Gadgets Mobile

U&I are currently waiting patiently for CeBIT 2008 to arrive as they can’t wait to lift up the veil of its new necklace-type Bluetooth stereo headset known as Capella UIBS-700. This Bluetooth headset features auto switching function as well as hands-free support, allowing you to concentrate on the traffic ahead without leaving the steering wheel unattended. Other features include speakerphone function, an LCD display, USB charging, 8 hours of playback time and 200 hours of standby time. No idea on how much it costs though.

Source: AVing

Posted Mar 1st 2008 2:23PM by Chris Ziegler
Filed under: cellphones, Handhelds
We’ve caught wind from a number of employees — or ex-employees, as the case may be — that i-mate’s US division in Redmond, Washington has all but disintegrated after a Friday bloodbath that saw the entire engineering, QA, and tech writing departments laid off, among others. Several honchos who weren’t cut left anyway, perhaps unwilling to work in a ghost town or as a show of solidarity to their fallen brethren; notably, the Chief Software Officer and VP of Sales and Marketing are both gone, leaving a sales director to be promoted to the lofty title of GM of what seems to be all US operations. Apparently, the Dubai-based firm is in the hurt locker after its inability to get the Ultimate line (also known as “the basket with all of i-mate’s eggs in it”) fully deployed to retail channels in the time frame it had hoped, and meeting massive resistance from US carriers to carry the devices, it’s been left with no option but to leave behind just enough employees to set up and maintain a web-based portal for purchasing unlocked devices in the States. To those who’ve been handed your walking papers, we wish you the best of luck.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Niche cell service Helio has amassed a fantastic $560 billion dollars in debt over the last three years. Helio, which is co-owned by Earthlink and SK Telecom was created to bring many of the cellphone features that Asian customers enjoy to the US. Losses have increased steadily over the three years with an understandable $47 million in losses in 2005, a worriesome $192 million in 2006 and finally a downright staggering $327 million in 2007.

There is some good news for the Helio faithful. Sales actually outpaced looses in 2007 with losses increasing at 70% and revenue jumping 264%. There is also the fact there is serious restructuring going on at corporate headquarters as well as dropping prices on phones and services which is bound to help. Regardless of these positives majority owner SK Telecom might look at unloading their stake soon.

Read [Silicon Alley Insider]

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Posted Mar 1st 2008 4:34PM by Ryan Block
Filed under: Misc. gadgetsWe haven’t heard too much lately about the South Korean government’s probe into the Samsung Group’s alleged corruption and influence in the government, but the AP is now reporting those bribes were emanating from a $213 million slush fund the company supposedly set for use in swaying government officials. Various executives have been in and out of questioning with special prosecuters, including Samsung vice chairman Lee Hak-soo, top strategic planner Kim In-joo, and the chairman’s son, Lee Jae-yong, who is an executive and apparently viewed as the eventual successor to the company when his father, Lee Kun-hee, hangs up his money-stuffed envelopes. Apparently dirty deeds can’t be done dirt cheap anymore, but they can still be done when you’re the top consumer electronics manufacturer in the world.

Microsoft XBox 360 Pro Evo Bundle

Microsoft XBox 360 Pro Evo Bundle Premium Xbox 360 includes Xbox 360?, wireless controller, hard drive  (20GB), headset, component HD AV cable with SCART adapter , ethernet cableThe Xbox 360 is Microsoft’s successor to the Xbox console, and is the first “next generation” games console to hit the market. It has three powerful core processors which pump out 720p/1080i output (translation: graphics look great), 16×9 cinematic aspect ratio (translation: it’s sort of like the cinema), anti-aliasing for smooth textures (translation: characters look less like chimps and more like people), full surround sound and DVD playback right out of the box. A multi media experience In comparison to the Darth Vader inspired design of the original Xbox, the Xbox 360 a thing of (near) wondrous beauty.In addition to playing games and movies, the Xbox 360 can stream music and video from a wide variety of electronic devices, including iPods and the Sony PSP.Get LiveThe Xbox 360 offers an online gaming experience via Xbox Live. This allows you to play multi-player Xbox 360 games on the internet via your broadband connection. The service also lets you download–and save on the console’s hard drive–new missions, characters and vehicles for your favourite games. You can also shout real-time abuse at your opponents using the Xbox 360 headsetFeatures:  Includes a hard drive to save games, download new content and play key original Xbox games Xbox Live ready  Includes a Wireless Controller Includes a Component HD AV Cable which is optimized for high-definition as well as standard TVs  Enjoy your movies with progressive scan DVD playback Stream your music and digital photos from a wide range of portable music players and digital cameras Connect to your Windows XP or Windows Media Center PC.

Technorati Tags: Xbox & Accessories

Posted Mar 1st 2008 1:04PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Transportation
There’s a decent chance your average hybrid owner wouldn’t know the difference between a lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride battery if their life depended on it, but we know you — dear reader — are not one of those “average” joes / janes. That being the case, you may be interested to know that the 2009-bound S400 BlueHybrid is in prime position to be the world’s first production Li-ion hybrid, which will offer up “compact dimensions and far superior performance” compared to existing rivals. M-B goes on to trumpet the technology’s “high ampere-hour efficiency, long service life, and great reliability, even at very low temperatures.” No word on just how astronomically high this thing will be priced at, but you can expect just shy of 30 miles-per-gallon in mixed driving conditions, for what it’s worth.

The Top Gun MicroFighter makes for an interesting gift for kids, and even I myself would not mind finding one of these underneath the Christmas tree this year.

Suitable for advanced level RC Pilots due to its advanced digital throttle and directional control, the Top Gun MicroFighter is capable of performing extreme loops and real-fighter style aerobatics. With the massive levels of thrust offered by it’s twin engine design, advanced take-offs and landings can be achieved. The Micro Fighter has a dual channel digital proportion control allowing up/down, left/right and forward speed control. Powered by a Lithium-Polymer battery, flights of 10+ minutes can be achieved on a single 30 minute charge from the controller.

The Top Gun MicroFighter retails for £29.99.

Posted Mar 1st 2008 11:26AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Laptops
You’d have to turn your brain all the way back to September to spot the first time we got wind of Acer’s Ferrari 1100 laptop, but the folks over at PC Mag have finally received one in and took the time to spill the beans on how it fared. Right out of the box, it was criticized for being entirely too hefty for a 12.1-incher, but then again, it does have an integrated DVD burner. Still, the lack of a LED-backlit display along with the totally underwhelming performance when benchmarked was hard to overlook. ‘Course, it wasn’t exactly a slouch, but it certainly didn’t live up to expectations. Unfortunately for folks hoping for the best on this rig, it looks as if your $1,860 could be spent better elsewhere, but feel free to dig into the whole review to find out exactly why it earned just three out of those five oh-so-coveted stars.

The TandemZ-1 Micro Chopper is not meant for novices as getting the hang of it comes with a rather steep learning curve to it.

For starters the Tandem utilises 3 channels (for up, down, forward and backward movement) and a dual trim system (for pitch and yaw), so novice pilots need not apply. It also boasts a sophisticated gyroscopic mechanism plus unique tilting rotors for additional control. Piloting this baby makes patting your head and rubbing your tummy whilst playing the xylophone with your feet seem about as difficult as pulling down your pants. And that’s what makes it so addictive.

The Tandem might come with a pair of powerful rotors, but they ought to be able to fly for approximately 10 minutes from a normal charge of up to 25 minutes. Sounds like diminishing returns if you ask me. This rescue helicopter retails for £39.95 and comes in red, blue or orange colors.

USB Desktop Missile Launcher

The USB missile launcher is the perfect defence system operated from your computer. Plug it in, take aim with the mouse, fire.