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Mophie cuts the price on the Juice Pack Boost and Powerstation, raises the battery capacity
Most companies here at IFA figured if they were going to haul it all the way to Berlin, they might as well unveil their products on a stage -- you know, with some prepared remarks, a press release and maybe some disco music to get people pumped (okay, we haven't been subjected to that yet). But not Mophie. The company has a habit of releasing its products quietly, demonstrating its unannounced wares in plain sight. That's how we happened upon the newest versions of its Juice Pack mobile chargers, the Boost, Powerstation and Reserve. Of the three, the latter got the biggest makeover, with a more compact shape and a pop-out USB connector that's attached to a plastic cable. As a result of that diet, though, it now has a battery capacity of 700mAh, not 1,000mAH, although its price is about to go up to $35 from $30. The good news is that Mophie lowered its prices for the other two, all while expanding the battery capacity. The Powerstation now has a 4,000mAh battery and costs $80 (down from $100) while the Boost is rated for 2,000mAh and costs $49.95 (a $10 price cut). In case you're interested in this sort of thing, we've got hands-on photos below, and Mophie says the lot will hit the Apple Store in about two weeks. %Gallery-132566%
Samsung shows off line of Galaxy S accessories, uses Fascinate to model them
Now that Samsung's managed to deploy the Galaxy S far and wide across the globe (though we're still waiting for that Epic 4G and Fascinate, ahem), it's apparently high time for the company to start turning these bad boys into an ongoing revenue stream with a line of first-party accessories that should keep our pocketbooks empty for months to come. Pricing and carrier availability are still an open question, but all told, they're announcing a desktop dock that pairs with a dock-friendly app in the Market (pictured above), a windshield- and dashboard-mountable car dock, and a spare battery charging kit that includes a combo phone stand / battery charger, an extra wall charger, and the 1500mAh pack itself. You've also got a selection of protective cases and screen covers in your choice of regular, mirror finish, and privacy versions. If you bought everything, you'd probably come close to doubling your expense after having bought the Galaxy S itself, but accessorizing is all part of the fun, right? Interestingly, Samsung's shot of the car dock (above) seems to be the first official press picture of the Verizon Fascinate that we're aware of... so there you go. Follow the break for the full press release.
Yogo electric scooter asks: 'Why not take a spare battery?'
It would certainly seem like the range of the average electric vehicle could be extended quite a bit if you could just throw a spare battery in the trunk and swap whenever the lights started to dim. That's the idea behind the Yogo from Econogo -- except this is made in the UK where they call trunks "boots," and it's a scooter so it doesn't have one of either, just a storage compartment under the seat. Anyhow, in there you can store a second battery, doubling the 22 mile range and, since that cell is removable, you can easily take it inside, making office time refills a real possibility. The manufacturer's site is decidedly a work in progress but we do know that a scooter will set you back £1999 (about $3k) and that they are available in a wide array of hip colors: your choice of black or beige.
