Coolness Roundup

This week on the Coolness Roundup:

• Charlie White warns listeners of the Samsung Memoir mobile phone
• Stephen Schleicher reviews four girly apps found in the iTunes Apps store
• and the gurus of cool discuss the pros and cons of the upcoming Google Chrome OS

All this, plus the Rapid Fire Roundup of Cool Products!

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This week on the Coolness Roundup:

• Charlie reviews Sony Vegas Pro 9 video editing software
• Stephen chats up the Sony Vaio CS series
• The gurus of cool marvel at the latest game controllers from E3
• There’s a new cell phone out from Sprint, the Palm Pre
• Charlie and Stephen answer listener mail about purchasing a Lacie drive

All this, plus the Rapid Fire Roundup of Cool Products!

Direct Download

Coolness Roundup Sponsors

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This week on the Coolness Roundup:

• Samsung photoframe reviewed
• Dragon naturally speaking gets an update
• Blackberry phones for everyone
• Charlie and Stephen answer listener mail about purchasing a Wireless-N router

All this, plus the Rapid Fire Roundup of Cool Products!

Direct Download

Coolness Roundup Sponsors

GoDaddy
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Roundup1 = 10% off any order
Roundup2 = $5 off any order of $30 or more
Roundup3 = $3 off .com domain (just $6.95)

Brookstone
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Budget Rent-A-Car
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eMusic – Download 35 free songs from emusic.com/coolnessroundup

I could use a couple of these tiny beanbag chairs for my iPhone, strategically placed in various places where I often set the phone down temporarily. I just don’t like the idea of scratching the back of the iPhone against abrasive tile countertops. All this luxurious comfort for your cherished handheld can be had for just under 10 bucks.

In fact, one of these would be perfect for Stephen, who is reluctant to take his iPod touch into the bathroom because the floor might not be, uh, conducive to such things. This could solve that problem, but then, the tiny beanbag chair might soon also suffer from the same shortcomings as the floor upon which it rests.

Via Think Geek

California company iVisit’s main claim to fame is teleconferencing applications, but now it’s taken that expertise and used it to teach cellphones to recognize everyday products and currency.

The result? A remarkable tool that tells the user what it’s seeing, working well enough to open up new possibilities for the sight-impaired. Bravo.

Via medGadget

The iPhone does a lot of things very well, but placing and receiving phone calls is not one of them. Check out my rant about how terrible cellphones sound, but only after you’ve watched the hilarious video above.

Via Gizmodo

The Palm Pre, the one cellphone that might have a chance at stealing some of the glory from the Apple iPhone, is rumored to be getting a little brother.

Rumor has it that this diminutive candy-bar shaped Palm Eos is super-thin (10.6mm), in full development, will be in users’ hands “a few months after the Palm Pro’s launch in June,” and will cost a mere $99.

Other rumors say that Palm is going to wait and see how the Pre does before it pops out another rug-rat cellphone. Whatever happens, I’d like one of each.

Via TechCrunch, Engadget and MobileCrunch

Motorola wants to get in on the Android act, and here’s a sneak peek at Calgary, its first foray into GooglePhoneLand. As you can see, it’s on its way to Verizon. Admire along with me the angular lines of this horizontal slider, as I try to overlook that flat (yet backlit) keyboard. It sure would be easier to press those buttons if they were raised a bit more.

That said, I’m looking forward to more phones using Google’s open-source Android operating system, which I’ve been tinkering with on a T-Mobile G1 phone here at the Midwest Test Facility. It’s clean, easy to use, and being a Gmail user, I like the way Google applications so well integrated.

There is a murky rumor about this handsome handset making its first appearance during the second quarter of this year, giving it until the beginning of July to show its pretty face. That wouldn’t be a minute too soon — Calgary would be a welcome star in the slowly expanding Android firmament.

Via Boy Genius Report

This week Stephen Schleicher and Charlie White discuss the new iPhone 3G and the iPod Touch 2.0 software. The gurus of cool talk about everything from launch day malfunctions by AT&T and Apple, all the way to some of their favorite applications from the new Apple App Store.

 

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The Texas Instruments Pico Projector is just 1.3 inches long, but it can crank out a DVD-quality image. The tiny DLP projector is just small enough to fit inside most cellphones, from which it can project a nice-sized widescreen picture.

Hey, this means no more watching movies on a screen the size of a postage stamp. It’s just being demonstrated now; expect to see it in cellphones everywhere a year from now.

via Sci Fi Tech

In times of emergency, having access to light and phone is vital. A Japanese company has introduced a small hand crank device that can provide up to 20 minutes of LED light or can power your cell phone for 2 to 8 minutes.

It’s only available in Japan, but as rolling blackouts continue across the U.S. during the hot summer months, my guess is it won’t take too long for something like this to make it here.

via Tokyo Mango

Hey, hey, all you other cellphone companies,” yelled Tom Tom, notable GPS navigation system maker. “We’re here to tell all ya’ll that we’re going to be taking over now!”

The company’s new SatNav system also accepts a SIM card and will be capable of making and receiving mobile phone calls. It also comes with built-in Bluetooth that will allow hands-free talking.

via Textually

As all of you know, Leonardo DiCaprio is one of America’s favorite leading men. The movie Titanic put him on the map and now he’s an Oscar nominee for his role in Blood Diamond, so he must know what he’s doing. Maybe we should all follow in his footsteps. One way to do that is to trade in that old cellphone for Samsung’s Black Carbon Phone, which Samsung calls one of the “thinnest, slimmest sliders in the world.”

According to those in the know, Leo will be carrying his new $420 phone with him on Sunday night at the Academy Awards ceremony.

via GeekSugar

Here’s a handy device to help you save the environment. The Freeloader gathers energy from the sun and converts it to power for your electronic gee-gaw.

Freeloader takes power from its solar panels or via a supplied charge cable that plugs into a computers’ USB. Once charged, Freeloaders internal battery can power an iPod for 18hours, a mobile phone for 44 hours, PSP for 2.5 hours a PDA for 22 hours and much much more.

I like that you can charge up the Freeloader and then power your device (or charge) it anytime. It’s available now.

via Solar Technology

All right parents, how many of you are sick of being bugged by your children to get them a cell phone? This Mattel IM-Me is going to be your (and your children’s) new best friend. Not only does it allow them to text while the device is in range of the antenna, but there’s also another kick to it: You hook it up to the computer and the little devils are only capable of sending messages to their contact list; which can be okayed by parents, just to make sure they aren’t talking to some weirdo.

via Gizmodo