Best Gadgets World

HTC has just announced that its coveted TouchFLO and Windows Mobile 6.1 equipped “Touch Dual” smartphone will be seeing US shores exclusively through Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile retail outlets. The phone will be sold unlocked.

“At Best Buy we are committed to providing customers with a wide selection of high-quality handsets,” said David Ryan, director of merchandising, Best Buy Mobile. “We look forward to adding the innovative HTC Touch Dual to our current lineup of unlocked phones.”

The Touch Dual will be among the first mobile devices to run Windows Mobile 6.1 in the US. With collaboration from Microsoft, HTC plans on extending the functionality of the Touch Dual through release updates—providing easy navigation, strong security, and support for Microsoft Office Mobile applications and System Center mobile device Manager 2008.

Highlights of the device includes: a 2.6-inch touchscreen display with TouchFLO technology, 2-megapixel camera, and its combinational use of a slide-out 20-key keyboard and touchscreen, which allows users to choose their preferred input method. The Dual Touch is a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) phone with HSDPA (850/1900Mhz) connectivity. The phone will also come with Live HTC Home featuring time and weather information, an application quick launcher, and one-touch ring tone settings.

Product [HTC] Read [StreetInsider]

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My birthday’s in May, and already my loved ones are asking what I want. So I’ve got a moral dilemma. I don’t really need an audio player because I’ve got two perfectly good iPods. OTOH, they are elderly and not equipped for video. I really would like a handheld video player, and I would like to have usable handheld Internet access.

I don’t need an iphone because I adore my Centro, which combines a decent phone with the Palm PDA software that’s kept me in approximate order for years. It was also really, really cheap: $99 plus the inevitable 2-year contract. My adoration, however, doesn’t extend to the Centro’s screen, which is really, really tiny, no good for either videos or the Web.

An obvious solution is the ipod Touch. But here’s my moral dilemma: am I going to let my lust for an iPod Touch overpower my desire to keep my loved ones from spending $300-$500, depending on gigabytes?

Just as the Creative TravelSound i50 for the ipod shuffle undermined the player’s most compelling feature (its size), the newly announced TravelSound i80 pounces on the iPod nano and negates its thinness. That Creative agreed to begin making iPod accessories only after Apple was forced to pay them $100 million in 2006 (lawsuit recap here) makes their “excess-ories” seem like rubbing salt into the wound. I mean, does equipping the i80 with a USB port, volume rocker, and power button justify the fact that it makes the nano about three times thicker and adds 3.2 ounces to its 1.7-ounce frame?

Thanks for joining the Made for iPod gang, guys. The speakers are really in keeping with Apple’s whole “thin is in” obsession.

Due for a pre-summer release in Asia, the TravelSound i80 will carry a list price of S$129 (about $93 USD according to today’s conversion rates). No word yet on when it will reach U.S. shores.

Via OhGizmo!

CTIA Wireless 2008 was the platform where Elektrobit released its dual-mode satellite terrestrial HSPA handset, and this modern marvel has stirred quite a fair bit of interest. It touts itself to be the “first fully IP-based Quad-band GSM-satellite phone” which features a touch screen display, a full QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, USB, and GPS navigation, all powered by the Windows 6.1 mobile operating system. It will come in a PDA form factor, where users in the US will be able to seamlessly and securely connect via both the satellite and terrestrial components of the TerreStar network. That is currently the sole carrier at this stage, so who knows whether there will be others in the future?

Both Elektrobit and TerreStar have come together to deliver a new generation of mobile reference designs that will bring together the first quad-band GSM and tri-band WCDMA/HSPA smartphone with integrated all-IP satellite-terrestrial voice and data capabilities in the world. Among the other notable firsts would be this being the only fully IP-based satellite phone using high-speed packet data, also taking top spot in being the only satellite-terrestrial smartphone with a touch screen and a full QWERTY keyboard in addition to being the only satellite-terrestrial smartphone based on Windows Mobile operating system, accompanied by other services such as SMS, MMS, IM, Email, Push to Talk and Location Based Services (LBS).

Some of the specifications to be included into the EB-TerreStar reference designs include :-

• Windows Mobile Professional Operating System
• 100MB of internal memory
• Lightweight form factor
• 4.7″ x 2.5″ x 0.8″
• Built-in Bluetooth connectivity
• Integrated WiFi connectivity
• GPS navigation
• Mass handset customization possibilities

No idea on how much this will cost when it finally hits the market though, but it looks (and sounds) set to be one feature packed smartphone.

Source: Gizmag

Though I am usually skeptical about multi-functional devices, my love for unusual pens weakens this stance when it comes to the 5-in-1 gadget pen.

This cool pen has 5 different integrated tools which includes a ball-point tip for writing, mini torch, laser pointer, bank note checker, stylus for your PDA, and a neuralizer which you can use to wipe away people’s memories! Like Agent J from Men in Black. Credit the neuralizer to my wild imagination (read yearning), but even without that, the 5-in-1 pen holds my interest. The sleek silver finish adds a geeky touch to the gadget which weighs just about 30g in spite of the embellishments. All yours for just $11.

Via The Red Ferret Journal.

Posted Apr 4th 2008 8:47PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Misc. gadgetsBelieve it or not, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen software created in order to determine whether a subject is drop-dead gorgeous, but scientists at Tel Aviv University have seemingly concocted a program of their own that can “interpret attractiveness in women.” Before you ask, the researchers have yet to perfect the art of computing the beauty of males, but they’re attributing said omission to the difficulty in “defining” attractiveness in dudes. Nevertheless, the software was purportedly able to reach nearly the same conclusion as humans about how lovely (or not) a hundred different ladies were, as it broke down features like face symmetry, smoothness of the skin and hair color. We’re told the development could eventually be used in “plastic and reconstructive surgery and computer visualization programs,” but c’mon, this is totally meant to automate the grueling Hot or Not process.

[Via Physorg]

What better way to lower your monthly electricity bill than rely on good ol’ solar power that never runs out (at least until our sun decides to explode)? The Torpedo Solar Spotlight makes a good candidate to spruce up your garden long after sundown at an affordable price.

Make a walkway safer, uplight a tree or highlight garden art without the hassle of running extension cords or digging trenches for wiring. These garden spotlights are solar powered! Each 2¼” reflective lens has three bright LEDs that never need replacing, and an integrated solar panel that pivots and swivels to catch the best rays. Lights come on at dusk and shine for up to eight hours.

Each purchase retails for $24.95 and it comes in a set of 2.

Is the plural of thermos “thermoses” or “thermice”?

While you’re pondering that, allow me to introduce you to this fabulous new food thermos from Plastica. The problem with storing soups and stews in a traditional thermos is that the top is never wide enough to pour out a decent portion - leaving your chicken noodles or chunky vegetables languishing uneaten at the bottom of the flask.

Plastica’s Thermos Food Jar costs $30 and is made especially to store and pour any kind of hot food. It will keep your stew steaming for 12 hours and chill your gazpacho for 20. Even better, there’s an integrated spoon so you don’t have to gulp your soup out of a cup (I hate that).

I don’t think it’s too early to order one or two in time for your Memorial Day picnic, do you?

Via Mighty Goods.

We first featured the AeroGarden a looong time ago when they essentially only had 1 model and since then AeroGrow, the manufacturer has launched a number of additional models including this new $100 model.

The AeroGarden 3 has everything you need to grow your own organic herbs and vegetables, using CFLs and less energy than a single 60W bulb. Using its built-in computer, the AeroGarden monitors and adjusts the nutrient delivery, light and water for specific plants. There’s also a reminder system to tell you when you need to add more water and nutrients.

Gimme!
More info from the manufacturer
Price: $99.95
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

via Kitchen Contraptions

Posted in Gizmo of the Day, Home Automation, Miscellaneous

Posted Apr 4th 2008 7:29PM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
We just got a special surprise on our doorstep this afternoon in the form of an E100 from iriver. You’ve already seen the review, so we won’t bore you with a full rehash, but suffice it to say that this thing is well built but feels suspiciously lightweight — not to mention inexplicably thick. The software is all nice and responsive, though it takes a bit of getting used to the d-click interface, and while you’re certainly not going to get much mileage out of the built-in speaker, it is a nice touch. The screen is great straight on, but suffers from some viewing angle woes. We really can’t fault the player for much, but there’s nothing too compelling here to make us leave any members of our current assortment of DAPs. Video is after the break.

Gallery: iriver E100 hands-on