Charge Card, The Credit Card Sized Charging Cable.

Charge Card $25. Ever have this happen? I have. You take your phone & your laptop on the road and you go to charge it, you realize you forget the connecting cable! Thanks to the new Charge Card, you’ll have a spare cable in your wallet. Yes, Charge Card looks and feels like a credit card, and it can fit into your wallet. When you find you need that missing cable, you plug one end of the Charge Card into your device (there are three versions) unfold the USB dongle and plug into your computer, or AC adapter. It becomes that missing cable. The Charge Card is available for iPhone 4 or 5 and for Android phones (or any phone) that charge via micro USB. And in case you’re wondering, Charge Card charges and syncs too. This was a Kickstarter project that exceeded its goal by triple digits, so it’s something people want. It ships in February and is available in black or white for $25. There is an offer to Tweet about ChargeCard and get a discount, but I don’t know how long that will last, or how big the discount is. (This was written on 1/21/2013)

www.chargecardproject.com

My phone case is louder than your phone case.

SmartSound Case is the first smartphone case that provides passive amplification of the sound from the phone’s speakers without a need for an external power source. (No power is required from your phone either.) When you open up the kickstand, the sound is instantly amplified by the stand which acts like a horn speaker. The SmartSound Case is crafted out of durable injection-molded PC, which makes it strong and lightweight. It’s crafted to keeping all ports and buttons of your device easily accessible. The texture of the matte surface of the case is smooth to the touch while providing a solid grip. The case I showed on the air isn’t the final design, which will be along in February or March. I (and a couple of others I did a demo for) found that in the open position, the sound is improved by perhaps 10 or 15%. So it’s not a knock out improvement, but you can hear the difference. Perhaps the final design will improve it even more. SmartCase is certainly worth considering when you consider you’re getting a protective case, a stand for your phone and the horn speaker all for under $40. (As of this writing, 1/21/13) They’ve even put a reflector in the case to make your phone’s flash a little more potent. Cases are phone specific. I have the one for Samsung Galaxy 3. More info at what’s available is at the company website:

http://www.smartsoundcase.com/

Like magic - the Targus Touch Pen For Windows 8 Can Make Your Non-touch Screen, Touchable.

Did you buy, or are you thinking of buying Windows 8. Maybe you can’t make up your mind because you don’t have a touch screen laptop? Well the not-yet-released Targus Touch Pen for Windows 8 could be a help for you. It converts a regular laptop screen into a touch screen device. I got to play with the new device a bit at the Digital Experience at CES. (By the way, if you are thinking of upgrading to Windows 8, the introductory pricing ends on January 31, 2012.) It’s been widely written that Windows 8 really works best with a touch screen, so the Targus Touch Pen could let you use your current non-touch-screen laptop until you decide to move up to a new touch screen model. The Targus spokesperson showed me the easy set-up. The kit contains two devices. A small receiver that attaches magnetically to the side of any laptop display up to 17”, and the Touch Pen. The pen looks like a fountain pen, but the tip is very much like a paintbrush. It has soft bristles designed to be safely used on computer screens. Once the receiver is on the screen, it only has to be calibrated once, which is done by tapping the Touch Pen on all four corners of the screen. There are no drivers required, it’s plug and play. The receiver gets its power via a USB connection to your laptop. When I tried the touch pen I found that most of the time it moved things around the screen correctly. Once is a while I had to repeat a stoke before the screen responded. Since the Targus Touch Pen won’t be out for a few months, these are pre-production models, so minor missteps can happen. It's expected to ship in the spring and will retail for about $100, well $99.99. (I assume once it’s in wide distribution, discounts will be available.) There’s more info at the company website:

http://targus.com/US/productdetail.aspx?regionId=7&sku=AMD002US

This caught my fancy at CES. And it cost under $100 compared to the thousands for the 4K TV's!

Do you find when you want to take a photo with your Smartphone it’s easy to accidentally hit the wrong button and end up going out of photo mode? I have that problem, especially when I’m in a hurry. There’s a neat solution coming. It’s called Snappgrip and it’s a smartphone case with removable camera controls. The Snappgripp controller gives your smartphone the feel of a real camera when you’re in a picture-taking mode. It adds a physical shutter button with a half-press to focus function; zoom in-and-out buttons and an 8-position shooting mode selector. It comes with its own phone case and simply detaches from the Snappgrip case when you're done taking photos. It’s compact enough to carry easily when not in use. There are different versions for both the Apple iPhone 4, 4S & 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S3. The Snappgrip companion app is a free download from the iOS app store or Google Play. Your smartphone communicates with the Snappgrip controller via a Bluetooth. The base of the Snappgrip controller features a tripod screw mount. And there's a micro-USB port for charging the internal battery. Standby time in typical use is 60 hours. Right now it’s a Kickstarter product, so you should be able to buy one by pledging about $60 US. (That can change quickly as people pledge money.) Retail will be about $99. Get more details here:

http://www.snappgrip.com/snappgrip/

Now your phone charging cable can also be a high-tech stand!

Here’s a USB charging cable that can multi-task! The Une Bobine is a flexible and eclectic stand, sync, and charge cable for iPhone and Android. It’s a clever idea. Take a charging cable and wrapp it in a flexible, metal coil heavy enough to support the weight of the phone. That means your charging cable becomes a unique dock, stand, and tripod. Une Bobine comes in versions for both iPhone (30 Pin and new iPhone5 cable) and Micro USB. There’s a 2 foot long Une Bobine and a 1 foot long Petite Bobine. So now you can replace your traditional dock and charger with a charger cable/stand that can be positioned for whatever you like. Place your phone at eye level for video calls and FaceTime. Use it in the kitchen to hold your phone for recipe viewing. Or use it to hold your phone steady for photography and videography. It’s also great when you want to use your phone for viewing movies on a desk, or a snack tray aboard an airplane. Une Bobine was originally a Kickstarter Crowd Funding Project. The original goal was a sum of $10,000. They had $212,265 pledged! Une Bobine for iPhone or MicroUSB: $30. Petite Bobine for iPhone or MicroUSB: $28.

www.fusechicken.com

 Here’s info on the Original Kickstarter Project Page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fusechicken/une-bobine-for-people-who-love-iphone