Vertu :Ferrari phone

See, here's the thing about Vertu phones: anyone who's wealthy enough to afford one probably wants (and can afford) more than one, probably doesn't care about newfangled goodies like 3G or a large, high resolution display, and probably keeps a Ferrari or two in the garage. On that note we give you the "Ascent Ferrari 60," the Nokia division's second Ferrari-themed handset. Unlike the first -- which happened to also be an Ascent -- the Ferrari 60 features a shift gate on its posterior instead of a brake pedal, which clearly makes it worth the €18,000 (about $25,370) asking price. Of course, that hefty cost of admission also nets you an elaborately fashioned storage box, a Vertu Aerius headset, and an actual valve out of a Ferrari F1 car, so the 60 lucky sons of guns that grab this thing are in for a treat (if valves and outdated Bluetooth headsets are your thing). Check it out at Nokia's London, Paris, Singapore, and Hong Kong locations.

Kenwood's latest flash Media

Zoinks, Kenwood just loosed yet another Media Keg design into Japan. Two in fact, each sharing the same guts: the sophisticatedly-smarmy GD55 and whimsically-chintzy GD50. Both feature up to 2GB of flash, a 4-line OLED display, a USB mass storage mode and support for MP3 or DRM'd WMA audio with up to 21 hours of MP3 playback before needing a recharge. Yours in Japan starting next month for ¥15,000 or about $130 for the full 2GB treatment.

ASUS' R2E UMPC

ASUS' R2H UMPC -- one of the original trio of UMPCs -- has finally ditched that 900MHz Celeron in favor of Intel's latest A110 processor. Better yet perhaps, the new R2E UMPC now combines HSDPA with 802.11b/g WiFi to live up to its previously unrealized, "ultra-mobile" namesake. There's also a beefier 80GB disk option with up to 1GB of DDR2-400 memory now supported. Otherwise, its physical appearance remains unchanged as does that 7-inch 800 x 480 display and optional integrated GPS. €1,119 (incl. VAT) or about $1,586 when it drops for Europe next month.

Creative's 4GB, 16GB Zen players see price drops

Shortly after hitting has seemingly dropped the price of its 4GB and 16GB Zens -- in America, at least. Of course, you can make of all this what you will, but the facts are that the 4GB iteration has sunk from $149 to $129.99 on both Amazon and the firm's own webstore, while the 16GB version has dropped from $299 to $249.99. Interestingly, the 8GB version remains stuck (at least momentarily) at $199.99. So, if you've been eying a Zen for yourself but couldn't quite cough up the required dough, here's your chance to save some green.

Toshiba's 100GB Gigashot A100F: World's Smallest "Full HD" camcorder

Toshiba just announced their gigashot A and K series of video recorders in Japan. The A100F brings a shock-mounted, 1.8-inch 100GB disk with 1/3-inch CMOS sensor 2 megapixel stills or 1,920 x 1,080 recordings at 60fps with 16bit/48kHz Dolby digital stereo audio at a 384kbps bit rate. That equates to about 12 hours of MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 formatted video at the highest quality setting or about 23 hours in standard mode. It also features SDHC expansion, a big 3-inch LCD, 10x optical zoom, HDMI and component out, and USB linkup with your PC. According to Toshiba, its 78.1 x 135.4 x 79.0-mm measurements also give it claim to the title as the world's smallest "Full HD" camcorder with built-in hard disk drive. The gigashot K series rolls things back to 720p video and 0.92 megapixel stills stored in a maximum 80GB disk. The top of the line gigashot A100F starts shipping in mid November for ¥188,000 (about $1,628) while the lowest of the low 40GB K-series model starts shipping in late October for ¥108,000 or right around $935 -- you know, if the dollar holds steady which it won't.

Medion's GoPal P4425 navigator

For those worried aboutcrooks swiping their GPS while it's left alone in the vehicle, Medion is introducing a new navigator that becomes utterly useless if the owner's fingerprint isn't around to get things going. The GoPal P4425 is also equipped with the usual amenities found on a higher-end GPS including Bluetooth, RDS-TMC, voice activation, text-to-speech, and an FM transmitter. Additionally, you'll find a 4.3-inch widescreen display, a rechargeable Li-ion that's good for four to five hours before needing a boost, and full western Europe maps complete with "a preloaded safety camera database with major route speed limit warnings ." Set to hit shelves in November, the GoPal P4425 carries a £299.99 ($604) pricetag, while the pared down GoPal E3410 that was simultaneously announced will run you £189.99 ($383).

Simple 9-Volt Battery Flashlight

When it comes to an LED flashlight I’m pretty sure this design is as simple as it gets. Three super-bright LEDs (are there other versions of LEDs out there? somewhat-bright? relatively dim?) are housed in a small plastic cap that attaches directly to the top of a 9-volt battery. A small power switch is also included allowing you to leave the light connected at all times without draining the battery.

The design obviously borrows quite a bit from Richard Lawson’s own but where as those look and function like miniature table lamps this version provides a directional beam making it a bit more useful to carry around with you.

iHome intros the iHC5 mobile phone dock

Looking for a totally elaborate, complicated, and kind-of-ugly dock for your iPhone or media-playin' mobile device? You're in luck, becauseiHome is about to deliver the goods... big time. Enter the iHC5, a remote-controlled, Bluetooth-equipped, 4-speaker-sporting pile of accessory goodness. The system -- which is made to handle all kinds of phones -- features AVRCP and A2DP profiles, has dual alarms for getting you out of bed, and has a line-in for hooking up your CD or MP3 player. Sure, it's not the coolest looking thing in the world, but if you really need a self-contained docking solution for your mobile phone, you could do worse, couldn't you? No word on a release date, though it'll cost you $149.99 when it hits shelves.

Sony PSP 1-SEG digital TV tuner hands-on

Just launched in Japan, Sony's got high hopes for its a 1-SEG digital TV tuner -- and with over seven million Japanese PSPs now capable of viewing high quality video over the air (complete with EPG), we can't blame Sony for it's optimism. The only way you'll get one of these, though, is if you pack your sorry self up and move on overseas -- or find a way to set up a pirate 1-SEG cell, anyway. It'll might just be worth it though, the whole mobile TV experience we saw on this tuner was pretty smooth, with near-instant channel changes and that slick guide, to boot.

Belkin starts shipping the Network USB Hub

It was supposed to Ship in June, but it looks like Belkin is finally shipping the Network USB Hubthis week. The five-port USB hub "simulates a direct USB connection" that allows you to use all your USB devices over the network -- and special caching software even lets you use USB 2.0 devices at full speed. Looks like Windows users can nab one of these now for $129 -- Mac users are still waiting on driver support.

Venzero LINQ mini Has Wi-Fi Streaming From Windows Media Player 11

Never mind that the Linq Mini has only 1GB of flash memory—the thing can stream music directly fromWindows Media Player 11, giving it essentially unlimited (or at least PC-levels of) storage if you're hooked up to Wi-Fi .on the LAN. Why is this cool, again?

Other than this, there's a monochrome LCD (wha?), MP3/WMA support, 20 hours battery life in MP3 mode, 5 hours battery life in Wi-Fi mode and the ability to record music being played back from the car's radio, Starbucks speakers or the GAP and identify it the next time you sync your player. All this for $99 means that if you don't mind the black and white screen, the odd combination of features makes it a tempting buy

iPod classic and an Energi To Go Charger

What could go better than an iPod classic and an Energi To Go Charger to provide power while on the road? Nothing.

Nokia launches business-minded E51 handset

While Nokia didn't exactly choose the Quietest day launch its latest handset, the E51 is getting official, regardless. This candybar-styled device was designed with the suits in mind, as Nokia even touts its ability to "integrate tightly with corporate telephony systems (PBX) through Nokia Mobile Unified Communications solutions." Specs wise, you'll find a two-inch 320 x 240 resolution screen, two-megapixel camera, video streaming / playback with support for H.264 and Real codecs, video calling capability, integrated 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, FM tuner, miniUSB, IrDA, GPRS / EGPRS and HSDPA compatibility, up to 130MB of memory, a microSD expansion slot, quad-band GSM and WCDMA 850/2100 support, and up to 4.4-hours of talk time (or 13 days in standby). The E51 is slated to ship globally in Q4 for €350 ($485) sans a contract, and if you're craving more pics, just hit up the gallery below.

Fujitsu LifeBook U810 tablet reviewed

Fujitsu attracted a fair bit of attention back in August with its $1,000 U810 convertible tablet, and it's now out to prove its worth when it comes to reviews, one of the first of which looks to have come from the folks at Laptop Magazine. While it's apparently not without its faults, they found quite a bit to like about the device, saying "you can't beat the price for a unit with a usable built-in keyboard and tablet functionality." They also especially dug the tablet's sharp 5.6-inch screen, and it's long battery life, which wound up around 5 hours and 14 minutes in their tests. On the downside, they were less impressed with the performance from the 800MHz A110 processor (no surprise there), and by the lack of integrated mobile broadband, not to mention the somewhat lackluster keyboard and mouse. That apparently wasn't enough to keep it from getting a decent 3.5 out of 5 rating, however, with that $1,000 price tag working considerably in its favor.

Wacom celebrates 25 years with Intuos3 Special Edition pen tablet

Hard to believe that Wacom has been around for a quarter century, but this month marks its 25th year in business. To celebrate, the firm is introducing a trio of Intuos3 Special Edition pen tablets in a variety of sizes including 6- x 8-, 6- x 11-, and 9- x 12-inches. touts "a refined and sophisticated black and gun metal gray color scheme," Wacom's Classic Pen to compliment the Intuos3 Grip Pen, an accessory kit, and a transparent overlay "to substitute with the traditional gray overlay." All three units play nice with both Macs and PCs and can be snapped up for $369, $409 and $489 from smallest to largest.

Denon offers up Smart S-302 / S-102 systems

Denon has loosed a pair of new semi-HTIBs on the world, with the compact (and admittedly stylish) 2.1 systems catching most of our attention. These additions to the S-series both tout DVD playback (sorry, no Blu-ray action here) and 1080p upscaling via HDMI, but the higher-end S-302 adds WiFi for streaming audio and a slightly more powerful amplifier. Reportedly, the DVD player within is the same drive found in the firm's DVD-2930 player, and while both units reserve 100-watts for the subwoofer, the S-102 pushes 35-watts to its satellites while the S-302 cranks out 50. Both sets are scheduled to land soon for $1,699 (S-302) and $999 (S-102)

Cheap keyboard boasts handwriting recognition

Initially, the thought of having a Keyboard a built-in writing pad seems pretty nifty, but when you realize that this particular one is understandably missing a numerical keypad (not to mention any signs of quality), your opinion may change. Nevertheless, this interesting hybrid device, labeled by A1Pro, reportedly touts the ability to recognize your handwriting and withstand the expletives that are sure to fly when fishing about for the incredibly tiny Backspace key. 'Course, that about rounds up its feature list, but hey, what else would you expect for a mere $25.48?

Haier's crazy / crazy expensive laptop

Apparently, in other parts of the world, Haier (a minor brand here in the States) is busy manufacturing highly expensive and totally bizarre laptop computers. The cats over at Engadget Chinese have gotten their hands on info concerning this totally outrageous laptop / tablet PC, apparently an offshoot of the Flybook line, which rocks a Core Duo U2500 processor (coupled with an Intel 945GM chipset), 2GB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, 802.11a/b/g, an 8.6-inch widescreen tablet display, plus a fingerprint scanner, Bluetooth, and an option to go all 3G wireless (should you so desire). Apparently, the system folds down into a tablet, replete with handwriting recognition and all, and can be yours for the fantastically low price of 35,999 Yuan (or about $4,790). We wish you nothing but good luck on finding one, and even better luck on footing the bill.

HP to debut bumper crop of new Pavilions and Presarios

HP has a whole lotta' new laptops to launch, possibly at a press conference this Tuesday if Notebook Italia is on the money. The designations are a real mouthful, so brace yourself: in all, we could be looking at Pavilions numbered dv2600, d6600, dv9600, and tx1300, and new HP G7000 and HP G6000's also coming in the form of Compaq Presario F700 and F500 models. There are a crazy amount of specs here, so it's probably safe to say that there is a machine to suit your requirements. Screen sizes range from 12.1 inch with the tx1300 up to 17 inches with the dv9600, CPUs range from 1.6GHz Core Duos and 1.7GHz Athlons up to 2.2GHz Core 2 Duos and ... well, you get the point. Most notably, the new dv models include HDMI among their image output ports, with the dv2600 featuring some kind of fancy new print on the outer casing (pictured above). For a more detailed listing, check the read links below. Fortunately, spec sheets don't require translation.

Meizu's M8 MiniOne shipping January 17th

Alright, so this isn't straight from the horse's mouth, but this potential ship date for the Meizu M8 definitely vibes with what we've heard up until now. This one has a new price too, at $788.50, which is a fair amount less than the $989 number floating around. Anyway, sounds like we'll have a few months yet until the 16GB iPhone influenced phone hits. Why so long, Meizu?

Dash Express redesigned for Q1 2008 launch

More than a year after its initial tease, the Dash Express receives a much needed makeover in preparation for its overdue commercial outing. The WiFi, cellular, and GPS packing navigator with two-way traffic updates and travel-time forecasting now features a larger 4.3-inch display, louder speaker, beefier internal battery, and power connector on the dash mount instead of the navigator. They've also axed the button clutter up front by introducing a pair of touch-sensitive buttons along top: one makes a volume button appear on the touchscreen while the other brings up the menu. Although well behind their initial launch projection, the fact that they have the time to fine-tune the design is a pretty good sign that a revised Q1 2008 launch date is in the bag.

Samsung's SGH-F700 gets (really) official on Vodafone

Those paying attention should know full well by now that Samsung's SGH-F700 (you know, the Croix) is set to make everyone not a Vodafone customer uber-envious here soon, but just in case you missed it, Sammy is making sure you're up to speed. The handset will boast a three-megapixel camera, a 3.2-inch 432 x 240 resolution touchscreen, QWERTY keypad, Bluetooth 2.0, USB, a microSD expansion slot, HSDPA, and an integrated media player that handles H.263 / H.264, MP3, and AAC formats. We know what you're really after, so check out a bit more eye candy after the jump.

Razer cranks out Pro|Click Mobile Bluetooth mouse

Razer has certainly been on a tear of late, and the firm is keepin' the new gear flowing with the Pro|Click Mobile. Shipping worldwide today (to retailers, we presume), this diminutive critter touts an ambidextrous design, Bluetooth 2.0, an optical sensor, and four interesting titled colors including "naughty, nice, sugar, and spice (black, white, pink and red respectively)." Unfortunately, interested customers won't be able to get their hands around one until "mid-October" for $49.99

iPhone firmware v1.1.1 with "international" support coming soon?

With the launch of the iPod touch and the iTunes WiFi Music Store this week, it's pretty obvious that the iPhone is due for an update soon -- Apple can't leave all those iPhone users wondering what song is playing in Starbucks, after all -- but what's not certain is how much of an update we're going to see. The eagle-eyed posters at HowardForums might have spotted a clue, though -- the iPhone early-adopter $100 credit signup page clearly shows an iPhone running firmware v1.1.1, with a couple interesting additions: a setting for "Home Button," and another marked "International." The Home Button setting will likely bring the iPod touch's nifty double-tap music controller to the iPhone, but we have no idea what the International menu is for -- maybe for reducing some of those crazy roaming bills? Either way, we should know soon.

Wacom shipping Bamboo tablets in the US

We'd heard about Wacom's small and inexpensive Bamboo input tablets a few months ago, but it looks like the company is getting ready to ship both the $79 Bamboo (aimed at casual photo retoucher) and the $99 (small) and $199 (medium) Bamboo Fun, which costs more because it comes with a mouse and is apparently more fun. Both models feature four ExpressKeys, the "touch ring" zoom / scroll controller, and a textured surface designed to emulate the feel of a real pen on paper. Both models should work well with both OS X's InkWell and Vista's Tablet features, so those of you interested in eating up Martha should keep your eyes open.

Savit Micro's Cinedisk CD26HD media player

Chicks and dudes -- the Korean electronics maker Savit Micro wants to make you the talk of the town. How will they do such a thing, you ask? Well, for starters, they're serving up the Cinedisk CD26HD pocket-sized, HD media player that can handle MPEG2, WMV9HD, or DiVX video formats, plays MP3, WMA, and OGG audio, and does AC3 and DTS audio processing. Your precious, friend-making files are stored on a 2.5-inch, 120GB hard drive, and you can hook the miniature-media-center up to your favorite HDTV via its component outs for 1080i playback. The player also comes with a remote control, so you can really show off your movies like a champ, though it won't mix your cocktails or make charming small talk. Available now if you can get to a Korean dealer for 219,900 KRW (around $235)

iPod nano

Yeah, you're not reading this so you can hear me give the iPod another pat on the back. You know that the new model has Cover Flow, video capabilities and a bigger screen, making it the most functional nano ever made. I want to talk about the design. And man, were we wrong when we called it a Fatty and made fun of its looks. It fits in the palm perfectly, although it seems to me that this layout comes at a cost. You'll be shocked at how small full 16:9 video is on this thing.

Logitech Releases Cordless Headset and Keyboard for PS3

PS3 fans will be happy with Logitech's new headset and keyboard. The Cordless Vantage headset and MediaBoard keyboard both have Bluetooth technology, and will be out Stateside in time for the Holidays. Prices and more info, plus a purdy picture of the piano-black keyboard, are after the jump.

The Cordless Vantage features native PS3 support, and has large-diameter audio drivers and advanced noise-filtering circuitry, which means top banana audio and sound playback. The rechargeable battery headset gives you 12 hours' gaming, and is ambidextrous, meaning you can wear it on either your right or left ear. There's also an adjustable noise-cancelling microphone to reduce background noise.

The Cordless MediaBoard Pro Bluetooth Keyboard has a dedicated Menu button that gets you straight into the PlayStation Network Help menu, and there are dedicated circle, square, X and triangle buttons to make life easier. A built-in touch pad with vertical scrolling and Left- and Right-click buttons means no mouse is needed. You can use the keyboard up to 30 feet away from the PS3, and two AA batteries will give you more than 200 hours of battery life.

The headset and keyboard cost $79.99 each and will be available in the US in November and Europe the following month.

Samsung WEP500 Quarter-Sized Bluetooth Headset Available Now

Samsung's just announced the availability of their tiny quarter-sized WEP500 Bluetooth headset for the US. It's definitely small—weighs less than 9 grams and is the size of about a quarter—but suffers in low battery life because of it. 3.5 hours talk time and 80 hours standby time isn't fantastic, but it does have 2 microphones and noise reduction, which still isn't standard in Bluetooth headsets for some reason. All this can be yours for $119, and an extra $119 when you lose the first one because it's so miniscule.

Microsoft Natural Keyboard With Covert Keylogger (Not An Official Feature)

When I first read about this Microsoft Natural Keyboard that had a secret keylogger inside I assumed it was just an official feature that MS never bothered to mention. (For obvious reasons.) But in reality this keyboard has been specially modified to include the keylogger inside so that it’s completely undetectable by either the user or a piece of anti-virus or anti-spyware software.

And from what I can tell this keyboard is actually a few years old since it boasts a massive 2MB of storage (which can capture up to 2 million keystrokes) and requires a computer with a PS/2 port. I particularly like that in order to access the keystroke logs you have to open a text editor like Word, Notepad or Wordpad and type in a secret password you previously assigned. While the password can easily be changed you’ll want to go out of your way to ensure it’s not something your intended spy victim would ever type. I suggest phrases like “happyworkenvironment” or “wholeheartedlytrustmyboss” etc.

Unfortunately the keyboard is a one-off design so once it’s bought there’s no additional stock. But again, given how old the keyboard appears to be (PS/2) I guess the $434 price tag is too much for even the most mistrusting of persons.

Logitech Announces AudioHub for Notebooks

Logitech announced a new product today called the AudioHub that combines two things that most notebook users will need like a USB hub and a set of decent speakers. The system uses a three-chamber speaker system that has an integrated subwoofer.

The AudioHub draws power for the speakers, the built-in three port USB hub and gets sounds from your PC from one single USB connection. This also means that disconnecting the AudioHub to take your notebook on the road requires only one plug to be undone.

The device is designed so that the speakers are width adjustable allowing you to position them to the sides of your notebook, rather than behind it for better sound quality. On the rear of the device is a cable organizer to help keep things tidy. Logitech says the AudioHub will be available in October for $99.99.

TicTalk Mobile Phone For Kids

The must-have kid’s toys of the past like Cabbage Patch Kids in the 80’s and Tickle Me Elmo in the 90’s are being replaced by high-tech must-have items such as cellphones these days. Of course no parent should give an irresponsible 10-year-old a completely unrestricted phone so kid-friendly cellphones are becoming more popular. Like the Firefly or Migo the TicTalk is a fully working GSM/GPRS capable cellphone that is only restricted when it comes to how the child can use it.

The phone uses a pay-as-you-go rate plan that runs about $25 for 100 minutes but the parent can also limit how many of those minutes the child can use on a daily basis. These restrictions including a pre-approved phone book can all be setup by logging into the TicTalk website since the phone itself only has a minimal set of buttons. (No keyboard.) Syncing is all done wirelessly but you can connect the TicTalk to a PC via USB in order to upload photos. But given it only has a black and white screen that functionality seems rather pointless.

As an added incentive to entice parents the TicTalk also includes a set of educational Leap Frog games for teaching math, spelling, science and social studies. And to encourage the kids to actually touch those games they can earn additional reward minutes by playing them.

The TicTalk runs about $99 in addition to the pay-as-you-go rates but the activation is free.

Apple confirms: iPod touch cannot add calendar appointments

Late last night some eagle-eyed Engadget readers spotted some disparities in Apple's international sites, with some claiming the iPod touch would be able add calendar appointments with its calendar app, and others omitting that language. We got in touch with our people down in Cupertino who just confirmed the (somewhat) bad news is real: "Like current iPods, the touch can only view calendar entries created on your computer". In other words, no, you can't make new calendar entries on the fly. Why Apple would want to remove this simple feature that's already built into the mobile OS X calendar experience is really beyond us, but we guess they're doing their damnedest to draw the line in the sand between iPod and iPhone. Still, makes you wonder what other minor, useful features Apple pulled from the touch.

Philips' new Prestigo SR-M8015 remote control "tablet"

Have you ever wanted to control things? Lots of things? How about everything? If you've been answering yes while psychotically nodding your head and smiling, you may like to know about the Philips Prestigo SR-M8015, the remote control with the crappy name and totally out-of-control footprint. The new addition to the company's Prestigo line is actually a large "tablet" remote, with a plethora of buttons at your two-handed disposal (including access to 15 separate devices), a color LCD screen in the center, and the totally antiquated / sexist "his and hers" option -- just in case you can't agree on any presets with your spouse / lover / good "buddy." Apparently the finish will go from drab, black plastic, to ultra-sexy chrome with "hot-stamped" detailing. No word on price or availability, but the SR-M8015 is expected in the next few months for around $150.

Sony Reader Leaked out

Given the many opportunities Sony's had to demo new gear in the past month, you'd think we'd have seen this earlier, but it looks like the company's latest ebook reader, the PRS-505, will be making its grand debut on the website of Chicago's own Abt Electronics. The update to the original Sony Reader will come in either silver or blue, feature a slightly redesigned layout, twice the internal memory, and may potentially rock what seems like an updated display. No word on any other changes, but it looks like the price is the same at $299.

PSP Slim

Well kids, you won't have to wait too long to be hacking, cracking, phreaking, duping, shooting, dumpster-diving, and generally getting biz-zay with your PSP Slim / Lite, as the outrageous tricksters known as Team M33 have just released their do-it-all custom firmware (version 3.6, for those keeping score at home), thus confirming Pandora's Battery as a "go" (amongst other things) on the new systems. If you understand what we're talking about, you'll be pleased to know that homebrews from the GAME, GAME150 and GAME360 directories load fine, though some homebrews written specifically for the 1.50 kernel won't run properly (due to some hardware and screen problems on the Slim). Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines, don your helmets, and get ready to seriously rumble.

iTunes now serving-up Ringtones

If paying for ringtone snippets of the songs you already own is your idea of a good time, then get on over to iTunes trust funders, Apple's now serving up ringtones at $1.98 a pop. But they're only $0.99 you say? Nope, remember, you have to buy the rights to the song too. Fun. Keep it safe, kids.

Rip Roar Creation Station

Like many kids my siblings and I made a lot of home movies when we were younger. I remember one time in particular when we set the video camera to a high shutter speed, filled the living room with every lamp we could find in the house and filmed Hot Wheels cars crashing into each other. It was definitely crude but watching the slow motion replays of the crashes was remarkably entertaining. Of course those ’special effects’ were pretty crude when compared to the home video technology today’s kids have at their disposal.

The Rip Roar Creation Station for example gives any kid with a drop of imagination the ability to shoot their own green screen footage and then easily replace the backgrounds with included software. The camera is apparently ‘full-rez’ capable which I assume means at least 640×480 and has a built-in LED light which to be honest is probably pretty useless. The kit also includes 2 fabric green screens, a tripod and the aforementioned software that also has basic editing and soundtrack functions. As someone who does this kind of stuff for a living I’m skeptical as to how great the results look but if I was a kid trying this type of thing for the first time I’d probably be thrilled.

The Rip Roar Creation Station will be available from Amazon near the end of September for $129.99.

USB Penguins Are Adorable

These flightless bird USBs flash drives are truly adorable. The diminutive avian comes complete with tiny tiny scarves. Unfortunately, they also come with a comparatively tiny capacity. The flightless bird’s head flips open to reveal a shining USB connector; just as nature intended.

The USB Penguin is Mac-friendly, PC-friendly and small child friendly. It also comes with Vista Ready Boost functionality. Sadly the maximum capacity is 1GB and they cost ¥3980, or about 17$US. Is it really too large of a price to pay for cute?

Motorola RAZR2 Now Availalbe in U.S.

Motorola announced yesterday that their new RAZR2 mobile phone is now available here in the United States. Motorola says the new RAZR2 is sleeker outside and more powerful inside. Three versions of the phone are available so users of all three major technologies will be able to use the RAZR2.

The MOTORAZR2 family will have a V9 version that runs on 3G HSDPA, a V9m version that runs on 3G EVDO CDMA, and a V8 running on plain vanilla GSM. Updates to the RAZR2 include a larger screen for full HTML web browsing and an external screen that allows viewing media, music and messaging without opening the phone.

Motorola also says that users will be able to get touch feedback on the external screen through a haptic key technology; and no I’m not sure what that means either. The phone will be equipped with up to 2GB of onboard memory and will support wireless music via headphones like Motorola’s ROKR S9.

Siemens VDO and Microsoft

Siemens VDO and Microsoft just announced a deal to co-develop in-car entertainment systems and navigation products. The companies will initially develop a multi-media platform to more easily integrate mobile phones and music players into automotive systems. The first products based on the Microsoft Auto Platform are expected in 2009.

The BlackBox and BlackBox mini Bluetooth speaker

See that? That's glossy black sex in stereo. The BlackBox and BlackBox mini Bluetooth speaker systems from Gear4 pump 24W and 4W from 2x speakers, respectively, with a front-facing red LED panel and blue capacitive touch-panel controls up top. Gear4 assures compatibility with your cellphone via its firmware upgrade feature -- link back to your computer via USB to download the "right profile for your mobile." Odd, since the Bluetooth profiles are supposed to be standard, eh Bluetooth SIG? Priced at £100/£50 (about $202/$101) when released in the next few weeks.

Apogee's Duet: pro audio at a mini size

If you've been in the market for a small, handsome, and high-quality portable audio recording solution, Apogee (makers of some of the finest AD/DA converters and interfaces in the industry) may have just what you're looking for. Say hello to the Duet, a two-channel, 24bit / 96kHz interface that should make your next field job or impromptu jam recording nothing but net. The Duet's breakout cable provides two phantom powered, XLR inputs, two unbalanced instrument inputs, and two unbalanced monitor outs; a headphone jack, multi-function knob, LED meters, and Firewire port (for getting the audio to your computer) are located on the unit. Apogee is known for its rugged, low-noise, high-performance audio tools, and the Duet is likely no exception -- despite the fact that the need for an interface this small is certainly up for debate. Available in September for $495.

iTunes 7.4.1

So last night iTunes 7.4.1 came out which, among other things, blocked off the custom ringtone renaming method, which allowed users to add their own ringtones to their iPhone without buying them on iTunes. Well, as posters in our own comments have already discovered, it's back, and here's how to do it:

First, follow the steps of the original method

• Create your ringtone, save it as an AAC file.
• Rename the m4a extension to m4r.
• Double-click to play in iTunes.

Now, if you're upgraded to 7.4.1

• Go back and re-rename that m4r file back to m4a. That's it.
• Plug in your iPhone and that ringtone will be added to your syncable ringtones list -- and it won't pop up the error from before.
• Play your ringtones constantly for the next 10 hours until 7.4.2 comes out.

Polk Audio I-Sonic ES2 features iTunes song tagging

Already, new peripherals are popping up to take advantage of the new features in Apple’s updated iPod line-up, with Polk Audio’s I-Sonic Entertainment System 2 packing a poor man’s equivalent of the Starbucks song purchase feature over in-store WiFi. When songs are playing over the built-in HD Radio, users can press a tag button, which creates a custom playlist on docked iPods, allowing songs to be purchased later when at a computer. The ES2 also features XM Connect & Play capability, a CD/DVD drive for audio playback, an alarm clock mode, and 360-degree sound, whatever the hell that is. The ES2 hits next month for $499.

Crayola is coming with more than just Crayons

From producing crayons and different school supplies like glue and Activity poser kits are now going to make some Hi-Tech gadgets for the kids. As the kids electronic market is rising Crayola not to miss their chance and created some totally cool gadgets for kids. Here are some of them

JBL's On Stage 3 Dock is now iPhone-Compatible

The popular donut-shaped On Stage iPod dock is now in its third incarnation —and this time it will work with your iPhone. Its makers, JBL, have filled in the middle of the ring as well as supplying interchangeable trim, so that your On Stage 3 can match your Nano

MP3 Design goes modular

It’s simply amazing what someone can do with Photoshop and a design oriented imagination. Yankoo Design has an interesting MP3 concept that incorportes modular add ons that work in a daisy chain fashion.

Designed by Danilo Mangini and called the “Lobster” due to it’s pieces forming a lobster like tail assembly, the LCD screen main body allows for modular additions that include an mp3 player, camera, gps, and even a cardiometer for those who love to rock out and exercise at the same time. The mods can be used either in concert or alone, but their best used with the main LCD screen . The main screen also acts as a cellphone and SMS text messenger.