As you can see, instead of using detachable tips, this charge and sync cable uses a centipede-like configuration – a micro-USB connector attached to a mini-USB connector attached to an Apple 30-pin connector. You just have to pop up the connector you need, while keeping the connector(s) behind it plugged in to keep the cable complete.

The cable measures about 30″ when fully extended and about 4″ when fully retracted. You can order it from USB Fever for $12 (USD).

[via Get USB]

The audio system comes in two versions called the UX-VJ5 and the UX-VJ3. The two share the same key features, most notably the space to dock and charge your iPhone and iPad at the same time.Both have video out and audio inputs, and have an AM/FM tuner built in. The only difference between the two versions is a CD player and a USB port. The VJ5 has a CD player behind where the iPad sits and a USB port for external digital audio files. The VJ5′s CD player will play MP3 and WMA files on disc as well.

Power output for the system is 15W per speaker. You can get the docks in several colors including green, white, black, and red. Pricing is unknown at this time and the audio systems will hit Japan first.

[via Akihabara News]

The 100 solar panels wired to the exterior of the handbag generate about 2 watts of power; not enough to charge tablets or smartphones, but Diffus is optimistic that they’ll be able to double or triple that in the near future as solar technology improves. One other neat touch that the handbag has is that it has fiber optic cables inside that light up when the bag is opened, providing illumination.

The handbag is expected to go on sale soon, although I don’t know for how much. It’s probably going to be expensive, but that’s always the case with groundbreaking products. The important thing is for designs like this to flourish to help make green products an everyday presence, not just limited to concepts or used in special conditions.

[via eCouterre via Geeky Gadgets]

They don’t specify what kind of material is used, but from my experience, electricity and water don’t really mix well together so it will be interesting to find out what will happen when it rains on this backpack. For $800, they’ll probably have used something to insulate the electrical components from the elements.

The solar panel produces 3W of power, and it stores collected energy in a 2200mAh battery unit so that you can juice up your gizmos. In full sun, it takes about four hours to charge the battery pack. Honestly, for $800, I’ll keep my current backpack.

[via CrunchGear]

I bet that there are lots of you out there who would forget to plug in too. A company called HaloIPT has announced an induction-based system it is developing that will be able to charge an EV without needing wires.

The thing has a pad on the floor of your garage and a pad under the car. All you have to do is park and the power will stream wirelessly over a gap of up to 400mm. I wonder how accurate your parking has to be, my wife can’t get any closer than a foot to the same spot in the garage each day. It could be a problem for her and others with similar parking skills, if you need to be dead on for it to work.

The HaloIPT system should will be ready for demos in the real world by 2012.

The TruePower UCS Power Outlet With Built in USB Ports is available pre-order at FastMac for $10 (USD). It’s currently waiting on final UL Approval before they ship early next year.

[via Gizmodo]

The outlets are widely spaced so that even the bulkiest of adapters won’t block the other outlets (the 3rd outlet is on the other side. I think.), and it plugs it into itself when not in use, eliminating cable clutter. Measuring only  1.8″ x 2.25″ x 4.75″ and weighing a scant 6 oz., it’s a nice accessory for the traveling techie. You can buy the Outlets To Go power strip with USB port at Radio Shack for only $25 USD.

The pocket-sized solar charger has a built in 1600mAh battery pack that can juice up to full capacity in about 8 hours of full sun, or about 3 hours when connected to your computer’s USB port. A color-coded ring lights up in red to indicate that your Xbox 360 has died the battery drinking in solar energy, and glows blue as it drains.

Just plug your cell phone, game console, media player or digital camera into either the Freeloader’s USB port or connect one of the ten included adapters and you can operate your gadgets directly off the Freeloader Pro’s battery or use it to charge up your gadget’s internal power source. The kit also includes the CamCaddy, which lets you easily charge up digital camera and camcorder battery packs in a jiffy.

The Freeloader Pro solar charger ships in June and is available for pre-order over at UK gadget shop I Want One of Those for £69.99 (appx. $97 USD).

Just plug your gadgets into this handy hand crank charger and get to cranking. The SUPERBattery from Datexx lets you juice up your electronic gadgets anywhere, anytime by harnessing the power of your arm strength.

In emergency hand crank mode, the SUPERBattery should give you about 2 minutes of talk time on your phone for every 6 minutes of cranking. My arm is getting tired just thinking about it, but it is probably a good idea to keep something like this in your emergency kit if you go camping or even in the back of your car – just in case you run yourself off the road this Winter. As an added bonus, the SUPERBattery includes a built-in flashlight, just in case you’re stuck in the dark.

Of course if you’re not in an crisis situation, can pre-charge the SUPERBattery with the included AC adapter, giving your devices up to 4 hours of juice on a single charge. The kit includes a hand-cranked 600mA rechargeable battery pack, and adapters for over 1,200 different mobile devices including media players, cell phones and handheld video games.

You can find these over at Compact-Impact for just under $30 USD.

Brando even prepared a helpful diagram, as though you couldn’t figure out which cable matched its gaming system. What they don’t tell us is whether or not you can plug them all in at once. You know you want to, but the result might form into our new gaming robot overlord and seize control of the universe. Who wants to risk that?

But then again, the cable’s only $7.00, so it might just explode, taking all your devices (and your computer) with it.

[Brando's 7-in-1 cable via DSF]

Bluelounge’s appropriately named The Sanctuary gives all of your portable electronics a single, tidy home that they can live in when you’re done running around for the day. Just set your gadgets on the reversible scratch-free surface, plug ‘em into the charging connectors, and you’re set.

Instead of trying to cram a bunch of factory chargers under the hood, Sanctuary provides a single charging bay and an arsenal of connectors which let you plug in just about any combination of devices you can think of. There’s also a USB connector for charging gadgets without proprietary connectors too.

In all, the $130 Sanctuary box provides connections for over 1500 gadgets, including phones, media players, portable gaming systems, digital cameras, PDAs and more. To see if your device can be charged by The Sanctuary, check out the compatibility chart here. It even comes in both 110-volt and 220-volt versions, so it should work in most parts of the world with no problems.

You can find The Sanctuary over at Charles & Marie (which just happens to be one of my favorite places to find really cool gifts online – be sure to check out their other wares when you drop by).

The Greenhouse Eneplug may look like the decapitated end of a standard 110v AC plug, but instead of a power cord, there’s a USB jack. Simply plug in your rechargeable portable gadgets, and you’ll be charging them in no time. They come in a variety of colors and can handle any device that charges at the standard USB power level of 5VDC at 0.6A.

At this point, the Eneplug is available only in Japan, and priced at ¥980 (appx. $10 USD).

[via FarEastGizmos]

The charging station lets you charge up to three mobile gadgets at once, and can be even be wall mounted with just a couple of screws. It’s got plenty of room for AC adapters, cables and up to a 10-inch power strip (not included) hidden behind its sliding front door.

The box measures 13″L x 3.75″D x 5″H and the slots can hold most mobile phones, PDAs, media players and other small electronic devices. It’s available in solid white, black and dark blue finishes from KangaRoom, and retails for $40.

The new Griffin PowerDock will come in both a two-dock ($50) and a four-dock ($70) model, and they should support all iPods with a 30-pin dock connector. Expect the quad version to ship this April, and the dual to hit in June.

If you’re looking for a multiple dock with a stereo built in, be sure to check out the forthcoming JVC NX-PN7 dual dock sound system.

[via Crave]

Unlike most iPod docking stereos, Lars & Ivan’s PA-40Ti Hybrid iPod Dock skips the built-in speakers, and instead gives you 40 watts of stereo amplification that can power speakers of your choosing. While your iPod gets a cozy place to sit, the dock provides charging, USB connectivity and video output. The amp has additional inputs for your other devices (RCA stereo only, no digital), and offers a pre-amp out for a subwoofer.

You can find the Lars & Ivan Hybrid iPod Dock at Belgium’s designgadgets for €233,00 (appx. $342 USD).

The charger bracelet straps around your wrist and provides supplemental power to you portable gear when you’re on the road. While it may look a bit silly, it’s actually a pretty useful concept. Just pre-charge the bracelet using your USB port, and wear it on your arm. When your gadget is on its last breath, plug it in, and you’re ready to go.

Gamers will get an additional 15 to 20 hours of play time on the DS Lite, and about 3.5 to 4.5 hours extra on the battery-hog PSP. While the adapters for the Nintendo DS Lite and Sony PSP will definitely come in handy outside of Japan, most of the other devices it works with are more region-specific (like DoCoMo and SoftBank phones).

If you don’t mind looking a little bit goofy, you can pick one up from Thanko for ¥4,980 (appx. $43 USD).

[via QJ.net]

Vessel’s $249 Luau portable lamp works indoors or out, and provides illumination equivalent to a 50-watt light bulb. If you prefer some mood lighting, it’s also dimmable. The lamp’s design incorporates a nifty carrying handle, so it’s easy to pick up and take with you.

A high-efficiency LED light source means you can go for anywhere from 6 to 10 hours on a single charge. When you’re back from your outdoor excursion, simply dock it back on its charging base, and it can continue to be used as a indoor lamp.

The Universal USB Charger Cable can charge the Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, iPod or any device that supports USB charging, all with a single cable. While I don’t know if that makes it truly “universal,” it does handle a pretty wide variety of portable gadgets. You can’t charge multiple devices at the same time, but it’s still more convenient than carrying separate chargers for all of these devices.

The cable costs about $28, and for an additional $21 you can add on USB wall charger that lets you use the cable without any computer at all.

According to the company, the iPhone will offer the following battery life, depending on your use:

• Phone talk time: 8 hours
• Video playback: 7 hours
• Internet surfing: 6 hours
• Audio playback: 24 hours (wow!)
• Phone standby time: 250 hours

All of these figures improve dramatically over early rumors that the iPhone would suffer from sub-par battery life. Assuming these hold up in real world applications, most of the numbers are downright impressive, especially the 24 hour audio playback. As is always the case with battery life stats, YMMV.

In case you’ve been living under a very large rock, the iPhone will hit Apple and AT&T Stores at 6pm on June 29th, and I’m sure some über-Apple-geeks (and eBay capitalists) will start lining up any day now.

The just-released Philips AJ300D looks like it will fit the bill nicely. It’s got a clean, stylish design with a built-in iPod charge and play dock (it also works with Philips GoGear players).

For a clock radio, it’s capable of cranking out the volume, with a 6-watt per channel amplifier and Philips “wOOx” loudspeaker technology for enhanced low-frequency performance. It even comes with a nice remote control that lets you adjust volume and change radio stations. Street price for the AJ300D is about $80.