Product review – Scosche ReviveLITE iPod/iPhone charger/nightlight

The Scosche RevieLITE is the kind of gadget that always manages to get my attention – it takes a really basic feature, and adds something “cool”.

In this product, Scosche combined an iPod/iPhone charger with a nightlight into a slick portable device.

The unit features a set of folding prongs on the rear, and a folding iPod charger on the side. On the front is an LED with a light sensor and a power switch for the nightlight.

It’s about as simple as can be – plug the unit into the wall, plug your iPod in, and let it charge. When you arrive back at your hotel room and you are too drunk to find the light switch, the reviveLITE will show the way to your bed – provided you were able to find a suitable outlet.

Of course – even the simplest of products often have one major flaw, and in the case of the reviveLITE, it is the lack of rotating prongs. Everything is fine and dandy if you use it with a vertially placed outlet, but a horizontal outlet will mean your iPod hangs on its side. Not a massive inconvenience, but still pretty annoying.

The Scosche reviveLITE retails for $39.99, but is available from retailers like Amazon for under about $10 less, which is not too bad for a quality iPod charger. The charger weighs just 2.7oz, which is lighter than most iPod chargers, especially since those usually require a separate cable in your bag.

HearPlanet turns your iPhone into a talking tour guide

The iPhone is quickly turning into the most popular mobile phone on the market. The device has shown it is quite capable as a gaming console, as well as a platform for some pretty awesome travel applications.

One of the newest travel apps that seems to be catching a lot of attention is HearPlanet.

This application turns your iPhone into a location based talking tour guide. Based upon your location, you’ll see Wikipedia content for stuff around you, and you’ll be able to let the program read the information aloud for you.

So, next time you are standing next to the Golden Gate Bridge, or one of the thousands of other landmarks present in Wikipedia, you’ll be able to sit back and relax while your iPhone entertains you with useless trivia and other interesting facts.

HearPlanet is currently free in the Apple App Store (this week only), and will work on the iPhone 3G as well as the previous generation iPhone. Of course, only the most recent iPhone comes with GPS, so the previous generation will only be able to make a rough estimate of your current location.

(Via: TUAW)

Daily deal – 50% off everything in the Zagg InvisibleSHIELD store

My daily deal for today is a sweet 50% discount off anything you purchase in the Zagg.com online store. Zagg.com is where you’ll find the InvisibleSHIELD device protection film which provides a plastic barrier against damage to your devices.

The film is available for almost every popular mobile (smart) phone on the market, as well as for the iPod, gaming devices, GPS units and even watches.

Their product comes with a lifetime warranty, and the films start at about $15.

The Zagg store also sells several kinds of headphones and portable speakers (also included in the 50% off offer).

To get the discount, add your products to the online cart, and enter coupon code SHOWSP09 when you start the checkout process.

Daily deal – Kensington iPod and iPhone battery pack for $26.24 (after rebate)

My daily deal for today is for a product I reviewed last year. The Kensington Mini battery pack and charger for iPod and iPhone is (as the name implies), a portable backup battery pack for your iPod or iPhone.

The device can charge off any USB charger or USB port, and comes complete with a retractable miniUSB charging cable.

The battery pack can add up to about 30 hours of music playtime, 6 hours of video, or 3 hours of talk time. To start charging your device, you simply plug the battery pack into the dock connector of your iPod.

When I wrote my review, this product retailed for about $47. It has since come down in price, and is on sale at Buy.com for $36.24. The deal gets even sweeter once you apply the Kensington $10 rebate to your purchase.

The rebate form is valid for purchases made till January 11th, so don’t wait too long. Buy.com will ship the unit for free.

Daily deal – Shure I2C-MP noise isolating headset for $39.69

My daily deal for today is for the Shure I2C-MP stereo noise isolating headphones. These headphones combine passive noise isolating headphones with a microphone. The combination means you can use them on your regular MP3 player as well as a compatible mobile phone or smartphone.

They have been tested with the Apple iPhone and the Blackberry Curve, but should work on any phone with a 3.5mm stereo headset jack. If you plan to use these headphones on the “old” iPhone, you’ll need to order a headphone adapter, thanks to the silly recessed headphone jack design.

These headphones normally retail for a little over $100, but Amazon.com has them on clearance for just $39.96. Of course, at this low price there is a slight trade-off; they do not feature a call pickup/hangup button. This means you’ll have to reach for your phone to control the call.

Despite that minor detail, under $40 for a pair of Shure noise isolating headphones is quite a bargain. The advantage of noise isolating headphones is that they are very light, and they don’t require batteries to operate.

The headphones include a personal fit-kit consisting of several different earpieces and a nice Shure carrying case.

Remember, Amazon ships their own items for free (when over $25), and Amazon Prime members can get these headphones sent with 2-day shipping for free.