Consumer Electronics Daily News

Show-off Your Colors with Case-Mate's Latest Collection of iPhone 5C Cases

Case-Mate® unveils its latest collection of cases for the new Apple iPhone 5C. Featuring the most complete portfolio of transparent, see-through cases designed to showcase, enhance, and protect the vibrant colors and natural appearance of the iPhone 5C device, Case-Mate's latest collections of iPhone 5C cases are available now at www.case-mate.com.

"One of the most interesting promises of the new iPhone 5C is the ability to own an affordable, Apple-quality smartphone that comes in bold, vibrant colors. We believe that iPhone 5C owners will see the device as a pallet for self-expression and will desire a range of case options that have a flair for style while also providing additional protection," said Shashi Reddy, founder and CEO of Case-Mate.

The Case-Mate Collection of iPhone 5C Cases Include:

• Naked Tough - Clear, $35: This protective, two-piece case keeps it cool with its smooth transparent finish and ultra slim design. Its lightweight, minimalist design delivers a stylish profile, while the impact resistant hard shell and coordinating bumper protects against impacts and falls. Metallic chrome buttons accent and complete the polished look of your iPhone 5C. The Naked Tough – Clear is available in three see-through combinations: Clear Case with Clear Bumper, Clear Case with White Bumper, and Clear Case with Black Bumper. http://bit.ly/NakedTough_iPhone5C
  
  
• Naked Tough - Colors, $35: Add a unique flair of color to your iPhone 5C with the Naked Tough – Colors collection. Featuring the same lightweight, slim profile as the original Naked Tough, the new Naked Tough – Colors are available in the following color combinations: Pink Case with White Bumper, Aqua Case with White Bumper, and Purple Case with White Bumper. http://bit.ly/NakedTough_iPhone5C
  
  
• Barely There - Clear, $25: Think thin with the original slim case. The Barely There forms a classic and protective design that shows off the slim profile of your device. The impact resistant hard shell covers the back and sides, while the lay-flat feature protects the front of your iPhone 5C by extending the bezel above the screen. In addition to clear, Case-Mate Barely There iPhone 5C cases are also available in black and glossy white. http://bit.ly/BarelyThere_iPhone5C 
• Gelli – Clear, $15:The Gelli adds a splash of translucent color and gives your iPhone 5C case a unique aesthetic to set it apart from the rest. Featuring a smooth flexible shell with a frosted back, the Gelli will showcase the vibrant color of your iPhone 5C while also keeping it safe. http://bit.ly/Gelli_iPhone5C 
  
  
• In addition, the Case-Mate Collection of iPhone 5C cases will include designs from its current portfolio of stylish case accessories, including the very popular Glimmer, Tortoiseshell, Sleek, Carbon, Slim Folio, Prints, POP!, Tough, and Barely There ID cases.

Pricing and Availability:
Case-Mate's new iPhone 5C case collections range from $15 to $35 and are available today at www.case-mate.com.

PRNewswire

Sold Out: iPhone 5S Gold in High Demand

Today marks the first day that that iPhone 5S is available for purchase in-store and online.

In Beijing, sales are "going off without a hitch," according to the Wall Street Journal. The demand for the iPhone 5S Gold is especially high in Beijing-- and worldwide-- because the color connotes status. According the article, "Lian Jiyu, 25 years old, said he wanted the 5S over the 5C because the 5S is the first phone to be offered in a gold color. 'I don’t care what’s inside the device,' said Mr. Lian, who works at a local TV station." 

But the demand for a gold iPhone 5S is not limited to the market in China-- Apple has already requested that its supplier boost production of the 5S Gold by 33 percent, to keep up with worldwide demand. Readwrite reports that the 5S Gold scarcity will continue well into October.

The other two iPhone 5S color options-- silver and "space grey"-- are selling fast but keeping up with the in-store purchases/pickups and online pre-orders in a timely manner. The verdict: if you want the gold, you'll have to wait-- but know that it's not what's on the outside that makes the new iPhone 5S worth the price.

littleBits Announces Launch Of Three New Electronic Building Kits

littleBits, maker of an open source library of electronics that snap together for prototyping, learning and fun, announced today the launch of three new littleBits Exploration Kits: the Base Kit ($99), the Premium Kit ($149) and the Deluxe Kit ($199). 

Developed to inspire creativity and innovation, the new littleBits Exploration Kits contain an assortment of color-coded electronic Bits^TM modules that instantly snap together with magnets. Each module has a specific function, such as power, light, sound, pulse and more, allowing users to create simple circuits in seconds or build more inventive projects like a Morse code machine, a glow-in-the-dark puppet or a bubble flute. Each Kit includes a customized project booklet with step-by-step instructions to kick start the building process.

The new littleBits Base, Premium and Deluxe Kits will keep curious minds engaged for hours and contain everything needed to inspire a user's creativity. Kits include a unique assortment of Bits, each with a specific function; Bits are color-coded into four categories (blue/power, pink/input, green/output and orange/wires) to simplify the creation process for builders of all ages. 

With the new Kits in hand, users can combine the modules to create circuits and explore the world of electronics. They can also add the modules to almost anything, including craft materials and other toys, to "make something that does something," like an interactive pet cat, a nightlight, or an electronic bubble maker. The best part? Bits intuitively snap together with magnets, so users can never make a mistake while building!

Base Kit:             

The littleBits Base Kit is the perfect introduction to creating circuits in seconds. This Kit contains an assortment of 10 modules, including a power module, three input modules, four output modules, two wire modules, and one 9V battery, and a handy project booklet with step-by-step instructions for eight creations. Hundreds of additional Base Kit projects are also available online. Use the Kit's button, dimmer and buzzer Bits to create a doorbell for your bedroom or turn the DC motor Bit into a tickle machine. Suggested retail price: $99.

Premium Kit:    

The littleBits Premium Kit is a sure-fire way to keep the creativity flowing and will allow budding engineers to make bigger, more intricate devices. The Kit contains 14 modules, including one power module, five input modules, five output modules, three wire modules and one 9V battery for a wide range of building and design possibilities. The Premium Kit's project booklet provides easy-to-follow instructions for 10 projects. Hundreds of additional Premium Kit projects are also available online. Use this Kit's sound trigger and fan Bits module to create a hypnotizing wheel or take the Kit's roller and vibe modules and make a drawer alarm to prevent your siblings from stealing your stuff. Suggested retail price: $149.

Deluxe Kit:        

The Deluxe Kit is the biggest littleBits collection ever produced, opening up a world of endless design possibilities for young builders. It contains 18 modules, including one power module, five input modules, five output modules and seven wire modules, and an expanded project booklet featuring step-by-step instructions for 15 projects. Hundreds of additional Deluxe Kit projects are also available online. Use 14 of the Kit's modules to create a robot or take just four of its modules and create a flickering lantern. Suggested retail price: $199.

For more information on littleBits, visit www.littleBits.com.

PRNewswire

Sony Launches Xperia Tablet Z: Kitchen Edition

Sony has introduced the Xperia Tablet Z: Kitchen Edition in the United States starting at $649.

The Xperia Tablet Z is a 10.1" tablet, and has been recognized as the Best Power Performer Android™ tablet by Good Housekeeping's September 2013 issue. Now the Xperia Tablet Z: Kitchen Edition is the perfect kitchen companion. The white 32 GB Xperia Tablet Z included in the Kitchen Edition features both hardware and software to make cooking in the kitchen simpler and more convenient. The Xperia Tablet Z can withstand the toughest kitchen environment with its durable glass, carbon-fiber reinforced back panel and water-resistant design. Spills and sticky fingerprints can be rinsed away easily by running the tablet or even submerging the tablet under fresh water for up to 3 feet for up to 30 minutes with all ports and covers firmly closed.  And the vivid HD display, powered by Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2, delivers enhanced color reproduction for a brilliant HD TV-like viewing experience.

The new Xperia Tablet Z: Kitchen Edition includes $115 worth of accessories, content and recipes. Cooking is simplified by the iGrill® from iDevices, an app-enabled Bluetooth® meat thermometer that allows cooks to monitor food from up to 200 feet away. The iGrill will alert the chef when the food is ready via the Xperia Tablet Z. A lightweight, foldable stand is also included and is perfect for the kitchen.

Cooking enthusiasts can find daily meals, organize shopping lists and discover time-saving cooking tips and tricks with pre-loaded premium food and cooking apps, including:

BigOven®: Take 250,000+ recipes (including your own and recipes from friends), your grocery list and menus anywhere on your tablet.

Evernote® Food: Evernote Food helps you remember the food you love. From discovering great recipes and restaurants to capturing your memorable food experiences, Evernote Food is the one app you need to remember your life in food.

Juicing Recipes: Offers information on juicing, including recipes, and everything you need to start or sustain a healthy juicing diet.

Food Planner Pro: Food Planner allows you to keep an integrated meal plan, inventory database, grocery list and recipe collection that can sync between multiple devices. Quickly plan meals, import recipes, track inventory, create grocery lists and share it all in real time with other members of your family.

iGrill® Pro: Connects the wireless cooking thermometer to the tablet.

Out of Milk Shopping List: Shopping List, Pantry List and To-Do List in a small, intuitive and easy-to-use app.

Or, foodies can browse through 260 preloaded classic recipes from around the world, one for each weekday of the year, and a how-to video series provided by Saveur, a magazine for people who experience the world food first.

WHERE:  Xperia Tablet Z: Kitchen Edition is available now starting at a suggested retail price of $649 at Sony stores and online at store.sony.com/kitchentablet.

PRNewswire

Hastings Entertainment, Inc. to Host Midnight Release Party for Grand Theft Auto V

Hastings Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAST), a leading multimedia entertainment superstore retailer, has announced its plans to host a midnight release party for the highly anticipated, third-person, action game Grand Theft Auto V.  Fans are encouraged to visit their local Hastings for a midnight release party onMonday, September 16th, 2013.  Festivities for the night will begin at 9:00 p.m. local time and will end with the release of the game at midnight.  In what is expected to be one of the biggest video game releases of 2013, this installment of Grand Theft Auto will be the first to come out since 2008. Only select stores will be participating in the midnight release party, so check with your local store to see if they are among those participating. As a benefit, anyone who purchases the game at midnight will also receive a code for an in-game vehicle called the Atomic Blimp.

While awaiting the release of the game, Hastings will also have a number of other offers going on throughout the store. These offers will include: 30 percent off all used video game accessories, 20 percent off select headphones, and up to 70 percent off all Turtle Beach headsets. In addition, all energy drinks during the midnight release party will be 2 for $4 and candy will be "buy 2 and get the 3^rd free". 

To find out more about the Grand Theft Auto V midnight release party in your area, please visit or contact your local Hastings superstore or visit us online at www.goHastings.com.

PRNewswire

Apple's iPhone 5S, 5C Announcement Satisfies and Excites

Today at 10:00 Cupertino Time, Apple held an intimate meeting in their 200-seat theatre at 4 Infinite Loop to introduce the new iPhone 5c, 5s, and iOS 7.

Some highlights from the announcement:

iOS 7

• Siri has “higher quality male and female voices” and a more seamless integration with twitter, Safari, and other apps.
• Safari now has a 3D tabbing interface-- similar to what iTunes did with "Album View"
• The iOS 7 Camera has built-in instagram-y filters.
• Airdrop, the P2P sharing found on iMacs, is now part of iOS 7.
• iOS 7 will be a free upgrade for existing iPhone users (4 or later), iPad (2 or later), iPad Mini, and iPod Touch (5 or later) on September 18.
• iWork comes free with iOS 7-- they are immediately downloaded with the update.

iPhone 5C

• "The entire back and sides are made from a single part, its front one glass, multi-touch surface. As close as you look, you wont see joints or seams"
  
• Each device comes with a color-matched wallpaper
• 4-inch Retina Display
• Higher-capacity battery than other iPhones and an A6 chip
• 8MP iSight Camera
• 16gb model will be $99 and 32GB for $199 on a 2-year contract
• On Sale September 20.

iPhone 5S

• Features the A7 performance chip-- the biggest and first smartphone CPU of its kind.
• Graphics are two times faster and the computing power is two times as fast with its 64-bit re-engineering. "It’s got a new 64-bit kernel, libraries, and drivers. All built-in apps have been reengineered. It’s a seamless dev transition, with full backwards compatibility."
• The M7 Motion Coprocessor continuously measures motion data, accelerometer, and gestural data. It can determinine whether you’re walking or driving.
• The battery life is even better than the iPhone 5-- it has an estimated 250 hours of standby time.
• iSight camera now has an f/2.2 aperture and a 15 percent larger active sensor area (1.5 micron pixel sensor)
• There are two flashes in the 5S-- one white LED, one amber, and the camera has auto-image stabilization.
• Videos can now record in Slo-Mo.
• TOUCH ID: The fingerprint sensor "is capacitive, 170 microns thin, has a 500 ppi resolution, scans sub-epidermal skin layers, and has 360 degree readability"
• With the Touch ID, you only need to touch the home screen and iTunes purchases can be made with the tap of a finger
• $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for 32GB, and $399 for 64GB on a 2 year contract
• On sale September 20.

For a complete blow-by-blow, check out Techcrunch's live update stream.

Microsoft Announces Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 Event: NYC, September 23

Though Microsoft Surface sales have been slow-- resulting in a $900 million writeoff and a serious price slash-- it appears as though Microsoft is pushing ahead with the release of the Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro. Yesterday Microsoft emailed the press an invitation to save the date for a September 23 Surface event in NYC.

From a series of leaks, we know that the next generation Surface tablets will share a similar silhouette. The main differences are significant: the Surface Pro 2 will feature longer battery life, up to 8GB RAM, and Intel's new Haswell Processor. The Surface 2 will have a 1080p screen and a Tegra 4 Processor. Both Surface models will have a two-stage adjustable kickstand that position the tablet in "laptop" mode and one ideal for uneven surfaces. 

In the coming days, CEDN will be reporting the leaks and rumors of this exciting new overhaul.

Mobile Upgrades Slowing Down

The recent launch of early-upgrade programs like T-Mobile's Jump and AT&T's Next, and Verizon's Edge may very well be a frantic attempt to turn around rapidly falling growth in the cellphone market.

Now that smartphone technology has slowed down for the most part, with most upgrades consisting of tweaks rather than major overhauls and new products, cell phone users are finding less reasons to need to buy a new model. This forecasts trouble for major cellphone providers, who rely on the upgrade cycle to drive growth.

While the iPhone 5s might be bounds above an iPhone 4, the latter is still dependable and far better than a dumbphone. New smartphones are priced like luxury items, and users are less inclined to upgrade when their provider's plan requires payment for the new phone in full. 

According to Business Insider, "Industry players want as short a cycle as possible. Here's why:

• Smartphone manufacturers rely on upgrades to get their newly launched handsets into consumer hands. 
• Carriers rely on new phones that are compatible with their ultra-fast 4G wireless networks in order to encourage high rates of data consumption and boost data revenue. 
• Tech companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Google pre-load the latest versions of their mobile operating systems on new smartphone models, and these handsets help push consumer adoption of the new software. This is particularly important for Google's Android platform, which historically has had trouble getting its users to update to new versions. 
• Apple is particularly vulnerable to the longer upgrade cycle, since their business model depends on smartphone sales, rather than advertising (Google  is less concerned if its users are on older phones).
• App developers, in turn, design software around the newest operating systems and devices, to take full advantage of available technologies. Without shiny new phones loaded with features, consumers tend to fall behind the curve. 
• Marketers create rich-media and video ads that won't even load on slow smartphones."

Read more at Business Insider.

AT&T; Plans To Launch Samsung Galaxy Note 3 And Galaxy Gear Smartwatch

The Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch, announced yesterday and slated for sale on September 25, will be available through AT&T.

"AT&T was the first U.S. carrier to launch the original Galaxy Note and we are excited to expand our smartphone and accessory leadership with the Samsung Galaxy Note® 3 and Samsung Galaxy Gear™ on the nation's fastest and now most reliable 4G LTE network," said Jeff Bradley, Senior Vice President – Devices, AT&T.  "We look forward to continuing to offer our customers new and innovative products designed to fit any budget or mobile lifestyle."  For more information, visit www.att.com/galaxynote.

PRNewswire

Half of American Parents Say Kids Have Damaged a Mobile Phone, Laptop or Tablet

SquareTrade^® today revealed new research about kids and electronic devices. The study found that more than 50 percent of American parents say their kids have damaged a mobile phone, laptop, tablet or other portable device, costing parents more than $2.8B  in repairs and replacements.¹

"Just like their parents, kids use devices for an increasing number of things – from games and videos to research and homework. Our research shows that this increased usage also means that devices are more at risk than ever before, and we expect this trend to continue," said Ty Shay, CMO of SquareTrade. "We believe it's important to educate parents about these accidents because 60 percent are not covered by a protection plan, making repairs and replacements expensive and time consuming."

More than 85 percent of American kids now have their own mobile device and they use it more than ever: parents say their kids use mobile devices for an average of 3.2 hours a day.

• Kids 2 and under use for 1.5 hours per day
• Kids 3-6 use for 1.8 hours per day
• Kids 7-12 use for 3 hours per day
• Kids 13-17 use for 4.9 hours per day

The research also revealed the unexpected consequences of kids using mobile devices including unauthorized purchases, accidental calls, texts and photographs, and a surprising number of food and drink related accidents:

• Accidental calls & texts: 31 percent of parents say that their kids have called, texted, or messaged someone by accident on their parent's devices
• Unapproved purchases: 28 percent of parents say that their kids have purchased something on the parent's mobile device without permission
• Unintended photos: 9 percent of parents say that their kids have taken inappropriate photos with the parent's devices.
• Conflict: 36 percent of parents have bought an additional device in order to reduce conflict in their home
• Food & Drink: 33 percent of kid-caused accidents involved food or drink:
  • 50 percent involved milk
  • 19 percent involved chocolate
  • 17 percent involved candy
  • 16 percent involved yogurt
• Boy trouble: Boys were 35 percent more likely than girls to have caused the accident

SquareTrade suggests these 5 tips for protecting kids' devices and parents' wallets from unexpected device accidents:

1. Always keep devices in protective cases or covers
2. Never take your devices to the bathroom
3. Remind your kids not to eat and drink while using devices 
4. If your kids bring devices to school, make sure they don't over-pack their backpack and crush their tablet
5. Buy a protection plan so you're covered no matter what accident happens

PRNewswire