Gadgets Future

LG today announced the global launch of the third LG Black Label Series handset. Successes of the LG Chocolate and LG Shine, the two predecessors of the LG Black Label Series models, together with globally renowned The PRADA Phone by LG, have affirmed LG as a leading design innovator in the mobile industry.The design heritage of the LG Black Label Series will continue on to the third handset boasting its smart technology with the latest and sophisticated features including the slimmest 5MP camera. Similar to the previous LG Black Label Series handsets, the latest model also carries a product concept derived from today’s trend leaders. This new concept of ‘Style that Lasts’ reflects the timeless and elegant design of the phone enhanced by stylish materials such as carbon fiber and tempered glass.
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Bring you up-to-date on the TAG Heuer front, the company has announced their mobile phone; the Meridiist. Incorporating the ultimate combo of steel and leather finish, the phone features a sapphire crystal display, 2-megapixel cam, 1.9 inch QVGA display and Bluetooth. The candybar will be priced somewhere around €3,400 to €3,900 (about $5,338 to $6,123) depending on how it’s configured. Those with the silver spoon can indulge in this fancy phone when it launches later this quarter.
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Posted Apr 9th 2008 12:23PM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: Displays There’s nothing like an impending holiday to get companies rushing to get their appropriately-themed products out the door, and Viewsonic’s now following Memorex’s lead with a slew of new digital photo frames aimed at Mother’s Day shoppers. This latest batch includes ten frames in all, including 7-, 8-, and 10-inch varieties (both widescreen and 4:3), each of which boast interchangeable bezels to suit your decor. At the head of the pack is the 10-inch DPX1002 model (pictured above), which packs a decent 1024×600 resolution, along with 400 cd/m2 of brightness, a 400:1 contrast ratio, and the usual video and MP3 playback features. If that’s a bit more than you’re looking for, you can opt for one of three variations of the 8-inch DPX802 model, which packs an 800×600 resolution and drops the video playback, or one of three incarnations of the 7-inch DPX702 model, which offers up a 800×480 resolution and drops the MP3 playback as well. Rounding things out are the 7-inch widescreen DPX704WH, 8-inch 4:3 DPX804WH and 10-inch widescreen DPX1004WH, each of which boast white finishes, and include 128MB of memory, along with some basic media-playing features. According to Viewsonic, the whole lot is available now, with prices ranging from $130 to $209.

Posted Apr 9th 2008 9:50AM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Gaming
That video we saw the other day of two ipod touches running a networked Quake 3 deathmatch sent ripples through the iPod / iphone community. Those of you doubting the authenticity of the clip can probably put some fears to bed, as GameCyte has gotten a hold of the programmers, and they make it fairly clear it wasn’t some elaborate hoax. According to developers Cameron and Marcia Tofer of Hermitworks, they managed to get the game up and running on the touches in, “Between eight and twelve hours,” using jail-broken units, no official SDK, and modified code that added basic accelerometer support. The game in the video is being hosted on one of the devices and played over a local network — and the Tofers claim that running a full 64-player match wouldn’t be out of the question. Unfortunately, there aren’t any plans to make this demo public, as the team is working on original content for the platform. So… email petition anyone?

Posted Apr 9th 2008 10:25AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays
Oh sure, Mother’s Day is over a month away (in the US), but don’t let mama know that reading this post was the only thing that reminded you. If you’re suddenly stricken with panic, take heart, as Memorex has a new duo of digital photo frames sure to make the woman most special to you smile. Purposely designed with “feminine graphics,” the Special Occasions and Floral models both feature 7-inch 480 x 234 resolution panels and USB connectivity. As for the former, you’ll find four interchangeable inserts and a SD / MMC expansion slot, while the latter provides a 4-in-1 reader and oodles of floral patterns. Interestingly, we’ve no idea if either will be seen outside of K-Mart, but both frames can be purchased at the aforesaid retailer next month for $89.99 apiece.

Well, well…it wasn’t just wishful thinking after all. Apple really did slip up during its SDK event in March and a tipster has now confirmed contact search will be a part of the iphone 2.0 firmware upgrade this June. Engadget has the screen shots to prove it. Also unearthed: A new meeting invitations folder, which displays the number of requests on your calendar icon.

It’s unclear at this point whether search will be universal — something like the Spotlight feature on Macs — or if it will be relegated to contacts. The former would certainly be nice. As we’ve previously requested, the ability to delete more than one e-mail message at a time would also be helpful.

[Via Engadget]

In case you were up late at night wondering what a profile of the continental US’s carbon output was like, wonder no more. The Vulcan Project measures CO2 levels at finer time and distance scales than have been documented in the past. Here is one such map that has come out of this project.

They also have a ton more data and analysis in various formats on their site and even a video that they stuck up on YouTube.

via Wired.com

Posted in Miscellaneous

Posted Apr 9th 2008 4:07AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: cellphones
Like detective work? Good, this one’s for you. That’s the supposed first picture of Nokia’s Tube which we’ve enhanced a bit to see all the detail. According to Symbian-Freak, the device code-named “Tube” will be Nokia’s first touch S60 device but will not be a flagship phone. Another higher spec’d phone will ship “shortly after.” The display is said to be between 3- and 3.5-inches with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a camera (with another up front based on the picture) which they say is “way better” than the iphone’s but not on par with the existing N-series shooters. The phone is said to ride atop quad-band GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA radios with built-in Bluetooth, WiFi, uPnP support and a stylus. Something you’ll apparently need judging by that skinny scroll bar. GPS? Yup, that too. No multi-touch on this model but it is said to provide haptic feedback in a package supposedly smaller (maybe a little bit wider) than the N73. We also notice an “XpressMedia” label on the phone which would indicate an affiliation with Nokia’s XpressMusic class of media devices. You’ll also notice that the icons have been slightly revised since we went hands on with the S60 Touch UI back in February. Real deal or not, it’s a mystery worthy of your skills.

[Thanks Jose and to everyone who sent this in]