Computer Gadgets New

Tokyo Flash B Version

You can have this for ?74.99

Is $30 enough to get you a decent mobile phone that can give you mobile web access? With Virgin Mobile’s Flare 30 bucks is all you need and you’ll have a small and yet nifty mobile phone. Flare is actually an LG manufactured flip phone packed with some cool basic features that you wouldn’t expect that a cheap phone like the Flare could have.

Virgin Mobile’s Flare really got some mobile phone flare aside from its flaring red face plate. The two most notable of these features are Bluetooth wireless technology and Mobile web access. Hey, where can you get those features for a measly sum? Aside from these two features, the Virgin Mobile Flare also has a full color screen, full color external display, voice dialing, is Spanish language menu capable, speakerphone and text messaging. But I guess those are pretty standard mobile phone features that we all expect from a simple mobile phone such as the Flare. And talking about simple standard mobile phones, I guess the most important thing to ask is how battery life is?  The Flare gives you 3.5 hours of talk time and 170 hours standby time.

Product [Virgin Mobile] Via [Engadget]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

Six additional Blu-ray players have just been certified by DivX, joining the ranks of Sony PS3 that received its certification at the end of 2007. Such certification is important because it means only one thing: 25 hours of DVD-quality video can now be saved on a single Blu-ray disc. Since the end of the format war, Blu-ray has been gaining more popularity with the gadget society. Michelle Abraham, an In-Stat Principal Analyst, said:

“In-Stat expects worldwide shipments of Blu-ray players to reach 23 million in 2011. DivX is well-positioned to become a standard feature on Blu-ray devices, just as it has shipped in millions of DVD players worldwide.”

Looks like Blu-ray players are here to say. That is, as long as no new formats are going to be introduced, and digital downloads keep from gaining any more popularity. But as of right now, DivX certified players from Philips, Denon, and Panasonic can enjoy Blu-ray disc burning as their DivX certification becomes official. The latest players that received their certification included the Panasonic DMP-BD30EE, Philips BDP7200 and the Denon DVD-2500BTC1B, DVD-3800BDC1B, DVD-3800BDSP and DVD-2500BTSP.

Via [I4U News]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

Have you ever drank milk that’s not exactly fresh? I have one time, and you can bet that it was a long time before I’d even touch the stuff again. That was especially rough because I’m the kind of guy that can live off of cereal, which is no good without milk. Those expiration dates are helpful in telling you when the milk is bad, however, there are other factors that can contribute to making the milk go sour, which is why a cool little gadget was created that can tell you if the milk is good or bad.

The gadget has two parts, one that goes in the milk container, and another outside that can let you know the status of the milk. The bit inside the milk container is actually just a slim metal ribbon. The detector creates a magnetic field that causes the ribbon to vibrate. If it vibrates too slowly the milk is sour, too quickly and the milk has Staphylococcus aureus. Unfortunately these systems only work inside the store. When you take it home, just keep it in the fridge and check the expiration.

Source: CrunchGear

Trying to compete in the arena of instant messaging, Facebook has announced that they’ll be launching their first instant messaging system. The Facebook team has been working hard, programming and testing the system. Rumors claim that the stable version will be launching next week for Facebook users to begin using and testing the new IM system. It is said that, unlike Windows Live Messenger and AOL or any other current IM system where you need to install software to enjoy all the IM service, Facebook users can web chat with friends on their Facebook pages as the Facebook IM is built into the user’s interface. Many also said that you will be able to log in into multiple IM platforms similar to web-based Meebo and other programs like Trillian and Adium.

This could be good news considering the vast numbers of Facebook users, this service could let Facebook step out of the crowd from other social web portals. If this project is a success, users will be able to chit chat with their friends or web mates by just using the web, without installing any external software. It is said that, other than chatting, there’s also a lot of features on the Facebook IM such as emoticons and more. So lets look forward for the success of this system.

Via [TechCrunch]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

It is hard to imagine that something that is very usual and obvious now, just didn’t exist 10-15 years ago. No smartphones, PDAs, digital cameras… Even such obvious thing nowadays as MP3 player just didn’t exist then. However, when you hold your ipod or Zune in your hand, you don’t even think that this type of the device is celebrating now its 10th birthday!

10 years ago, in March 1998, was released the first in the history portable mp3 player. First company that produced such device was Korean manufacturer Saehan Information Systems, and the pioneer in the digital audio was named MPMan F10. It had a very small amount of memory - just 32 MB, a laughable amount nowadays, but back then it was a good storage capability. It was even extendable, so if 32 MB was too small for you, there was an opportunity to expand it to twice as much storage space that it had before, a stunning 64 MB! It had a modern design, a small display that showed the number of currenty playing song, and was being sold for 250 dollars a piece. When it was released, nobody expected it to begin a new type of gadgets, one that we are so accustomed today. Back then it was just a high-tech gadget, a proof-of-concept in some sort, which proved that digital audio players based on flash memory have the rights to live. And as we see now, they conquered the world easily, leaving behind those bulky CD players for sure.

After the Saehan Information Systems, it was the Rio company who joined the race, with their PMP300 model. It was even more successful than its predecessor, and continued the way to bring the digital audio players to masses. Nowadays, when flash audio players are everywhere, it is clear, that Koreans was right ten years ago - their invention had a very bright and clear future. We can only wonder, how many functions will the audio players have in another 10 years?

Intel is reported to soon unveil their mini solid state drives with 80GB and 160GB of storage. These new solid state drives are expected to amaze because they are very small at 1.5 and 2.5-inches. Notebook PCs and laptops will be the rightful beneficiaries of the new Intel’s solid state drives sometime the next quarter of this year. No word yet on the price and when the shipping will start.

Earlier at the CES, Intel had already demonstrated the solid state drives and in April, they will be shown again at the Intel Developer Forum where the drives could possibly be officially launched.

Intel’s recent entrance into the laptop flash disk drive business is expected to bring the company into competition with Samsung and Toshiba who are also currently going the same path. But between the three, Intel has the greatest potential to lead since the others offer lower storage memory in a slightly bigger drive.

Via [Mobility Today] Read [Yahoo! News]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

Posted Mar 15th 2008 7:56PM by Paul Miller
Filed under: cellphones

Can’t leave the comforts of your speedy, reliable network, but aren’t ready to carry the brick-like Voyager to appease that touchscreen hankering? Verizon might finally have a solution with the LG VX9700, which just passed the FCC. The above leaked image of the phone shows it to be similar to LG’s Prada phone, but apparently there’s no designer branding to be had here — just like AT&T’s upcoming Prada-inspired LG Vu. Other than that, erm, innovative menu, rumored infos include a 3.2 megapixel camera, micro USB, microSDHC, and an on-screen QWERTY keyboard for text input. Word is the phone was slated for the end of the month, but now might be delayed until April. We suppose we’ll be finding out soon enough.

Posted Mar 15th 2008 5:39PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

As any true iriver aficionado would realize, just because one of its device isn’t yet available in the US doesn’t mean that it’s not being thoroughly enjoyed elsewhere. Case in point: the E100, which was recently loosed in Europe, has already been acquired, photographed and reviewed by the cats over at Pocketables, and unfortunately for those certain of this thing’s awesomeness, it’s not exactly the surefire winner you had hoped for. Put simply, the fantastic styling and native FLAC support weren’t enough to overcome the lackluster speaker output, subpar audio quality (for iriver standards, anyway) and non-integration of material on the internal memory and microSD card. Still, it seems that those without ultra-high expectations would be more than pleased with what the E100 is packin’, but we’d still recommend giving the full review a look before pulling the trigger and never looking back.

[Thanks, Jenn]

While Polaroid may have dropped their instant “film” production they have not left the instant “picture” business entirely. Polaroid has just announced their ZINK printer. This pocket sized printer will still offer instant gratification, just with some better image quality. The ZINK features both USB and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity that is said to be able to print your pics in as little as 60 seconds.

While some, myself included, may miss those instant camera’s the ZINK printer seems to fit with the current times just a little better. The Polaroid ZINK printer is expected to be available this May and retail for around $200.

Via [CrunchGear]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →