Mobile Devices

Trusted Reviews reviews the Samsung i640 and writes, “There is a front-facing camera for video calling. The 2-megapixel main camera is not much to write home about but it has a self-portrait mirror, and its back facing lens is hidden behind the slide when it is not needed, which should help with protection against scratching…The side-mounted camera button has long and short press functions; with a short press taking you to the Windows Mobile ‘Quick List’ profile switcher and a long press activating the camera itself…With the camera active, pressing up and down on the navi button accesses zoom while pressing left and right controls white balance. The camera options available are pretty standard, with the main novelty being a ‘mosaic’ shooting mode that lets you combine four pictures into a single one by shooting four segments one at a time.”

Read more about the Samsung i640.

by Darren Murph, posted May 24th 2008 at 3:01PM
If you’ve ran smack into any flavor of foreign object while waiting impatiently for your navigator to “recalculate,” you’ll likely be salivating for Sanyo’s latest duo. The NVA-MS1280DT and NVA-MS1180DT each feature a 4GB SSD drive (though the former adds a 4GB SD card and DVD support), a 7-inch QVGA display, 43-watt x 4 internal amplifier, MP3 / WMA / AAC playback, a 1-seg TV tuner, 3D maps, FM tuner and ipod support. In all seriousness, the SSD is bundled in not so much for its speed, but for its reliability — either way, we can’t help but be enamored. Both units are slated to land in June for ¥181,650 ($1,761) and ¥155,400 ($1,506), respectively, so it’s fairly easy to see those solid state discs aren’t being thrown in gratis.

[Via NaviGadget]

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Filed under: GPS

The Washingtonpost reviews the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 and writes, “The 8120’s two-megapixel still camera took pretty good photos, especially in low-light situations where its built-in flash really made a difference.   And the device’s   software made it easy to crop a portrait for use as a thumbnail that appears on the screen when that person calls…The camera’s 5X digital zoom was not impressive, though, and while this is the first Pearl to capture video, the clip I shot was rather grainy when I played it back on my PC.”

Read more about the blackberry Pearl 8120.

So what happens when you combine a Japanese ISP Founder, the idea of an iphone, and the idea of WiMAX together in a room? You get a fun-filled day of iPhone/WiMAX bashing! Sachio Semmoto, the founder of eAccess (a broadband provider as well as a wireless company) said that the iPhone is a “total failure” in the US compared to the number of phones sold by others (think RAZR). While he liked the functions, he doesn’t like it on AT&T (who doesn’t?).

“If I have a chance to talk to Steve, I’d like to tell him face to face: You made a wrong choice.”

In between shots at the iPhone, Semmoto also mentioned that WiMAX will lose the 4G mobile battle versus LTE (no mention of UMB?) and CDMA (the technology Verizon and Sprint uses) will fail on the way to LTE.

So… How many iPhones have been sold in one year? Such a miserable failure. And CDMA will die because LTE is not CDMA-based, it’s roots are in GSM. Ahh… Thank you, Mr. Semmoto.

Read [NZ Herald]

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Ever wondered how Cyclops aka Scott Summers viewed the world from his ruby quartz visor? Sure, he isn’t as manly as Wolverine, but he will definitely be a person whom mom would approve of you bringing home. Get a glimpse into his world with the Cyclops Visor replica.

This Cyclops Visor replica is authentically duplicated from the actual 20th Century Fox filming prop. Ruby quartz being a little too expensive to use, this replica has red iridium polarized sunglass lens (which means they function as regular shades, too). The Cyclops Visor Replica folds to a convenient size and can be stored in the included full metal display box. The box is a piece of art too - embossed with the X-Men logo as it is. Inside is also a visor blueprint. With this replica, you can pretend to be Cyclops and lead the X-Men into battle (even if that battle is just against your evil Office Manager).

Each $74.99 purchase comes with a certificate of authenticity just in case your mates get jealous of your affluent nerdiness and start to heckle you about it being a fraud.

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by Darren Murph, posted May 24th 2008 at 8:37AMAlthough Oppo’s fresh S11 likely has SmartQ’s latest beat in the attractiveness department, the 4GB T5-II is the unanimous champion in terms of sheer utility. Not only can this handheld handle MP3, OGG, WMA, FLAC, APE, AAC, WAV, AVI, XviD, DivX, MPEG and MP4 files (just to name a few), it also features a video output, SDHC expansion slot, six-band equalizer and a 600MHz processor. Furthermore, you’ll find a 3-inch 320 x 240 resolution display and a built-in emulator that handles GBA and even NEO GEO titles. Not too shabby for $174.99 if we may say so ourselves, but do yourself a favor and peek the preview vid after the break before rushing to judgment.

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Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted May 24th 2008 at 11:41AM
In the latest of what’s becoming a long history of tweaks to the Meizu M8 interface, Meizu CEO Jack Wong unleashed some new shots of the upcoming UI to his adoring fans. The new interface is designed by eico design — who have also worked with Google, Lenovo, and Philips — and looks to have a visually-satisfying sparkle animation for selected items (unless the battery above is just leaking). Another addition appears to be LED-styled status updates to applications, like number of missed calls and unread messages. Until we see this all in motion, though, we’ll quietly speculate and hope the pretty pictures are real.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: cellphones

by Nilay Patel, posted May 24th 2008 at 6:12AM
We’re no strangers to out-there bathroom fixtures, but the $47,000 Red Diamond bathtub from Water Games Technologies is probably a new low high in powder room decadence. The screaming-red tub features multicolor lighting, a computer-controlled heating system that maintains your desired water temperature, an automatic disinfection system and built-in massager. Of course, that’s what any peasant’s tub offers — the real action is in the two retractable HDTVs, Swarovski-encrusted champagne holder, and built-in GSM module that lets you call your bathtub and get things ready for some splashy time from afar. No word on availability, but if you’re in the market we’re certain your butler can figure it out for you.

[Via Born Rich]

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets