The idea behind this phone concept is that it brings ideas together from past and present with its wood styling and smartphone functionality. The designer says the wood and rock casing is supposed bring together nature and technology, but it just looks like a piece of 70s tech to me (see the bluetooth headset with analog knobs). [Yanko Design] Tags: audio, games, cool gear, camera (Read the full post about ‘Retro Woodgrain Phone Invokes Synthesizers of Old [Concepts]’…)

We have long thought the acronym P2P was the very antonym of the word legal, but Qtrax, a new P2P music sharing service, has plans to rewrite the geek dictionary. Here’s the skinny: The service is free, completely. Qtrax offers an unlimited service. It is supported by the four major labels, as well as smaller, niche music groups, and that means it will have a start-up music library of over 25 million songs. That is about four times bigger than iTunes, and about 100% cheaper. We know what you are thinking; is this all smoke without fire? Short answer; we’re not sure, but Qtrax is hitting soon. Very, very soon. Monday, in fact, is the day the service goes live, and we cannot hold our wee we’re so excited. (Read the full post about ‘Qtrax Promises Legal P2P Music Sharing Service, the Impossible [Music Downloads]’…)

Posted Jan 26th 2008 11:03AM by Darren MurphFiled under: Portable Audio, Portable Video Call it fate or call it luck, but regardless of what you deem it, the latest wave of Cowon price drops will certainly save you a few bucks. Judging by listings at JetMall, Cowon has slashed dollars off of price tags attached to a variety of its devices, including $50 off of the luscious Q5W, $20 from the A3 30GB and some $90 from the 16GB iAUDIO 7. What’s more, the entire Q5W lineup now comes with a free GPS cradle and a warm fuzzy feeling to boot. (Read the full post about ‘Cowon price drops abound’…)

Posted Jan 26th 2008 1:08PM by Darren MurphFiled under: Robots We’ve witnessed our fair share of Robovies, and let’s just say we’ve a healthy fear of ‘em. That being said, we’re fairly certain we’d come darn close to fainting or reacting violently should the creature pictured above approach us while shopping ever. Nevertheless, this humanoid is apparently allowed to run amok at Universal Citywalk Osaka as the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute tests out its ability to interpret signals from cameras, sensors and RFID readers and determine which patrons are thoroughly lost. When it recognizes a stumped individual, it wheels over, confirms their state of confusion and politely offers directions to their destination of choice. (Read the full post about ‘Crowd-monitoring humanoid helps lost mall patrons, likely freaks them out’…)

The GPS market is a very competitive one, and it is hard for companies to make their name well-known when competing against giant companies like Garmin and TomTom. Today, Empower announced that they would be selling three new GPS units in the North American market. In the PowerPlay lineup comes three GPS models, the first being the P2000. First thing you should know is that all 3 models feature 4.3-inch touch screen and Bluetooth connectivity for hands free calling. Now, the P2000 is a pretty basic model as it only comes with navigation, Bluetooth and traffic advisory data. Next up, we have the P2200 and basically the only extra thing that this comes with is a built-in camera. (Read the full post about ‘Empower ready to enter GPS market’…)

For the latest info on the coolest gadgets, emerging technology and wired madness, subscribe to our full news feed or have it delivered to your inbox. Always free. Always unique. Thanks for visiting! If I ever do pack it all in and decide to work from home, then I am definitely getting me one of these. I would not go quite as far as setting it up over a bed; I would be setting up the ErgoQuest 500 over some sort of mega-expensive massage chair. Seriously, this is a cool concept for people that are bed ridden for whatever reason, not just the extremely lazy amongst us. The ErgoQuest 500 carries up to 400lbs of equipment, so you can fit whatever combination of monitors you want in there. (Read the full post about ‘ErgoQuest 500 Enables a Successful Life of Sloth’…)

Latest Tech news - 25 January Shure SE 110 Sound Isolating Earphones Asus begins shipping Eee PCs with Windows XP in Japan Prices and dates set for Rock Band instruments Brugo - Cools Coffee One Sip at a Time Flying Stick Cam – aerial surveillance … er photography for everyone Pick Up Line and Insult Generators Panasonic Strada Pocket GPS navigation system iMONO 80-in-1 High Speed Card Reader Cameraphone to function as a mouse? (Read the full post about ‘Weekend Gadget Glyphs’…)

Sony Ericsson has announced their new T270 and T280 stylish and affordable phone. Both come in almost the same design, less than 13mm slim and brushed light metal with a glass finish. The T280 comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera while T270 does not have a camera module. Both will be available in same colors ~ Silver on Black and Copper on Silver. The Sony Ericsson T270 and T280 will available in selected market from Q1 2008. Check out more specs and pictures after the jump. (Read the full post about ‘Sony Ericsson T270 and T280′…)

TDVision Systems unveil the first portable, all digital high def 3D visualization system, the new 720p TDVisor-HD The TDVisor showcased high definition stereo content including 3D movies and games and the totally redesigned AlterSpace. The AlterSpace is a stereo virtual world where users can meet, chat, create their own environments, and upload and watch 3D movies. The AlterSpace is slated to become a stereo content purchase and distribution system with its own marketplace. TDVision is the only technology simultaneously compatible with 2D infrastructures and also is fully compatible with existing MPEG decoders. It is established and tested in mission critical military applications and electronics. (Read the full post about ‘TDVisor is like a 108-inch diagonal screen’…)

Posted Jan 26th 2008 6:01AM by Nilay PatelFiled under: Misc. GadgetsIt’s no secret that Apple Legal is, ah, aggressive when it comes to protecting its various fruit-flavored intellectual property, but a company called BlueAir just filed a lawsuit accusing Apple’s lawyers of outright harassment over BlueAir’s AirPOD air purifier, pictured at right. Seems BlueAir has been trying to register a trademark on the product, and instead of filing an opposition with the USPTO based on consumer confusion with the iPod, Apple’s attorneys have just been sending BlueAir angry letters and threatening massive legal fees. (Read the full post about ‘Apple accused of harrassing an air purifier company’…)