There’s nothing like the good ol’ FCC to find some information about upcoming mobile products. This time it’s the new ASUS P550 Smartphone which has the supposed following specifications:

• Marvel PXA270 520 MHz processor
• Windows Mobile 6 Professional OS
• 256 MB of Flash ROM
• 64 MB of SDRAM
• Supports 2100MHz UMTS networks
• Supports tri-band GSM networks
• 3.5 inch 65K color TFT LCD display with 240 x 320 resolution
• 2 megapixel digital camera
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g support
• Bluetooth 2.0 support
• 1530 mAh Li-Polymer battery with 300 hour standby time on GSM and 400 hour stamdby time on WCDMA. Five hour talk time on GSM and 3 hours of WCDMA talk time.
• mini-SD card support
• Compatible with 3gp, 3g2, MP4, AAC, AAC+, AMR, MID, MP3, WAV, WMA, and WMV
• Measures 121 x 71 x 16.5 mm and weighs 188.5 grams

No word on availability but since the FCC’s got it.. you figure it’ll be out soon enough.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: ASUS P550, Windows Smartphone, Windows Mobile 6

Now here’s a cute laptop bag - it’s called the Nucleus 15.4 Retro laptop bag and it sells for $29.99 at Pacific Designs. The bag is designed by Chloe Dao and fits notebooks with screen sizes up to 15.4 inches. The bag itself is made out of a protective EVA molded foam that holds it’s shape without adding weight. Features include:

• Functional interior organization including pockets for paper, thin files, phone/MP3 player,pens, USB flash drives etc
• Durable high density nylon fabric
• Detachable padded shoulder strap
• Maximum laptop size is 2 x 11.5 x 14.5 inches
• Comes in three different prints

Here’s a review of the bag over at GearLog:

This is the best bag I’ve seen for the price ($29.95), and it’s best suited for those who travel light (like commuters). Oh, and it’s super cute, too!

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Nucleus 15.4 Retro, Chloe Dao, Laptop Bag

Ah yes.. the on again,  off again rumors of a Google mobile phone continues to persist. This time, DigiTimes is reporting that Google will “definitely launch its own-brand handset but has yet to finalize the handset’s specifications.” Well gee.. if that’s the case, this supposed mobile phone is still months away folks. In fact, the article claims that if Google decides to use 3G technology, the handset from Google might not come out until the first half of 2008 instead of later this year. Rumors continue to persist that HTC will be the manufacturing contractor for the upcoming Gphone. If true, this would be a departure for HTC as they’ve primarily manufactured Windows Mobile based smartphones until now.

Seriously now - how many people would actually purchase a Google branded phone? I suppose it depends on the feature set of the phone and the OS they intend to use or develop.

[Check it out via CrunchGear]

Technorati Tags: Google, Gphone

Thanks to the folks at iSuppli, “Little Fatty” (a.k.a. the new Apple iPod nano) has taken on a whole new meaning these days. It appears the new nano could very well boast the widest (fattest) profit margins for the lineup of Apple media players. iSuppli took apart the latest iPod nano and found the following:

• The 4GB iPod nano which normally retails for $149 probably costs Apple roughly $58.85
• The 8GB iPod nano which normally retails for $199 probably costs Apple around $82.85.

This represents a profit margin of roughly $90 dollars per 4GB iPod nano or $116 dollars for the 8GB nano. Of course this doesn’t factor in other costs associated to the iPod nano such as marketing costs, packaging, and software development costs - but honestly - a lot of these external costs are far lower than it used to be for Apple.

With healthy profit margins, the new iPod nanos can easily help offset any lower margins caused by the recent price drops for the iPhone. While consumers may not be thrilled with the iPod nano pricing, Apple investors will surely be happy about a healthy bottom line for the company.

[Check it out via SlashGear]

Technorati Tags: Apple iPod nano, iSuppli

Looking for a little splash of color in your digital camera selections? Well Fujifilm Korea has announced the new FinePix Z10fd digital camera which also happens to be available in up to seven different colors (black, blue, forest green, lime green, orange, pink, and red). The new Z10fd features the following:

• 7.2 megapixel resolution
• 2.5 inch LCD display
• 3x optical zoom lens
• Automatic red eye removal
• 54MB of internal memory
• Face Detection Technology
• Measures 18.8 mm thick

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Fujifilm, FinePix, Z10fd

Yes it looks like a football, but trust me.. it’s not. It’s actually the new Zeppelin speaker system from the folks at Bowers & Wilkins. This egg shaped speaker system has a built in integrated iPod dock connector (yes.. file this under “Yet another iPod speaker system”) but also comes with connectors for other audio devices. You can also connect the Zeppelin to your television set to output images from the iPod. Features of the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin include the following:

• Midrange and tweeter derived from Bowers & Wilkins M-1 speakers
• Internal subwoofer
• Three high quality amplifiers - one each for the left and right speakers and one for the bass
• iPod docking port arm
• Spring-loaded docking port
• AUX port for other audio devices
• DSP and digital amplifier
• One 50 W sub and two 25 watt midrange/tweeter speakers
• Measures 6.8 x 25.2 x 8.2 inches and weighs 16.5 lbs

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Bowers & Wilkins, Zeppelin, iPod

Information about the upcoming Motorola ROKR E8 and RIZR Z10 handsets have surfaced on the Internet although the handsets have yet to be officially announced by Motorola. The ROKR E8 is a music oriented mobile phone and will offer features such as:

• Backlit touch keypad with haptic force feedback
• Omega Wheel control for navigating the menu and music playback
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• 2 megapixel digital camera
• 262K color display with QVGA resolution
• 2GB of internal memory
• microSD memory slot
• FM radio
• 3.5 mm headphone jack

Meanwhile the Motorola RIZR Z10 will be the upgrade from the current RIZR Z8 and will feature:

• kick-sliding design
• 2.2 inch 16 million color display with scratch-resistant glass
• 3.3 megapixel digital camera
• 30 fps video recording
• quad-band GPRS and EDGE support
• HSPDA data network support
• Symbian OS

The ROKR E8 is expected in November for 280 euros while the RIZR Z10 is expected in December for 400 euros.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Motorola, ROKR E8, RIZR Z10

Sony is adding a splash of creativity to the VAIO FZ Notebook lineup by introducing the VAIO Graphic Splash Maya Hayuk Edition notebooks designed by New York-based artist, Maya Hayuk. The new VAIO Graphic Splash Notebooks are limited edition systems available in two designs - the “Grow” system and the “Never Stop” system.

According to Sony, the “Grow” edition “captures the feel of an organic forest with deep green, blue, and purple flower-growing wildly across the top of the notebook”.

The “Never Stop” edition provides a “colorful, kaleidoscopic design that is decked in interlacing lines and spherical shapes.”

Maya Hayuk’s artwork is also found on the interior of the notebook. The systems come with matching wallpapers, a limited edition engraving and a pre-installed video of Maya discussing the inspiration behind the designs. Each notebook comes with a certificate of authenticity with Hayuk’s original signature. Finally, a portion of the sale of each limited edition notebook will be donated to Creativity Explored - a non-profit organization supporting artists with developmental disabilities.

The new Sony VAIO Graphic Splash Maya Hayuk Edition notebooks will go on sale for approximately $2500 and will be available on www.sonystyle.com this month.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sony, VAIO Graphic Splash Maya Hayuk Edition, Notebooks, Maya Hayuk

Apple officially announced it’s iPhone partnership with the U.K. mobile carrier O2 yesterday at a press conference in a London Apple store. Steve Jobs was on hand to announce that the Apple iPhone would make it’s official UK debut on November 9th. Folks in the UK would not  be getting the 4GB model of the iPhone - only the 8GB model. The cost of the phone? 269 pounds (or about $538 dollars) including VAT.

In order to get the Apple iPhone in the UK, you’ll have to agree to an 18 month contract which runs from 35 pounds per month to 55 pounds per month.  You do get unlimited data - sorta .. you’re apparently limited to 1400 web pages per day.

One final note - this is basically the same iPhone you’re getting here in the states. Sorry - no 3G based iPhone for the UK although some were speculating that Apple might indeed launch one. According to News.com, Jobs is still concerned about the power draw from 3G chipsets. Here’s one thought - how about the current power draw of the components within the iPhone? I don’t know about you folks but my iPhone’s battery life has been somewhat abysmal.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: iPhone, O2, UK, Apple

Leadtek has entered the webcam business by introducing two new webcams- the WinFast iCAM100 M and the WinFast iCAM200 MA.

Features of the WinFast iCAM100 M include the following:

• Smooth full motion 30fps video streamds
• USB 2.0 support
• Dynamic 2.0 megapixel resolution
• Highly sensitive microphone
• Built-in 6 LEDs for low light conditions
• Capture video at 640 x 480 at 30fps
• Comes with iPod and PSP video converter software and 3D album

Features of the WinFast iCAM200 MA include the following:

• 1.3 megapixel resolution
• Auto-focus
• Capture video at 640 x 480 at 30fps
• Built-in microphone
• Snapshot button
• USB 2.0 support
• Comes with iPod and PSP video converter software and 3D album

Technorati Tags: Leadtek, WinFast iCAM100 M, WinFast iCAM200 MA