The third largest Korean mobile service provider LG Telecom has announced the release of a new phone CanU 502S made by Casio. According to LG, the CanU 502S is that country's first waterproof mobile handset. The clamshell phone has a compass with a built-in direction sensor; a stopwatch; an MP3 player; and a 1.3-megapixel camera. Looking a part of your scuba gear, the phone is all sealed up in rubber, including all the jacks. All of the external ports like the audio and batteries port can also be sealed up. For the less adventurous, you can at least feel better about chatting on your shiny green or orange phone while struggling your way through heavy rainfall. The only bad news is that it's still CDMA-only, I wish they would come up with a GSm version soon.

Priced at 550,000 won (around $545).

I'll be on vacation, sans my tech pets, for a week. I'll resume posting later next week. Till then, cya people.

Well, since its about iPod, its technically a gadget news. PodDater.com is a new service that brings video dating to iPod. The Web site, which launched last month, allows users to post online video profiles and search profiles to find potential matches who interest them. Once matches are found, you can click on the Play link to watch the video in your browser, or download the video to your iPod. The next time you connect your iPod and sync it, the video is copied to your iPod. The service is free and allows searching by tag, gender and zip code. Am sure video profiles are more engaging than the average online photo and profile text. I’ll be interested to see how PodDater fares over given that there are over 21 million iPods roaming around.

Video was the next obvious thing to add to Skype, so it's no surprise that the Internet telephony company has gone ahead and added it in Skype 2.0, launched today. Skype 2.0 beta is only available for Windows and, while it will work in audio mode on other windoews versions, needs XP to offer video chats (Skype is hinting that, as with previous versions of Skype, it will eventually be available on Mac and Linux). So far, video chats are only for two parties, and cannot be extended to conference calls - but if rumours are to be believed, this one is clearly on Skype's checklist for future.

In addition to video calling, Skype 2 also adds call management tools, including one-click access to key features and options; the ability to let your contacts see your mood, via emoticons; and the ability to see what time it is where your contact is, so that you don't call at an inappropriate time. Skype 2 also adds the ability to look up contacts in real-time by typing a name into the dialing field, and a Skype toolbar for Microsoft Outlook, which you can download here.

Skype 2 is available for download here.

Dear God! What was LG thinking when they came up with this one? First, LG Electronics launched the LG LH-C643 home theatre system with 24 carat gold-plates exteriors. And now the 71-inch gold plasma tv to go with it. The monster TV made a debut in Dubai last month. Given the Middle Eastern fondness for gold, LG is hoping that this bling bling monstrosity of a tv will sell there. Only 1,000 sets of the Royal Gold 71-inch plasma are supposed to be manufactured and each one has an individual gold number plate. Can you beat that, Samsung?

Which gadgets ruled the roost in 2005? Yours truely rounded up the greatest gear for work and play, then narrowed down the list to the top 15 devices. Pick up December's Man's World issue to drool over the top 15 lovelies. And if you would like to share your favourite gadget of 2005 on this blog, email me.

The 40 greatest US magazine covers of the last 40 years were unveiled on 17 October at the American Magazine Conference (AMC) 2005 where Rolling Stone’s January 22, 1981 cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono was named the top magazine cover. But I was disappointed to see that Wired Magazine got the 33rd spot. Wired has created some of the most interesting and memorable covers I have ever seen. I love the magazine. Wired is the most striking media creation of our generation. Wired's everything that other magazines are not - crammed with the most surprising and resonant stories about the people, companies, technologies, and ideas that are transforming our lives.

Here's the cover that made it to the Top 40 list.

Wired – June 1997 – Apple symbol covered in barbed wire: “Pray”

And some other great covers that didnt make it to the list.

For those of you who dont have budget for a media center pc, here's some good news. iOmega has launched the new Iomega ScreenPlay Multimedia Drive, a portable hard drive with built-in multimedia playback capability that makes it a digital media jukebox for photos, songs and video files that can be used with virtually any television or audio-video system in the world. Like a Media Center PC, the 200 and 300GB pair play videos, photos and music. Format support is respectable, - on the movie front, you can play MP1, 2 and 4 including your DivX flicks and the raw VOB files created when you rip a DVD to a computer's hard drive. For music you get MP3, WMA, WAV and Ogg playback, though no AAC. The other stuff you'd expect includes a remote, FireWire and USB, plus S-Video for plugging into your tv. Both are on sale now with the 200GB available £220 and the 300GB selling at £240. Can it also record tv shows? No, its just a player.

In a world premiere from India (a first for the company) Motorola has launched the newest MOTO -- the highly anticipated Motorola L6 mobile handset. Following its launch in India, the Motorola L6 will roll out in other markets in due course through a series of announcements. Meanwhile, across India, the Motorola L6 is on sale starting today. The ultra-slim Motorola L6 is the candy-bar version Motorola RAZR - the super-slim clamshell beauty. Measuring just 10.9mm and weighing just 86 grams, the chiseled and sleek Motorola L6 handset looks fantastic and packs a significant feature set, including an integrated VGA camera (with 4X zoom) for video recording, Bluetooth connectivity and a digital audio player. Its priced at Rs.8,495 (USD 185) for the Indian market.

Sony Ericsson today launched three budget phones for the budget-conscious consumers. The J220, J230 and Z300 are all entry-level phones, so dont expect a camera, MP3 player or e-mail functionality. The J220 and J230 have a 128x128 pixel, 65k display, 500-capacity phone book and a 280 hour stand-by battery. The J230 is a little more generous with an FM radio. The Z300 is a more feminine variation on the same theme, with the same display and features plus personalisation options with Style-Up covers. For a touch of femininity, the included Crystal Decor pack consists of stick-on crystals (cheap bling bling!) which are better left unused.

The J220 and J230 will be available in Q1 2006, while the Z300 will be out before Christmas. There's no pricing info as yet.

Motorola announced today that it plans to add four new RAZR phones to its lineup, including versions available in pink and blue, the first RAZR for CDMA networks, and an update to the original V3 phone that will include iTunes in some markets. The RAZR has proven to be a huge success story for the company, with sales expected to top 10 million units worldwide before the end of this year. "We wanted to evolve the Motorola RAZR without compromising the integrity and philosophy of the original design," corporate vice president of marketing Leslie Dance said.

This announcement brings the total number of RAZR handsets announced so far to seven, with four color renditions available from the original model. According to Motorola representatives, the four new RAZRs will be sold in stores later this year and early 2006.

Motorola RAZR V3i
This is the iTunes RAZR and will include a better 1.23-megapixel camera, as well as expandable memory capabilities. Also, the phone will now carry a spun metal look, as opposed to the original brushed metal used for the original RAZR phones. The V3i will include the iTunes music software first introduced on the ROKR. However, Motorola said that the feature would not be available in all regions and would be carrier dependent. If iTunes was not preinstalled, Motorola's own Digital Music Player would be included in its place.

Motorola RAZR V3c
The RAZR V3c will be the lineup's first CDMA model. The phone will support high-speed EV-DO networks and include a 1.3-megapixel camera alongside Bluetooth and an MP3 player.

Motorola RAZR in Pink and Blue
The new pink and blue RAZRs, targeted at the fashion forward consumers, will carry a similar feature set to the traditional RAZR V3 phone. According to Motorola, the blue design will likely have more widespread launch; the pink model is expected to have limited availability in most markets. CNET Asia confirms that both pink and blue versions will be available in Singapore.

Nokia has unveiled three new mobile multimedia devices at a special conference in Barcelona. The N71, N80 and N92 are the latest products in Nokia's up-market N-series range. All three phones are expected to be available in the first half of next year with price tags ranging from 400 euros to 600 euros.

Nokia N92
Of the three multimedia phones announced, Nokia is clearly hyping one particular handset, the N92. Touted by the company as the world's first mobile device with built-in DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld) receiver, the terminal can be used to watch and record live TV on-the-go. DVB-H handsets, in the future, will be able to receive as many as fifty TV channels. It is set to launch in Italy in time for the 2006 World Cup with other European countries following later in the year. The handset can also record TV programmes on to an SD card and deliver an on-screen electronic programme guide. In addition, it offers a 320 x 240 (16 million color) display, 2 megapixel camera, onboard 802.11g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB 2.0 and 90MB of storage.

Nokia N71
The music centric N71 offers an in-box audio adaptor to give users stereo FM radio access through standard headphones and has an integrated digital music and video player.
In addition, the 3G handset has a slot for a miniSD card to extend storage capacity up to 2GB, and comes with 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, 5-band equaliser and support for MP3, AAC and WMA formats.


Nokia N80
Completing the line up is the Nokia N80, a slider 3G handset with a 3 Megapixel camera and the first mobile phone to feature Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) so that it can network wirelessly with any device in the home. With this technology, users can view stored images wirelessly via a home television set, print wirelessly to compatible computers and listen to supported music files through their home audio system.

Sony's latest addition to its ultra-slim digital camera line, the Cybershot DSC-T9 is the first in this category to offer both optical image stabilization and high light sensitivity. What it basically means is the that the new six-megapixel DSC-T9 delivers more detailed images with significantly less blur and graininess than typical point-and-shoot cameras. Optical image stabilization reduces image blur from hand movement, while high light sensitivity helps to lessen blurriness resulting from low-light conditions. Other features include a 3x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar optical zoom lens, MPEG movie recording, a superb 2.5" LCD screen and an updated software. The Cyber-shot DSC-T9 camera will be available in January for about $450 online at http://www.sonystyle.com

i-Mode's here, finally! After almost six years since its introduction in Japan, the much-talked-about i-mode service is being offered exclusively through local mobile service provider StarHub, which recently invited selected users to participate in the pre-launch trials. Under the DoCoMo-StarHub agreement, StarHub will offer i-mode services over both its 2.5G and 3G networks with DoCoMo providing its expertise in patents, branding, marketing, knowledge and technology. As part of the registration process, customers have to purchase a phone at a special price and sign up for a mobile plan with mobile operator. In return, they will enjoy free subscription to data services as well as other benefits up till the end of 2005. There is no information on the cost or details of the i-mode subscription plans 2006- onwards.

And if you have just returned from Mars and missed out on the whole i-Mode revolution, find out more about i-mode here.

Toshiba is rolling out 20GB and 60GB gigabeat players to keep their pretty pretty 30GB gigabeat X30 company. Predictable titled X20 and X60, the players come with pretty much standard specs of the gigabeat line (a 240 x 320, 2.4-inch screen, displays JPEG photos besides playing MP3s and WMAs) but are about 20% smaller than their F-series predecessors. The Gigabeat X20 comes in Piano Black, Pure White, and Crimson Red. The X60 comes only in black. The new models will go on sale in Japan in November.

But, in the days of iPod Video, why no video support, lah?

Like I said in some of my previous posts, this is the year of fashion phones. Nokia has introduced a collection of three trend-inspired mobile phones, the Nokia 7360, Nokia 7370 and Nokia 7380. According to a Nokia press release, "each model in the L'Amour Collection offers a beautiful mix of contrasts - infusing cultural and ethnic influences with luxurious touches of the unexpected. Hints of vintage and craftsmanship, are fused with natural materials, colors and patterns, all carefully crafted and layered with a passion for detail." Sounds like alot of fashion speak.
According to Nokia, the new phones (candy-bar 7360, swivel 7370 and thumbdrive-shaped 7380)will be available in Q1, 2006.

The Nokia 7380 features a design very similar to that of the lipstick-shaped 7280, the same scrollwheel and no keypad, and the display becomes a mirror in standby mode. New features include a 2-megapixel camera, an MP3 player, and voice commands.

Expected Price: 500 euros.

The compact Nokia 7370 "swivels" open to reveal a hidden keypad and includes a 1.3-megapixel camera, color screen and stereo speakers. The Nokia 7370 is available in two color schemes, coffee brown and warm amber, with each model offering a distinct set of graphics, screensavers and even dedicated camera keys.
Expected Price: 300 euros.

The basic users can go for candy bar Nokia 7360 which will sport a VGA camera and stereo FM radio. 7360 will also available in the two signature L'Amour Collection color schemes, coffee brown and warm amber.

Expected Price: 200 euros.

Five years back, when I was looking to buy a new notebook, the Fujitsu's LifeBook P Series caught my attention. It was one of the smallest two-spindle notebooks and one of the first to feature the Transmeta Crusoe processor. My love affair with sub-notebooks started then and now I can not imagine lugging around a huge laptop. Thank you HP and Dell, but I prefer my tiny tech. And Fujitsu made my day by the launching the new LifeBook P7120 notebook – the new flag-bearer of the P series.

This compact personal companion retains all the multimedia features of its predecessor, except that it flaunts an even slimmer silhouette with an extensive battery life, and a weight of only 1.38kg. It features a 10.6-inch, widescreen SXGA display, a lightweight titanium and aluminum case, optical drive, and an optional extra battery pack that’ll let you squeeze nearly 10 hours out of your battery. A big plus is the biometric fingerprint sensor and Trusted Module Platform (TPM) security chip - mobile professionals will love it. Connectivity options include three conveniently placed USB 2.0 ports, an IEEE 1394 port, S-Video port, audio in and out jacks, modem access, bluetooth and networking.

Quick Specs: Pentium M ULV processor 753 1.2GHz; 512MB RAM; 60GB HDD; 10.6-inch widescreen LCD; integrated graphics; DVD DL writer; 7.8 hours battery life

Nokia announced three new smart phones squarely aimed at business users. The brand-new E series consists of the Nokia E60, the Nokia E61, and the Nokia E70. All three models run on Symbian OS 9.1 and support a number of corporate mobile e-mail solutions, including GoodLink, BlackBerry Connect, and Nokia Business Center. Plus, they feature some advanced voice services, such as Voice over IP (VoIP) and push-to-talk capabilities. The trio is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2006.

The Nokia E60 sports a classic candy bar shape and offers you a host of voice options--speakerphone, conference calling, push-to-talk, and VoIP.

The Nokia E61, branded as 'built for mobile e-mail' is armed with a full QWERTY keyboard and push e-mail clients (BlackBerry Connect, GoodLink, Nokia Business Center, Seven Mobile Mail, Seven Always-On Mail, and Visto Mobile) with support for attachments like PDF and an editing function. There's also Bluetooth, USB and Wi-fi connectivity.

Much like the Nokia 6820, the candy bar-style E70 opens up to reveal a full keyboard so that you can message till the cows come home. The smart phone features many of the same voice and productivity functions of its other two siblings. Along with the full QWERTY keyboard, these include push e-mail, a healthy 75MB internal memory, a hot-swapping miniSD slot and a 2megapixel camera.

Available in the first quarter of 2006 worldwide, these models will be priced between €350 and €450.

It was more or less expected. I dont know if this will really get you excited, but the video-playing iPod is here. At an invite-only event held at the California Theater in San Jose, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs showed off the new iPod, which will be offered as a 30GB model for $299 and a 60GB version for $399. The 30GB device will also be 30 percent thinner than Apple's current iPod models, while the 60GB version will be 12 percent thinner. Both models feature a 2.5-inch 320x240 pixel display with realtime decoding of MPEG 4 and H.264 video. It only has 260,000 colours but it does have video output to connect to TV.

Apple also announced the immediate availability of iTunes 6, only a few weeks after the arrival of iTunes 5. This version works hand in hand with the new video iPod by offering 2000 music videos ( I thought music videos were for promotion of songs, well thanks to Apple, record companies will laugh all the way to bank), 6 short films from Pixar, and popular ABC TV shows Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Night Stalker, as well as Disney Channel favorites That's So Raven and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Before you get too happy about catching up on latest episodes of Lost, television shows are available in the US only, and video availability varies by country. The iTunes new version also allows users to "gift" iTunes purchases to others, and allows customer reviews and ratings of music- Amazon-style.

So is iPod video the next best thing? I dont know. There certainly are some drawbacks.

1. The screen is too small compared to other portable video players like Archos AV 700. But then Apple is clearly not positioning it as a video player but just an iPod which can also play video. Whatever that means!
2. The 2 hour video battery on the 30GB model is poor, but again Apple says that this a player designed for short video bursts, not full movie-viewing.
3. The video content available on Apple Store can be downloaded only at a size that fits the iPod's screen. This means it will look ridiculously bad on TV. Why would anyone buy an iPod-only content and pay so much for it?

But $299 for 30GB and $399 for 60GB model, with all its flaws, is extremely good value. And then its an iPod, so its going to get sold anyway. Now all I have to do is to wait for it to hit our shores so we can experience the new iPod firsthand.

Till then, enjoy the new iPod ads.

After months of rumors, Sony Ericsson has finally announced their P990 Symbian smartphone. Packing both UMTS (3G) and WiFi in addition to a 2 megapixel digital camera and a host of other features the P990 looks like it will be a flagship phone for the Symbian camp. Web browsing is accomplished in landscape mode on the 2.8-inch QVGA screen using the new Opera 8 browser and is prepared for all major push e-mail clients. Other neat new touches include two cams for video-calling, charging via USB, an FM radio and MP3 playback. Another big change is the QWERTY keypad's new location on the main unit of the phone. On the current P910i it's on the flip and not the easiest to use. The unit ships with 80MB free memory and a 64MB Memory Stick Pro DUO card in the box. P990 is expected to be launched in Europe and Asia in Q1 2006.

What's the best colour for a girl's gadget? Most consumer electronics companies seem to think, Why, pink of course! Hello!! You may think it's cute, we think its silly. Unless its iPod we are talking about! We will forgive Apple even if they came up with a diamond-encrusted iPod. But others, who simply color their gadgets pink and put mirrors on the cellphone, for you’ll never guess which marketing segment, spare us the patronising!

I still have some energy left, so lets rip some gadgets that play on the gender sterotypes.

Samsung goes bling bling
With this new incarnation of the E800, Samsung's gone way over the top for ladies' phones. The hot pink color, the obnoxiously faux bling bling, a phone charm with crystals dangling - it has left no stone unturned to be the most annoying piece of cellphone I have ever seen! Urgh!!

Betsey Johnson Samsung E315
I may be treading on dangerous ground with this one. To break it simply, I hate this phone! I am no fan of Betsey Johnson either( Paris Hilton is her muse, so u can imagine what we are talking about here). Samsung has been trying too hard to reach out to women by getting fashion icons and designers to create fashion phones. And yes, it comes with a Matching Rose Bag, a Keepsake Box and some Betsey-designed Screensavers. But I'd give her some credit for staying away from bling bling and other excesses. And I am thankful that this pink phone is unlikely to go anywhere outside US.

Motorola V220 gets washed in pink
A well-pricd handset with very standard features and not so stellar performance gets coloured in pink. Is Motorola hoping to sell an average phone to women by just coloring it pink? Tch! Tch! We still forgive Motorola 'cause V220 is better of the pink lot with sombre appearance and an affable shade of pink.

Baby Phat i833 phone by Motorola
“I designed this phone for the woman who, like me, loves pink, loves diamonds, and wants to make a fashion statement,” said Kimora Lee Simmons, founder and creative director of Baby Phat. Kimora is the New Queen of Conspicuous Consumption and i833 is clearly something only she and her celebrity friends would be seen carrying. Sporting 0.4 karats of diamonds and a quilted pink look, it manages to look ORDINARY! And it sells for USD 700!

Hello Kitty Empire!

Despite its popularity in Japan, I think Hello Kitty is a clear example of branding gone out of control! You can even get a Hello Kitty car and Hello Kitty Fire extinguisher! Nokia clearly didnt want to be left behind! Last year they came up with a Hello Kitty cellphone. So what if Gwen Stefani bought it! That doesnt change the fact that at best, it looks like a toyphone you would see on a 7 year old girl!

Pinktooth
This one's hilarious! Motorola makes a pink colored bluetooth headset. And goes ahead and names it Pinktooth! WTF were they thinking?? And if that wasn't enough to make women buy the headset, Motorola put some fancy boho scarves in the box with the pink headset.

Archos has officially confirmed the launch of Gmini-402cc - that's the Gmini 402 media player with camcorder functionality and a 1.3MP photo camera built-inside. Take it with you to capture up to 50 hours of personal videos or enjoy your favorite songs on the go.

There are five main features that make this product standout: Video and Stills capture, video playback, photo wallet, music playback and portable gaming.

Camcorder - Record your personal videos in MPEG 4 format directly to your Gmini 402 Camcorder 20 GB capacity.With DSC function, your Gmini 402 Camcorder can be used as a still camera allowing you to take photos with maximum resolution of 1.2 mega pixels.

Video and audio playback - The Gmini 402 would let you play DivX and MPEG4 video formats and MP3, WAV, WMA and DRM WMA audio formats exclusively. The 402 deliver 80 hours of video playback time with a connectivity option to connect to the TV to view movies and music videos. Similarly, you can record and listen to nearly 10,000 songs due to the center’s onboard 20 GB storage capacity.

Photo Wallet transforms the Gmini 402cc into a portable hard drive for your digital camera; you’ll be able to directly connect the camera or your PC to the 402cc and start transferring images instantly.

Gaming - Play popular Mophun games directly on the Gmini 402 Camcorder or on a TV. Demo games are included in the Gmini 402 Camcorder and you can purchase games on the ARCHOS Web site.

No "official" price has been given yet but just a watch out. Gmimi 402 camcorder offers no video recording and no built-in speakers.

Sony has announced the Cyber-shot DSC-N1, an 8.1-megapixel ultracompact that will be the first Sony digital camera to include a touch screen. Sony is marketing the camera as one that's not just for shooting, but for sharing and showing. And though it doesn't include WiFi capabilities like recent cameras from Nikon and Kodak, it does look very easy to use, thanks to its PDA like interface.

About the size of a deck of playing cards, DSC-N1 is an 8-megapixel camera features 3X optical zoom and a whopping 3.0" LCD display thats rare for camera this size. Enabling new methods of interaction, users will be able to carry out functions such as selection the target of a spot autofocus by tapping the screen; navigating the menu of the camera; and controlling playback, forward and reverse functions by touching the screen. Also, the screen includes an anti-reflection layer for improved visibility outdoors.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N1 digital camera will cost USD 500, and availability is slated for mid-November in US. No announcements have been made about its availability in Singapore.

Microsoft and Intel last week tried to swing the computing, consumer electronics and entertainment industry toward HD-DVD in a format war. In case you're new to the whole next-generation DVD discussion, Blu-ray and HD-DVD are two competing high-capacity disc technologies backed by various consumer electronics and computer manufacturers. Leading the Blu-ray team is Sony, backed by companies like Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell, along with several movie studios: MGM, Sony Pictures, Walt Disney, and 20th Century Fox. On the HD-DVD side is Toshiba, the originator of the HD-DVD format, allied with Microsoft, Intel, and a host of movie studios including Warner Brothers, New Line Cinema,Viacom, NBC Universal, and Paramount.

What are HD-DVD and Blu-Ray disc?

Today's conventional DVDs can hold 4.7GB of information, but many want a higher-capacity successor to accommodate the larger data demands of high-definition video. Both of the new formats, HD-DVD and Blu-ray, are based on blue lasers. Blue light has a shorter wavelength than the red light used in CD and DVD systems, allowing the laser beam to make a smaller spot on the disc surface. With each bit of data taking up less space on the disc, more data can be stored on a 4.7-inch disc.

As a result, discs can hold between 15GB and 30GB of data, depending on the variant of the format used, compared to current DVDs that can hold between 4.7GB and 9.4GB of data. That extra space is important if discs of the same size as DVDs are to be used to distribute movies and other content in quality comparable to high-definition television.

What are the differences between Blu-ray and HD-DVD?

Each next-generation DVD format comes in single-layer and dual-layer formats. For HD-DVD, that means capacities of 15GB and 30GB; for Blu-ray, it's 25GB and 50GB. What Blu-ray appears to have over HD-DVD is that it offers 30 percent more capacity and is designed for recording high-def video. But it will be more costly to produce than HD-DVD media. However, Blu-ray players and discs will likely follow the traditional price curve of consumer electronics. Prices should fall rapidly if the technology is widely adopted.

Finally, who wins the format war will be determined by Hollywood movie studios--not consumers. But there's plenty of time before we see some clear picture. Till then catch hold of your good-old Star Wars DVD and pretend thats the only war worth watching!

Amid rumours that iPod Nano may be recalled, Apple Computer is acknowledging a flaw in its new iPod nano music player, offering to replace for free models that shipped with a defective screen that is prone to cracking.A company representative said that the issue was a manufacturing, rather than a design problem, and said it affected less than one-tenth of 1 percent of all the nanos that have shipped so far. So if you happen to encounter a defective nano screen, Apple will do a one-for-one replacement.

Not as shocking as it would have been if there were'nt any rumours already! Longtime rivals Palm and Microsoft have teamed up to produce the first Windows Mobile-based Treo. During a press conference in San Francisco, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, along with Palm president and CEO Ed Colligan and Verizon president and CEO Denny Strigl, unveiled the Palm Treo running on Windows Mobile 5. Although the three companies didn't reveal too many details on the Windows Treo, it closely matches the comfortable look and feel of the current Treo handsets. But its Windows Mobile interface offers some interesting new features, including the ability to use SMS messaging to politely decline incoming calls and the ability to fast forward or rewind voice messages as you listen. This move has further widened the chasm between Palm's software and hardware business. Makes me wonder if this is the way to go, is Palm OS going to survive?

The Nokia 3250, Nokia's newest music phone, grabbed the spotlight of Nokia Trends, an electronic music festival that took place in Berlin, Germany this weekend. The new Nokia phone is the first under the maker's new XpressMusic brand that will identify mobile phones that are designed to listen to music. This unique design twists to transform a traditional phone keypad into dedicated music keys. The Nokia 3250 stores up to 1 Gigabyte (750 songs) of high quality music and offers 10 hours of music play. In addition, consumers can take advantage of the Nokia 3250's two-megapixel camera and smartphone capabilities. It comes with a built-in FM radio tuner and supports both the MP3, WMA, M4A and AAC digital media formats.

The 1 Gb storage capacity gives Nokia a huge advantage over the Motorola Rokr, which caps off the number of songs that it will hold at 100. The Motorola device also doesn't support the WMA audio format that is used by many online music services including Yahoo Music, Napster and Rhapsody.

They're smaller, more affordable, and they don't skip a beat. As more flash players hit 2GB and above, they also get loaded with bells and whistles. We are talking FM player, in-line recording, color screen, video playback, and camera too. Here's a look at some flashy flash players:

Samsung YP-T7 (1GB)

Samsung packs a lot of features into this ultracompact flash player, including 65,000-colour screen that can display JPEG photos, album art, an equalizer and song information; an alarm clock; a voice recorder; line-in recording, and an FM tuner. This matchbox-sized player weighs a very light 36 grams.

Price: USD 199

Apple iPod nano (4GB)

The largest capacity flash player till date, the latest offering from Apple comes with a sharp color screen, the ability to display the album covers for the songs it's playing, and the ability to store a user's photos and display them in slide shows accompanied by music. No FM tuner and in-line recording.

Price: USD 249


iRiver U10 (2 GB)

The remarkable new iriver U10 features a display that doubles as the player's control panel. Users lightly tap the 2.2in colour display to choose tracks or change the volume. The player is compatible with MP3 and WMA audio files, as well as JPeg image and MPeg4 video formats. Other features include an FM tuner, a built-in microphone and an alarm.

Price: USD 250

Samsung YP-T8A (2GB)

Is it a cellphone? Well I thought so, at first. This new flash medi player from Samsung is an eye-catching device with a noticeably large LCD display. The YP-T8 offers Samsung's standard set of audio features (SRS Wow 3D sound, FM tuner/recorder, voice recorder). On top of all of that, this thing can show photos on its color screen, and even play back MPEG video. And you can turn the device sideways for a perfect widescreen view.

Price: USD 300

Creative MuVo Vidz (1GB)

The MuVo Vidz, available in either 512MB or 1GB, measures a diminutive 32 x 66 x 15.7mm and weighs in at 33g. Feature set is impressive - brilliant 65K-color OLED display; built-in FM radio; recording via both line-in and voice; four equalizer presets (classic, pop, rock and jazz) as well as a user-defined EQ; photo and video playback and USB 2.0 support.

Price: USD 200

Samsung YP-D1 (2GB)

Samsung adds a 2-megapixel CMOS camera to its soon-to be launched flash MP3 player YP-D1. At 63g, the YP-D1 is slightly larger than its cousin, the YP-T8, though both adopt the same cellphone-like design. the YP-D1 comes with an MPEG-4/MJPEG video player, photo/text viewer, a USB hosting feature, seven-band equalizer, seven preset equalizers , 3D audio effects and even a tiny mono speaker.

Microsoft's next generation Xbox 360 games console would hit store shelves in North America on Nov. 22, in Europe on Dec. 2 and in Japan on Dec. 10. The company clearly wanted to take advantage of the holiday shopping rush just before and after Thanksgiving in the United States. Microsoft said the Xbox 360 would come in two flavors: a base model for $299 and a souped-up version with a 20GB hard drive and wireless controllers for $399. At launch Microsoft said up to 20 games would be ready and it expects that number of titles to swell to 40 by the end of 2005.

So what makes it the next generation console?

The Xbox 360 features an IBM PowerPC-based CPU running at 3.2GHz and 512MB GDDR3 RAM, eight times as much as its predecessor. A customized ATI graphics processor features 48 pixel shader pipelines--enough to produce dazzling special effects that we haven't yet seen on consoles or PCs. Multichannel surround sound; support for up to four wireless controllers to cut down on cable clutter; works out of the box as a DVD player; 20 GB detachable nd upgradable Hard Disk drive; built-in Ethernet and support for the 802.11a, b, and g variants of Wi-Fi for multi-player gaming; and ability to serve as a Media Center Extender - Do I need to say more!

Bill, just one question. When is it going to hit the Asian Shores?

NEC L1 - the thinnest cellphone yet?

NEC has announced its superskinny clamshell which it claims is thinner than Motorola RAZR. This triband stunner is 11.9mm thin (even when it's closed) and has Bluetooth, GPRS, a 1.3 megapixel camera, MP3 playback and a 1.9" OLED display. Look out RAZR!

With the new Game Boy Micro, Nintendo has shrunk the Game Boy again. The new mobile-phone-size game console, has just launched in Japan on September 13 and in the US on September 19 for US$99. At 4 inches wide by 2 inches long by 0.7 inches tall, it's just a bit larger than an iPod mini and lighter than a Motorola Razr phone.

Nintendo hopes that the Micro's exchangeable faceplates will attract the fashion conscious crowd. The Micro comes in two flavors: black and silver with a very retro feel. Flashier gamers can opt for the camouflage faceplate or one of the other interchangeable flaceplates that come with the device. The Micro plays every game in the Game Boy Advance library — roughly 700 games. The Micro features a 2-inch crystal-clear screen that appears sharper and more colorful than the Gameboy SP's larger screen. Unlike the SP, which requires a separate adapter for headphones, the Micro has a built-in jack.

Oh, and did I mention that this sleek stylish console is already flying off the shelves!