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Yosion's second-gen Apple Peel 520 arriving on March 28th, ready to cellularize your iPod touch
Remember the second-gen Apple Peel 520 we saw back in January? Yep, Yosion has now confirmed that this familiar-looking adapter will be available in China on March 28th, which happens to be this coming Monday. Like its predecessor, this new sleeve lets you send texts and make regular phone calls on a jailbroken iPod touch (including the latest FaceTime-loving model), but now Yosion's also thrown in GPRS data connectivity along with some extra battery juice, all for the price of just ¥520 ($79) for pre-orderers and possibly around ¥598 ($90) when it's out. Frankly, this isn't a bad value proposition for those already clinging onto an iPod touch -- just make sure El Jobs doesn't catch you holding this Peel.
Apple Peel 520 up for preorder, from the man who brought you the MicroSIMCutter
"Dear Sir or Madam," the email began, and we almost deleted it at once, but then we realized the gentleman who wrote that line was hawking the Yosion Apple Peel 520. A quick visit to his website did nothing to allay our lingering suspicions -- it appeared to be a hastily-cobbled cash-in through and through -- but still, the prospect of an iPod touch case with cellular capabilities sorely tempted our wallet. We evaded the siren call and left Peel520.net without attempting a purchase, but noticed on our way out several references to the practically identical website for the MicroSIMCutter. Google tells us their owners are one and the same, so if you bought one of those sim-cutting devices (not to be confused with the Cut My Sim) and got your product as promised, we suppose you're liable to get a good deal here. But if you have qualms, well -- wait for Go Solar to formally bring the product to market, or else steer clear.
Apple patent app hints at iPod-based phones, Peel 520 turns shades of green, red, blue and yellow
Looking for that elusive CDMA iPhone? You won't find it here -- but you might hear about a device Apple's trying to patent that could enable it one day. This spring, Cupertino filed an application for an "accessory transceiver" clearly intended to bring mobile calling, data and the requisite APIs to the likes of the iPod touch, not wholly unlike a certain Chinese case you might have heard of. What's more, the patent filing clearly states that this accessory isn't limited to MIDs and PMPs, but could be applied to "any type of mobile computing and/or communication device without limitation," including the iPhone itself... and specifically calls out CDMA as a possibility "because mobile telephone network quality and contract plans can vary" on GSM. Fancy that! To be clear, patent filings typically try to speak as broadly as possible to assist lawsuits down the road, and as you're probably aware a patent doesn't mean an intent to bring a device to market. Still, we have to wonder whether these veiled jabs mean Jobs and company hit upon a workaround for that AT&T exclusivity deal, and what ZTE might do if Apple puts such a device on sale. Oh, and speaking of the Apple Peel 520 cellular case for the iPod touch, MIC Gadget's reporting that it now comes in eight colors at least as far as a Chinese launch is concerned. Think you'll buy one?
Apple Peel 520 gets a white finish, odds placed on beating white iPhone 4 to market
If you're gonna proverbially bear hug your iPod touch into a working cellular device, might as well get it in the trendiest color available, right? The Apple Peel 520 has now been shown off in white, a more stylish option for those wanting a case, extended battery, and freedom from the shackles of limited SIM options (at the expense of some functionality and ease of use, naturally). Still in production with no release date, but hey, if you're the sort who likes to live on the outer fringes of consumer electronics, keep this import in mind. No promises it'll work with whatever Apple has up its sleeve next, though.
