iPhone apps are getting more and more niche all the  time. Dynamic Controls, a company that specializes in wheelchair control units, unveiled an iPhone app that lets wheelchair users control their electronic wheelchairs via an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Dynamic Controls unveiled the new iPhone app at the RECHARGE conference in Germany, which is a trade show for the special needs community. As you can see by the pictures above, the app displays various information like speed and heading, and allows the wheelchair user to adjust various settings on the chair, like the seating angle.

The iPhone will connect to the wheelchair via Bluetooth, IR or WiFi, or through computer mouse control. A ‘chair doctor’ feature will diagnose any problems with the wheelchair and report it to the user, as well. The app also features web access to Dynamic Controls’ website, which will feature news that appeals to wheelchair users. Remember, with the full power of an iPhone, a wheelchair user would also be free to surf other websites if they didn’t want to read about advancements in pro-grip wheelchair wheels.

Dynamic is selling an optional attachment that will secure the iPhone to the wheelchair. Dynamic’s control units will also allow for iPhones to charge off of the wheelchair’s battery. The application can be used with any existing Dynamic Controls wheelchair unit and any 3G iPhone. The iPhone app is set to be released in April of 2010.

If you wanted to get your hands on a Barnes & Noble Nook eBook reader but didn’t order one yet and decided to get a better price during the holiday season, we have some bad news. Apparently the pre-orders for the Nook have exceeded all expectations (who would’ve thought) and the Kindle-competitor has now run out of stock with forthcoming models being promised to ship only next year, around January 4th.

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Samsung has added to their portable media player collection with the new Samsung YP-R0 that has been officially unveiled today in South Korea. Available in two models with either 4GB or 8GB of storage, the device is nothing but a standard PMP that we hear launching every day, yet it tries to stand out with a 2.6-inch color LCD screen, a microSDHC memory card for expansion (up to 16GB) and an integrated RDS FM radio.

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It’s not all pink in the GPS business, hence why the folks from Magellan would like to better secure their seats by announcing a new iPhone GPS app that would offer users, turn-by-turn navigation. Dubbed Magellan RoadMate 2010, the new application not only tells when and where to take a left, there’s also lane guidance, spoken navigation cues, a pedestrian mode for when you’re looking for a good espresso and a “find your car” option that could prove useful after a long night with the buds and a few gallons of whiskey.

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If you love the idea of giving dictation so that someone else can type for you later, this device may be on interest to you. It may also be of interest if you want to record your weekly podcast while you are stuck in traffic. Either way, since we all know that size matters, how about you try out the USB Dictaphone.

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Have you ever needed a quick charge for your iPhone while you were nowhere near an outlet? For example, when you are in the middle of an interstate drive? If so, then iPetals will be your next handy tool. A new device designed for the green minded, the iPetals allows you to charge your iPhone on the go. All it needs is sun, so imagine all that free power, in a device small enough to slip into your purse.

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When it comes to getting the web on your DSi, any early adopter can tell you that it is sluggish at best. Sure, the photo integration with Facebook is a lot of fun, but basic tasks like checking your Gmail account can often fail because the processor is just too slow to handle anything serious. Don’t even try to watch a You Tube video, like you can on your iPod. Well, at least don’t try until the new Nintendo DSi is being upgraded with NVIDIA’s new Tegra 2 processors.

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Innovative Converged Devices have confirmed that they are set to release what they term as a ‘low cost’ tablet in 2010 in the form of the ICD Vega Tablet which as well as running Android 2.0 – the same OS as the Motorola Droid, incidentally – will also feature Nvidia’s Tegra chipset.
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Sanyo announced a brand new power source crafted especially for our mobile needs. The Eneloop Stick Booster is a device that can be used to charge most mobile gadgets like cell phones, MP3 players and others. As you can see the stick booster is pretty portable and it can be taken almost anywhere as it is ready to offer that extra energy boost your gadgets require.

The Eneloop Stick Booster will charge all your devices that can sport an USB connection. The charger has an aluminum body, a diameter of less than 2 cm and it weighs only 76g with batteries installed. Yes, the stick has batteries inside. These are eneloop batteries that can be recharged about 1,500 times and they are capable of charging various mobile devices “more easily than dry cells as they deliver a steady high current.”

The Eneloop Stick Booster can charge various mobile phones, portable game units, personal audio devices, PMPs, and yes, it can recharge the iPhone too. The Eneloop can add about up to 90 minutes of extra life to your favorite gadgets and you should remember to always pack it with you when you’re travelling.

The stick will be available on December 1 in Japan and the package will contain two AA eneloop batteries which can be replaced by any other regular rechargeable batteries. In fact, if you want to offer more than 90 minutes of life to your mobile phone, you can always pack more batteries. There’s no price available for the Eneloop Stick Charger yet and we don’t know what other markets are going to get this Sanyo product at this point.

Since we’re speaking of the Eneloop brand you’ll have to know that Sanyo has quite a few other products that can help you get the power you need. Gadgets like the Eneloop Solar Charger, the Eneloop Solar Light or the Eneloop Portable Solar power generator are also available to suit your energy needs and Sanyo is probably working on more Eneloop devices as we speak.

Officially announced at the Mobile World Congress back in February, the tiny Garmin Nuvifone M20 has made its debut in stores this summer running Windows Mobile 6.1. Time has passed and the handset which was slated as the “GPS that can make phone calls” has now been upgraded to run the newly introduced Windows Mobile 6.5, with all M20 owners eligible for a free upgrade.

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ViewSonic have officially announced their new MovieBook PMP which they bill as being an ‘all-in-one entertainment content solution for HD videos, music, photos, ebooks and more’ and which, aside from sporting a 4.3” 720p HD capable high resolution TFT Active Matrix LCD display also offers PC and TV connectivity allowing you to view HD content via televisions and monitors whilst not out and about.
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There’ still room in the eReader market or at lest the folks from Dulin’s Book — an upstart independent ereader reseller from the Pacific NW — think so, otherwise they wouldn’t have announced two new models for the US market. Dubbed Dulin PocketBook 360 and PocketBook 301+, both models feature multi-language support and will start shipping in about two weeks.

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If you’re not thrilled witht the typical 1920 x 1080 resolution in a projector these days and you’re dreaming of a cinema hall where they usually project movies at a much higher 4096 x 2160 you’re in luck as the Japanese from Epson have announced that they’ve come up with a breakthrough technology that allows them to actually build the world’s first 4K-compatible high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) TFT liquid crystal panel for 3LCD projectors.

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TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington’s first dive into the gadget business may end up badly after his budget tablet, the CrunchPad has been hit by higher-than-expected costs and delayed. The project which started as a “dead simple” web tablet was initially supposed to cost close to $200, but after seeing a prototype in action Arrington has annoucned that a sub-$300 price-point would be more feasible. Where here we are now, with analysts in Sillicon Valley feating the the Crunchpad may have found itself in front of a dead end.

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Folks from Peek Inc, a mobile device company headquartered in New York, have come up with the world’s first dedicated Twitter device. Seeing the potential behind one of the most hyped social networks today, the company have released TwitterPeek, a device that allows you to read and write tweets on the go, replies and retweets, sends direct messages and download followers directly from your account.

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It’s not long since they’ve announced the new Android 2.0 Eclair and rumors already have it that Google plans on taking the mobile world by a storm with a new navigation application that will offer voice-guided, real-time, turn-by-turn navigation for free.

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Dell is obviously not happy with the fact that the Taiwanese from Acer have kicked them off from the second place slot in the world’s PC manufacturer rankings, hence why, as of late, they’re doing everything possible to get media attention. If last week Michael Dell broke it that the company is actually going to bring their Android smartphone to the US, today we caught wind that all those Dell MID rumors are actually true and that the Dell Streak is real.

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With all the applications for mobile phones, it’s pretty hard to choose a GPS navigator to keep you on track. However if you’re in for a new model, Garmin have just announced their latest nuvi 1450 personal navigation device. Boasting a large 5-inch touchscreen display that does 480 x 272 resolutions, the new Garmin nuvi 1450 offers map details, driving directions and photos in bright, brilliant colors.

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Having initially reported that the Android powered Archos 5 internet tablet have been made available via Amazon (see: Archos 5 Internet Tablet Hits Amazon [32GB & 160GB Android Powered Archos Shipping, 500GB Model Available to Pre-Order]) and then following up to confirm that Amazon had duly pulled the 160GB Archos 5 (see: Archos 5 Internet Tablet 160GB Model Pulled by Amazon [A Problem with the Archos 5’s Listing, or an Issue with the Archos 5 Itself?]) reports concerning the new Firmware 1.1.01 update appear to confirm that the instability issues users were seeing with the Android Archos 5 may be (in the most part) addressed.
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At the beginning of the month we featured Joby’s latest development of its exceedingly popular Gorillapod flexible camera tripod, namely the iPhone/iPod Touch friendly Gorillamobile, but we passed over another development of its flexible ‘attach to anywhere’ ball and socket based tripod, the LED Joby Gorillatorch, which promises hands free illumination making it ideal for those fiddly jobs around the home where working one handed whilst holding a traditional torch is less than ideal.
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Flip Video have acted to cement their somewhat elevated position in the pocket ‘YouTube’ camcorder market with the introduction of the 2^nd Generation Flip MinoHD, or premium Flip MinoHD as they bill it, which serves to build upon the phenomenal success of the 1^st Gen Flip MinoHD by offering increased onboard storage capacity as well as a cool, brushed aluminium body – though, of course, you still have the option of personalising it with an array of designs offered via the Flip website should the brushed aluminium not quite do it for you.
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If the Celltronix VR1 Recordable Bluetooth Headset we featured yesterday doesn’t quite float your boat, and you’re on the lookout for a new or replacement Bluetooth headset, the just announced Jabra Arrow Bluetooth headset may be of interest to you.
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In mind of the sheer number of Bluetooth headsets out their it takes something particularly special for a new Bluetooth headset to distinguish itself from the crowd, but the new Celltronix VR1 Recordable Bluetooth Headset manages just this in having the distinction of being the first Bluetooth headset to offer digital recording capabilities.
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What with e-Book readers being hot news right now, LG Display’s announcement that they have developed a solar powered e-Book reader that, thanks to the integration of a solar cell measuring in at a mere 0.7 millimetres in thickness (less than a credit card) and weighing just 20 grams, can provide enough power within 4-5 hours of sunlight exposure to power the book for an entire day’s reading was sure to get especially wide coverage.
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On Friday we offered our US based readers insight as to Amazon listing both the 32GB and 160GB Android powered Archos 5 as available to purchase whilst advising that user feedback is, at best, varied (and, at worse, pretty damning) and now, interestingly, it would appear that Amazon have ceased offering the 160GB Archos 5, instead offering up a notice stating that the item is ‘under review’.
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What you see in the picture here is a very portable and very universal charger. Made by Charge4All, the Charging Travel Folio is the perfect solution for those people that are always on the go and have lots of gadgets to carry around. In fact, if you’re planning to attend CES 2010 for example, you should already consider adding one of these Travel Folios to your wish list for Christmas.
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If you’re in the market for a new GPS navigation system and you’re looking for rather more functionality than is offered by the likes of the TomTom Start – though, admittedly, the price difference between the two make direct comparison wholly unjust – then you may be interested in the Garmin Nuvi 1690 GPS Navigation System which, if you’re US based, you’ll be pleased to know has just commenced shipping stateside.
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If you’ve been holding out in order to get your hands on the Android powered Archos 5 Internet Tablet since we first brought you initial details back at the beginning of September you’ll be pleased to know that both the 32GB and 106GB capacity versions are now shipping from Amazon – though, it has to be said, customer feedback varies widely.
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It’s not every day that we see a gigantic charger like the one in the picture here. And when we do spot one like this Super Charger we definitely have to show it to you especially if its sole purpose is to charge the iPhone 3G and 3GS.
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We’ve seen solar power hitting the consumer electronics market pretty extensively of late, especially but not limited to reserve phone power packs, and now, should you reside stateside and hanker to embrace more by way of eco-friendly, free energy courtesy of our star and you’re in the market for a new Bluetooth headset, you’ll doubtless find the new i.Tech SolarVoice 908 Solar Bluetooth Headset of particular interest.
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