Oh! Gizmo

By Chris Scott Barr

It’s been really hard to see Palm as anything other than a dying brand for quite some time. After the Foleo idea went south, it looked like the company was finished. Luckily they still had one ace up their sleeve, and that’s the Pre. I’m an iPhone user, and I’ll admit that I am intrigued by this device. No, I won’t be tossing aside my phone any time soon, but it might just be able to give Apple some good competition.

Palm and Sprint have finally decided to grace us with an official launch date for the device. It’s quite apparent that they’re wanting to take Apple head-on, since that’s only two days before the WWDC. Will their gambit work? We’ll know in a few short weeks. Starting June 6th you’ll be able to pick the Pre up at Sprint stores (including Sprint.com), Best Buy Radio Shack and even select Walmart stores for $199.99.

[ Sprint ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While the CellScope looks like a monstrous cameraphone zoom lens that you could only order from a website like Brando, it’s actually a clinical-quality microscope with a magnification of 5-50X. It was designed by Daniel Fletcher, the associate professor of bioengineering at the University of California at Berkeley, and the goal of the CellScope is to bring modern diagnostic testing to remote areas who don’t have access to a lab or facilities with the proper equipment.

And because the CellScope is designed to be used with devices like cellphones and even camera equipped netbooks & laptops, it allows images captured by health care workers to be sent to larger medical centers for detailed examination by experts. The hope is that the CellScope will be used to more effectively diagnose diseases in rural areas to not only save lives, but also serve as an early warning for possible epidemics.

[ Telemicroscopy for Disease Diagnosis ] VIA [ Crave ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Let’s face it, even after you’ve signed your life away with a 2 or 3-year contract, many high-end cellphones still aren’t cheap. So it only makes sense that you’d want to protect your investment. The nio from Tenbu Technologies is a bluetooth-equipped keychain-sized device that includes an alarm and a flashing LED. It connects to your cellphone (over bluetooth of course) and allows you to establish a “security zone” of up to 20 meters. When the distance between the nio and your phone is greater than the preset range, it assumes the phone has been nabbed or forgotten, and sounds the alarm.

The nio also appears to be highly configurable thanks to a mini-USB port and included software, even to the point of setting up specific times and dates when the alarm is activated. At around $57 it’s not outrageously expensive either, though according to their compatibility list, the nio isn’t iPhone friendly.

[ Tenbu nio ] VIA [ PMP Today ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I got to spend a week with the original Peek while at CES this year, and while I really liked the device, particularly given its pricepoint, there were a few areas that could have definitely been improved. And that’s exactly what the company did this morning when they officially announced their new Peek Pronto.

Now the update is definitely not a complete overhaul, more of a slight refresh, but the new model now adds push email, unlimited email and text messages, support for up to 5 email accounts at once, a search function, support for viewing PDF and Word documents, compatibility with Microsoft Exchange and even a larger font size option. But most importantly, the software on the device is now 50% faster Peek claims, all for the exact same price of just $79.95 with a $19.95 monthly fee.

But if you’ve already got a Peek, don’t feel too left out. According to an email the company sent out last night, current users will be privy to a software update next week that adds all the new functionality to the original Peek model.

The good news for you Peeksters is that we want all of you to have the software that will be powering Pronto - for free. Next week I’m going to let you know the details of how you can upgrade your Peek so that you can have the same software that will be on Pronto. I think you’re going to like it!

[ GetPeek.com ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Ok, so the iPhone’s finally got cut and paste, or at least will get cut and paste sometime this Summer, but Apple continues to ignore that other glaring omission on their uberphone. Who cares about an App Store when I’ve got all this annoying stubble on my face? And A2DP? That’s not going to get me looking presentable for a big meeting. So as of this point I’m ditching the iPhone and switching to the Cool758 which Solomobi.com is currently selling for a mere $112.

Not only does it have dual SIM card slots, an FM radio and other standard cellphone crap, but removing a cover on the bottom reveals its true innovation, a built-in electric razor! I guess Apple is going to have to play catch up once again if they have any hopes of competing with this bad boy. (Standby time: 220-260 hours, Talking Time: About 2-3 hours, Shaving Time: Probably about a half hour.)

[ Solomobi.com - Cool758 ] VIA [ Digital Drops ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Didn’t get the response you were hoping for from the last text message you sent? With these Cell Stickies, created by Fiona Carswell, you can just peel off a response, attach it to your cellphone’s screen and see the reply you really wanted. As Fiona puts it, “For people who go to great lengths to see what they want to see…”

They unfortunately don’t appear to be available for purchase, and if they were, the design is obviously only compatible with the iPhone.

[ Fiona Carswell - Cell Stickies ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While it’s not a name-brand phone by any stretch of the imagination, the Cool8800C handset available from Solomobi has a few features that might make the purchase worth the risk. Not only does it support dual-SIM cards that work at the same time, but it’s also got an analog TV tuner and pretty much every other feature you’d expect to find in a modern cellphone like ebook reader, FM radio, MP3/MP4 support etc.

But the most obvious and unique feature is the flip out screen and keypad which reveal another screen underneath and a set of dedicated gaming controls. Now you’re limited to only playing classic NES titles, but it comes with 3 already built-in and you can load other ROMS via a trans-flash memory card. I’m almost tempted to shell out the $140 to pick one up, except for the fact that it only supports GSM 900/1800 frequencies.

[ Solomobi - Cool8800C Flip-Phone ] VIA [ Boing Boing Gadgets ]

By Luke Anderson

Last year I found the perfect new apartment to move into. It was much larger than my previous abode, had a two-car garage, a pond view and the price was right. Unfortunately after I moved in I found that it wasn’t quite perfect. Despite the fact that AT&T had great coverage in the entire city, I was lucky to manage a single bar of service. I live in something of a valley surrounded by trees, which means I’m probably never going to get great service. They added a new tower and upgraded to 3G, but I’m still rarely able to get a decent signal. So do I move? Do I switch carriers and hope that I get a better signal (and give up my iPhone)? No, it looks like I’ll be able to (hopefully) get my hands on a femtocell and get a better signal.

If you’re not familiar with the term femtocell, it’s basically a small device that hooks into your router (or it is built into your router in some cases) and uses your internet to boost the wireless signal. AT&T has finally jumped on this bandwagon and announced the AT&T 3G MicroCell. Hook one of these up to a broadband connection and it will provide up to 10 phones a strong 3G signal. Of course only 4 of these 10 registered devices can actually be used concurrently. Pricing and availability have not yet been disclosed, but you can bet that I’ll be first in line to get one. I’ve been forced to pay Comcast a hefty fee for their crappy VoIP service, and I can’t wait to ditch it.

[ AT&T ] VIA [ SlipperyBrick ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Being ‘international’ guests at CES meant that David and I couldn’t really use our iPhones for checking email or the web while in Vegas, lest we return home to massive roaming data charges on our phone bills. So Peek was kind enough to supply both of us with one of their ‘Simply Email’ devices during our stay so we could stay on top of email when our laptops were buried in our bags. The Peek is definitely a unique device as it seems to go against the current trend of convergence when it comes to mobile devices. It does email, a little bit of text messaging, and that’s basically it. Overall the devices performed as advertised, and it was definitely nice having access to email no matter where we were during the show, but if you’re thinking about picking one up for yourself, it’s important to be aware of the Peek’s limitations beforehand. More after the jump.

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