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2008/08/18

Sony Ericsson MBS-100 Bluetooth Speaker


Listen to your music wirelessly wherever you roam with the Sony Ericsson MBS-100 Portable Bluetooth Speaker ($TBA; Q1-Q2 2008). This great-looking orb-shaped speaker packs in Bluetooth technology for devices that support audio streaming, but can also be used with nearly any device thanks to a 3.5mm audio input jack. A built-in rechargeable battery keeps the music playing no matter where you are, and its small size makes it easy to pack along with you.

2009 Yamaha VMAX


Mix a sportbike and a cruiser and what do you get? The 2009 Yamaha VMAX ($18,000), that's what. This mean machine looks like the cross between a Harley and a crotch rocket, with the performance to match. It features an all-new 65-degree 1679cc V4 engine, a lightweight aluminum chassis, a 5-speed transmission with a slipper clutch, wave-style brake discs with ABS and Brembo master cylinders, and complete suspension adjustability in both the front and rear.

Harley-Davidson VRSCF V-Rod Muscle


Harley-Davidson's VRSC family just got a little more awesome. Joining the original V-Rod and the black-on-black Night Rod, the 2009 VRSCF V-Rod Muscle ($17,200) is a new addition that means business. This silver bullet is powered by the Revolution 1250cc V-Twin liquid-cooled engine, and features a fat, 240 mm rear tire, Brembo triple-disc brakes with available ABS, satin chrome straight-shot side pipes, and a drag strip-worthy clutch.

Sprint Launches LG Rumor



While not compatible with Sprint's high-speed EV-DO network, the LG Rumor still sports Bluetooth for wireless connections and offers a slide-out QWERTY keyboard for convenient messaging or email. The display is a 2.0" 262k color TFT, 176x220 pixel resolution screen with 3D graphics support for gaming. The LG Rumor is a bit hefty, weighing in at 116g (4.1oz) and measuring 109.5mm x 63mm x 18mm (4.3" x 2.0" x 0.7").
Multimedia support on the LG Rumor includes a 1.3 megapixel camera with video recording. A microSD card slot with support for capacities up to 4GB allows users to easily load the LG Rumor up with music or videos, as well. This device is also loaded with several helpful applications such as a notepad, world clock, tip calculator, and countdown timer, among others. The LG Rumor is also capable of running the Telenav GPS Navigator application for voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions. The mobile web browser on the LG Rumor allows you access to the mobile internet, including sites like Facebook.
The LG Rumor will be available on October 21st from Sprint.com and Best Buy retail outlets with pricing set at $79.99 with a 2 year contract, after a mail-in rebate. Sprint retail locations will begin offering the Rumor on November 4th. The Rumor will be available in black with a blue keyboard or white with a silver keyboard. The black version of the LG Rumor sports a soft-touch outer coating for extra grip.

LG Launches KF750 Secret



The Secret is what the company is claiming to be the world's slimmest 5 megapixel cameraphone, and with dimensions of 103mm x 51mm x 11.8mm (4.1" x 2.0" x .5"), we believe that. The camera is equipped with auto-focus and face detection, and is capable of recording VGA DivX videos at 30fps, or QVGA videos at 120fps - for slow motion playback.
The slider styled KF750 is a very attractive handset, thanks, in part, to its use of carbon fiber on of its exterior. The auto-rotating 2.4" QVGA resolution touchscreen is capable of rendering 262k color shades, and is protected by a sheet of tempered glass. While closed, the touchscreen can still be used to access the device's multimedia functions, such as the finger-flickable photo viewer, the FM radio, and the media player. Audio from the media player can be enjoyed wirelessly thanks to Bluetooth A2DP support.
The Secret will come equipped for light business work, too, thanks to its email client and Office document viewer. Google Maps and YouTube applications also come pre-installed. The KF750 Secret has 100MB of internal storage for media files and the like, and can handle microSD cards up to 4GB in size for additional storage headroom.
The tri-band GSM/EDGE, 2100MHz HSDPA/UMTS capable KF750 is launching initially in Europe, with Asia and South America getting the device a bit later. LG states that the 116g (4.1oz) KF750 comes equipped with a battery that is good for up to 10.8 days of standby time or 3.8 hours of talk time. No release date or pricing information was announced.

Nokia Unveils Entry-Level 7210 Supernova


Nokia has released its 7210 Supernova, an entry-level candybar in the new Supernova product group with a 2 megapixel camera and video capture capability. The 7210 Supernova also allows users to directly upload photos to Flickr using a built-in application.
The 7210 Supernova's microSD card slot offers plenty of room for all your music, and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support for stereo headsets makes it easy to enjoy your tunes wirelessly. An FM radio is also on board, so you can have new music to listen to wherever you are.
The 7210 Supernova will come in bubble gum pink or vivid blue, and is planned to be available in Q3 2008. Pricing is set at EUR120 (US$188) before taxes and subsidies.

Nokia 6205 The Dark Knight Edition for Verizon


Nokia, in an effort to scare away villains in the CDMA world, has launched The Dark Knight Edition 6205 handset for Verizon Wireless. Clad in a stealthy black color scheme with a subtle Dark Knight emblem, the handset will be chock full of wallpapers, ringtones, and screen savers inspired by The Dark Knight, which hits theaters on July 18th in the United States.
The Nokia 6205 features a 1.3 megapixel camera with flash and touch sensitive music playback keys located below the external display. Inside, its 2" main screen gives access to Verizon's V CAST services, including V CAST Music, in addition to the VZ Navigator GPS solution. With support for Verizon's high-speed EV-DO 3G service, the 6205 allows for speedy internet browsing, as well.
The Nokia 6205 The Dark Knight edition will be available online starting this Sunday, June 15th. It will cost US$69.99 with a new 2 year agreement, after a $50 rebate

Nokia N78 auto-focus Cameraphone with GPS


Featuring a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto-focus and Carl Zeiss optics as well as a built-in GPS receiver, the N78 can automatically geotag your photos, allowing you to share them with others and let them know exactly where you've been. The N78 will also ship with the new Nokia Maps 2.0, which offers a complete navigation system in your pocket.
The Nokia N78 is expected in two quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) variants, one with UMTS 900/2100MHz, the other with 850/1900MHz. WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP are also equipped for ultimate connectivity. One novel feature of the N78 is its FM transmitter, which allows the handset to broadcast music to any open FM frequency, which is great for in-car use.
The N78 is ready to go with a microSD card slot for memory expansion and a large 1200mAh battery. Planned to be available in Q2 2008, the N78 should be priced at 350EUR (US$510) before taxes and subsidies.

Motorola Launches Z9 Slider on AT&T


Motorola and AT&T proudly announced the MOTO Z9 today at CTIA 2008, with support for AT&T's brand new AT&T Navigator GPS navigation system. This slider handset also features support for AT&T's HSDPA high-speed 3G network and a 2 megapixel camera.
The MOTO Z9 is equipped with quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and dual-band WCDMA (850/1900MHz) support for maximum connectivity, and also sports Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP for use with wireless stereo headphones. A microSD card slot offers up to 8GB of storage space. The Z9 is also Windows Media Player 11-compatible, making it easy to load music from any PlaysForSure compatible music store onto your handset.
Motorola has pre-loaded the Z9 with the Opera 8 Mobile web browser, offering the ability to browse the internet with full HTML support. Motorola's CrystalTalk technology is also packed into this little handset, which helps to filter out background noise and enhance the clarity of voice calls.
The Motorola Z9 is available now from AT&T for $249.99 with a 2-year commitment.

Samsung Launches U800 Soulb Candybar


Hot on the heels of the retail availability of the uber-sexy SGH-U900 Soul, Samsung, the largest cell phone manufacturer in Korea, has announced the launch of the Soulb ("soul bee") candybar. This cell phone is clad in a brushed metal body and measures in at a mere 9.9mm (.4") in thickness.
The Soulb offers up a 2" QVGA display and a new thematic user interface. A 3 megapixel camera with Power LED flash is built in, for a solid photography option, and the microSD card slot allows for plenty of pictures to be stored. The handset also includes 1GB of internal storage and a standard 3.5mm audio port for portable music. Though not a smartphone, the Samsung Soulb does feature a built-in Office document viewer/editor and full HTML web browser.
The Samsung Soulb is planned to be available in June in Germany, with other regions following shortly. This sleek handset will be available in your choice of Soul Grey, Platinum Silver, Metallic Black, Soul Pink, or Amethyst Violet.

Gorillapod Go-Go iPhone Stand


The Gorillapod Go-Go iPhone Stand is one of my favorite gadget accessory for iPhone. It is also perfect for holding music/video players, PDAs, or even compact digital cameras. Measuring 15cm x 3cm x 3cm and weights 45.3grams, the iPhone stand supports a maximum weight load of 275grams. You can buy the Gorillapod Go-Go iPhone Stand online at ThinkGeek for $30

Building That Looks Like an Alien Base


This architectural landscape lying in the middle of snowy hill is actually concept for a medical rehabilitation centre in the Austrian Alps designed by architecture graduate Sarah Schneider. It is known as Asemic Scapes for Rehabilitation Center Rainberg. Unfortunately, it is not an alien spaceship landed somewhere. Designed to accommodate 50 patients, it features balconies overlooking the mountains and raised walkways running through the surrounding forests.

Solar Powered Neck Tie Holds, Powers Your Gadgets


A team of researchers at North Carolina State University have devised an ingenious way to charge your gadgets on the move: With solar powered clothing. The designs use a process called digital textile printing to leverage the blocky solar panels into neck ties and jackets. In the case of the tie there's even a hidden pocket to hold your device as it charges. Convenient. A five-day test found the clothing posed no significant health risk, including electric shock, although the neck tie design did have one major flaw.

DIY XR3 225 MPG Hybrid Car Kit Finally Finished, Hits the Road Soon for $25,000


Turns out the DIY hybrid market is tougher than expected, because just this week word was the XR3 was finally finished and "coming soon"—again. And while the video of the completed car in action made me think of Centauri from The Last Starfighter for some reason, this futuristic looking kit actually uses readily available 21rst century innards to get from A to B. We hope "soon" this year doesn't mean "in one year" like it did in 2007

Lexus Nuaero Concept is Straight Out of Starship Troopers



Does one reach for a camera or a can of RAID when the Lexus Nuaero concept pulls into the driveway? Sure Jon Rådbrink's design looks incredibly cool, fast and futuristic; but then again I've also spent the last few minutes looking over my shoulder to see if Sigourney Weaver was about to burst from the wall in a load lifter to do battle with it in my office. As it turns out, there's a lot more to this design than just looks, and Rådbrink believes the car's "low weight and large presence" will be the way premium cars could be manufactured in the future. Oh, and it's loaded with tech, too.
To drive this catamaran-inspired luxury car, the driver would use a drive-by-wire steering pad and a completely customizable multi-point touch screen. Rådbrink contends that our hands are far more accurate for driving than our feet, so he's eliminated pedals. Everything is controlled via the steering wheel. "Since the car is powered by electrical motors [found in each of the four wheels]," Rådbrink says, "there is no transmission and you break intuitively by pushing the steering wheel away from your body."

The kicker is that this 14.5-ft. car is designed with lightweight materials meant to increase mileage and efficiency.