A man is known by the mobile phone he keeps! Since the mobile phone industry’s mammoth explosion newer devices are being released by the hour. So much is the rumpus that now if you have to buy a cell phone the decision taking process is not by any means uncomplicated. Go to any shop and you will be dazed, confused and amazed at the variety and models available.

This is one part of the problem, the other part is the non-standardization for instance every manufacturer has floated a different standard for charging the device, not to mention the audio out put ports, and other connectivity options. This makes it even more complicated and difficult to maintain a phone. If you forget to take your charger along say for instance to your office chances of finding a similar charger would be slim, in fact very slim.

Realizing this ordeal of the world’s some 4 billion mobile users ITU has now standardized the microUSB as the de fcato charging mechanism for mobile phones. This is indeed a great achievement, but one wonders what took them so long to do this in the first place? Phone manufacturers will now have to follow these directives and all devices will be charged via the same microUSB. The standard besides being convenient for the users is Green and will save 13.6 million tones of greenhouse gas emissions every year, so the next time you charge your device be sure that you are not polluting the environment.

It’s a mobile phone, a GPS and a NetBook all three bundled in to one neat device running Windows XP and weighing about 400 gm. The screen size is 4.8”, it is a touch screen off course. Let us first of all have a look at its specs:

• AMD Super Mobile Processor
• 1 GB RAM
• 8 ~ 64 GB SSD
• 30 ~ 120 GB HDD
• Screen size: 4.8”, top res is 800 x 400 (LCD)
• GSM/EDGE/WCDMA and HSDPA/HSUPA
• 1.3 MP Camera
• GPS
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and WiMax
• QWERTY Keyboard
• VGA out port
• Touchpad
• USB/Earphone jack

In Technology Group (ITG) is a Chinese company which is poised to launch this product, the xpPhone. The best feature perhaps is that it is a NetBook besides being a mobile phone and a GPS. The availability of VGA out ensures that one can have bigger display attached to it, and with a USB an external mouse and a keyboard can be attached. Optional connectivity includes WiMax, thus making it the ultimate gadget of the day. Since its going to be running Windows XP  so there is virtually no limit to the type and number of applications that can be run on it. Carry it in your pocket and attach to a Projector to play to your presentations!

The device can be pre-ordered from the xpPhone website, although no information on the price or its release date are known yet. My frank opinion is that it is going to be a big hit, I mean look at the features, all known voice data connectivity options, a huge storage, external display options, Windows XP. In nutshell it’s a small tablet with mobile phone features.

It will now be possible to have URLs and Internet addresses in Non-Latin script. This means now it will be possible to have domains in Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew or other languages. This was heavily voted by the board of ICANN at Seoul just recently.

Out of the 1.6 billion netizens half are those who speak languages that do not use Latin scripts. It is these 800 million that will benefit form this move. The change could come as early as next year and is being considered as a big one. For the past 40 years or so the same old system has been in place and this is a good development in this sphere.

On the technical front some major changes would be required in the DNS so that it is able to recognize these non-Latin characters and scripts. Once that is done, the rest will be easy.

Nintendo is bringing out a new handheld gaming device that is upsized in comparison to the previous models. The gaming device sports two screens 4.25” in size. It is bigger in size as compared to the present DS and DSi models. It is expected to be launched in Japan somewhere in November 2009 and will be called the DSi LL. In Europe it will be dubbed as the DSi XL and will hit the shelves somewhere in the first quarter of 2010. Possible details about launch in the US are not known.

In comparison to the DS and DSi the DSi LL has almost an inch greater screen, and is 30 mm larger diagonally. Not much of a difference in the thickness though, a mere 2 mm difference in comparison to the DS. It is heavy by almost a 100 grams in comparison to the other models.

It supports the DS, DSi and DSiWare Nintendo software. Other features include DS Card slot, SD Memory card, AC Adaptor, Headphones and Mic. The expected price is around $220.In nutshell the only difference is the larger screen size if that interests the avid gamers is anybody’s guess.

If you have ever in your life wanted to buy an SLR or an expensive digital camera I will urge you to think again, because Samsung is out to do some major damage to the camera industry as well. I mean look at the Samsung M8910 Pixon12, which happens to be a mobile phone with a 12 MP camera!  In fact it happens to be the only mobile phone in the market sporting a 12 MP camera. It’s a Quad band GSM phone with HSDPA for 900/1200 MHz spectrum. The prominent features are as enumerated below:

• Dimensions: 108 x 53 x 13.8 mm
• Weight: 120 gms
• Screen: 480 x 800 pixels, 3.1”, 16 M colors
• Resistive AMOLED touch screen
• Memory: 150 MB internal, extendable to 16 GB via microSD card
• Data Connectivity: EDGE (Class 10), HSDPA, WLAN, Bluetooth, USB 2.0
• Camera: 12 MP, LED and Xenon flash
• Cam Features: Geo-tagging, facial/smile/blink detection, autofocus, image stabilization
• Video: 720 x 480 at 30 fps, QVGA at 120 fps
• Other features: Tv Out, Radio including RDS, Document Viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF), MMS, SMS ,E-mail, Voice dialing, Games, organizer, music/video player and the GPS

The camera saves images rather quickly so you can take snaps after 2 seconds of the first shot. Its top resolution is 4000 x 3000 pixels, what more can you expect from a 28 mm lens? The phone is small and light with touch screen capability. The device is retailing at in between $600 to $700. So save up and buy it and dump the idea of a separate camera.

Almost all of us have played Bejeweled at one time or another, well if not played then at least we have seen people playing it. It is easy, small and addictive. Now comes Halloween Bejeweled, which features bats, bugs, pumpkins, chocolates and other Halloween stuff in place of the usual diamonds, hearts and gems.  The game can be played online as well as offline after downloading it off course. There is simple mode which has no time constraints and the Timed version is a little tough. There is a sizeable number of people playing it online always and stats are displayed on the main page, showing the population count.

In order to play the online version you need to have at least Windows XP and Internet Explorer 7 or later. For the offline version not much stringent hardware is required a Pentium, running XP and 64 MB of RAM.

The rules are simple just make a group of three or more similar shapes, horizontally or vertically in a line. You will get points for this and off course more shapes and items drop from above to fill the void created. It is as simple as clicking your mouse. Bonus points are granted for making a group of four or more shapes, besides Hints and Help is readily available. The trial version costs nothing and the full version is also available for under $10.

For the electronics hobbyists out there, there’s good news. Anyone loosely connected to the field of electronics knows making a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is such a chore. First you design the darned schematic on a CAD software, then you convert it in to a printable circuit form, the layout is then transferred on to the PCB, then you have to remove the copper foil chemically. Looks simple in written form but takes a lot of time and effort to master the art.

The smart guys at Xerox have developed a better way to make PCBs, simply print them on to plastics, or even fabrics using the metallic ink. The procedure is simpler than ever now, design the PCB on a CAD application and simply print it on a thin plastic which happens to be an insulator. The metallic ink dries out quickly converting the whole printed image in to a circuit. The circuit is flexible, low cost and ideal for small businesses and home users. This kind of innovation will pave the way for commercialization of smart devices such as an intelligent pill boxes which will allow patients to keep track of the amount of medication in their boex. It will also aid in the fabrication of flexible foldable screens that can be rolled and carried in a briefcase.

The company’s Laboratory Manager, Paul Smith said that for years companies were trying to find a way to produce low cost plastic circuits, and now with the Silver Ink this is a possibility. The company says that now making cheap games and electronic clothing will be a possibility. Imagine being able to wear a new design on your T-shirt everyday, or how about a T-shirt that changes colors every hour?

Xerox is currently seeking interested manufacturers to try out and evaluate their revolutionary product, it will also provide them with the much needed materials for this purpose. Read the whole story here.

What’s in a mouse? A lot if it’s a new Magic Mouse from Apple, being dubbed as the world’s first multi-touch rodent. This gizmo comes bundled with every new iMac or can be bought for $69 only. The looks alone are killing, smooth outer surface, no protrusions or buttons and a smooth feeling on the hand. That is how it looks and feels and… works even better. The top surface of the mouse is multi-touch and  is actually the button! Run one finger over it for a scrolling action, the thing is sensitive to single and double clicks for  the single and double click actions respectively. They say it can even sense when you are not swiping or scrolling and just resting your hand on it, means it is intelligent. Since when did rodents become intelligent?

The tracking is not optical, its laser this time. Hence the mouse is more sensitive, and it doesn’t need any mouse pads even, just any flat surface will do irrespective of its chemistry! Novel indeed. And this device is wireless thanks to the Bluetooth connectivity built in to it. Works to a maximum distance of 33 feet, no wires or strings attached, and if you want to get the ultimate fun, use a wireless keyboard for a truly cable free experience.

The first multi-touch technologies of the iPhone and the iPod have been replicated in this rodent. If you swipe a page in Safari it will be like doing it in a paper magazine, the feeling is same. The gestures themselves tell the mouse how fast or slow to scroll, which implies that if you wish to scroll slowly make a slow gesture.

Other functions include a 360 degree scroll, screen zooming and a two finger swipe action. This has to be an award winning device like most Apple products of the day.

NetBooks are available in plenty nowadays, the only problem with these tiny devices is that they all come with Intel Atom processors which are meant for just the menial tasks like word processing, surfing the web or watching movies. All the  other compliments are there minus the much needed processing power, well guess that is what NetBooks are meant for.

Acer however, has spruced up their newer NetBook model AS1410 with better hardware and surprisingly the machine  carries a somewhat smaller price tag. The screen is a cool 11.6 “, a Celeron SU2300 processor does the processing, there is 2 GB of DDR2 RAM, 160 GB HDD, 3 USB 2.0  ports, 6 cell Li Ion batter, 5 in 1 card reader, HDMI port, Intel GMA 4500HD graphics card and Windows 7 Premium (64 bit).

The machine will be available before holiday season starting at a crisp $400. Make a wish now!

The race to make and release the ultimate eReader is on and spring Design has unveiled plans to market one by the year’s end. This device will run the world’s most anticipated OS, you guessed it right the Android. It has two screens a 6” Electronic Paper Display (EPD) and a 3.5” LCD. The device will have Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity for downloading those megabytes of books out there. Users will be able to make use of both screens at one time, browse the web via the LCD and read later on the EPD.

Memory extension takes place via an SD card, a headphone and a speaker is also provided. Besides all this it has a browser having bookmarking, security and history features and smart phone capabilities. So is this a tablet with smart phone features built in to it? What could be more awesome than this?

Details regarding partner operators are not known as yet, but with EVDO and HSPA the choice will be wide and not restricted to a select few. However, Spring Design has hinted on shipping devices to a select few strategic partners, now who might that be?