CTIA CEO Steve Largent told show-goers that the numbers of SMS messages sent by U.S. wireless subscribers rose to a staggering 1 trillion last year—or triple the piddling 363 billion text messages we sent in 2007. Some number crunching says that every cell phone user (270 million in December 2008) sends an average of 3700 text messages a year or close to 10 a day. This brings the average cell phone bill to $50.07 as of December 2008 up...
Leaders of the G20 met at London to pledge trillions of dollars with the IMF and push their economies further into debt. As always there were protests and apart from the usual rioting there were a few special protestors. Like the Pink Stormtrooper who would have said 'The force is not strong with capitalism, Silly'. [Spiegel]...
The HTC Snap has been unveiled at the CTIA Wireless 2009 trade show in Las Vegas. The Snap is the latest QWERTY midrange smartphone and is clearly a BlackBerry competitor. It focuses on users who want to simplify their mobile e-mail, featuring a dedicated key to bring up e-mail from a preselected group of users. The phone has a fully exposed QWERTY keyboard, large domed keys and a jog ball. Users can remotely sync e-mail, calendar and contacts with...
The Jabra SP200 is a Bluetooth wireless speakerphone for mobile phones featuring one large and easily accessible control button, a volume wheel, and a dedicated on/off switch, allowing users to control calls effortlessly. It promises excellent call quality and uses DSP technology to reduce background noise. Requiring no installation, the Jabra SP200 can be attached to virtually anything in your home or car (e.g. visor, dash, cup holder, kitchen cabinet, desk, bookshelf, etc.) for conference calls and hands-free talking...
Sony has announced an upgrade to the PS3’s Firmware to version 2.70. The upgrade will add in a new Text Chat feature, as a way for you to communicate online with PlayStation Network friends. Messages are typed out using a wireless keypad or the on-screen keyboard. The firmware update will also add a video back-up service to the PS3 that'll let video files bought from the PlayStation Store be archived onto an external hard drive. Text Chat can be...
There isn’t half as much excitement in reading a review of a gadget as there is in viewing the video. That’s what should be learnt from this fascinating grab of the LG GD900 at CTIA. The transparent keypad is definitely the highlight of the phone. It slides in and out pretty smoothly; this explains the stability of the slider (something that most LG phones haven’t lived up to). However, the transparent keypad is crystal clear and has some good...
Tired of putting up wish lists for the next iPhone or Macbook? Well now you can discuss it directly with Steve Jobs. Plush Jobs as it is called is dressed in Jeans with a black long sleeve tshirt has not shaven since a couple of a days and wears glasses. The 17 inch high doll would be a perfect addition on your bed or next to your Mac. Available in limited numbers, 500 to be precise PodBrix is selling...
Apple could soon be introducing a 32GB version of the iPhone and will also release a low-end Wi-Fi-less model for the emerging markets. Apple could release a lower-end version of the iPhone, without Wi-Fi, which will be targeted at emerging markets such as Brazil, Russian, India and China while a higher-end version, with a better camera and more storage capacity will hit North America and Europe. Via [HardwareSilicon]...
If the Nintendo DS is your vice then here’s salvation for you. This cool Health Control Game Timer alerts you every time you overwork your eyes into the gaming console. It is also capable of detecting the proximity of your face from the device and alerts you with a red light every time you get too cozy with your game. This is the best thing to gift your kid if he keeps throwing up that classic excuse of losing...
Following instructions via public announcement systems at train stations or airports are like deciphering alien codes, making one wonder if they really on the right place all the time. Isn’t it weird that if sound specialists can create perfectly audible sound in a packed cinema why can’t it be replicated at a train station. A new speaker technology called FFL (Flat Flexible Loudspeaker) tech, enables speakers that are less than a quarter of a millimeter thick, light enough to...
You may call it a dirty job done well, but the Japanese have a way of doing whatever they do in such a manner that it would leave anyone speechless. Let’s take these cool toilets by Inax as an example. Till now Japanese toilets were known to be tweaked well enough to keep you’re a**es warm in the winter. But these cool toilets do more than just keep you warm, in fact, they keep a tab on your health...
The HDR-TG5 isn’t Sony’s first world record holder for being the smallest Full HD camcorder yet. It was preceded by the TG1 which, unfortunately, didn’t have a lot to show for itself besides the size. The TG5 betters its predecessor in terms of an improved interface, more memory and GPS! Surely, it makes it an absolute necessity for globe trotters to have GPS in your camcorder so that you can geotag your images as and when you shoot them....
Panasonic Japan has announced two new iPod docks for its D-dock series. The SC-HC4 and SC-HC3 have the same features except the latter lacks a SD card slot. Common features include iPod dock, AM / FM radio, digital amplifier delivering 20W×2ch output, CD player and a SD card slot (HC4 only) for playback and recording of audio CD's. The speakers are made of a newly developed Bamboo fiber material which makes it lightweight and keeps the vibration down too....
At the Seoul Auto show LG showcased the Icecream notebook. Codenamed X120 it is specially designed for in car usage. Technical details and availability are not known yet, but we expect it to come with a T-DMB tuner and other Korea specific gadgets. [Aving]...
I know we are getting a bit overboard with Mario, but this was hard to ignore. A T-shirt showing Mario in a womb according to Da Vinci. A classic for $20. [Gearfuse]...
