Tech & Gadget Stream

The Touch Pro2 features a high-resolution 3.6-inch widescreen VGA display, a sliding QWERTY keyboard, an improved battery life, expandable memory, 2 speakers, 2 microphones, a touch-sensitive zoom bar and gravity, proximity and ambient light sensors. HTC is introducing the HTC Straight Talk that delivers an integrated email, voice, and speakerphone experience: users can transition from email to conference calls and thanks to its new and innovative acoustic design using asymmetric speakers, noise suppression and full-duplex acoustics, the Touch Pro 2 become a conference room speakerphone when it is flipped over. The Touch Pro2 will be available across major global markets beginning in early summer.

HTC is unveiling its new Diamond 2 in Barcelona. The new smartphone has a better battery life than its V1 (50% more), a 3.2-inch high-resolution wide-screen VGA display (800x480), a 5 MP auto-focus camera and is 13.7mm thick. According to HTC, the TouchFLO 3D experience combined with the new Push Internet technology, the Diamond 2 offers a touch experience optimized for the one-hand use. To get even more sophisticated, this stylish mobile is equipped with a gravity sensor and an ambient light sensor. The HTC Touch Diamond2 will be available in Europe and in Asia in early Q2 2009, global availability will come later in the year.

The Nokia E75 has been leaked to death: it should be particularly good at email as it is compatible with virtually all the popular online (Gmail, Yahoo, MSN, Pop, IMAP) and the enterprise email services (Exchange and Lotus). Several email accounts are supported simultaneously, and they can even be split into “Business” or “Personal” screens. There’s support for GPS navigation, thanks to A-GPS and Nokia Maps, the integrated navigation software. We like just about everything in this phone, except for the low-resolution display. If it is meant to be a text phone, we think that it should have a display that is on-par (or better!) with low-end BlackBerry phones like the Curve 8900 (480x360). The E75 should cost around 549 Euros (unlocked). Specs: 2.4” display (320x240), QWERTY Slider, S60 OS, 50MB of internal data, 4GB flashcard included (16GB max), HSDPA, WiFi b/g, 3.2 MP Camera with flash, auto-focus, 3.5mm audio jack, Micro USB 2.0 port, A-GPS + Nokia Maps (pre-registered, maps stored l

How long do you think it will take for something as simple as a bell or ringer to become obsolete, being replaced by this Digital Butler concept? Hopefully not too soon, as we have a soft spot for classics in some things, as the Digital Butler concept still misses out on the human touch despite being able to attend to your queries with ruthless efficiency. For instance, it will function on advanced 4G networks (it is in the future, remember?) with GPS to provide you with details to all the most happening spots in town, and is easy to navigate thanks to a circular touch screen display. Other features include an integrated accelerometer, a PDA phone function, a built-in LED projector and full-time network connection to VIP services. What is this powered by, a mini nuclear reactor?

The I-Quad is actually a bunch of tile-shaped LED electronic boards that are held together by a simple frame, and they boast interactivity with external devices, taking either the USB or wireless route. Individual tiles can display a low-resolution image that brings back fond memories of dot-matrix pictures. You can basically display anything you like across these tiles, ranging from communications to entertainment and even ambient lighting. We would've liked to see a much higher resolution used here, but that will probably mean a much higher level of power consumption at the end of the month.

Did Apple release a new iPhone that we're not aware of? Nopes - what you see here is effort from Guangxi Nanning Jiguang Trade Co., Ltd. of China that offers an iPhone clone, featuring 16GB of 32GB of storage space although leaving out the cell phone functionality. You won't even get VoIP support, so this is relegated to yet another portable media player that is confused about its self-image and purpose in life. Other features include e-book support, an integrated FM radio and expandable memory. Strangely enough for a PMP, it supports the MVP video format only, which is unthinkable if you expect users to encode their existing collection of video files yet again.

The M1 from UMID will arrive in the Korean market this February 20th, and we're excited to see when the import game will begin. Features of the M1 are pretty high up on the "impress" list, including: 4.8" display with 1,024 x 600 resolution WiBro, HSDPA, WiMAX, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity Intel Atom processor 512MB/1GB RAM Up to 32GB SSD Windows XP/Vista/Linux OS 1.3 megapixel camera SD/USIM card slot Mini USB 2.0 All that crammed into a body that tips the scales at 315 grams? It is certainly worth a look, and here we are keeping our fingers crossed that it won't be priced out of reach for the people on Main Street.

Perhaps Microsoft is about to apply the adage "if you want something done, you gotta do it yourself" where smartphones are concerned after not making much headway with its Windows Mobile operating system. Multiple unidentified industry sources claim that a Microsoft-branded smartphone will be released sometime in the second half of this year, and this model will feature tight integration between hardware and software. Nice to see Microsoft step up to the plate and not give in just like that, and let's keep our fingers crossed that this model won't suffer the same fate as the Zune. Hopefully the hardware of this Microsoft smartphone will include an NVIDIA Tegra chipset and possibly run on Windows Mobile 6.5 (might not be 7 as that will be out only next year).

We all know that the Wii is already plenty of fun, but how about making it all the more enjoyable with new colors to your Nunchuks? That's what these FunChuks are all about, after all, with the large install base of Wiis around the world, it makes as much sense jumping aboard this bandwagon as it does making accessories for the iPod and iPhone. FunChuks won't make you a better player or prevent you from getting trashed in Wii Boxing, but it will brighten up your room (and maybe even day if your mood is influenced by colors) as you can choose from red, orange, yellow, green, white and black colors. Perhaps Nintendo should repricocate this gesture by coming up with similarly colored Wiis. FunChuks are currently selling for $20 each.

Film 2 SD is yet another gadget that helps you transfer negatives from your old photo collection to an SD memory card directly, featuring an integrated LCD display for you to view a preview. In addition, it has the capability of mirroring, flip or rotate your images for direct transfer onto your computer (or SD card if you choose) through a USB connection. Each £119.95 purchase comes with a 1GB SD memory card to get you started, which is enough to store approximately 700 5 megapixel resolution images. Not only that, it also plays nice with microSD/SDHC memory cards. Time to bust out those rolls of negatives and store them digitally for posterity.

Surely the United Arab Emirates have made a killing during last year's oil bull run, and it is time to put all that profit to good use starting with the construction of Masdar City. This city aims to be the first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city in the world, and the government places heavy emphasis on an efficient public transport system by doing away with cars altogether, and will instead rely on a light rail line that will bisect the city and personal rapid transit, (PRT), using podcars that you see on the right in a driverless system. Masdar City ain't too big as it resides on a 2.5 square mile site 11 miles south east of Abu Dhabi, and will be able to house around 50,000 people with an equal number of commuters working in the city. Commuters cannot drive in but will instead leave their vehicles in nine multi-story parking lots around the city walls. Too bad there doesn't seem to be any provision for cyclists at this point in time.

Do you fear getting lost and separated from your pack when you're out in the great outdoors? Well, good thing you don't have to shout yourself hoarse as a first resort with the Lokate Emergency GPS watch . This timepiece not only helps you keep the time but boasts an integrated cell phone and panic button as well, allowing you to summon help from wherever you are. The internal GPS tracker will alert the control center of your position which is pinpointed on Microsoft Virtual Earth maps or aerial photography, where the relevant rescue authorities will then go about to provide any assistance necessary. The Lokate Emergency GPS Watch will retail for £295 with a £14.95 monthly subscription fee.

Contour Design and Bluetrek have come together to sculpt this Metal Bluetooth Headset for the iPhone, and it is touted to be the thinnest wireless Bluetooth 2.0 headset to date, sharing roughly the same dimensions with a Sony Memory Stick complete with a rubber-tipped in-canal earphone. The silver aluminum body is accented by chrome, where a trio of small buttons located on one edge help you control the volume and presumably, the on/off button. A special power connector on the other end will need to be used in conjunction with the included plastic USB connector whenever you want to juice up the Metal Bluetooth Headset. Each $80 purchase comes with a belt clip, half a dozen rubber eartips, two optional clear plastic ear mounts, a car charging bulb and an USB extension cable for use at home or in the car.