LG's GD910 watchphone costs less than expected

LG's GD910 watchphone has debuted in France for the princely sum of €899 (£770).

While this is still outrageously expensive for a mobile phone (especially when that's only the on-contract price) it's a darn sight cheaper than previously thought.

Early estimates placed the phone at around £1,000 on contract due to 'leaks' from LG and Orange (which is also exclusively picking up the device in the UK) but it's happily appeared for over £200 less.

Future pricing

Of course, that price could still go up or down when it's released over here (and we still don't know exactly when that will be) but given Samsung has said it probably won't be releasing its watchphone effort in the UK there's not likely to be a price war.

Admittedly it is some very cool technology, with a 14mm thin device holding a splashproof 1.43-inch screen. We don't want to go down the stereotypical Dick Tracy comparison route, but we'd imagine everyone using the LG GD910 would be using video calling a lot more than before.

It apparently also uses LG's most advanced voice recognition and synthesis technologies according to the French release - so we'll look forward to that when it appears.

Via Orange.fr

Now, the social networking watch arrives

Spending time on social networking sites is becoming so pervasive even tedious old codgers on the BBC now give out their Twitter and Facebook i.d.s, but how do they remember when to tweet and when to Plurk?

We've no idea, but they could do worse than check out the Social Networking Watch from Normal Watches and its array of SNS icons.

YouTube time

The $18 (£11) timepiece doesn't actually do anything beyond tell the time (and that simplicity is novel enough these days), but it does have a nice Twitter icon at 3 o'clock and flickr at the bottom of the hour.

We know it's all a bit silly, but isn't that somehow fitting as far as the whole SNS craze is concerned? Rather appropriate, one might say.

Via Switched On Set

LG watch phone not on sale until August, but here's five that are available now

We've hunted down five alternatives to the LG watch phone, writes Katherine Hannaford.

The LG watch phone was formally introduced on Monday with a shelf-date of August being pointed at by exclusive carrier Orange. That's still a good few weeks away, so if you're absolutely desperate to get your hands on a Dick Tracy-esque gadget for your wrist, then check out these five other watch phones that are already on sale.

Granted, none of them come from big name brands like LG, however with Samsung and Hyundai planning their own models for launch later this year, there's soon going to be much more choice.

(Click to enlarge)

Link: LG watch phone

Sennheiser PXC 350 headphones

Jargon is an inevitable by-product when describing a technology, but manufacturers of audio equipment really seem to excel at making things sound complicated. Take the Sennheiser PXC 350 headphones, for example, they have adaptive baffle damping, which works in combination with the patented Duofol diaphragms. This combination prevents unwanted partial oscillation. Not only that, but Sennheiser's NoiseGuard actively compensates noise, based on the physics principle of sound and counter-sound.

So, what does all this mean? Well the PXC 350 are a set of noise cancelling headphones from one of the world's foremost audio experts, Sennheiser. Available for around £150 this is a pricey set of cans for the casual observer at least. The NoiseGuard technology was originally developed for pilots and plane cockpits. It works by using tiny microphones to listen to the ambient noise and then creating a signal that is identical but inverted 180 degrees to cancel the external noise out. All this is powered by two AAA batteries.

The active noise cancelling part of the PXC350 isn't the only way they get rid of background noise. The ear cups are designed to cover your ears completely, meaning that even without the active technology, external noise is kept to a minimum.

Other than the noise cancelling features the PXC 350 come with a case and adaptors for airline use and also have a 2-year warranty. There's an inline volume control and sensible wire length too. In addition the ear pads can be replaced as can the cable, so these are built to last. The headphones are designed to be travel friendly and although they are large, they fold away neatly as the ear cups twist and lay flat.

Audio quality is the be all and end all of headphones and we tested the PXC 350 with a range of audio and through a selection of output devices. It's always great when a product lives up to your hopes and the Sennheisers certainly do. No matter what type audio we were listening to the PXC 350 were fantastic. Loud heavy music was detailed and, as required, deafening in a good way. Classical was light and breezy chat was clear. In short these are really good headphones.

The headphones work with or without power so there's no need to worry if the batteries go flat. The audio quality was better with the power on but not so much that you'd be disappointed.

Etymotic launches custom-fitted hf2 headphones

If you've always struggled to get in-ear headphones to do what they should and stay in your ears, Etymotic has come up with the solution with its custom-moulded headsets.

Developed exclusively for the Apple clan, the hf2 custom-fit headset will work with iPhones and iPods and as they're made especially for your ear, the idea is that you'll be able to wear them for longer.

To get your headphones fitted, you'll have to go to one of the 300 ear impression outlets where they'll put pump blue silicon into your ears to get the mould before sending it off to be made. A lot of the guys here at Stuff Towers have had it done, and apparently it's not as weird as it sounds.

The process takes a couple of weeks, but you're promised high-fidelity sound and noise isolation for your wait – plus your mates won't be able to nab your earphones off you anymore which is always a bonus. You'll get a range of ear tips when you buy the headphones as well so you won't be sans headphones while you wait.

The hf2 custom-fit headphones will be available from 28 April from Apple stores.

New Vuzix VR Glasses To Be Unveiled at CES

The biggest feature of the new Vuzix virtual reality glasses has nothing to do with a new technology.

Mostly, it comes from the fact that the company finally hired a designer aware of current aesthetic tastes. The older models of the VR system looked like props straight from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and they exposed the poor saps brave enough to try them in public far too easily.

The new design is interesting enough that any cool-kid Bono wannabe could reach for them, while keeping it fairly basic.

The Wrap 920AV will have some pretty good tech inside as well. It will have an improved variation of virtual reality combined with augmented reality, whereby an object or video feed will appear in space. Basically, it opens up certain video away from a block panel display into one that will give the appearance of interactivity.

While it sounds a bit confusing, Vuzix promises the optics are much improved and that you will actually feel like you're watching a real screen. Previous versions suffered from a narrow frame, resulting in a POV that didn't live up to its goal of immersive-style entertainment.

According to a Vuzix rep, the glasses will be able to connect to any type of portable media player and will be unveiled for the first time during next week's CES 2009.

Multi-Color LED Watch to match your mood swings

Who knows what you might think of as cool tomorrow? The only thing you can really know is what you like today. But our moods change like the wind. The human emotional spectrum is wide and varied. A blue watch from yesterday might seem like a bad idea for today. Our fashion sense can change just as quick as our moods.

The Ohsen Multi-Color LED Watch tries to compensate for those who get bored easily. A button on top of the watch face cycles through a collection of seven colors when pressed. Some days are blue days and some are green. And yet others are pink. This watch from Ohsen offers the whole sha-bang.

The water resistant analog watch isn’t even half bad looking when there’s no LED shining at all. In its “off” state the watch simply resembles your average run of the mill divers’ watch. But when the conditions are just right for some LED action, the watch shows its true colors. And it just so happens that its true colors are whatever you want them to be from the seven available options.

The Ohsen Multi-Color LED Watch can be found on eBay, with auctions starting at only $0.99. But be forewarned, these watches ship from Hong Kong, so there might be some major shipping fees. Most likely fees which are boosted to compensate for low auction prices.

Multi-Color LED Watch to match your mood swings

Who knows what you might think of as cool tomorrow? The only thing you can really know is what you like today. But our moods change like the wind. The human emotional spectrum is wide and varied. A blue watch from yesterday might seem like a bad idea for today. Our fashion sense can change just as quick as our moods.

The Ohsen Multi-Color LED Watch tries to compensate for those who get bored easily. A button on top of the watch face cycles through a collection of seven colors when pressed. Some days are blue days and some are green. And yet others are pink. This watch from Ohsen offers the whole sha-bang.

The water resistant analog watch isn’t even half bad looking when there’s no LED shining at all. In its “off” state the watch simply resembles your average run of the mill divers’ watch. But when the conditions are just right for some LED action, the watch shows its true colors. And it just so happens that its true colors are whatever you want them to be from the seven available options.

The Ohsen Multi-Color LED Watch can be found on eBay, with auctions starting at only $0.99. But be forewarned, these watches ship from Hong Kong, so there might be some major shipping fees. Most likely fees which are boosted to compensate for low auction prices.

CPC WristBand

Talking on your phone while driving without a handsfree kit is a major traffic offence in most countries, and the CPC WristBand is here to solve the problem. This sub-$10 solution comes with a universal case and a wristband that is strapped around your wrist.

Wrap the wristband around the wrist. Insert the flip or candy bar style
cell phone into the clear pocket of the CPC WristBand. Now you’re free to
communicate hands-free just like Dick Tracy it’s just that simple. The CPC
WristBand is the world’s first and only hands-free cellular wristband accessory
on the market that allows drivers over the age of 18 talk legally on the
cellphone while driving. The Hands-Free cellular Wristband has been approved by
Police Departments in the following countries: United States, England, Italy,
Switzerland, Hungary, Israel and Japan.

Unfortunately, the millions of original RAZR owners as well as those who rock to its variants (RAZR V3, RAZR V3c, RAZR V3m, RAZR V3i) won’t be able to make their handset fit into the CPC WristBand universal case. The same goes for many PDA phones as well which are too large. Kinda ironic for a “universal” case if you ask me.

CPC WristBand

Talking on your phone while driving without a handsfree kit is a major traffic offence in most countries, and the CPC WristBand is here to solve the problem. This sub-$10 solution comes with a universal case and a wristband that is strapped around your wrist.

Wrap the wristband around the wrist. Insert the flip or candy bar style
cell phone into the clear pocket of the CPC WristBand. Now you’re free to
communicate hands-free just like Dick Tracy it’s just that simple. The CPC
WristBand is the world’s first and only hands-free cellular wristband accessory
on the market that allows drivers over the age of 18 talk legally on the
cellphone while driving. The Hands-Free cellular Wristband has been approved by
Police Departments in the following countries: United States, England, Italy,
Switzerland, Hungary, Israel and Japan.

Unfortunately, the millions of original RAZR owners as well as those who rock to its variants (RAZR V3, RAZR V3c, RAZR V3m, RAZR V3i) won’t be able to make their handset fit into the CPC WristBand universal case. The same goes for many PDA phones as well which are too large. Kinda ironic for a “universal” case if you ask me.

USB Watch tells time, looks geek chic

Let’s examine two trends of geeky gadget hunting. Trend #1, gadgets that are made using recycled computer parts. Check. Trend #2, hooking everything and anything to a USB port. Check, check! Oh, and maybe there is a third trend. Trend #3, watches. They’re always chic for the gadgetry guru. The Timeless Watch designed by Design-Brothers is a hybrid of all of these trends into one ridiculously awesome timepiece.

USB Watch tells time, looks geek chic

Let’s examine two trends of geeky gadget hunting. Trend #1, gadgets that are made using recycled computer parts. Check. Trend #2, hooking everything and anything to a USB port. Check, check! Oh, and maybe there is a third trend. Trend #3, watches. They’re always chic for the gadgetry guru. The Timeless Watch designed by Design-Brothers is a hybrid of all of these trends into one ridiculously awesome timepiece.

Jakks Eyeclops: Night Vision for the Sam Fisher in you

If you ever had a wish of stepping into your screen and picking up a gun for real to frag your enemies down then here’s your chance. These cool night vision glasses will keep you alert and aware of your enemy’s advances even in the darkest nights. It uses infrared and isn't just another toy for a kid. You can use it for real as you go night-trolling into the dark woods or if you are a marine for real.

Jakks Eyeclops: Night Vision for the Sam Fisher in you

If you ever had a wish of stepping into your screen and picking up a gun for real to frag your enemies down then here’s your chance. These cool night vision glasses will keep you alert and aware of your enemy’s advances even in the darkest nights. It uses infrared and isn't just another toy for a kid. You can use it for real as you go night-trolling into the dark woods or if you are a marine for real.

Panasonic ToughBook CF-U1 rugged UMPC unveiled

As expected Panasonic today launched its latest rugged device, the CF-U1 ultra mobile PC. The ToughBook CF-U1 is a true field machine, which can bear loads of hardship. The Atom powered UMPC is strong enough to bear harsh environment, and a drop of 120cm. Its also waterproof, dustproof and IP54 standards compliant. One of the best thing about this machine is its battery life -- you can run this UMPC for 10 straight hours. Also, optional portable battery charger is available.

Panasonic ToughBook CF-U1 rugged UMPC unveiled

As expected Panasonic today launched its latest rugged device, the CF-U1 ultra mobile PC. The ToughBook CF-U1 is a true field machine, which can bear loads of hardship. The Atom powered UMPC is strong enough to bear harsh environment, and a drop of 120cm. Its also waterproof, dustproof and IP54 standards compliant. One of the best thing about this machine is its battery life -- you can run this UMPC for 10 straight hours. Also, optional portable battery charger is available.

CGOTW - The winners are …

First off I need to apologize about the recent downtime and sluggishness of the site, we’ve had some server issues which I’m praying, to the tech gods, are now finally sorted. Anyway, enough of server woes, onto the winners of last week’s gadget of the week contest.

CGOTW - The winners are …

First off I need to apologize about the recent downtime and sluggishness of the site, we’ve had some server issues which I’m praying, to the tech gods, are now finally sorted. Anyway, enough of server woes, onto the winners of last week’s gadget of the week contest.

Contest Reminder - What are you still waiting for?

Looks like some of you folks are so lazy and really don't bother much about that empty wrist. Now some hardliners have been dropping us a line, but buddy you've got it all wrong. But since I'm a friend; a very good friend…lemme give you another hint…look for the answer here and the new Tokyo Flash watch can be yours, just tell me (contests @ newlaunches.com) which one I'm giving away!

Contest Reminder - What are you still waiting for?

Looks like some of you folks are so lazy and really don't bother much about that empty wrist. Now some hardliners have been dropping us a line, but buddy you've got it all wrong. But since I'm a friend; a very good friend…lemme give you another hint…look for the answer here and the new Tokyo Flash watch can be yours, just tell me (contests @ newlaunches.com) which one I'm giving away!