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The Japanese concept design community known as Cuusoo has produced a concept device so practical and tantalizingly well designed that it's a wonder it doesn't already exist. Created by the Japan-based designer known as Marimo-san, the concept illustrates a cell...
POSTED Thursday, May 8, 2008
Though it's called the Egg phone, this design concept better resembles the fried variety than a shell-covered ovoid. Designer Roman Tubl set out to conceive a cellphone that's easy to use and a pleasure to hold. Throw in a...
POSTED Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Continuing to push Japanese cell phone customers to the edge of weirdness, NTT Docomo recently tested what it calls Mobile Fragrance Communication (Kaori Tsushin Mobile). The service combines animated visual gifs and olfactory stimuli, via downloads of "Fragrance Playlists." For...
POSTED Wednesday, May 7, 2008
With the second version of Apple's insanely-popular iPhone launch imminent, HTC has decided to launch its answer to the smartphone behemoth: the HTC Touch Diamond. The touchscreen phone certainly has a lot in common with the iPhone, but it also...
POSTED Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Reviewers got a chance this week to take a closer look at AT&T's new Mobile TV service, which debuted on LG's new iPhone imitator, the Vu. Feelings about the phone were mixed— some liked the touch screen interface, while...
POSTED Sunday, May 4, 2008
We got our hands on LG's Vu cellphone from AT&T today. It's a sexy number that emulates the iPhone on a number of scores, most notably its touchscreen. The Vu even complements it with some very appreciated tactile feedback...
POSTED Thursday, May 1, 2008
A team of engineers at the University of California at Berkeley have developed a technology that allows medical imaging to be sent via cellphone, a prospect that could have huge ramifications for regions with little to no medical technology or...
POSTED Thursday, May 1, 2008
You've been babied by power outlets for far too long — if you want charged gadgets, then put a little elbow grease into it! The Hand-Crank USB Power Charger will work on most phones (and the rest, with adapters),...
POSTED Friday, April 25, 2008
It’s day four of our off-the-grid experiment here at DVICE. To celebrate Earth Week, my goal is to blog, work and live from my home office in San Francisco without plugging into the municipal power grid. It’s sorta like...
POSTED Thursday, April 24, 2008
Hulu, NBC Universal's online video streaming site (disclaimer: Dvice is owned by NBC Universal) may move off the computer and onto mobile devices. That is, if one is to follow the hints laid down by Jason Kilar, the CEO of...
POSTED Friday, April 18, 2008
Any TV you buy will work with any cable or satellite TV service you have. Any PC you buy, even a Mac, will work with any Internet service provider you use. Any landline phone, wired or cordless, will work...
POSTED Thursday, April 17, 2008
This shiny, pretty phone is a heavily-modified Nokia N95 that's been decked out head-to-toe with Buddhist iconography and characters. It's got gold everywhere, a Buddha on the back, and fancy imagery all over. It even has custom wallpapers and ringtones...
POSTED Thursday, April 17, 2008
Although not as cosmetically sexy as its cousin, the Fullface, the Softbank Internet Machine 922SH is extremely hard to resist for a number of reasons, and makes waiting for the iPhone to hit Japan begin to seem silly. Simply put,...
POSTED Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The European Commission has just approved a plan that will allow passengers flying within Europe to use their cell phones once airborne, with some carriers expected to offer the service as soon as next month. If you think flying...
POSTED Sunday, April 13, 2008
The problem with most iPhone cases is that, by and large, they have to keep the screen clear so you can use it. A touchscreen isn't much good with something blocking it, after all. But that's not the case with...
POSTED Friday, April 11, 2008
The T-1000 is a cellphone jammer that looks like an old-school cellphone. Much like how the T-1000 from Terminator 2 obliterated the Governator, the T-1000 cellphone jammer will obliterate cellphone signals. The T-1000 can block phone communication within a...
POSTED Thursday, April 10, 2008
Google "Jawbone" and all but one of the links will take you to a page about the acclaimed Bluetooth earpiece — a tribute to the marketing department at Aliph (the manufacturer). The combo of clever name and sexy design...
POSTED Thursday, April 10, 2008
Normally, I'd say that a watch with a cellphone built in is a universally bad idea. I mean, I've never seen one that wasn't totally ugly and clunky. That is, until now. The Van Der Led WM2 is a watch-cellphone...
POSTED Wednesday, April 9, 2008
I'll bet you never think about how difficult it is to use a cell phone if you're blind, do you? So selfish. Well, luckily for the blind everywhere, professor Nobuyuki Sasaki does, and he ended up designing a new type...
POSTED Tuesday, April 8, 2008
This week at CTIA, the wireless conference in Las Vegas, Samsung and Sprint unveiled what they hope will become an iPhone killer: the Samsung Instinct. It's a familiar-looking candy-bar shaped smartphone with a large touch screen and no keypad....
POSTED Sunday, April 6, 2008
On April 3rd 1973 inventor Martin Cooper of Motorola placed the first ever cellphone call from a New York City sidewalk. Who did he call? The president of Motorola? No, he called Joel Engel, his rival at Bell Labs;...
POSTED Saturday, April 5, 2008
Has your iPhone been dropping calls on you? Not giving you the number of bars you were hoping for when you picked it up? Well, don't return it! No, you don't want to do that. Instead, get an ugly case...
POSTED Friday, April 4, 2008
Try as it may, it seems the Zune just can't match up to the iPod. Why not? Well, A.J. Kandy, creative director and prez of King Marketing, posits that Microsoft needs to stop simply following in Apple's footsteps with...
POSTED Thursday, April 3, 2008
This slick little number is the Lenovo Ideapad U8 MID, based around Intel's brand-spanking-new Atom processor. It's got a sizable 4.8-inch touchscreen display and a "bullseye" optical mouse for one-handed web surfing operation over either EDGE or 3G data networks....
POSTED Thursday, April 3, 2008
Some of us don’t mind looking preoccupied with our cell phones, wearing a Bluetooth earpiece as if always expecting a call. That’s why we might be willing to spend $150 on this Plantronics Discovery 925 beauty, just rolled out...
POSTED Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Samsung's been hard at work on a new phone to take on the super-popular iPhone here in the states, and it looks like the upcoming Instinct is that phone. Featuring a 3.1-inch touchscreen with localized haptic feedback, it certainly looks...
POSTED Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Pantech, maker of some pretty innovative phones, recently challenged students at a variety of universities across Korea to design a phone for 2010. Pantech asked and they received, but some of the winning designs look like phones better suited...
POSTED Monday, March 31, 2008
Korean phone purveyor Pantech (also known as Sky Premium) is teaming up with universities there to design the "Phone of 2010." We dig it, and what they came up with so far look mostly like units for the home, though...
POSTED Wednesday, March 26, 2008
You remember the Solio? That unfolding fan-shaped solar panel that charges up your cellphone, iPod and most other portables? Well, the gadget's getting a long-overdue upgrade: the Solio Magnesium Edition. Gotta hand it to the Solio guys — they...
POSTED Monday, March 24, 2008
The Transformer phone is a new concept that won a Tancher Design Award. This phone has nothing to do with Optimus Prime and his crew, but is capable of performing a whole bunch of different tasks. This phone can...
POSTED Monday, March 24, 2008
The Cellink T is a tiny device capable of doing a lot. This may appear like an ordinary flash drive, but it includes a MicroSD card reader and charging capabilities for cellphones. In the standard mode the USB connector...
POSTED Monday, March 24, 2008
For all the ladies out there who think that picking up a phone that doesn't match your nails would be a major fashion faux-pas, Samsung has come to the rescue. The SGH-G600 Belle comes in a rather fetching shade...
POSTED Monday, March 24, 2008
One of the biggest selling points of the iPhone is the sweet multitouch screen that lets you use your fingers to do any number of things. So it seems kind of odd to me that anyone would want a stylus...
POSTED Thursday, March 20, 2008
Designer Jean Hong has a vision for the Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC), and it’s taken the form of Pix-L, a device that serves as both alarm clock and bedside browser. Notice how you can prop up the mini-screen for reclined...
POSTED Wednesday, March 19, 2008
This Motorola cellphone concept is the work of Lysandre Follet, a designer from Paris. At first look the cellphone is pretty standard and it includes a multimedia player, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc., but after further investigation it's revealed that the...
POSTED Friday, March 14, 2008
The Okids Phone is a conceptual phone that will truly show your kids how much you love them. How do I know that? It's obvious—the phone can be turned into a heart and everyone knows hearts mean love, or...
POSTED Monday, March 10, 2008
So you worry that you don't have any real connection with your teenage daughter. You like computers, video games, sci-fi movies and baseball. She likes… whatever it is that teenage girls like. How to close the rift? This Hello Kitty...
POSTED Monday, March 10, 2008
There's about a hundred different options when it comes to finding a nice, touchscreen-style smartphone and the Mooon+ concept may appear just like another one. Don't look away yet, there is one shining feature about the Mooon+ that makes...
POSTED Friday, March 7, 2008
Attention all technology companies: you have three months to get your act together. Start pedaling now because in June Apple may steal your business. Why all tech companies? Because Apple's software development kit (SDK) announcement today revealed the real...
POSTED Thursday, March 6, 2008
Apple opened up the iPhone and iPod Touch for a wealth of new applications today. In a press conference at its Cupertino, California headquarters, CEO Steve Jobs revealed details about a software development kit (SDK) that will finally allow...
POSTED Thursday, March 6, 2008
Behold, your new cell phone master has arrived in the form of Softbank's new PhoneBraver model. In addition to anthropomorphic legs and arms, giving it a distinctly Transformers look, the phone's screen also displays faces to correspond to the unit's...
POSTED Thursday, March 6, 2008
Dressed in a casual (and surprisingly male) fashion, world-class stand-up comedian Eddie Izzard has been crackin' wise at the Union Square Theater in New York City about everything from the origins of mankind to hunting bees with flamethrowers. And, of...
POSTED Wednesday, March 5, 2008
There’s a quiet revolution happening right under your fingertips. Breaking free of the bonds of wires and short-range wireless Wi-Fi networks are EV-DO (Evolution Data Only) modems, letting you use your laptop virtually anywhere there’s cell phone service. The...
POSTED Monday, March 3, 2008
Despite what is going on in the minds of wacky designers, the fact of the matter is that dogs can't speak, period. Sure, they can bark and they can listen to your baby voice all day, but no viable...
POSTED Monday, March 3, 2008
If you think Bluetooth headsets provide great functionality but are just too dorky to wear around in public, you're not alone. Bluetooth headsets are downright embarrassing, and many people wouldn't be caught on the street wearing them. But what...
POSTED Monday, March 3, 2008
There's a new show coming out on Japanese television called Ketai Sousakan 7 and, as you might have guess from the massive picture between here and the headline, it features robotic phones as the main characters. The stars of the...
POSTED Wednesday, February 27, 2008
If you're trying to keep some of your communications secret, you probably delete your text messages so no one will find them. Oh, what a foolproof plan! Wait, that's not foolproof at all. For one, your texts are still saved...
POSTED Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Yes, the iPhone currently rules the day, but some of us geeks like our gadgets to look less like museum pieces and more like hacked together power boxes. That's where EMobile's aptly named new S11HT EMONSTER comes into play. Touted...
POSTED Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Despite the fact that mobile phones are carried by everyone at all times, designers like Chris Owens continue to push the limits of design with cellphones just begging to be broken. We saw the whole debacle as people began...
POSTED Monday, February 25, 2008
The Morph is a concept device designed by Nokia and the United Kingdom's University of Cambridge that explores the future of portable gadgetry when married with nanotechnology. Ever wonder what technology designers see when they dream at night? This is it.
POSTED Monday, February 25, 2008
We've seen a few cell phone / watch combos before, but most of them look like someone put a phone and a watch in the microwave, and heated them until they melted together. The Epoq EGP-WP88 is an unlocked...
POSTED Monday, February 18, 2008
Boy, do I ever love concept designs like this. Designers just love to create these fantastical designs with absolutely no basis in reality. I mean, hey, that's what engineers are for, right? Figuring out how to make designs work? If...
POSTED Thursday, February 14, 2008
Soon, thanks to Apple's deal with Starbucks for free access to WiFi at their stores, ordering overpriced coffee will be easier than ever. There'll be no more of that undesirable "interacting with fellow humans" that mars any good transaction, thank...
POSTED Thursday, February 14, 2008
The greenies among us will love this: the Strapya mini solar cell phone charger! Smaller than an iPod, this device only needs to drink up 6-10 hours of sunlight and then it serves as a completely dependable backup power source...
POSTED Thursday, February 14, 2008
Buddy Beacon, the program that has allowed Helio cell phone owners to find each other via GPS on compatible phones, is now expanding its reach to people outside of Helios network. Soon to be available on a variety of networks,...
POSTED Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Bluetooth headsets are great and all but the problem with all of them is that the microphone is way up by your ear. No matter how fancy the mic is, there's always gonna be echo problems and sound quality problems...
POSTED Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Sending text messages using a numerical keypad is a huge pain, even with predictive texting. And while getting a phone with a full QWERTY keyboard certainly helps, it still doesn't feel as natural as just using a pen. That's why...
POSTED Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Sony has just launched a new line of phones dubbed the XPERIA, starting with the XPERIA X1. Looking like it's aimed directly at phones such as the Sidekick and Ocean, it's got a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out from...
POSTED Monday, February 11, 2008
Nokia has just announced its new N96 superphone, a beauty of a device that, while loaded with features, probably won't make it here to the states without losing some of its best goodies. It's got a 2.8-inch screen, 16GB of...
POSTED Monday, February 11, 2008
We've seen fancy GPS systems that get real time traffic info from a permanent network of sensors like XM Traffic or MSN Direct. While that's all fine and dandy, XM or MSN service doesn't come cheap, and the data...
POSTED Monday, February 11, 2008
This week an Israeli company called modu introduced a new modular phone, also called modu. The phone is smaller than a credit card, and is meant to fit into "jackets," larger, cell-phone like devices that have different core functions,...
POSTED Sunday, February 10, 2008
Designer Fred De Garilhe was apparently thinking more about makeup packaging and jewelry than cell phones when he designed this Chanel Choco phone concept. The slim slider collapses into a square piece of shiny glass, festooned with a latticework...
POSTED Thursday, February 7, 2008
You may want to think twice before adding another gadget to your arsenal of electronic gear. Modu is a new cellphone concept design that is very real and could have very big implications on the consumer electronics world. Modu...
POSTED Thursday, February 7, 2008
Technology is pretty hard on our hands, and only getting more so: typing on a keyboard, twisting your fingers around a video game controller, thumbing your cell phone. With all that strain on your digits, you may be wondering...
POSTED Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Remember that touchless touch interface? Here's another take on an alternative way to control your devices, and this one looks like it will give your wrist a real workout. KEYnetik has a prototype handheld that's designed to be controlled...
POSTED Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Considering both the iPhone and iPod Touch are great devices to watch video on, they need all the memory they can get. After all, what good is a PVP if you can’t fit all three seasons of Lost on...
POSTED Tuesday, February 5, 2008
This touchless human/machine user interface by Norway's Elliptic Labs is a surefire way to avoid grubby touchscreens as it allows the user to manipulate objects on the screen by simply waving their hands like a wizard. The technology uses...
POSTED Monday, February 4, 2008
Now here's an interesting idea: a newly-unearthed Sony Ericsson patent shows a phone that can be split apart into two distinct sections. One is the screen, the other the keypad. All of the real guts of the phone would be...
POSTED Friday, February 1, 2008
The iPhone may have Google Maps, but it doesn't rely on real GPS— it approximates your location using cell phone towers. And while there are smartphones with GPS out there, none contains a fully-featured GPS device. Garmin's newly-announced nüviphone...
POSTED Thursday, January 31, 2008
While you might think of Japan as a land of technological wonders where they live with gadgets a few years ahead of our own, you might be surprised to learn that the iPhone has yet to be released over there,...
POSTED Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Softbank just released a brand new batch of cell phones with a special treat included designed to start your child off making calls and texting straight from the cradle. The SoftBank 820T also known as the KodoMobile (child phone)...
POSTED Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Nearly 252 million people in the U.S. have a cellphone, according to the cellphone industry group CTIA. This ubiquitous pocket plaything is increasingly capable of wondrous and heretofore unthinkable technological feats both frivolous and necessary. Just a couple of...
POSTED Tuesday, January 29, 2008
You can tell fuel cells are just about to hit it big. There are toy cars (and real cars) that run on the things, and heck, they might even be safe enough to take on an airplane. NEC wants...
POSTED Monday, January 28, 2008
It's only taken a couple decades, but a mobile manufacturer has finally decided to try to mainstream the cellphone and AM/FM radio combination. Sure, there's been cellphones in the fast that include some gimpy FM radio, and there has...
POSTED Monday, January 28, 2008
Feel like driving someone insane in a malicious way? Come on, everybody knows at least one person they'd like to drive bonkers. This Wrong Number Generator is a brilliantly simple way to do just that. How's it work? Well, you...
POSTED Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Polymer Vision Readius received a release date of sometime toward the middle of this year, and the cell phone/e-reader hybrid is shaping up to be an enticing contender against Apple's iPhone and the new wave of e-readers. It...
POSTED Tuesday, January 22, 2008
You know, a cell phone doesn't need to have a fancy touchscreen or a slide-out QWERTY keyboard to be slick looking. Simple design is oftentimes just as good, if not better, than complicated, flashy design. Just take a look at...
POSTED Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The latest grenade thrown in Japan’s never ending cute war has been issued by Softbank with the debut of its new Disney mobile phone. While some skeptics might balk at a Disney phone’s chances of success in the land...
POSTED Tuesday, January 22, 2008
You know that feeling when you gaze into the eyes of your iPod or iPhone and imagine spending the rest of your life with that device? Who wouldn't want to lock into a endless bond with a gadget from...
POSTED Sunday, January 20, 2008
The latest Helio phone, dubbed the Mysto, is now available for our consumption from coast to coast. The super-thin slider, made by Samsung (branded the U600 when they released it in Europe), features many of the same software flourishes that...
POSTED Wednesday, January 16, 2008
iPhone users will soon find a few new features on their beloved trinkets, all thanks to a free upgrade of the phone's firmware to the latest version 1.1.3, available today. Topping the list is the ability to pinpoint your exact...
POSTED Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Lightweight (1.5 pounds) and easy to carry, The PrintStik portable printer syncs with your laptop, PDA, and mobile cellphone when you have a document that you need a hard copy of right now. First you transfer them to the...
POSTED Friday, January 11, 2008
NS-ELEX has added to the list of brilliant Japanese gadgets somewhat undermined by ridiculous names intended to lend the device a certain "cute factor." The E-mimi kun (kun is a word usually used to affectionately refer to a boy,...
POSTED Friday, January 11, 2008
Mio, the company that brought us the DigiWalker, is showing off a concept phone/navigator here that could finally convince people to carry around GPS navigators. It's a dual sided cell phone and personal navigation system. The cell phone side...
POSTED Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Motorola has replaced the usual mess o' buttons on its candybar ROKR E8 cell with a blank black touchpad (not screen) that lights up the appropriate backlit control icons or numbers to match what you want the phone to...
POSTED Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Forget dipping your iPod or Blackberry into a vat of gold when you can buy a hoity-toity case to show off how much money you can flush away. Case-Mate has unveiled a $20,000 Blackberry case at CES that is...
POSTED Wednesday, January 9, 2008
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (or NOAA) is analyzing a possible threat brought on by a new 11 year cycle of sunspot activity. The new activity, known as Solar Cycle 24, is slow-building and predicted to reach a...
POSTED Tuesday, January 8, 2008
The problem with smartphones isn’t the phones; it’s the small size of their screens and the keyboards. The Cello Corp’s has a neat solution for Windows mobile phones: It’s the RedFly mobile companion, and it has a full keyboard...
POSTED Monday, January 7, 2008
As elegant and sexy as a Givenchy black cocktail dress comes the Z555 cellphone from Sony Ericsson. In even the softest romantic lighting, the diamond-etched design on both the dusted rose and black versions holographically glints and glitters like real...
POSTED Monday, January 7, 2008
This morning LG introduced MPH (Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld), an in-band mobile DTV technology that provides broadcast quality TV to mobile and handheld devices, even if they're traveling at 140 mph. Above are prototypes of MPH-embedded systems, including a GPS navigator that...
POSTED Sunday, January 6, 2008
The Freedom Phone is a concept by designer Vadim Kibardin for travelers looking for a pre-paid phone to use while abroad. It's lightweight and sleek and has all of the information you need to know about it, such as...
POSTED Friday, January 4, 2008
Something has to be done. I realize most of us appear content to continue down our increasingly self-centered path toward widespread social destruction, but far be it from me to take this Bluetooth invasion sitting down. It's time for...
POSTED Thursday, January 3, 2008
There are plenty of rumors out there about what Microsoft has in store for its Zune franchise, most of which point to a "Zune Phone." I mean, heck, if they're gonna follow Apple's footsteps they might as well go all...
POSTED Thursday, January 3, 2008
Remember the ill-fated Palm Foleo? The little gimped laptop that was so ridiculed when it was first announced that Palm killed it before it could even be released? Yeah, me either really. But hey, if you're one of the few...
POSTED Thursday, January 3, 2008
The Morphie Juice Pack promises to double the life of your iPhone's battery, and thankfully it comes in the form of a stylish sleeve rather than a bulky power brick. It uses the same charger your iPhone or iPod...
POSTED Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Designed specifically for the Motorola RAZR V3 and Motorola KRZR K1, the Mobile Phone Telescope is a gadget even James Bond's Q (the series' gadget master) would love. Simply attach the Mobile Phone Telescope to the camera portion of...
POSTED Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Can you imagine a world before the iPhone? It's difficult, isn't it? But there was a time earlier in the year when instead of reviewing the iPhone, we were making predictions about it. In April I wrote a column...
POSTED Thursday, December 27, 2007
Sure, you could always pick up a portable breathalyzer to have competitions with your friends and to determine when to give up the keys, but a silly breathalyzer couldn't give a flying hoot about your liver. Researchers at the...
POSTED Friday, December 21, 2007
Remember how airlines in the United States announced that we'd all get Wi-Fi in the sky? Air France is fitting one of its Airbus A318 planes with the means to provide in-flight calling for a preliminary six month trial....
POSTED Friday, December 21, 2007
The iPhone, while certainly one of the top gadget's of 2007, has one big downside: It's expensive. You seemingly get a lot, but $400 is up there for a cellphone. Is it possible to get all the same features for $300 less? We put the Apple's darling head to head with Palm's bargain smartphone, the new Centro to find out.
POSTED Friday, December 21, 2007
These leaked photos are allegedly of the upcoming N96 from Nokia, the update to the highly popular N95 smartphone that was released here in the States earlier this year. The new phone is a dual slider, with a horizontal...
POSTED Thursday, December 20, 2007
Toshiba has a new smartphone coming soon dubbed the Portege. Featuring a full QWERTY keyboard, it's loaded with options that should make power users happy. Features are set to include "GSM 900/1800/1900, WCDMA, Bluetooth, WLAN , USB 2.0 connectivity,...
POSTED Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The Gphone isn't coming, but Android phones certainly are. The new cellphone operating system by the Google-initiated Open Handset Alliance is currently under development, and phones with it loaded onboard should be dropping in the second half of 2008....
POSTED Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Need to tune your guitar in a pinch? Gudmundur Freyr Jónasson of Iceland has a program that runs off your cell phone and it compares the notes you're playing to how they should sound. Jónasson's idea is still in...
POSTED Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Most cool tech gadgets have a frighteningly short shelf life, which is why I find it amusing when people bling them up with gold or platinum and a pile of precious stones. This ultra exclusive gold and 180 diamond...
POSTED Monday, December 17, 2007
When you drink way too much, it makes your liver sad. Unfortunately, the only way your liver can tell you just how sad you're making it is by failing, which is a pretty extreme way of getting the message...
POSTED Friday, December 14, 2007
This slick little flip phone is the Motorola Ming 2, and it's got a bevy of features on board. It has quad-band GSM connectivity to start with, and the camera onboard is a 3.2-megapixel number with autofocus. It's got...
POSTED Friday, December 14, 2007
Owners of the Helio Ocean awoke this morning to discover some added functionality on their phones in the form of a new, free YouTube application. It allows users to browse and search through YouTube videos and watch them on...
POSTED Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Cell phone charms, little baubles that you can hang on your phone to give it some personality, are all the rage in Japan. Everyone has them there, and I mean everyone. There are tons to choose from, allowing everyone...
POSTED Tuesday, December 11, 2007
There aren't many things worse than being one of "those guys." You know that guy, wearing his Bluetooth headset all day and giving the impression that he is talking to no one. This is probably one step worse. Talking...
POSTED Tuesday, December 11, 2007
A lot of the time, I don't feel my phone vibrating in my pocket, and it's annoying. I hate missing calls when my phone is right there in my pocket. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who...
POSTED Tuesday, December 11, 2007
NTT DoCoMo turns its attention to pint-sized cell phone users with the FOMA F801i 3G cell phone and accompanying wristband. The F801i has an alarm which, once activated, will alert anyone in the vicinity by way of 100 decibel...
POSTED Monday, December 10, 2007
Have you thought about how cool it would be to be one of those Secret Service guys you see near the president, who talk to their lapels or sleeves all the time? Now with this touchscreen cellphone/PDA from iMobile,...
POSTED Friday, December 7, 2007
NTT Docomo decided to end the year off with one last tech flourish in form of the Sound Leaf Plus Bluetooth cell phone. Looking like a cross between a robot finger and an electric shaver, the most unique feature...
POSTED Friday, December 7, 2007
Will paper tickets be a thing of the past? Continental Airlines is looking to offer passengers another option when checking in, one that would see their cell phones carrying digital boarding passes. Cell phone owners will receive a two-dimensional...
POSTED Wednesday, December 5, 2007
NEC has developed an automatic translator for cell phones, able to translate any spoken Japanese phrase into English when spoken into a phone. Featuring a dictionary of 500,000 words, it should make traveling and communicating with anglophiles much easier for...
POSTED Friday, November 30, 2007
Ever feel like the only difference between a general gadget and a gadget marketed toward women is a coat of pink? Thankfully, Syntes Studio approached the topic differently. They've got two phones: an "urban" design that is functionally interesting,...
POSTED Friday, November 30, 2007
The unnecessary cellphone accessory market is still booming, which has been made apparent with the Black Hole Phone Bag. This bag does essentially that, it sends your cellphone into a black hole, figuratively, not literally. The bag is manufactured...
POSTED Thursday, November 29, 2007
Blockbuster, which had its butt severely kicked by Netflix in the online video rental game, is hoping to save itself from obsolescence by jumping on this new "cell phone" thing that the kids have been talking about these days. Specifically,...
POSTED Thursday, November 29, 2007
If you were looking for a reason to hold off on buying an iPhone until next year, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson just gave you one. That's because when asked whether or not a 3G iPhone was in the pipeline, he...
POSTED Thursday, November 29, 2007
Helio, the cell phone company that sells some of the slickest phones available on this side of the Pacific, has a new phone coming out called the Mysto. There are very few details known about it, but you're looking at...
POSTED Thursday, November 29, 2007
Can you imagine a world where amusement park rides didn't have long lines? It's tough— when I think of Disney I only remember endless mazes. But what if visiting an amusement park were more like visiting the Cheesecake Factory,...
POSTED Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Bluetrek has been putting its own flair on Bluetooth headsets for quite some time and its latest release is no different. The Sense Bluetooth headset is following the trends of everyone else, by eliminating the need for buttons and...
POSTED Saturday, November 24, 2007
Misplacing keys and cellphones is a far to common occurrence than it should be, especially with the level of technology available to solve a problem like this. I Call Me is an idea for a two-way calling system to...
POSTED Wednesday, November 21, 2007
The dead cellphone is one of those things we've all been stuck with before, and we all know how much it sucks. You can't call people, you can't receive calls, and you just feel cut off from the world. Well,...
POSTED Friday, November 16, 2007
Cellphones straps are a unique breed of accessory. People either love or despise these straps that previously has the sole purpose of giving an additional way to hold, carry and decorate a cellphone. This USB Leather Hand Strap from...
POSTED Thursday, November 15, 2007
You know those folks that wear the Bluetooth all hours of the day and radiate off vibes of weirdness when talking to themselves? Heck, you are probably one of those guys, so listen up because Callpod has come out...
POSTED Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Internet tablets are for people who don't want to pay a monthly fee for Internet access over a cellular network and are frequently near Wi-Fi hotspots. They're also just about the smallest computers you can get, so could potentially...
POSTED Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Pack your bags because the apocalypse is coming. This is apparent by the creation of the Cre8txt. Kids nowadays that would rather rock out T9 text messaging rather than using a full QWERTY keyboard can now do so anywhere,...
POSTED Monday, November 12, 2007
Not long ago, we posted a host of mockups by designers of the ideal Google phone or "gPhone." This week, our hopes for a gPhone were quashed (for now) as the company instead announced Android, Google's open-sourced, ad-supported, Linux-based...
POSTED Sunday, November 11, 2007
Few things are more frustratingly useless than a dead cell phone. When it's got power, it's your connection to the world. When it's out of juice, however, it's a symbol of your poor planning and charge management. Now you can't...
POSTED Friday, November 9, 2007
I remember when a pen was considered fancy if it had more than one tube of ink in it. Y'know, the kind with all the different click nubs on top so you can write in black or blue or...
POSTED Thursday, November 8, 2007
Oh, hey, I didn't see you there. What's what? Oh this! Why, it's my very own Pentaphone Isolation Space. It cuts down on ambient noise so I'm not distracted and keeps people from butting into my conversation. Of course...
POSTED Thursday, November 8, 2007
Motorola just announced a slick new Bluetooth headset for all you hands-free types: the H12. In addition to looking pretty nice, it has an extra-stable design that includes both an ear bud and an ear hook to make sure it...
POSTED Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Samsung's got a hot new smartphone it's just announced: the SPH-M4650. It's a beauty, featuring a 2.8-inch touchscreen that has haptic feedback, responding with a vibration when you punch a button. It also has a 2-megapixel camera, DMB TV...
POSTED Monday, November 5, 2007
Japanese cell phone giant Docomo just released two new phone models, the 905i and 705i series, with 23 variations available in 75 different colors. After perusing the selection it's immediately clear that the new 905i is the phone you'll...
POSTED Thursday, November 1, 2007
I love concept gadgets because they don't need to conform to the reality of the tech world, you know, designing things that could actually exist. Instead, they focus completely on style and functionality, leaving the actual logistics of the...
POSTED Wednesday, October 31, 2007
It looks like an Apple and works like an Apple, but this isn't your ordinary iPhone. Designed by Tobias Wong, CITIZEN:Citizen's ccPhone is a limited edition iPhone with a matte black finish and a few extra additions to sweeten...
POSTED Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Windows Mobile isn't the most friendly piece of software for people who don't use their phones for business purposes, but Microsoft would love to see that change. They've got to be at least a little excited about the new...
POSTED Monday, October 29, 2007
That plethora of wires connecting all of your gadgets to your car should be no more, at least if Venturi has anything to do with it. If it relates to your cellphone or audio player, the Venturi Mini can...
POSTED Tuesday, October 23, 2007
We're no stranger to Bluetooth watches around these parts. We've seen their designs progress from the original Tron-style, to a reminiscent of the 1990s calculator watch. Now Sony Ericsson, with the almost nameless help of Fossil, has a Bluetooth...
POSTED Monday, October 22, 2007
One problem with high tech toys is that it's hard to square a love for power craving tech gizmos with an environmentally responsible lifestyle. Now a company called Miniwiz has a device that should make it possible to use...
POSTED Thursday, October 18, 2007
We've been teasing you with the idea of wirelessly charging up your cellphone or iPod for the past year, first introducing you to the gee-whiz tech and then letting you know it would soon be available. Now Wild Charge...
POSTED Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Do you ever get anxious while you're on vacation, worrying that home sweet home might not be just as you left it when you get back? Sure, you can ask a friendly neighbor to keep an eye on the place,...
POSTED Tuesday, October 16, 2007
If you were the kind of kid who ran around pretending your $1.25 watch from the drugstore was a 2-way wrist radio like Dick Tracy's, then the idea of a watch/cell phone hybrid might be a dream come true....
POSTED Monday, October 15, 2007
Palm's new smartphone, the Centro, hits Sprint stores today. Palm's pitch: it's the fun smartphone for the masses. The Centro is smaller than Palm's Treo, and it's significantly less expensive: $100 (with a two-year contract and after the mail-in...
POSTED Sunday, October 14, 2007
Motorola's unleashing a fancy, fancy version of its new RAZR2, covered in gold and a snake-like leathery skin on the back. Yes, real gold! No one will call you a failure ever again, because you have real gold on...
POSTED Friday, October 12, 2007
Sprint just announced what has the potential to be a pretty hot phone this year: the Rumor. This not-quite-a-smartphone has a shiny, curvaceous exterior and a slide-out QWERTY for typing text messages, emails, and IMs, which are possible on the...
POSTED Friday, October 12, 2007
Motorola's just announced a new music phone, this one taking the PEBL form factor: the PEBL U9. the curvy phone sports music controls on the front, allowing you to treat it like an MP3 player as well as a...
POSTED Thursday, October 11, 2007
Samsung went ahead and dropped three new music phones on us today: the SGH-i450, SGH-F330 and SGH-F210. First: the i450, which is a slider that reveals a speaker when open, allowing you to share your music with those around...
POSTED Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Cellphones tend to either have cluttered symbols on a sparse keypad or a fuller keyboard on a larger, more unwieldy unit. It might sound like cheating, but what if the keys just changed appearance? DoCoMo is playing around with...
POSTED Friday, October 5, 2007
It's clear that touchscreens are the future of cell phones, but why should we have to touch screens? Designer Sunman Kwon has created a concept design that he calls a Wearable Mobile Device, which would use "Finger Touching" technology....
POSTED Friday, October 5, 2007
Bluetooth headsets don't suck up a lot of juice, only needing to be recharged every few days and using barely any energy at all while not being used. That's why they're a perfect candidate for solar charging. They sit...
POSTED Thursday, October 4, 2007
You're looking at one of AT&Ts new upcoming flagships, the AT&T Tilt. Named because of its unique and slick method of opening — with the screen sliding up and tilting at a 40° angle, revealing a QWERTY keyboard below...
POSTED Thursday, October 4, 2007
We've got another treat for the old schoolers (that's Luddites for you futurists) from the tech Mecca of Akihabara called the Any Phone. Simply put, the Any Phone is an analog telephone receiver and microphone attachment you can plug...
POSTED Thursday, October 4, 2007
I'm not really sure Apple will be quaking in its boots, but Verizon is hoping to steal a little thunder from the iPhone with LG's Voyager phone. The biggest advantage? It has faster Web access than the phone from...
POSTED Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Vertu, Nokia's luxury unit, is known for making some of the most expensive phones out there, aimed squarely at the silver-spoon set. With some of their phones costing ludicrous amounts such as $310,000 and $88,000, the company's new Ascent...
POSTED Wednesday, October 3, 2007
While some companies endeavor to reach as many pockets as possible, Bang & Olufsen tends to offer a more exclusive feel because of its different designs or high prices. The Bang & Olufsen Serenata might fall into both those...
POSTED Tuesday, October 2, 2007
This Sim Card Spy Ear is basically a phone you hide in a room that you can call whenever you want, but instead of it ringing, it'll automatically pick up and let you listen in on whatever is going...
POSTED Friday, September 28, 2007
Samsung has just let loose the official details on the follow up to its Blackjack smartphone. The SGH-i780 will feature HSDPA/WCDMA/GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity, allowing you to connect to the web, as well as a full QWERTY keyboard for typin' out...
POSTED Friday, September 28, 2007
Since choosing between a Treo and an iPhone is becoming the $400 question for the young glitterati, Palm has created a $100 smartphone, the Centro, available next month from Sprint. Centro resembles Nokia's 5300 MusicXpress saddle-shoe aesthetics, with red...
POSTED Thursday, September 27, 2007
Want to make sure your dinner is going to be uninterrupted by cell phone calls or text messages, no matter what, guaranteed? Well, you can turn your phone off, but you can't count on your guests to follow suit....
POSTED Thursday, September 27, 2007
One problem with working in a cubicle farm is that single person who will never turn their cell phone to silent. An anonymous gift like a Kam Kam Mobile Alert may finally be able to give that person a...
POSTED Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Good news for people who pay for labels rather than the items they're stitched to: Giorgio Armani has a phone coming out! Hot damn, it'll go great with those $700 pants you just bought, right? If you're already sick...
POSTED Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Put your cell phone to work when you get home by parking it in this iHome iHC5S clock-radio speaker system, and it will communicate with this four-speaker mother ship via Bluetooth. Then you can access all the music on...
POSTED Monday, September 24, 2007
Buffalo just released its own Skype phone for wireless on-the-go phone calls. It's black (a requirement for any truly geeky device), it's slim and lightweight and it's designed to connect to Japan's over 5,400 FREESPOT WiFi access points. The...
POSTED Saturday, September 22, 2007
There are so many cell phone manufacturers, and each one seems to have a different-sized plug needed to charge up its phones. Now five of the world's biggest cell phone manufacturers have finally decided on a standard plug size...
POSTED Friday, September 21, 2007
Just when you need to make a call, your cell-phone battery bites it. Just when you're about to trudge home after a hard day pushing paper, your iPod craps out. There are a growing number of pocket widgets that...
POSTED Friday, September 21, 2007
We're not sure if high tech landlines are an emerging trend, or of they're the last, desperate yelps of a technology doomed to obscurity. While GE is making a home phone that checks the weather, landline manufacturer in December....
POSTED Thursday, September 20, 2007
How's this for a nice example of the difference between the technologies here in the States and over in Japan: a watch with 3G web access, a touchscreen, a phone, and an audio/video player. Yes, it's a watch with...
POSTED Wednesday, September 19, 2007
This here is Motorola's upcoming ROKR E8 music phone, a slick candybar phone with a touch-sensitive keypad reminiscent of LG's Chocolate phone. It does, however, have haptic feedback on that touch keypad, which should make it easier to use...
POSTED Tuesday, September 18, 2007
In May, Helio introduced the Ocean, the world's first dual slider phone (the number pad slides down vertically, the keyboard horizontally). The phone got great reviews, but in order to buy one, you have to sign up with Helio,...
POSTED Monday, September 17, 2007
It may not be a Mack truck transforming into Optimus Prime, but Plantronics has definitely taken a page out of Michael Bay's book with its latest morphing 855 Bluetooth headset. It's a bit different from the usual array of...
POSTED Tuesday, September 11, 2007
The next time you whip out your phone to take a picture of a funny billboard or sexy ad, you might accidentally be about to make a purchase. Advertisers are playing around with the idea including Semacode tags on...
POSTED Monday, September 10, 2007
The recent Michael Bay epic Transformers fell flat with many critics but delivered when it came to special effects. Because of the live-action dream come true, a mini-resurgence of Transformers mania has taken hold in the geek community resulting...
POSTED Friday, September 7, 2007
The Palm Foleo, the smartphone companion that was met with universal pans when it was announced at the end of May, has officially gotten canned by Palm. A laptop-that's-not-a-laptop, the Foleo was basically designed to expand the Palm Treo...
POSTED Thursday, September 6, 2007
Although Japanese Mac fans have been patiently biding their time until the iPhone comes to Asia in 2008, one of the country's top cell-phone makers isn't waiting to get it's head taken off by Steve Jobs. Docomo has unveiled...
POSTED Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Google phone rumors have been circulating for months, but speculation crescendoed (we hope) this week, with Engadget reporting that Google will announce its "mobile platform" in the "very near future." CrunchGear hears that the phones will be produced by...
POSTED Sunday, September 2, 2007
Do you hate progress? Do you still own a black-and-white TV? Do you refuse to buy a new gadget in the first decade of its lifespan? Chances are, you don't have a cell phone. But you probably see the...
POSTED Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Take a look at Brix, a modular concept for a cell phone that lets you use one of the screens as a phone/media viewer, or piece together multiple units for an even larger screen. It's a lot like the...
POSTED Tuesday, August 28, 2007
While most people simply use Google to search the Internet for anything and everything online, the company has yet to reach people in the real world — with, say, some kind of gadget. That's all about to change, one...
POSTED Tuesday, August 28, 2007
You really like it to be quiet at the movie theater, but you don't have one of these handy remotes. How are you going to fight back? Well, there is a gadget out there that literally blocks cell phone...
POSTED Tuesday, August 28, 2007
If you've ever felt the urge to try your hand at illegal street painting but worry about getting caught, you might want to look out for these ads for Marc Ecko's fashion company. As long as you have a...
POSTED Monday, August 27, 2007
Panasonic, together with a British design firm, has come up with a cameraphone accessory that's designed to make it super-simple to upload photos to a social-networking site like MySpace. The idea is you would slip your cell phone into...
POSTED Thursday, August 23, 2007
There's nothing more annoying than not getting decent cell reception in your own home. Missing calls, dropping calls, and having to go stand in a random corner to get that extra bar are all infuriating things to do, and...
POSTED Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Samsung's new phone is called the UFO, and it looks to be just as sleek and slick as an alien craft. Beyond the smoky gray case and thin sliding body, it's got some of the more impressive insides we've...
POSTED Monday, August 20, 2007
The Bang & Olufsen Serene is one of the most overpriced phones out there, with a jaw-dropping price tag of $1,300. They probably haven't sold all too many at that price, but that isn't going to stop them from releasing...
POSTED Friday, August 17, 2007
While Sony's Cybershot line has until now consisted solely of digital cameras, the new K770 adds another device: a phone. The branding shows just how camera-centric the new Sony Ericsson phone is, with its generous 3.2-megapixel camera built in. The...
POSTED Thursday, August 16, 2007
Helio dropped a bomb on us today, following up on their awesome Ocean double-slider with a new, super-thin flip phone dubbed the Fin. The slick, magnesium-cased phone features a 3-megapixel digital camera, GPS, 3G Web access, and 100 MB...
POSTED Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Ever since the iPhone was released, legions of hackers and tinkerers have been racing to see who could unlock and modify the much-hyped device first. Well, it looks like someone might have gotten the somewhat-coveted prize, as the ability...
POSTED Monday, August 13, 2007
The Palm Foleo, the poorly received new half-laptop that the fate of the company is resting on, just had some more details revealed about it, and boy are they exciting. You're looking at a 416-MHz Intel/Marvell PXA27x, a Marathon...
POSTED Saturday, August 11, 2007
Your RAZR is pretty out of date at this point. While it might have been the hottest gadget around a few years ago, now it's about as common as Nike sneakers. You need something new, something that'll let people...
POSTED Friday, August 10, 2007
The Advantage by HTC is either the biggest smartphone in the world or the smallest laptop, depending on your point of view. Called the perfect device for three days on the road (who comes up with these statements?), the...
POSTED Wednesday, August 8, 2007
If you always wished you could own a gadget inspired by the design of Logan's Run or The Last Starfighter, you're in for a treat. Nokia's Prism cell phone has all the triangular geometric shapes you could possibly want...
POSTED Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Some of us are still waiting for an alternative to the boring little chunks of plastic everyone seems so fond of holding to their ears. Personally, I'd rather have a little badge on my chest that I can tap...
POSTED Tuesday, July 31, 2007
I'm in the market for a new cell phone, which pretty much means I'm preparing to voluntarily submit myself to the 21st-century version of the rack. Sure, many people (especially females under the age of, oh, 19) love to...
POSTED Friday, July 27, 2007
Imagine that you're walking down the street one day and come across a giant screen where little triangular avatars are blasting one another à la Battle Tank. On the sidewalk are cheering men, posh women, grannies and kids, all...
POSTED Wednesday, July 25, 2007
First we heard about a projector small enough to slip into the bottom of a cell phone, and now that component is on its way into a Motorola handset. The PicoP, a miniature projector created by Microvision from a...
POSTED Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Anyone who's tried to navigate the Web on his mobile device can tell you that it's often a pain in the rear. Sure, there's a world of content that's been configured for handheld devices, but it's limited, and so...
POSTED Tuesday, July 17, 2007
If you liked Katana, you're going to love its daughter, the Katana DLX by Sanyo (not to be confused with DreamAuthentics' game console. Available from Sprint, the Katana DLX has newer and better ways to receive multimedia content: There's...
POSTED Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Ever since Steve Jobs announced the coming of the God Phone in January, industry analysts started taking bets on which cell-phone manufacturer would meet the Apple challenge first. My money has been on Samsung, the new electronics leader in...
POSTED Tuesday, July 17, 2007
T-Mobile launched its HotSpot@Home service a couple of weeks ago, but because of all of the recent iPhone mania, reviews are only coming in now. The service costs $20 a month on top of the cost of your normal...
POSTED Sunday, July 15, 2007
There are few things more irritating than discovering that you don't get good cell reception in your own home. It's one of those things you don't think to check on when touring an apartment, and then you move in...
POSTED Wednesday, July 11, 2007
If you have a Motorola SLVR and want to mod it into the coolest retro phone in the neighborhood, you're in luck. It turns out the SLVR is a pretty good fit with a classic NES controller, making the...
POSTED Tuesday, July 10, 2007
As many learn the hard way, traveling overseas is one big wild card when it comes to cell-phone service. Will your cool new phone work in Europe? Japan? Thailand? Doubtful, but it's a good bet National Geographic's Talk Abroad phone...
POSTED Tuesday, July 10, 2007
The scene: iPhone Day. I was near the end of a 13-hour wait. At around 5 p.m., 12 hours into my iPhone vigil, friendly security guards moved the line east down 58th Street then north onto Fifth Avenue into...
POSTED Thursday, July 5, 2007
The slim i425 cell phone, made by Motorola for Boost Mobile, uses iDEN technology (integrated digital enhanced network, multiple communication devices all-in-one) and can thus make the claim of being the slimmest walkie-talkie phone ever made. Less than half...
POSTED Wednesday, July 4, 2007
What kind of range do you need for your Bluetooth to connect your phone to, say, a wireless headset? A few feet? Maybe more if you want to be able to wander around your house? Would 50 feet seem...
POSTED Wednesday, July 4, 2007
LG and YouTube have