Gadgets

Love writing on your smartphone or tablet but hate always hitting the “m” or “n” buttons instead of the spacebar? Then perhaps you might like to consider an external keyboard instead. What’s that? Too big, you say? Well, slow down there, because I have just the thing for you.

It’s Verbatim’s new Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard, and it beats out Apple’s own slimline Bluetooth keyboard in several ways.

I wish I’d found out about this stereo iPhone mic yesterday. I was last-minute shopping for dictaphone for the Lady’s work, trying to find the cheapest MP3-recording model that wouldn’t suck. It was fine, but cost nearly $90. That’s $90 that could have been spent on this iM2 Stereo Microphone from Tascam, with money to spare.

The iM2 slots into the dock connector and presents itself as a USB audio device.

More solar powered shenanigans for Friday, this time for the developing world. The LuminAID Light consists of a solar panel, a slimline battery and some LEDs, all wrapped up in a tough, inflatable plastic bag.

The lamp itself is dead simple, and therefore less likely to go wrong. The bag inflates like a pair of kids’ water wings, allowing it to float and also diffusing the sharp light from the LEDs inside.

The guys at iFixit didn’t waste any time. A single day after the Amazon Kindle Fire goes on sale, and they’ve already ripped it apart to gawk at its insides.

They found that the Fire wasn’t difficult to take apart at all, and (surprise!) its insides aren’t too different from other tablets on the market. It uses simple components, and would be a breeze to repair.

If you’re in need of a refresher, the $200 Kindle Fire tablet features a 7-inch multi-touch display with 1024 x 600 resolution.

Today, iFixit grabbed its signature spudgels and screwdrivers to pry apart the ultra-thin Motorola Droid Razr. Inside, the phone features some seriously slender components. And they’d have to be — the Razr is the world’s skinniest smartphone.

Unfortunately for home repair gurus, that thinness makes the phone difficult to take apart and repair. In fact, iFixit gave the Droid Razr a 4 out of 10 for repairability.

The phone measures in at a scant 0.28 inches thick for the majority of its profile.

Google, a company willing to write software for anything with a screen, has killed off its Gmail app for BlackBerry. As of 20th November 2012, the app will no longer be available for download. And — in a move which would have the open-source beardos crowing if Apple did it — the app will no longer be supported.

If you already have the app, it will continue to work, and of course you can still use the web-based version of Gmail to access your mail. Maybe Google is just mimicking RIM itself, whose PlayBook launched without a native e-mail client?

This news comes as Google is in the middle of launching the iOS Gmail, although given the quality and attention to detail of that bug-ridden application, maybe Google is doing BlackBerry owners a favor.

Joey Ruiter’s mirror-finished Moto Undone may be as aerodynamic as a big shiny brick, but it’s also virtually invisible. And this makes it — obviously — awesome.

Moto is an electric motorcycle inside a block of polished metal. Its 1000w 48v electric hub motor will run for three hours, or around 90 miles, and runs silently.

Finally, something to wear to the gym that isn’t spandex or sweatpants.

Wireless accessory makers Jawbone pulled back the curtain on its “Up” wristband on Thursday, marking the company’s first foray into the fast growing industry of wearable health and wellness technology.

Think of it as a Livestrong bracelet that keeps track of your body’s inner goings-on while you wear it. Working in conjunction with your iPhone, Up tracks your daily physical activity, monitors your sleep habits and quality, and also acts as a meal tracking aide.

Keepsy is yet another service that lets you print books and albums containing your Instagram photos, and it has just added a calendar-printing service, just in time to force all your photos of your breakfasts and pets on unwilling family members this Christmas.

However, there’s a twist. Keepsy will let you use your friends’ Instagram photographs in the calendars. Thus, you can surprise them with a calendar containing their photos as well as yours.

The service works like any other. You grant Keepsy access to your Instagram account, and then pick the pictures, choose a layout and generally while away many hours having fun.

Newsstand, a new feature of iOS 5, is hitting it big with traditional media publishers thanks to its windfall delivery of new digital subscriptions.

Newsstand appears as a folder on the iOS home screen, funneling all your digital magazine and newspaper app subscriptions into a single location. It provides easy access to these apps, automatically updates them in the background when new issues are released, and — here’s the payoff — includes a built-in store for purchasing subscriptions.