mobile phone manufacturers just love to pack their newest models of smartphones with all sorts of cool features. This concept Mooon (not a spelling error) smartphone has at least one unique feature that could easily become a new standard. As you can see by the illustration to the left, the Mooon has a Bluetooth headset that can be detached from the phone’s body and then attached to your ear. This means the user can use a Bluetooth earpiece and not have to purchase one separately. I am assuming that the earpiece is calibrated to the Mooon phone straight from the box, so the user won’t have to go through the whole calibration rigmarole. Oh, did I mention that the front of the phone is a touchscreen? (Read the full post about ‘Mooon Concept Phone’…)

It looks like MobiTV is trying to shut down HowardForums.com. MobiTV has been sending threatening letters to Howard requesting for posts to be taken down from his site. The posts describe a way to access video feeds from the MobiTV service for free by simply going to a URL. The URL enables access to the service from a computer or a mobile phone.

MobiTV is claiming that the posts obtained the URL through hacking or debugging. It is Howard’s claim that no hacking or debugging was used because the file listing the URL is available on their website for anyone to read.

(Read the full post about ‘MobiTV trying to shut down HowardForums.com’…)

The recent trend for online websites and services is to go mobile, and LinkedIn wanted to make sure it would be on that train. So, the company announced LinkdIn Mobile. Luckily for iphone users there is a version for you as well. LinkedIn mobile will work on any Web-enabled wireless phone that uses the wireless application protocol (WAP). That not only includes mobile phones and iPhones, but also blackberry handhelds. To access it, you simply need to point your mobile device to http://m.linkedin.com. LinkedIn Mobile features will include the ability to search profiles, research contacts, invite contacts, and receive network update capabilities. (Read the full post about ‘LinkedIn goes mobile’…)

Posted Mar 7th 2008 1:31PM by Donald MelansonFiled under: Robots We’ve already seen cities turn to technology to combat graffiti, but it looks like the tables could one day be turned, at least if designer Stefan Rechsteiner has his way. As you can see above, his so-called “Couleur sur l’Objet” robot concept would be able to climb walls (relying on suction, it seems), leaving a trail of graffiti behind it. That would apparently be entirely done using software to plot out its course ahead of time, although we’re sure it could also be rigged with a remote control to allow for a little freestyle spraying. (Read the full post about ‘Wall-climbing robot concept sprays graffiti, bad influences’…)

Coby has unveiled the MP735 portable media player to the rest of the world at CeBIT 2008. In addition to its rather small 1.66″ LCD color display, you get a touch-based navigation system and swiveling-type stereo speakers. No idea on how much this will cost nor when will it be available, but I think the display is way too small for a portable media player. After all, squinting one’s eyes 10 minutes into a movie is just plain unacceptable, what more if you’re stuck on a long haul flight, having left your ipod at home. (Read the full post about ‘Coby MP735 portable media player’…)

It’s a promotion for a sandwich shop chain, and they don’t provide much of the detail us weenies would like, such as how to make one yourself. But the air cannon constructed by a team from Erbert and Gerbert is still a thing to behold.

(Read the full post about ‘Must-Have Alert: Humongous Air Cannon’…)

Back in May 2006, we reported that Nike and Apple were teaming up to offer products that would use a wireless receiver on an iPod to keep track of workout data. One product that came out of this partnership was the Nike+iPod Sports Kit, which included a sensor that would go in Nike+ footwear. So, basically the product would allow you to keep data in your iPod about your run while still allowing you to enjoy music off your iPod. Now, it seems that Nike and Apple want their Nike+iPod partnership to expand beyond footwear, and their next target is gym equipment. According to a Nike press release, the two companies are approaching gym equipment manufacturers to incorporate Nike+iPod technology into their equipment. (Read the full post about ‘Nike+iPod to soon run on gym equipment’…)

I must be dehydrated, because I’m writing about another drinking-related gadget. This one is a bit more simplistic than the single-serve blender I spoke of earlier. Some people tend to burn their hands (or tongues) on hot coffee or hot chocolate, which is never fun. Other times you’ll leave a cup sitting around for longer than you realize, then take a swig of a disgustingly-cold drink. That’s never fun. This simple mug makes it blindingly obvious how warm your drink is. The mug is coated with a heat sensitive glaze which changes color according to the temperature of the beverage contained within. Sure, it’s not a necessity to have your cup tell you how warm your drink is, I think you can find out yourself. (Read the full post about ‘Temperature changing mug might not be useful, but is still cool’…)

We just received our Apple Time Capsule this week, and it’s happily backing up my files right now. Time Capsule, in case you haven’t heard of it, is a WiFi hub that supports the new 802.1n standard and also contains a hard drive for backups using the Time Machine feature of OS X Leopard. I purchased the 1 TB model, which costs $500. A 500GB model is available for a much more reasonable $300. I won’t be able to do a detailed review until a month or two has gone by, so I can try restoring some backups, but in the meantime here are some first impressions: It’s big. I imagined it being the size of a mac mini, but it’s actually wider, about 8″ square. (Read the full post about ‘First Impressions: Apple Time Capsule’…)

Posted Mar 7th 2008 9:24AM by Darren MurphFiled under: HDTV, Home Entertainment Slowly but surely, we’re seeing retailer after retailer conjure up its own trade-in / exchange program to deal with the finality of the format war. Canada’s Future Shop, however, has certainly put an interesting twist on things. First off, it’ll accept standalone HD DVD players purchased from anywhere until April 3rd. In exchange, you’ll receive $100 off the purchase of an LG or Samsung Blu-ray / HD DVD combo player, but not a standalone Blu-ray player of any kind. Unfortunately, that means your options are pretty limited, but we can certainly understand the retailer’s desire to wash its hands of anything with an hd dvd logo on it. (Read the full post about ‘Future Shop offers trade-in credit for HD DVD players, will donate old decks to charity’…)