Verizon’s new LG Dare has been circulating for a couple of weeks now, and it will be available online beginning tomorrow. The Date will be priced at $200, but it is going to be offered along with a $50 rebate. On July 3rd, it will be available in Verizon Wireless retail stores.

Starting off with the hardware, it measures out at 4.09 x 2.19 x 0.54-inches, boasts a 3-inch touchscreen display with a 240 x 400 resolution and a 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash, autofocus, and exposure control. Additionally, it comes with a mode to record videos at 120 fps, a 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD expansion up to 8GB, automatically senses when to switch off the LCD back lighting, accelerometer and 3D graphics. Onto the software, it comes with a full HTML web browser and zoom functions, V Cast online store, VZ Navigator, coverflow for music, 51 possible apps, contact list filters, QWERTY keypad, handwriting recognition, music support and video/picture editing.

Verizon and LG really worked hard on this phone to make it come with a lot of nice features, and this phone should do pretty well.

Via [Engadget]

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Let’s face it–majority of the flash drive products in the market are the same old, same old boring thing.

Unless it features a revolutionary awe-inspiring technology, it’s the same banana for me. So when everyone else offers what you do, what should manufacturers actually do? Simple, they have to catch our, that is the consumers’, attention. Take for example this USB Carabiner Flash Drive by Brando. If you’re the outdoorsy type who has the tendency to use devices such as carabiners, then this might appeal to you. Just don’t confuse it for the real deal while you’re on the top of a mountain and a carabiner means life or death.

via

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The HTC Mogul will be getting a Windows Mobile 6.1 ROM update from Sprint, and that information was leaked. This Windows Mobile 6.1 ROM has a build version 19208.1.0.2 of CE OS 5.2.19208, while the radio version is 3.42.02. Well, if you’ve been holding out for a HTC Mogul all this while, perhaps it is time to consider Sprint’s offer?

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Our friends on sister site Uberphones have managed to snag a leaked image of RIM’s upcoming BlackBerry - the Kickstart. This one looks rather bulky, but it does hold the distinction of being the first clamshell handset from blackberry. Hopefully the specifications and performance are up to snuff when it is finally released.

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A microwave beam weaponJun 25, 2008 A microwave beam weapon is not a fantasy nowadays, it really exists.
It works in the following way: the so-called active denial system (ADS) projects microwave-like radiation even for more than 500 yards.

This system makes a painful, full-body burning sensation in someone who got in its rays. Can you imagine that these millimeter-wave rays permeate skin into a depth of about 1.64in? But the most important aspect is that as the result you get just temporary damages.

The ADS have a lot of advantages, and the result have been seen for the last few years.
The Scientific Development Branch is working on a portable variant of the ADS, because these prototypes of the weapon weigh about 3 tones. It looks like American police is going to get one soon. A working concept has already been created.

One of the first customers for the original variant of the weapon is the US Air Force. More than 10,000 tests have been made and 99% of the volunteers said it is an effective method.
So, is a microwave beam weapon the weapon of the future?

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• gadgets for the Father’s Day

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The robot that replicates itselfJun 25, 2008 English scientists have created an unusual robot. The device can make 3D copies of different objects. It can be a realistic object, like window handles and pens. But the most interesting thing is that it can replicate itself.

So, the robot is a kind of a three-dimensional printer. It doesn’t print documents or images, but it uses blueprints to make 3D plastic objects.

Zack Smith, the director of the RepRap Research Foundation, says that the aim is to develop a robot that will be able to produce individual processors and circuit boards. It is necessary in order to give people the possibility to build their own computers.

3D printers have been on the market for about 25 years, but the robot’s creators say that the RepRap Company is the only one company in that sphere that made a machine that can materially make its own structural parts.

A usual printer uses ink; but the robot warms plastic and then compresses it into a line. These lines are made up into handy forms as they solidify. As yet the device has created different plastic objects that we use every day, for example door handles, sandals and coat hooks. Moreover, the robot has made its own structural parts.

The most exciting thing is that the company has developed the machine that can build other things. There is still a lot of work to do in order to upgrade it and perfect the robot to get even more unbelievable results.

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The MING A1600 phone has been circulating in rumors previously, and a little over a month ago, it was approved by the FCC. Also, Motorola has announced the MING A1800, which is set to accompany the A1600. The A1800 is pretty much the same as the A1600, however the main difference is that it comes with a one key difference - it can connect to both GSM and CDMA networks simultaneously.

To recap, the Motorola MING A1600 comes with a 2.4-inch TFT touchscreen display, comes with a stylus, runs on Linux, has quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support, a 3-megapixel camera with auto focus, Bluetooth, microSD expansion up to 4GB, microUSB connectivity, an integrated FM radio and of course one of the more notable features, integrated GPS.

As previously mentioned, the MING A1800 offers the same features as the A1600, and also allows for GSM and CDMA to be used at the same time. No word on exact pricing or availability, but the A1800 shouldn’t cost too much more than the A1600, and both of these phones are set to first hit the Chinese market.

Via [NaviGadget]

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One thing that can compliment a desktop PC or laptop is a nice set of speakers. Genius are offering you that option by announcing a new set of very nice speakers, which have the unique feature of a touch panel screen. That screen allows you to control function, volume, bass or treble. All it takes is the touch of the finger to access the 30-watts of sound offered by the unit.

The touch panel also has a jack for headphones, audio cable and even a mute button. Not coincidentally, the system is called the 2.0 Touch Speaker System (SP-T1200) and will retail for US$99. It’s available at New Egg.com, Amazon, Mac Mall, Tiger Direct and Buy.com in addition to other retailers.

The beautiful thing about a speaker system featuring a touch panel is the nice contemporary and clean look it gives. Not to mention it also says that you are such a geek when even your speakers have a touchscreen.

Read more at the Genius website or from the press release.

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There is currently an active court case being heard regarding the piracy of music by Jammie Thomas, with the music company involved being Capitol Records. The lawsuit is based on the fact that Jammie allegedly made 24 music tracks available to download by storing them in a shared folder.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which is handling the case for Capitol, is demanding US$150,000 in damages per song. Jammie has already received a US$220,000 fine for copyright infringement just for storing the files in a shared folder.

Fortunately for Jammie, the judge has decided he made a mistake ruling that just putting files in a shared folder was enough to prove piracy and is now asking for further information. The extra information required, however, would mean proving that someone actually downloaded the files stored in the folder and Jammie’s legal team therefore believe there is no case through lack of evidence.

The MPAA see it differently though, with attorney Marie L. van Uitert submitting a filing that argues proof is not necessary because it is very difficult or impossible to provide. It then follows up with the fact this difficulty in providing proof stops copyright owners solving piracy. Here’s the excerpt from the actual filing:

It is often very difficult, and in some cases impossible, to provide such direct proof when confronting modern forms of copyright infringement, whether over P2P networks or otherwise; understandably, copyright infringers typically do not keep records of infringement. Mandating that proof could thus have the pernicious effect of depriving copyright owners of a practical remedy against massive copyright infringement in many instances.

MPAA urges the Court not to impose any requirement of actual distribution because the Copyright Act imposes no such requirement

The full filing brief can also be viewed via the Wired blog (PDF)

Read more at Vnunet.com

Matthew’s Opinion
I find it hard to believe what I am reading sometimes when it comes to arguments in piracy cases. Basically what the MPAA attorney is arguing comes down to the fact they think someone committed piracy, don’t have proof, but want to win the case anyway.

Why hasn’t this case been thrown out already? As far as I can tell all Jammie did was put 24 songs in a folder marked as shared. There is no evidence the files were actually shared with someone else and therefore no prosecution can be made. Arguing that just because copyright material was in a shared folder should entitle Capitol Records to US$3.8 million in total damages is, well, ludicrous.

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mobile phone operator Orange has come up with a novel new way for the more active among us to charge our mobile phones. It’s not something commonly associated with geeks – the ability and desire to dance, but if you can, and are willing, then you can now charge your mobile phone while moving to the beat of your favorite songs.

The charger, officially known as the Orange Dance Charge, is currently only in prototype form, but will be shown off at the popular Glastonbury music festival held this coming weekend in the U.K.

The unit attaches to your upper arm and fastens with a velcro strap weighing just 180 grams. It uses kinetic energy to turn the movement of your arm into energy, which is then stored in the battery it contains. After a night of dancing the battery should be topped up and you can plug your phone into it to receive a charge.

The charger was created through a collaboration with GotWind, who specialise in renewable energy solutions. Inside the strap is a series of weights and magnets alongside a battery. The movement of these weights and magnets as the dancer moves their arm creates a charge, which the battery then stores.

In order to help promote the device at Glastonbury; Orange has hired a “dancing man” who will offer to recharge your mobile phone via the pack if you have a dance with him.

Read more at Orange, found via Pocket-Lint.co.uk

Matthew’s Opinion
I’d like to know specifically how much charge you can get out of this device, how much movement is needed and how long you need to dance to charge the internal battery? It looks like something you can strap on and just forget about, which is great and hopefully it could be used while jogging or even just walking.

With modern rechargeable batteries able to receive charges in small doses and not degrade, little devices like these could really help. We may end up having a range of gadgets we can wear on the arms and legs that charge while we move; and then the equivalent of a hub they all plug into as a gateway to the phone, which then receives the charge we generated.

If anyone spots these devices at the festival send us some pictures in and try to get to use one, we want to know how good they are.

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