Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!
If you’re still deciding whether to get Apple‘s iPhone when it debuts on June 29, you should make that decision soon. It seems demand will be incredibly high for the gadget—but supply will be comparatively low. The iPhone will only be sold at approximately 2000 AT&T locations and almost all Apple stores in the U.S., as well as their respective websites (there will be no online pre-orders). Sales reps are speculating the stores will receive a small amount of iPhones, possibly as few as 40, prompting rumors that Apple is deliberately creating a shortage too keep demand high. Stores are expecting huge crowds on the 29th, and word has it people have already started camping out to be amongst the first on line. After
seeing the commercials for the iPhone, we’re frothing at the mouth for one, until we remember the
prices: $500 USD (4GB) and $600 USD (8GB).
Read More 
| Cnet
SplashPad to Offer Wireless Charging
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Handhelds, Misc. Tech, Portable Audio / Video, Wireless / WiFi,
Many companies have been developing cell phones that use will utilize wireless charging. Apple has applied for a patent of their own, but it is SplashPower that caught our attention for its recharging simplicity. Their new SplashPad runs by electromagnetic induction and if you own a high end electric toothbrush it is already equipped with the technology. It eliminates the need for more than one charger per unit and you can charge several devices simultaneously. You will need a SplashPower Module in most cases for each gadget. Account Manager Stuart Reed told Gear Live that it has joined with brand name partners and the first products will become available early next year.
Read More | SplashPower
Advertisement
Western India has found a new use for ringtones. Leopards hanging around villages are lured into traps by sounds of roosters, goats, and cows played through speakers behind them. Chief conservation research officer H.S. Singh in Gujart reports that the trick only works at night. Because their habitat is shrinking, the leopards have been seen frequenting populated areas of the country. By the way, all the animals caught were then released back into the wilds. We would like to think that other countries would adopt this idea instead of just trapping poor critters at the end of a shotgun.
Read More | USA Today
Latest Gear Live Videos
Clairvoyante Adds White to RGB Displays
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Smartphones, Design, Handhelds, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video,
A new display technology is being developed by Clairvoyante. White pixels are added to the already familiar red, blue, and green and made larger by 33%, which allows more light to shine through so that when the backlight is lessened, power is saved. They claim that the technology could help cell phones, digital cameras, and laptop batteries last up to 50% longer.
The company also says that PenTile architecture provides darker blacks, whiter whites, and sharper fonts. The first appearance of the new technology is slated to appear in software later this year and Clairvoyante is hoping that developers will utilize it to create products for early 2008.
Read More | Clairvoyante
Coke Launches a Cellular MySpace
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News, Internet,
Coca-Cola is finally invading the Internet with its own version of MySpace, only they plan to do it on cell phones. This network will be run under the auspices of Sprite (none of that caffeine, thank you very much) where its teen members can set up profiles, meet others, and post images. The site launched in China last week and will become available in the U.S. to web-ready phones June 22.
The Coca-Cola Company needs to continue to recruit future generations of consumers,” said Mark Greatrex, senior vice president of marketing for Coca-Cola. “Mobile marketing is absolutely where it’s at for us going forward.”
Good for them, but does anybody really still say “where it’s at?”
Read More | Reuters
New WiFi Technology Available This Summer
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Corporate News, Misc. Tech, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video, Wireless / WiFi,
The next generation of WiFi products is set to be released this summer. Referred to as the “n” series (802.11n), it is supposedly five times faster than the present “g” version at twice the range. If you can’t wait to get your hands on the latest technology, you can already purchase some routers, networking cards, and other “Draft N” products which will work with the older technology until the new certification is sprung upon us this June.
Read More | Wi-Fi Alliance
Video: iPhone Launches June 29, Get In Line Now
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio / Video, Videos,
As evidenced by the video above, found on YouTube by one of our readers, the Apple iPhone now has an official launch date: June 29, 2007. The commercial first aired this evening during an episode of 60 Minutes. The announcement of the release date was subtle, and was featured at the end of the spot, which showcase a few of the iPhone’s functions. We were expecting Steve Jobs to announce the launch date at WWDC, but what do we know? All that matters now is that the biggest mobile phone launch in history is just a few weeks away.
UPDATE: Apple just posted three new iPhone commercials, all featuring the June 29 launch date.
Read More | iPhone Ads
Free Prince Download From Planet Earth
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Internet, Music,
To promote his upcoming album “Planet Earth,” Prince is giving away the first single to cell phone subscribers. Yesterday “Guitar” became downloadable to those with Verizon’s V Cast song ID, the free service that identifies tracks by holding your phone up to a speaker. You then go to MySpace or Revver to play the video from your phone and you will receive instructions on how to load. Thanks Prince, for sharing your music with those of us who are old fans, and the rest of us that will undoubtedly become new ones.
Read More | Reuters
Palm Unveils Foleo
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Handhelds, Misc. Tech, Portable Audio / Video, Wireless / WiFi,
Palm has released the Foleo, a companion keyboard and 10-inch display to go with Treo and other smartphones. Unfold it, push a button, and you receive instant wireless gratification. Uses include longer e-mail capability, larger images, and a speed courtesy of Linux with a dedicated key. The gadget can go for up to 5 hours before needing a recharge.
You can witness the Foleo for yourself with a rather lengthy Palm webcast which was released yesterday. Count on a $499.99 price tag after a $100.00 rebate sometime this summer. Excuse our asking, but isn’t the whole idea to get something smaller to cart around rather than making it larger?
Read More | Palm
LG has just unveiled its Green Banana Cell Phone in Korea. The LG-SV280 is ergonomically designed to fit your face and features a lavender-scented (!) keypad. It’s MSRP should be somewhere between KRW 300,000 (~$323.00) and 400,000 (~$431.00.) If the slider is actually apple green in color as is suggested, shouldn’t they have called it the Apple Phone? No, we guess not. Maybe we will just refer to it as the Chartreuse Phone.
Read More | Aving
