition, the HTC Jetstream uses the HTC Sense UX for a high quality graphical interface. The front facing 1.3 mexapixel camera (and 8 megapixel rear facing), in conjunction with the 10.1″ WXGA HD screen makes photography and online printing a breeze.

In fact, the only real drawback to the JetStream is price. Unlike other tablets such as the 32GB 3G iPad, the JetStream retails for $699.99 with a two year contract. Consumers aren’t happy with the on contract price, and with AT&T’s proposed purchase of T-Mobile, fear more price hikes in the future.

Contract Details:
The JetStream is $699.99 with a new two-year contract. AT&T offers two payment plans: prepaid and postpaid.

• Postpaid: $14.99 for 250 MB or $25 for 2 GB. Fee for going over their allotment: $10 per 1 GB of overage. Charges appear on monthly statements.
• Prepaid: $14.99 for 250 MB or $25 for 2 GB. Fee for going over their allotment: $25 an additional 2 GB of overage. Charges appear on monthly statements.

You can see full pricing details on the HTC JetStream here.

Adam Costa, our guest blogger. He is the co-author of Business In A Backpack, which explains how to market your business while on the road and a business consultant who helps small and midsize firms create high quality marketing materials, like booklet printing.

Due out in September (next month, yay!), Wacom will introduce Inkling. A way to capture your sketches on paper and transport those ideas to your computer in an editable, vector format.

The Inkling digital sketch pen captures a digital likeness of your work while you sketch with its ballpoint tip on any sketchbook or standard piece of paper. Designed for rough concepting and creative brainstorming, Inkling is ideal for the front end of the creative process. Later, refine your work on your computer using an Intuos4 tablet or Cintiq interactive pen display.

In addition to capturing your sketch, stroke by stroke, Inkling allows you to create layers in digital files while you sketch on paper. Digital files are transferred to your computer using the Inkling Sketch Manager software, and later, exported to applications such as Adobe® Photoshop® and Illustrator®. Files can also be opened with the included Inkling Sketch Manager software to edit, delete, add layers or change file formats.

It comes with 4 spare ink cartridges, the Wacom Inkling pen – that looks like the current Intuos 4 tablet pens, a rechargeable pen battery, a receiver, a rechargeable receiver battery and all of that fits comfortably within a carrying case that folds to protect all of the above. With support for Apple OS X 10.4 and higher, as well as Windows XP and higher what, no Linux drivers!? and an expected release price of $199, the Wacom Inkling looks to be a great addition to all of you sketchers and drawers out there.

[ Links: Wacom Inkling ]

Intel as expected officially confirmed the information that three of its CPUs: Pentium G622, Core i3-2102 and Core i3-2312M – may be “improved” while in use by customers. All that it takes is to purchase an advance card and enter the code printed on it into a special “unlock application”. All three processors are built on Intel’s Sandy Bridge architecture.

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