Dopod's U1000 to debut end-February

What do you get when you combine a PDA-phone and an Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC)? Quite possibly, you'll be looking at something along the lines of Dopod's latest all-in-one handheld, the U1000, previously codenamed Athena.

More "mini computer" than PDA-phone, the U1000 is possibly one of the most feature-packed handhelds we've seen so far. It combines the functions of a Windows Mobile 5.0 PDA with a 3G/HSDPA mobile phone and GPS receiver. In addition, it comes with a detachable magnetic QWERTY keypad which also doubles as a protective cover for the screen.

Feature set not impressive enough? Well, the Dopod sports dual cameras (3-megapixel VGA sensor), TV-out, 5-inch VGA display, Intel's 624MHz XScale processor, and get this, an 8GB hard drive. Of note is the unique onboard VueFLO function which uses motion-sensing technology to navigate Web pages.

All those goodies don't come cheap. At a retail of S$1,998 (US$1,337.08), it is even more expensive than some of the notebooks in the market today. But if you already have you mind set on getting the U1000, you had better start saving soon. It is expected on shelves before the end of February.

ASUS Lamborghini VX2 speeds out of the gate

With top-of-the-line components and next-generation wireless radio, the ASUS Lamborghini VX2 looks ready to set new speed records.

Based on the high-end T7400 Core 2 Duo processor, which pumps out 2.16GHz of raw computing power, the latest race car-inspired 15.4-inch laptop uses the gaming standard 512MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7700 graphics card, previously seen in the ASUS G1, for pure visual pleasure. It also uses a draft-N Wi-Fi radio, the fastest wireless standard currently in use.

Other notable features include a swivel Webcam, 160GB harddisk, DVI connectivity and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition operating system. Too bad it's rather stingy with USB ports, offering a mere three slots to plug your peripherals in.

The ASUS Lamborghini VX2 should be seeing daylight some time in early Q2, with a retail price set at a whopping S$4,888 (US$3,271.10). Still, at least there is no road tax needed for this little baby.

Samsung Ultra Messaging i600, available in March

Hot on the heels of the SGH-i320N, Samsung is rolling out its second smart phone with full QWERTY keyboard, this time with 3G, HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity features.

Editors' note: If you're wondering whether Samsung plans to phase out the earlier SGH-i320N, well, the answer is no, at least for now. In an aside with CNET Asia, Ng Long Shyang, the Sales and Marketing director for Telecoms and IT Products in Samsung Asia, says the i600 and i320N will be sold side-by-side, with the latter targeted at first-time smart phone users. The company also has no word of the i600 running on the upcoming Windows Mobile 6.0 which is expected to be launched this year.

First announced at ITU Telecom World 2006 in Hong Kong last December, the Ultra Messaging i600 is targeted at mobile executives who are users of multimedia, too. The handheld runs on Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone edition, so you won't get the Office Mobile Suite or document-editing capabilities. Instead, the phone is bundled with Piscel Viewer which allows you to read Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files.

The i600 also supports MS Direct Push for synchronization with Microsoft Outlook. Unlike the SGH-i320N, the i600 comes with a larger 2.3-inch screen and higher-capacity 1,200mAh battery. Other multimedia goodies include a 1.3-megapixel camera on the rear, a VGA sensor for video telephony, A2DP (Bluetooth Stereo Music Profile) support and PictBridge for mobile printing. Check out our review of a pre-production unit here.

The Ultra Messaging i600 will be available in Singapore from early March at a recommended retail price of S$898 (US$600.95), or S$798 (US$534.03) with a two-year mobile contract. Australia and Philippine users can also expect the phone to be available in their countries in the same time frame.

Pimped Out John

The Lourve or the loo-rve? Here's someone's idea of commode art for the gadget geek. Roto-Rooter, an online sweepstakes site by the way, is offering as its winning pot (pun fully intended) what it has the, ahem, cheek to name the Pimped Out John. If anything, this will go down in the anals(?), oh all right, annals of cubicle crap as your ultimate kiasu toilet for the techie. For the record, it comes fully loaded with a Philips 20-inch LCD TV, Star Wars DVD, Xbox 360, Philips DVD player, Gateway EMachine laptop with robot arm, iPod with docking station equipped with a toilet paper dispenser, TiVo, stocked Avanti refrigerator with beer tap, magazine rack and subscriptions to Sports Illustrated, ESPN and GQ, bike pedal exerciser, cup warmer/cooler, and Roto-Rooter emergency service button. Paying lid service? Butt seriously, word to the wise. Keep it all nice and dry before merrily hitting that power switch while on the hot seat. Otherwise, you could be bowled over in a very different way.

See bigger image

Via Boing Boing

Price: N.A.
Availability: We're not sure if non-American citizens can register, but you can check it out here
Device: High-tech toilet
Specs: N.A.

Sony Ericsson's slimmest Walkman phone yet

Thin handsets are in. At least that's the impression we got from Sony Ericsson when the company recently announced its latest Cyber-shot and Walkman phones. Of particularly interest is the W880i, the company's thinnest Walkman cellular to date.

Measuring a mere 9.4mm thick, the W880i may not be as slim as the Samsung Ultra Editions, but it is nonetheless a good first attempt by the Japanese-Swedish handset maker to finally jump onto the thin-phone bandwagon.

Teaser images of the W880i were first released at the CES tradeshow in January, but it was only at the recent Singapore launch that Sony Ericsson offered a full glimpse of the phone.

During the brief hands-on session at the media event, we were rather impressed by the W880i's sleek styling, smooth metallic finish and solid build quality. Despite the slim form factor, the phone sports a good range of features which include a 2-megapixel camera, 1.8-inch QVGA display, Memory Stick Micro card slot and 3G connectivity. Expect a full review to follow soon.

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