Daily deal – APC UPB10 battery pack for $14.95

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is the kind of product you should buy first, then decide whether you really need it.

The APC UPB10 is a small external Lithium-Ion battery pack suitable for charging most USB powered devices. This includes most Blackberry devices, iPod devices, the iPhone and almost every other smartphone on the market.

The device comes with a standard USB cable for charging off your PC or existing USB charger. To charge your device, you simply plug it into the UPB10 and let it do its work.

The 10Wh capacity of the battery is sufficient to fully charge most devices once or twice.

A device like this can be a true lifesaver, if you have ever found yourself stranded at an airport with a dead phone , or mid-flight with a dead iPod, you’ll learn to appreciate the ability to breathe some life back into your gadgets. Just remember to carry your USB cable wherever you go, or to buy a spare.

The UPB10 normally retails for about $50, but Frys.com has it on sale for just $14.95. Shipping is about $6 for most destinations, and lucky readers with a local Fry’s store can opt for in-store pickup to save the shipping costs.

Vomit bag becomes iPhone movie watching case

by Scott Carmichael on

In a design I can only describe as “why didn’t I think of that”, one enterprising airline passenger decided to turn the in-seat vomit bag into a simple iPhone movie case.

Forget $40 plastic cases with stands, this paper bag simply fits behind the seat table and provides an instant and easy way to watch your movies. The case is even “compatible” when the person in front of you reclines their seat.

Brilliant.

(Hodenmumps.to, via Engadget)

Public service announcement: stop using your iPhone 3G charger!

by Scott Carmichael on

Our friends at Engadget are reporting on a potentially dangerous situation with the charger included with the iPhone 3G. Apparently the prongs on the tiny Apple USB charger are prone to staying in your outlet when you unplug it, creating the kind of situation you’d rather avoid.

Apple.com has all the information you need, including where you can order a new charger. The replacements will be shipped out starting October 10th, which is also the date you’ll be able to walk into the local Apple store and leave with the new version. The defective charger was only included with the iPhone sold in the US, Mexico, Canada, Japan and various Latin American countries.

Apple strongly suggests that you cease using the charger, and simply use the included USB cable to charge your phone using your computer. Alternatively, you can use the previous generation charger (with the folding prongs) or almost any other generic USB charger.

Stay safe, and if you do happen to run into the problem described, be sure to disconnect the power before even thinking of trying to recover the broken prong from your outlet!

Gadling readers with an iPhone or iPod Touch?

by Scott Carmichael on

Our friends over at Engadget just let the world know that the mobile version of their site is now “iPhone friendler”.

In addition to the existing m.enagdget.com link, iPhone and iPod Touch users can view the site in an optimized version for their device by pointing Safari to i.engadget.com. The good news is, that this works for any site in our family, including Gadling!

If you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, and you’d like to keep up to date with the news posted on your favorite travel site when you are on the road (or in the bathroom), you can browse to i.gadling.go-vip.net.

While this may seem a little unfair to all the other mobile users out there, Engadget posted the statistics of visitors to the current mobile site, and it turns out that a whopping 95.9% of all mobile browsers came to the site using an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Now you have no excuse for not keeping up to date with the latest articles posted here!

Daily deal – Kensington MP3 car accessories up to 25% off

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is an assortment of Kensington MP3 car stereo accessories. These products come with a double whammy of discounts; Amazon has them on sale for up to 25% off, and Kensington will throw in a $10 or $15 rebate.

None of the products in this list have an integrated FM transmitter, so be sure to check whether your car stereo has a line-in jack. If you are looking for an affordable FM transmitter for your iPod, then check out this Kensington device, on sale for just $22 (was $64.97).

The rebates are valid until August 11th, and you can find the rebate form here.

As always, purchases over $25 ship for free, and no tax is charged in most states.

There are four different products included in this promotion: