Congratulations, Belkin — you’re the first third-party manufacturer to release official products for Apple’s (AAPL) Lightning connector port! Belkin on Monday released two Lightning-related products: A Lightning car charger to help iPhone fans keep their devices charged while driving and charge-and-sync dock that keeps the iPhone charged at home. Both products can be pre-ordered now for $29.99 each and are slated to ship in mid-November. Apple this month has scheduled a special seminar for third-party manufacturers that want to make Lightning-compatible products and more Lightning accessories will hit the market later this month after Apple officially certifies more OEMs.
Still waiting for Apple (AAPL) to stock up on more $19 Lightning cables? Earlier in the month, iPhone5Mod unveiled the first third-party Lightning cable and dock for $40. The same company announced today it will begin shipping third-party Lightning cables for half the price Apple is charging: $9.90 plus $4 shipping to U.S.. The China-made Lightning cables should have a cracked clone of the authentification chip that Apple embedded into its own cables. iPhone5Mod’s cables ship on November 3rd with up to 10 to 14 days for shipping and delivery. If you do choose to buy one of these cables, do keep in mind that the company is probably not going to be responsible for any malfunction or damage it may do to your iPhone 5. Apple is said to be preparing to brief third-party vendors on producing licensed Lightning cables in early November. A video of the $9.90 Lightning cable follows below.
Steve Jobs once said that touchscreen Macs wouldn’t make any sense because your arm would quickly become fatigued from holding it up in the air to poke the screen. So when Chinese company TMDTouch revealed its Zorro Macsk (that’s not a typo) that claimed to be capable of adding multitouch gestures to an iMac with mere plug and play functionality, my interest was piqued. Rather than add a touchscreen panel on top of the iMac, the Zorro Macsk uses infrared technology to track finger input. But does the $199 USB-powered accessory give the iMac a new lease on life? Read on for my full review.
Good news for shady third-party manufacturers: The security chip inside Apple’s (AAPL) Lightning cable may not be so tough to crack after all. A new analysis from the reverse engineering specialists at Chipworks shows that the Lightning does have a special chip that’s designed to implement security measures and thus thwart manufacturers’ ability to create cheap knockoffs. But as far as security chips go, the Lightning’s isn’t all that special as Chipworks found that its “security does not come close to the herculean approaches that are used in… today’s printer cartridges, but resembles the level of effort that cartridge manufacturers used to implement in the olden days.” More →
We don’t cover many iPhone cases, but when we do, they’re usually pretty awesome. Canopy’s “Sensus” case isn’t your typical drop-protecting case. The Sensus has capacitive touch sensors built into its back to provide extra finger controls. Basically, the case adds rear touchpad controls just like on Sony’s (SNE) PS Vita. And because the Sensus connects through the iPhone’s dock port, it doesn’t require any additional batteries. Canopy says the Sensus will even enhance common touchscreen tasks because it can free up the display from getting smudged all the time. Is a case with a rear touchpad the perfect solution to iPhone gaming? It could be.
Still don’t believe the iPad mini is on its way? It looks like several retailers disagree with you. AppleInsider has scooped up some blueprints from an Apple (AAPL) retailer detailing how iPad mini accessories should be displayed in stores. AppleInsider doesn’t know which store the blueprint comes from but does say that “the design shown in the illustration looks similar to in-store displays seen at major retailers such as Best Buy (BBY) or Target (TGT).” Current rumors suggest that Apple will officially unveil its smaller, 7.85-inch tablet by the end of the month. More →
It was only a matter of time before somebody managed to crack Apple’s (AAPL) Lightning cable. Apple’s new charging cable came under fire after it was discovered an authentification chip was embedded inside of it that prevented third-parties from easily making clones. A Chinese company claims it has successfully reverse engineered Apple’s cable with a new dock called the Flash Lightning Dock. The wiring on the third-party Lightning dock even glows when its charging or syncing, with the lights pulsing faster and slower depending on how much battery is left in an iPhone 5. iPhone5Mod is currently selling the dock and Lightning cable in a set for $40. A demonstration video follows below.
Motorola Mobility attempted to push its Webtop smartphone accessory with the DROID Bionic, RAZR, ATRIX and Photon smartphones earlier this year. Compatibility issues and a high price tag, however, ultimately led to poor sales. And late last week, the Google (GOOG)-owned device manufacturer confirmed to CNET that it has quietly killed off the accessory. Motorola’s Webtop software allowed select smartphones to be docked into a laptop-like accessory for access to a larger display and full keyboard.
Apple’s (AAPL) new Lightning cable isn’t easily cloned because it contains a special microchip that’s difficult to reverse-engineer. And according to iLounge, Apple has now changed its policies to only allow Apple-approved facilities to manufacture third-party Lightning connector accessories. iLounge’s source says Apple is planning a special seminar to take place in China this fall that interested parties must attend before they can begin producing and releasing Lightning accessories starting in November under the careful watch of Apple.
Nest Labs on Tuesday announced the next generation of its Learning Thermostat, a new device that is 20% slimmer than its predecessor and now compatible with 95% of low-voltage residential heating and cooling systems. The company also announced new software for the device that will be available to both new and existing customers. Software version 3.0 includes a variety of new features such as enhanced auto-away and auto-scheduling, broader mobile support and support for additional languages. The original Nest Learning Thermostat will have its price dropped to $229 until supplies run dry, while the second-generation Nest will be available online and from select retailers later this month for $249. Nest software version 3.0 will be available to existing customers by the end of Tuesday. The company’s press release follows below. More →
A quick survey of BGR readers last month showed that many people aren’t very happy about having to pay Apple (AAPL) $29 for an adapter that will allow their iPhone 5 to work with accessories featuring the older 30-pin dock port. But AppleInsider reports that Apple may be working on a more palatable solution to the adapter problem, as the company was granted “a patent covering a universal adapter for portable media players that affords, in one embodiment, the transmission of wireless data to any accessory.” More →
It appears iPhone 5 users looking to pick up a spare Lightning cable will have no choice but to pony up the $19 for one made by Apple (AAPL). Unlike the old 30-pin connector, it has been discovered by Double Helix Cables and AppleInsider that Apple’s new smaller cable has a special authentication chip embedded inside of it that prevents third-parties from duplicating it and making generic clones. In simple terms: don’t even bother picking up a cheaper knockoff Lightning cable because it probably won’t work.
