Tech Gadgets Reviews

It’s official–Lenovo is out of the mobile handset business. Many people may not even have known that Lenovo had a handset business (the handsets were sold primarily in China), but PCWorld reported that Lenovo completed the sale of its handset unit on March 31st.

Lenovo’s mobile handset division had been suffering over the last year, which drove the company to consider selling it. According to PCWorld, handset shipments for the mobile unit declined 31 percent in the quarter ending in December of last year. The sale will be reflected in the company’s latest quarter which ended March 31st.

There are just too many handset businesses out there for Lenovo to compete. Look at Motorola and the blood bath it has suffered leading it to spin off its mobile handset business as a separate unit. You have to wonder that if Motorola is not successful as a stand-alone mobile handset company will it be targeted for buyout by another major vendor like Nokia? Such a purchase by Nokia would secure its continuing dominance in the mobile handset market.

Read more from the PCWorld article at Yahoo News.

Posted Apr 4th 2008 9:43PM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Misc. gadgets

Hey, remember that Microsoft / Alcatel-Lucent patent fight from 2006? Yeah, we didn’t think so — but the two companies have been duking it out in court over about ten different patents for a couple years now, and a jury ruled today that Microsoft infringed two user interface-related patents and owes damages to the tune of $376M. The two patents both cover touchscreens, with one describing a system of form data entry, and the other describing stylus data interpretation. Sexy, we know. The jury also found that the Microsoft had not infringed two other Alcatel-Lucent video-decoding patents, but the rulings doesn’t mean this is all finally over — Microsoft is planning on immediately appealing the decision, and there are still several other video-related patents being litigated. Yeah, we’re on edges of our seats here — tune in next time for another excitingly dull installment of Marshall Justice.

Samsung is now offering another 5 megapixel camera phone which built-in Xenon flash, the Samsung Anycall SGH-G808. Besides a 5-megapixels CMOS sensor with Auto Focus, the phone also comes with 4x digital zoom, Face Detection, Video Recording capability, FM Radio with RDS, music-player, Bluetooth 2.0 and USB connectivity, 130MB of internal memory, and MicroSD memory cards slot ( up to 4GB supported). In addition, this Quad-Band GSM /EDGE with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps handset also has a built-in image and video editor to enhance captured photos on a 2.4-inch 16M QVGA TFT LCD display. The SGH-G808 is currently available in silver color, retailing for under the US$500 mark.
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Besides the solid colors, Alcatel also released the OT-V770A Playboy branded phone in gold and platinum versions. Spec remains the same ~ 1.3-megapixel camera, media player, full screen video playback, 10MB of internal memory, microSD slot as well as the Playboy logo at the back.
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KICKER expands its audio lineup with the iKICK iK500. This portable stereo system features a built-in dock for the iPod (Touch) / iphone. The iKICK will transform the way people listen to their MP3 players. With large “bumping” speakers, 5-inch woofers, and a 40-watt stereo amplifier, the iKICK iK500 is definitely loud enough to get the party started. Plus, it also comes with with a credit card-sized infrared remote that lets you adjust the stereo system’s bass, treble, and auxiliary-in options, as well as the ipod menu directories.
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A new member in the dynamic and impressive family of Nokia NSeries is Nokia N81, which comes all the way with different flavors of technology. It has many more features than other members of Nokia NSeries. The Nokia N81 supports the Nokia Music Store and N-gage gaming platform and features a 3.5mm audio jack, dual speakers, 3G with video calls and dedicated gaming keys. The classic cellphone also offers a 2-megapixel camera, excellent 2.4″ 16M-color QVGA display. Its additional features include massive storage space (8GB), touch sensitive Navi wheel, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and e-mail capabilities. It has music keys and hardware keypad lock switch. Besides these features, Nokia N 81 physically appears to be a sleek and stylish gadget which can easily enter your jeans pocket. So, grab the opportunity of adding spice to your life.
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Colour Changing Plant Pot

Manufactured from opaque white plastic and when switched on, the whole plant pot very slowly phases through the colour spectrum.  There is a second button on the base that when pressed lets you pause the phasing sequence at any stage you like, allowing you to select your favourite colour to light up the pot or compliment your colour scheme.  Definitely brightens up any room or patio. For Indoor / Outdoor use.Requires 3 x AA Batteries (Not supplied)

Technorati Tags: gadgets For Her

I don’t know many people that are willing to spend over 300 for a coffee machine, even if it is a Nesperesso. But if you’re part of that restrict group and got close to 2,000 laying around, check out this special machine.

What makes the price go up to 2,000 isn’t the high number (and quality) of the features, in this case, it is all about luxury, more specifically the 100 original Swarovski-crystals placed on the coffee machine.

As you can imagine, the rest of the features are normal for a Nespresso, and that includes an electronic temperature control, a couple of automatic functions, being easy to use and remove used capsules, plus much more.

Product Page

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When I was a young kid, I loved getting those temporary tattoos and making myself look like a cool grownup. Of course no self-respecting adult would get inked-up with the kind of artwork one would find in those quarter machines by the checkout lanes. So if your kids want tattoos, why not make them some that actually look cool?

With this tattoo paper, you can print off any design you want, and apply it to your skin just like the temporary ones you find in the store. This would also be a good way to try out a design before you have it permanently inked on. You’ll have to fork out about $25 for 5 sheets.

Source: SlipperyBrick

People have been paying more attention to the impact that their technology use has on the environment. Thus we’ve had a slew of of gadgets that take advantage of the sun’s rays for power. However, there are other sources of renewable power that are untapped. If you want to be the coolest eco-friendly tech lover on the block, you might look into the HyMini.

Rather than concentrating on drawing solar energy for power, the HyMini has a turbine that uses the wind to charge your gadgets. It has ports for many cameras, phones and other devices.

While I think this $50 gadget is interesting, I don’t actually think it is all that practical. The main reason is that you need air traveling at 9 mph to turn the turbines fast enough for a charge. That would make it ideal for attaching to your car, however, you can’t have winds of more than 40 mph, as it just won’t hold up. Make one of these that can take 70+ mph winds and you’ve got yourself an awesome product.

Source: GearFuse