Accessories

These tiny wireless earbuds pack an MP3 player, a versatile fitness tracker and much more

Ever since the iPod's heyday a decade ago, I was been wondering whether Apple in its pursue of miniaturization might eventually come around engineering an iPod shuffle of sorts that would be entirely embedded inside the firm's In-Ear Headphones.

But as Apple hit the brake on iPod innovation amid rise of the iPhone, my dreams have remained mere wishful thinking — up until now. A German company called Bragi has created a tiny earbuds that contain an embedded MP3 player, a comprehensive fitness tracker and a host of other features.

New noise-cancelling headphones from Philips draw power from Lightning port

As The Verge reported Thursday, Consumer electronics maker Philips took the wraps off its new on-ear headphones that don't have a built-in battery, instead drawing power from the Lightning port of an iOS device.

The Fidelio NC1L features noise-cancelling technology which uses four different microphones to suppress background noise. Audio quality is improved further thanks to the use of Philips's own integrated 24-bit digital-to-analog converter instead of the one built into iOS devices.

CES 2015: upgraded Flir One thermal imager has 4x resolution, works with any Lightning iOS device

This time last year at at CES in Las Vegas, the world’s first private thermal imager, the Flir One, was announced and released six months later in the form of a case that slides onto an iPhone 5/5s. And now at CES 2015, a much improved version got unveiled which works with any Lightning-enabled iOS device and Android smartphones via USB.

Additionally, a Flir One software developer kit (SDK) was released in December for the iOS platform.

Android developers will gain access to the SDK in the Spring. Both iOS and Android editions of the Flir One SDK will let programmers write apps which access absolute temperature data for all pixels and control the camera’s shutter mode, in both manual and automatic settings.

CES 2015: Incipio’s new Prompt Folio iPad case has a built-in display for notifications

Incipio announced a unique new case for Apple's iPad Air tablet at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas today. The case, which it's calling the Prompt Notification Folio, features a built-in OLED screen for discreetly delivering notifications from a connected device.

The Folio connects to "most smart devices" using Bluetooth Low Energy, and is capable of displaying incoming phone calls, emails, text messages, calendar appointments, low battery alerts, and more. Battery life for the case falls between 7-10 days per complete charge.

Apple Watch set to launch in March, says new report

Apple is planning to launch its Apple Watch within the next month or two, according to a new report from 9to5Mac. The site's Mark Gurman says that the company is finishing up work on the wearable's software, and sources familiar with the project say it's on track to begin shipping in the US by the end of March.

ZAGG offering 20% off everything sitewide this week

Folks who picked up a new smartphone or tablet over the holidays, or are just in the market for some new accessories, will want to visit ZAGG's online store this week. From now through January 9th, the manufacturer is offering 20% off of everything sitewide.

ZAGG makes a wide variety of products for both iOS and Android devices, including headphones, cases and of course the InvisibleShield screen protectors. It also has a line of highly regarded tablet keyboards, which will see significant discounts during this promo.

CES 2015: Mophie out with Juice Pack battery cases for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

Renowned accessory maker Mophie is out of the gate with the first 'Made for iPhone' licensed battery cases for Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Their new Juice Pack protective battery cases promise to boost the run time of your iPhone 6 by 120 percent, or up to sixty percent in the case of the larger iPhone 6 Plus which already packs a notably stronger battery than its 4.7-inch sibling.

The California-based company said the new cases for Apple's last handsets are now available for pre-order.

CES 2015: Moshi launches AirPlay speaker with eye-candy cabinet design

Moshi, the maker of premium accessories and peripherals for Apple devices, announced today at CES in Las Vegas a gorgeously crafted wireless speaker with built-in support for AirPlay, a media streaming technology from Apple.

Because AirPlay is directly supported by the Spatia speaker hardware, as Moshi is marketing its new product, you can stream music from an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Mac to the speaker without being connected to a home Wi-Fi router.

Fitbit Charge HR, Surge now available for $149/$249

Can't wait for the Apple Watch to track your health? Fitbit announced the availability of the Charge HR and Surge on Tuesday, after unveiling the products last October.

The Charge HR, available from Fitbit's website for $149, is a heart rate tracker on the wrist, with an OLED screen, an exercise mode, Caller ID, automatic sleep detection, and a water resistant design with 5 days of battery life. It's available in plum, black, blue, or tangerine.

CES 2015: AT&T unveils LTE case for Wi-Fi iPads

If you ever wanted to buy a cellular iPad but couldn't wrap your head around forking out an extra $130 for LTE functionality, AT&T has you covered.

Here at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the #2 U.S. wireless carrier announced a new case that gives Wi-Fi-only iPads the ability to connect to its high-speed 4G LTE network.

It's basically a case with an integrated mobile LTE hotspot and it's available in several editions, including versions for the iPad Air and iPad Air 2, as well as all three generations of the iPad mini.