I know that Japan has been using cell phones as a mode of payment for quite a fair number of years already, but that country is pretty much isolated when it comes to advanced stuff like that. How would you feel about using your cell phone to make that odd payment for your shopping or meal? While it might be much safer compared to carrying a wad of cash, what happens when you lose your cell phone (either by accident or through a theft)? Not only will you despair knowing that your contact list has been lost (serves you right for not having a backup), in addition to precious photos of your family taken by the handset’s digital camera and most importantly - your wallet. To suffer from so many blows at once isn’t exactly kind on a person, which is why I prefer to let the cell phone continue doing what it does best - communication. Let the good old fashioned wallet do the rest of the purchasing work. How do you see this?

Source: Geeks are Sexy

Remember the scene in INDEPENDENCE DAY when Jeff Goldblum places a satellite like dish on the roof of his dad’s car and triangulates the signal of his wife’s cellphone to determine where she was in the White House? His dad asks him how he can do that and he replies “all cable repair men know how to do this, pop.” Well, the Hi-Gain USB Wireless-300N Dish Adapter from Hawking Technologies won’t triangulate a signal in the White House, but it will boost weak WiFi signals in areas where a signal isn’t very strong to begin with.

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VTech has announced the retail and online availability of its latest phone systems, where the 2008 line up will feature the trend-setting LS6117 that spearheads VTech’s effort, touted to be the first cordless phone which is capable of delivering creative control over the phone’s aesthetics with customizable graphics. Other additions in the DECT 6.0 family are also stylish, providing the marriage of both form and function for your living room. According to Matt Ramage, senior vice president of product management, VTech Communications, “The 2008 lineup addresses what consumers want today — stylish designs with advanced technology features. Consumers want phones that fit their homes and lives, and that’s why we’ve added even more options for customization, expandability and organization, along with advanced technology for call clarity and interference reduction.” Do you think the man is right?

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With today being Earth Day 2008 here in the United States, I thought it would be good to highlight some eco-friendly gadgets for all the gadget lovers out there who want to do their part for the environment. Doing something good for the environment doesn’t involve having to live in a mud hut, sustaining yourself off wheat grass and tofu and wearing only hemp clothing. You can be on the cutting edge of technology and still be green.

Who doesn’t own a cell phone or an MP3 player? Even my grandparents have cell phones. But these items need to be recharged on a regular basis otherwise they just turn into expensive paperweights or something you use to hold a door open. (See? Recycling!) But why not use solar technology to recharge those items that you use all the time? The Universal Solar Cell Phone/iPod Charger will allow you to do just that. From the website:

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Everyone by now must have heard about the HTC Touch - folks who have been holding out for the white version of the HTC Touch, also known as the XV6900 can finally jump for joy as Verizon Wireless has just announced its availability over the network. It can be purchased from the company’s online store since yesterday, and will also be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores (including those in Circuit City) at the end of this month. First released at CTIA Wireless 2008 in Las Vegas, the XV6900 is a versatile touch screen smartphone that targets business professionals or those with a generally packed schedule without cramping their style with a convoluted user interface. Check out the features after the jump.

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Lately, Nokia has been throwing the term ‘classic’ at a fair share of their handsets, bringing us back to an era where old is gold. The 6212 Classic might come in a candybar form factor, but it sure as heck doesn’t carry the baggage of an old handset with the inclusion of integrated Near Field Communication (NFC). Being able to surf the Internet thanks to built-in 3G connectivity, users will be able to share content, access services and information conveniently while conducting payments and ticketing with one tap of the device. Those living in Europe and Asia will be able to look out for the Nokia 6212 classic sometime in Q3 this year, and it is tipped to retail for approximately 200 Euros before taxes and subsidies.

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Since Intel announced their new Atom CPU, it’s been only a matter of time before someone actually released a tiny PC powered by the chip. We’ve already seen a concept gadget from Asus, however, Sharp is the first company to announce the release of one to the public.

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NetBlender has released a new application that enables your iPhone to talk to your Blu-ray player through a WiFi connection, turning your iPhone into a fancy looking remote control. I must say, the creative use of Apple’s phenomenal handset is definitely intriguing as developers could learn to build applications that will leverage data from a Blu-ray player, constructing an iTunes-like catalog of movies right onto the iPhone while offering title recommendations. In addition, there exists the possibility of sending movies straight from disk to the iPhone. Hmm, now there’s yet another compelling reason to add to the existing 3,951 others to get an iPhone.

Source: Wired