signal boosters

As phones, MP3 players, and other media devices continue to cram in every imaginable feature, the hope for decent built-in speakers seems dim in the foreseeable future. That means external speakers will be around for awhile, though they too are understandably under pressure to stay as portable as possible.

In many cases, that means they need to do some type of contortions to fit in a pocket or purse, not to mention costing more money than most people want to pay. That's where Insten's travel speaker system comes in: Not only does it fold up to a compact … Read more

These always sell out fast, so I'll cut right to the chase: Buy.com has the Black & Decker Pocket Power on sale for $10 shipped -- no rebates required.

This portable, rechargeable battery pack promises up to four hours of extra power for your mobile electronics: cell phones, iPods, digital cameras, etc. Just plug in your regular USB or AC charger and you've got juice. (On the plus side, that means no "tips" to manage, as with other portable chargers. However, it also means you have to bring along your power/USB cables.)

For 10 … Read more

Given how awful cell phone reception is in our area, it's doubtful that anyone would need a voice changer when conversations often sound like they're under water as it is. But outfits like Spyville never saw a situation that couldn't be subjected to some form of amateur espionage.

That must be why they thought up the Cell Phone Voice Changer, which is pretty much self-explanatory. We do admit that the choice of disguises did catch us off guard: "a duck, child, old man, or a robot," as related by OhGizmo.

What's most amusing about … Read more

Talk about serendipity. Just yesterday Crave posted items on workstation fitness equipment and manually cranked chargers, and now there's a product that combines both concepts.

This pedal-charging device from Japan is like the under-desk "Power Stepper" but does it one better: Not only will it fulfill the forced laborer's daily fitness quota, but Gizmodo says it will also produce enough electricity to power mobile phones, media players, or any number of other gadgets. Just don't let your taskmaster boss find out about it, or he may make battery levels part of your performance review.

Even if your telecom operator gives you cellular coverage all the way into the heart of a tropical rainforest, it won't mean a thing if your mobile phone runs out of power. Here's a product that will address that problem: the Hand-Crank USB Power Charger sold on the National Geographic online store.

If your mobile phone can be charged using USB, it'll probably work with this. The idea is simple--plug in your phone and start cranking. You'll probably work up a sweat just trying to get one call.

This device costs $39.95 and includes adapters … Read more

Usually it's phone headsets that feature switches that toggle between calls and music, but these headphones cater to the multi-tasking DJ instead.

The new series of oversized 'phones made by Boosted include in-line microphones and answer buttons for easy switching to answer calls, compatible with all MP3-playing handsets and media players while boasting of a "wide dynamic range with rumbling bass and low distortion," according to the company. Far more original, however, are their designs: The "Grande Headphones in Sashimi" look more like toddler toys than audio gear.

Regardless of all that, who could resist … Read more

One wonders what would become of iHome if Apple suddenly stopped making products. Sometimes it seems to have created a cottage industry all by itself with an endless supply of i-accessories, from lamps to bike speakers.

Its latest offering is the iP99, yet another alarm-clock radio dock with stereo drivers, remote, adjustable snooze function, and high-contrast but dimmable LCD, according to iLounge. Yet perhaps its most notable feature is the claim that it will block TDMA frequency interference and noise from the phone itself, something that may be irritatingly familiar to those who have been in the vicinity of one … Read more

Believe it or not, instead of hanging that Hello Kitty charm on your mobile phone, you could actually put something useful there. That point was made with the Triforce stylus featured earlier this week, and now there's another one--the USB Smart Cable.

It may not have as much personality as the mouthless cat, but this lanyard from USB Geek can charge a mobile phone using its USB connector so you won't have to worry about running out of juice as long as there's a free port nearby. It also has a microSD slot that works as a … Read more

Cell phones and smartphones increasingly rely on microSD media for added storage. A 2GB card would let you carry a few ripped movies, about 500 MP3s, loads of photos, countless documents, and so on. SuperMediaStore.com has a PQI 2GB microSD card on sale for just $8.99. No rebates, free shipping, beat that.

The card comes with a fairly important extra: an SD adapter so you can use it with the vast majority of media-card readers (few of which have microSD slots). It even comes in a retail package, so it qualifies for PQI's lifetime warranty. Pretty sweet … Read more