Be Smart

Logitech, which makes some of the best webcams for PCs, just announced its first Mac-compatible webcam, featuring premium autofocus technology and, most importantly, Carl Zeiss Optics.

Add the sleek black and silver Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro webcam to your Mac computer, and you'll be recording sharp 720p high-def video clips, and VGA-quality video at up to 30 frames per second while video calling with iChat and Skype. Features a 2-megapixel sensor, and Logitech’s RightLight 2 Technology, which enables the webcam to "adjust intelligently in dim or harshly backlighted situations."

Available in July for approx $129.99. Mac owners rejoice!

Earlier this month, Pandigital, maker of digital photo frames, released its multi-functional Kitchen HDTV/Digital Cookbook/Digital Photo Frame. From the most used room in your home, you can watch TV, view photos, and call up recipes on the 15" LCD screen. The device comes with preloaded recipes, and additional recipes can be loaded into the TV's internal memory. Photos can be loaded via the memory card reader or by connecting to Picasa, Google's popular photo sharing site. The 512MB of memory stores 3,200 pages of recipes or photos. It supports a variety of media cards, and a wide range of audio, video, and image formats.

The exterior of the device was designed with the messy kitchen environment in mind. A glass seal protects it from water, oil, and whatever splatters in its direction, and makes it easy to wipe clean. Because everyone's kitchen is a little different, it comes with three different faceplates (brush steel, black, and white), and can be mounted under a cabinet or on the wall, or placed on a countertop stand. Retails for around $400, and will probably show up on the shelves of large retailers such as Target and Amazon.com.

Via Kitchen Contraptions.

We love a good sale and this one is big -- 50% off all the colorful SPECK cases for iPhones, iPods, MacBooks, PC notebooks, cell phones, BlackBerrys and even GPS navigation devices.

Yes, even the brand-new iPhone 3G PixelSkins lightweight cases are 1/2 off (though they seem to be out of stock at the moment). With three different types of cases - Tough Skin, SeeThru, and PixelSkin - there's something for every taste, and even more choices if you need a new iPod or iTouch case. (Pictured below: the soft rubber ToughSkin case.)

Remember, the sale is only good through the end of the month and you need to enter the promo code: SPECK50 .

Audowrapz by iFrogz is an ingenious product -- a 100% silicone case that utilizes "passive speaker technology" that does not require batteries or draw power from your iPod. It turns your 3rd gen iPod into a little speaker that also protects your precious baby.

It has a pass-through port so you can switch to headphones if you want some privacy, but you'll need to take it out of the case to charge. The three metal grilles contain a total of two small speakers, but you need to crank the volume control to really hear it, and there lies my quibble with the gizmo. It doesn't even create as much volume as the built-in speaker on an iPhone, and with all the terrific iPod speaker solutions out there, it faces tough competion.

But at a price point of $25 bucks I'm not going to complain. I just can't wait for the next version.

Available from iFrogz in 8 bright colors and exclusively at Wal Mart.

You may not get excited by mice, but I have quite a collection of the cute critters. There's the Logitech multi-media zoomer, my pink Kensington travel model, the Wow-Pen ergonomic version, not to mention the drawer full of reject mice that weren't up to my exacting standards.

The SlimBlade Presented Mouse by Kensington is my newest pet. It combines a full-function laser mouse and presenter in one sleek device, and is still small enough to fit in your pocket.

Bluetooth connection; switch to go to presentation mode; goes to sleep when your notebook does; ultra-thin design for traveling - what's not to love? $59.99 at Kensington.

Until recently, my thinking about USB flash drives went something like this: Why buy a dozen small capacity flash drives, when you can buy one really rugged 16GB or even 32GB flash drive that you can use for everything? Until . . . one day . . . I go to insert my super duper, rugged, weather-proof flash drive into my laptop . . . and it breaks into two pieces - just at that point where the rugged part ends and the USB connection (which of course is exposed when you're using it) begins. Betrayal! (Never mind that I may have been a bit heavy-handed and impateitn with it - the point is, it was supposed to be tough.)

So, now I buy throw-away flash drives and treat them like large capacity floppy disks. I don't commit, I make no promises - that way, I can't be disappointed. They're fun while they last.

These JT Baby USB flash drives are so tiny and flat, they can fit into little slots in your wallet, on a keychain, or on a cell phone. Pick them up from the site that sells all things USB -- Brando.com ($22 for 2GB, $37 for 4GB).

With the new, lower price of the iPhone 3G that Apple releases July 11th, it is expected that demand will exceed supply.

Reuters.reported this statement from Morgan Stanley: "We believe the market generally expects a doubling of iPhone units with the lower price point ($199) and we believe this is realistic, if not conservative." The bank expects 27 million iPhones to be sold in calendar year 2009 "with an average revenue of $550 per unit."

As Mia wrote recently, the next-generation iPhone features a faster Internet access that will run on advanced wireless networks. That in itself is enough to get most of us iPhoners excited. See you in line.

I was thrilled to bring you the news that you will be able to watch Olympic events on your laptop, and even download them for later watching offline. And all for free.

And then I read the announcement more carefully. The system is available only to users of Vista. No Macs need apply, nor Linux users, nor even other Windows versions, like us XP users who are hanging in there as long as possible.

David Chartier at Ars Technica explains it all. Dang.

No word yet on NBC's plans for Olympics coverage adapted to mobile platforms like iPods and video players. But surely there will be some? Won't there?

Oh yeah, this is just what I need; a portable office disguised as a pool toy. Unveiled at the Next-gen PC Design Competition, the 'Swim-Ring" device, shaped like a big floatie, can check e-mail, surf the net, play movies, games, and music. It also features a GPRS receiver, Bluetooth wireless solutions, finger-touch input, solar power driven processor, water-cooling system, magnetic charging interface, and water-proof design. And just in case you get lost in your pool (in which case, I want whatever you're drinking), the GPRS helps show you the way. The concept-only amphibious PC includes a backlight keyboard design (in case you're skinny dipping at night), a 7-inch LCD display, and a stereo speaker set.

I'll stick with my inner tube, thanks.

Via Born Rich.

Why do we put real shoes on just born infants who can't even hold their heads up, let alone walk? Newborns' feet are like mush; they just dangle like a pair of earrings. Yet, we jcan't help ourselves, can we? Because what's cuter than a pair of teeny tiny shoes on a teeny tiny human being who doesn't have the awareness to complain about useless apparel?

Taking this silliness to a whole new level, a company has designed soft crib shoes that look like high heel pumps for budding Carrie Bradshaws. Purely for the amusement of adults, of course, as the baby could care less (until she's about 9, at which point she'll either love them or want to kill you for once making her look ridiculous). Heelarious shoes come in six different designs, and each pair comes in a little plastic purse with a rhinestone button closure. They're for infants who are zero to six months, so if you're going to have fun with these, you've got to buy them at birth. Once they're out crawling, it's too late.

Next time a friend of mine gives birth to a girl, I'm visiting the hospital with a pair of these. Every new mother needs a good laugh after what she's just been through, and I don't think $35 for a pair of these mock shoes is too much for a bit of comic relief at the beginning of a long journey. Look here for stores that sell them.

Some dogs love nothing better than to crunch on an empty water bottle -- must be that lovely sound -- so Fat Cat designed WaterBottle Crunchers toys. Consider it a great way to recycle and make Fido happy at the same time. Made of durable canvas, it's made to stand up to chewy pups.

Even though my doxies haven't tested it yet, Casey, the publicist, has a pit bull who's been tearing away at it for over a week, so that's good enough for me.

The set (an amusing catepillar and snake) will put you back $21.95 at Bamboo/ Fat Cat. The toys can be filled with empty water bottles up to 20 oz. in size.

I used to think, "What's the big deal about visual voicemail? Who cares?" But now that I've been using an iPhone for about a year, I get annoyed with any phone that doesn't have it. Prioritizing voicemail messages and going back to important saved messages is an exercise in pure frustration without a visual log. And there's nothing worse than calling someone back and admitting that you don't really remember what their message was about because you couldn't find it among your 99 other saved messages.

Anyone who has an iPhone can appreciate the benefits of visual voicemail, even if they weren't particularly excited about this feature when first introduced to it. But what if you don't have an iPhone and have no plans to get one in the near future (there are, after all, plenty of good reasons to choose a different smartphone, especially if you're not addicted to browsing on your mobile)?

If you're a professional gamer, you already know about Creative Labs' world class sound cards, and now they have a new one - the PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series sound card - which, according to Creative, "delivers the ultimate PC gaming audio experience."

Here are its main features:

- 3D positional audio so accurate, you can locate your enemies through mere sound alone. Plus, the X-Fi CMSS®-3D gives you amazing surround sound even with normal stereo headphones.

- Unbeatable performance in your games with hardware accelerated audio and X-RAM.

- Voice Chats: Plug in your headset or microphone and hear the difference immediately. With high-quality input and hardware audio processing, your teammates will definitely hear you loud and clear.

- Dolby Digital Live: Connects to your home theater system through a single digital cable (available separately) for compelling 5.1 surround sound.

Note : Works with PCI Express equipped PCs, so make sure you're compatible first.

$199 at Creative Labs.

Are you a tech enthusiast with an interest in sharing your take on technology for women? Consider becoming a Popgadget writer. Prior professional writing experience is not strictly required, but you should be someone who obsessively keeps up with consumer tech news, is familiar with blogging, and is available to write at least 5 posts per week. We pay on the high end of the going rate for blog writing. If interested, send an email to our editor Mia Kim at poplifeco@gmail.com, with the following information:

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3. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: Three to four sample posts (images not necessary) (these should be examples of what your actual posts will look like on Popgadget, so articles from another publication may not be helpful),
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APPLY BY: July 7, 2008

Now that we mostly don't need traditional wristwatches to urgently tell us the time, playful watch designs seem to have largely replaced the utilitarian digital watches of old. You can go sci-fi futuristic with watches from Tokyoflash or go the other direction and get something like this Zihotch Retro Phone Watch from AudioCubes.com, which reminds you of the olden days of rotary dial phones (you can pick it up for $80). Made by Japanese company Maywadenki, it's a rather huge piece if you have a tiny wrist, so it might be more appropriate as a Halloween costume if you go dressed as an old style phone booth.

Via textually.org.

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More news for the June bride--June 2011, that is. Get married in space. Well, some 62 miles up there, to be precise, on the Rocketplane XP suborbital spaceplane.

The one-hour flight-plus-ceremony will cost $2.2 million, but it's actually a bargain because the price includes the wedding dress. The price also includes a telecast for guests, but it appears that reception food and drink is still on you.

Father's Day is just a few days away . . . but there's still time to grab that perfect gift for your dad to make him believe you've been planning the moment for weeks (or at least an hour or two). Here are some of our favorites this year:

Almost indestructible camera

If your dad can't bear to put away the camera, even while at the beach or pool, or while say, trying to escape a monsoon, then he'll surely appreciate what is deemed the World's Most Durable Camera. The Olympus Stylus 1030 SW is both shock-proof and waterproof, and can resist up to 222 lbs. of pressure. With 10.1 megapixels, a 3.6x zoom lens, and a transreflective LCD screen that is viewable even in bright sunlight, it's good enough to be dad's only camera. $500 at Hammacher.

This is not a beauty product - it's a "shaving aid"

Many men act a bit twitchy and nervous when they're in the "personal grooming" aisle but give them the comfort of a few "For Men" bottles, and they're more excited about moisturizer than Estee Lauder. Clarisonic seems to understand this and they've made a manly dark gray version of their Sephora for $195.

A charging station for the gadget-head dad

The sanctuary charging station lets your dad charge up to twelve devices at once, while keeping them neat(ish) in the reversible-fabric finished tray. The sanctuary is compatible with just about anything- from Blackberry to iPod/iPhone, and Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, and LG phones. More than 1500 devices are supported. The cords stay hidden and your dad won't be hogging all the outlets anymore. $130 from Red Envelope.

iPod in the shower

Upgrade your dad's singing-in-the-shower routine with the iHome Shower Station. This shower station keeps the iPod totally dry and protected in its case and provides external controls. $70 from Brookstone.

Did Dad get the 62 " flat panel he wanted for Father's Day? A new home theater system? You'd better get him Zip Express as well then (and get one of the other siblings to kick in).

Basically, Zip Express partners with retail outlets (in-store and online) to provide next-day and five-day installation options for consumers, regardless of where they bought the goods. Or, you can just purchase the service when you buy Dad's new gizmo. Depending on the item, the prices range from $199 for a standard Home Theatre system to $399 for an on the wall TV installation package.

Unlike most service/installation calls, Zip Express guarantees you will be given a ONE hour window of time for the CE-certified installer to arrive. It's easy to schedule on the Web, and the installers take all the e-waste trash away with them, but you know what's the best part? They show Dad how to program and use the new remote! ($149 for Universal Remote programming which includes reviewing the existing TV and A/V components to make sure that they are compatible with the remote control; programming primary commands for up to 8 devices; and finally, training Dad.)

I've written before about both my love of good (preferably large) watches and my nostalgia for cassette tapes, and here's a design that brings them both together with a dash of style.

It's available for £35.00 (around $69) from Asos, who for some strange reason have it in the men's section of their website... Hey Asos, girls can be geeks too, y'know!

[Via Shiny Shiny].

Come July 1, you can get a ticket for Talking While Driving in California. But no matter where we live, we all know we shouldn't drive while talking on cell phones because it increases the risk of accidents. An exception in California is car talk with a Bluetooth connection, but even hands-free phone time can be risky. Suppose you get distracted from driving because you're carrying on a Bluetooth argument with your cell service provider about mystery phone charges? Or with your kid for running up those charges?

But there's another potential danger from cell phones. What health risks, if any, might come from cell phone radiation? Especially risk of brain tumors?

I first wrote about this topic 8 years ago. While it's usually pleasant for a writer to discover that an ancient article is not yet out of date, this time it's a bit dismaying. In the year 2000 we didn't know for sure whether cell phone radiation could cause brain tumors. Now that cell phones are in the hands of maybe a billion people (and, more to the point, held to their ears only an inch or so from the brain), it's worrying to realize that nothing much has changed. We still don't know for sure.

If you can't sleep at night thinking about the environmental damage caused by your need to have a new cell phone every six months, you'll be glad to know that eco-friendly cell phones made of corn flour are about to be launched in Korea by Samsung Electronics. The Samsung SCH-W510 has a battery cover and other parts made of bio-plastic constructed from corn starch and other environmentally friendly materials. The W-510 is the first of its kind from Samsung, and, according to PCWorld, the handset contains no heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium). Apparently, the high price of oil is partially responsible for this renewed interest in using plastics made of corn in manufacturing.

Via Telecoms Korea, by way of textually.org.

File this in the "ludicrous" file. Some of our gender have complained about how difficult it is to use the touchscreen with their long nails, since the iPhone screen only reacts to an electrical charge in our fingers.

Nail-wielding women are demanding a stylus option for the iPhone. Ladies! We want to get away from the tedious poking with a stylus. May I suggest you trim down the weapons so you can use your hands - and fingers - effectively?

Apple declined to comment about fingernails and the iPhone. In the past, the company has said that it's "more natural to use the pointing tool you were born with: the finger."

Via LA Times.

This cell phone microscope could be a real nuisance in the hands of a true germaphobe like Mia, who would likely use it to examine every item on a restaurant table, her dog's paw pads, and your hair follicles if you happen to be sitting next to her.

It's basically a cheap attachment that turns the digital camera in a cell phone into a microscope capable of individual white and red blood cells. Though at first glance, it may appear to be a mere novelty device like so many other silly attachments you can buy for your mobile, the CellScope was actually developed by a research team led by Dan Fletcher, professor of bioengineering, at the University of California, Berkeley. The team came up with this ingenious device in answer to a challenge: to solve the problem of the scarcity of medical equipment in developing countries for diagnosing and treating diseases. The attachment can be used for remote diagnosis of diseases such as malaria.

The team believes that if mass produced, the device could be sold for around $100, an incredible price for a clinical quality microscope that can send diagnostic data all over the world.

Core77 and Smart Stuff (original source: The Economist).
(Photo from website Blum Center for Developing Economies - credit: David Breslauer, Wilbur Lam, and Tom Hunt)

Stop the swapping insanity! (And no, this isn't a reference to the CBS show "Swingtown.")

Kensington felt your pain and designed an easy solution for sharing USB devices between two computers without all that messy plugging and unplugging. Simply push a button and the Share Central automatically makes the swap.

LED lights indicate which computer has access; it's easy to set up; both computers have direct access to the printer (without networking) thanks to Automatic Printer Sharing; it eliminates cable clutter, and if it doesn't fit on your desk, it can be wall mounted. Share up to five different USB peripherals, such as printers, scanners, external disk drives . . . any USB device, basically. They also make a 1 USB and a 2 USB version($46.99 last time we checked.)

Not available until the end of the month, all versions, including the 5 share (priced at $79.99) can be pre-ordered from Kensington here and from Amazon.

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I have to admit that I'm not that into pampering. I know I might get my girl card taken away for mentioning this, but I'd rather have a quick shower then lie down and read a book than spend an hour flipping through a magazine in the bathtub with some kind of herbal mask (or worse, masque) covering my face.

But I know not everyone is like me. Most of my friends find a long soak in a hot bath relaxing rather than boring, and I know they would freak out (in a good way) at the idea of owning this blinging bathtub:



Engadget reports that the Water Games Technologies Red Diamond bathtub is worth a jaw-dropping $47,000.

Last week, it was a tiny speaker, this week... a tiny microphone. If your laptop didn't come with a built-in mic and you want to get chatty over Skype or another VOIP/IM service, or your desktop mic is too big and bulky and you're looking to downsize, or you're a podcaster looking for an inexpensive but good-quality piece of audio equipment that takes up very little space, the Snowflake mic could be for you.

It can be clipped to your laptop (or I guess, to your clothing) and retracts for storage, and you can find it at Amazon for $59.
Via Crave.

[Image: BIOS]

That's the headline on this look at the awesome house that New Jersey engineer Mike Strizki hath wrought.

It's not what you thought the future would look like.

Strizki converts sunshine into electricity using photovoltaic panels - and then uses the electricity to wring hydrogen for fuel out of ordinary tap water. The result: For two years Strizki has bought no electricity, no gas, no fuel for his several vehicles. The home-made system cost more than half a million dollars to put together, so his reward is satisfaction rather than savings. But still.

The article, written by David Biello, was just posted on the Scientific American web site. Be sure to check out the accompanying slide show, guaranteed to startle. Whatever its undeniable virtues, this is not the sleek, shapely, clutter-free House of the Future we've all been raised to expect from 21st Century solar and hydrogen power.

When I carry this bag I feel like a

It's June, after all, so let's talk weddings. Simple weddings specifically. And let's be clear up front that there's no such thing. Some weddings are simpler than others, maybe, but the possibility of a truly simple wedding is a myth.

My suspicion is that simple weddings aren't possible because that's the way we like it. Nothing about marriage is simple. Why should the initiating event be any different?

Case in point: a wedding I attended a few weeks ago. The bride insisted she wanted things simple, but her idea of simple was to skip the caterer and have her mother do all the cooking. For 200 people. Including the wedding cake. And hold the wedding and reception, and feed all those people, at home.

The mother of the bride is an old friend, so all Spring I heard a great deal about the burdens of putting on a biggish wedding at home, and preparing all the food as well. But the MOB is an excellent cook who gives big parties featuring her food. Even though I thought it was demented, it was quite clear that she loved the challenge of putting on this wedding pretty much single-handed.

Yesterday I paid more than $50 for a tank of gas for the first time. I had been feeling cocky and virtuous - virtuous by U.S. standards at least. I got through our unlikely June spate of high 90s temps without turning the car air conditioning on, except for one trip home from the grocery store. (Just conserving the milk and yogurt, friends.) With prices predicted to hit $5/gallon by fall, more strenuous measures are required.

Going without A/C was easy. I don't commute, and I give thanks daily for my good fortune. My driving consists mostly of running local errands a couple of times a week. I have always ganged them together to save time; saving gas too, along with the planet, is a bonus I began to appreciate only a few years ago. Even if the car and the parking lot are broiling, going from building to ridiculously ice-cold building keeps you cool enough.

I already coast down hills so I can coast up the next one, and I coast when slowing for a light or a turn too, traffic permitting. My tires are properly inflated. A more abstemious car is not possible. So what's next?

The Verizon Decoy launched this week ($179 on a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate) with the much-lauded built-in Bluetooth headset, as well as the usual specs, including a 2 megapixel camera, a 2.2-inch "mirror-like" 240 x 320 display, a micro SD card slot, V CAST music and video support.

Likes: Headset, tools, navigation, 5–way directional joystick, screen and I love that I can put it back in the phone when I'm finished using it. (Still, Verizon provides headset insurance, just in case.) One quibble: when the headset is out, the indentation worries my thumb, as if the cover is off.

Next, the tools: The calculator has the ability to do powers, for example 5^2=25. You never know when you may be called on to do advanced math, such as checking your tweenies' homework. Also, the EZ Tip Calculator is handy, if you're math challenged like me. Easy to set up, it makes that task very easy. The navigation software is intuitive.

If you like the Blackberry Pearl's scrolling "pearl," you'll like the joystick center button on the Decoy. And compared to a Razr, the resolution on the screen is very clear and bright.

This portable photo printer looks like a Sanrio lunch bucket for kids, which is perfect actually, as it gives off the impression of something light and easy to carry (which it is). The compact

Are you a tech enthusiast with an interest in sharing your take on technology for women? Consider becoming a Popgadget writer. Prior professional writing experience is not strictly required, but you should be someone who obsessively keeps up with consumer tech news, is familiar with blogging, and is available to write at least 5 posts per week. We pay on the high end of the going rate for blog writing. If interested, send an email to our editor Mia Kim at poplifeco@gmail.com, with the following information:

1. Name and location (city and country), and telephone number,
2. Languages spoken/written,
3. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: Three to four sample posts (images not necessary) (these should be examples of what your actual posts will look like on Popgadget, so articles from another publication may not be helpful),
4. Current profession/job,
5. Your areas of knowledge in relation to technology,
6. Some background information (formal resume not necessary),
7. Days and times you can be regularly available (this is very important, we need to be able to reach you);
8. Any other information you think would be helpful (such as other applicable experience in Internet technology, advertising, marketing, or business). We welcome entrepreneurial individuals with other talents aside from writing.

If you like to rock your tunes while you're mountain biking, hiking, or boarding, and can't stop to answer your cell phone or grab some hydration, then you'll love Skullcandy's new Link HydroPack which has controls for both your phone and iPod/MP3 player and a convenient water bladder. The controls of the right strap make it easy to control the music; the built-in speakers aren't bad for their size, and the set-up takes only minutes. My only quibble is that even though 6 connectors are included, they still didn't fit a Samsung cell, iPhone or Blackberry Pearl.

If the idea behind this bag design is to deter thieves, I think they've done a pretty good job. Whether you want to walk around looking like radioactive waste is up to you.

That would be neoprene radioactive waste actually, since the sleeves are made of neoprene rubber.

The 13" sleeve goes for $34.95, the 14.1" for $36.95, and the 15.4" for $38.95 at Designer Sleeves.

Rob Pegoraro, the Washington Post's fine consumer electronics columnist, has helped me out more than once, and now he's done it again. He can help you, too.

Thanks to Rob, you can skip the irritating useless minutes-eating cell phone greeting-plus-menu-choices that callers must usually endure before leaving a message. He has revealed the secret codes that let you bound over this audio boilerplate to record your message immediately.

The catch is that you have to know which service your callee's cell phone uses. That's because each US carrier uses a different skip code.

Surprised? I suspect not. Of course each carrier uses a different code. Why should there be any consistency in these things? All that would do is make calling a teensy bit easier for the rest of us poor schlubs.

Here are the codes :
AT&T: 0
Sprint: 1
Verizon: *
T-Mobile: #

Much obliged, Rob!

Despite having cell phones and MP3 players, most men I know cling tenaciously to the practice of carrying everything they need in their jacket pocket or distributed among various pockets of their pants (which, let's be honest, can lead to less than attractive results). We just can't seem to shake the notion that any carrying case other than a briefcase, messenger bag or backpack is a handbag, no matter what you call it. The "man purse" is still controversial here in the U.S., whatever the trend may be in Europe.

Until we're able to erase from our collective memories the man-purse episode of Seinfeld, we can just be thankful that these days cell phones and MP3 players are offered in super slim and lightweight designs, and that there are even some items of clothing specially designed to hide our devices.

The MP3 Music T-Shirt by Music and Sons, is an ingeniously designed and stylish wearable for you and your music player. You have to look close to even see that it's designed to hold your device. Your iPod or other MP3 player fits in a little pocket at the front of the t-shirt, and the special, short stereo earphones that come with the t-shirt connect to your player through an integrated cable, and pop out at the neck of the t-shirt in the back (see photos after the jump).

It's hard for me to imagine 3.3 million people, let alone 3.3 billion, but that's how many of us are cell phone fanatics, or at least cell phone users, worldwide. Although cell phone sales have apparently dropped in Western Europe, by the end of 2007, India and China had signed up 154 million and 143 million new subscribers respectively.

And our worldwide love of cell phones is a good thing, too: The Scotsman reports that more and more of us are finding cell phones help us to stay connected with our friends and family, with texting cited as particularly useful.

Which means that I really should upgrade to a Blackberry, Palm Centro or iPhone for the good of society . . . right?

Via Textually.org.

[Image: Phones Review]

The garden gnomes at London's Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, have built a walkway through the trees nearly 60 feet off the ground. Dang. The exchange rate is probably going to prevent me from treetop walking this summer at least, but it's got to be an extraordinary experience.

The walkway is also structurally extraordinary. The walkway design, carried out in steel, is said to be based on the Fibonacci number sequence. (Starting with 1, each new number in the sequence is the sum of the two before it: 2, 3, 5,8,13..... No prize if you can figure out the next one.)

Here's what the Kew says about it:

The ratio provides a perfectly proportioned growth pattern. This sequence is used for the spacing of the connection points for the diagonals of the walkway trusses. The 12m long trusses are connected to circular nodes which are in turn supported by pylons. It provides a seemingly random, natural appearance that in fact comes from a clear underlying geometry.

A slightly spooky aspect of the Fibonacci number sequence is that it's not uncommon in nature, for example in plant branching patterns and number of petals on some flowers.

If you've tried to purchase an iPhone in the last few weeks, you may have been met with futility. It's become increasingly difficult to procure an iPhone, and that can mean only one thing: the long-rumored and longed-for 3G (high speed data) iPhone is around the corner and Apple is doing nothing to calm the rumor mill.

What we know for sure:
The new iPhone will have 3G data capabilities, finally making the amazing Safari browser usable even when out of wifi range. Of course, the current EDGE-enabled iPhone lets you surf over the EDGE network, but it's so slow it's often unusable.

What we think we know:
The new iPhone likely will have real GPS, not just the cell tower locater which doesn't work very well at present. This mean the map function should have accurate turn-by-turn directions which continue to track you as you move.

The new model is likely to be very similar form-wise (no slide-out keyboard), but maybe a little bit lighter. It will very likely come in models with either 8 or 16 GB of storage with a big 32 GB model possible as well.

What we don't know:
The pricing of the iPhone is likely to remain similar to the first generation ($399 for 8GB, and $499) but no one seems to know if the first generation will stick around, at a lower price. I will go out on a limb and say that I think given the relative newness of the original iPhone, and the current state of the economy, there may be a surprise price cut as an incentive to upgrade right away.

There have been rumors of multiple colors on the new iPhone, perhaps white and silver.

There may or may not be an upgraded camera. Currently the iPhone doesn't support video or MMS (multimedia messaging, sending video or pictures via text) and it's been a notable flaw on such a media-intensive device.

Flash support for Safari. Nothing is more frustrating than going to a website on your iPhone and having it not load at all because it's entirely in Flash. After the 3G, this is what I've most wanted, and it's not clear yet if it'll be there.

What applications will be on the new iPhone. It seems that the OS will be the same, but there may or may not be additional applications, both by Apple, and by outside developers. Perhaps the ability to purchase more applications too.

Another thing we know (well kind of know):
The new iPhone will be offically announced next Monday, at the Apple Developer Conference (WWDC). This seems almost assured but it's not clear if the iPhone will be available immediately, or at a later date. I'm on pins and needles.

We'll keep you updated!

This week Manhattan celebrates “Internet Week.” Seven-days of non-stop festivities best described as a greatly delayed digital debutante ball for the super geek.

Delayed because the New York tech scene has been thriving alongside the Bay Area and Silicon Valley for years without its well-deserved recognition.

Debutante because the aggregation of this week’s diverse activities feel like a competing series of formal and informal coming out parties for the diverse segments of the community (from the youthful flip-flop wearing interns to the more experienced and sometimes sophisticated VCs).

Like the diversity that characterizes the cultural New York landscape, there’s nothing homogeneous or purely central about this quirky celebration. I raised my own eyebrows looking over the (still-growing) list of activities, which include (but are by no means limited to):

* a breakfast meeting titled, Shifting the Paradigm: Young Women with Cool Jobs Making a Difference in Digital Media and beyond,

* an exclusive invite-only Founders Club,

* the cult-classic science-as-art Make Magazine's Maker Faire,

* Techset sunset cocktails, a glam-geek rooftop affair in the Meatpacking District hosted by Stephanie Agresta, InternetGeekGirl, and Brian Solis of bub.blicio.us and PR 2.0,

* a bad-boy Thrillist party at Hiro Ballroom,

I'm a huge fan of the Flip Ultra video camera (sold at the Henri Bendel Popgadget Pop-up Shop last Christmas) because it's the only video camera that I could trust my father to use. You literally need to push just one button to operate it. The quality isn't anywhere near high-def, but for web use, and simple home video, it's definitely good enough.

The newest addition to the Flip family, the Flip Mino, adds some great new features, and actually loses some bulk from what is already a very compact camera. The Mino weighs just a hair over 3 oz, while the older models are just about 5 oz. Not a huge difference, but significant when you"ve already got a bag full of gadgets. It's a little shorter and narrower, and actually much thinner, just over half an inch thick.

Other cool new features:
-A higher resolution transreflective screen which makes the screen visible even in bright sunlight.
-Lithium-ion rechargeable battery which lasts for about 4 hours. The older models use standard batteries which last for about 2 hours.
-There are new touch-sensitive buttons and faster start-up time (4 seconds).
-The built-in mic is omni-directional for better sound quality.

The Mino, like all Flip models has the pull-out USB connector for easy uploading of video. You can upload directly to YouTube or MySpace.

While the Flip cameras, including the Mino, don't take true still images, you can use the Flip software to take screenshots of video frames.

The Flip Mino is available in black and white, and is available now for $179.
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Have you ever been at the airport and seen a parade of dazed and elderly Asians, trailing bags that could easily have held a couple of large humans? You were witnessing an immigration, and those bags held every single earthly possession of those people. Seeing one of those sarcophagus-shaped bags always chokes me up because they become a bit of a legacy- those bags live in the homes of immigrant families forevermore. Most often, they're used to pack several tons of blue jeans and Maybelline makeup, treasures from America, to take back to the homeland for a visit.

Of course, these days, it would be really hard to pack up one of those giant bags without incurring baggage overage fees that exceed the price of a trans-pacific flight. These days my family members use regular luggage and struggle to weigh the unwieldy suitcases on bathroom scales. I want to get everyone a Balanzza luggage scale, so they can use those body bags again without fearing the baggage counter. The Balanzza is a small, 10 oz. device that you simply hook to the handle of the bag, then lift. You hear a beep and then you can read the weight. That's it. The Balanzza is accurate up to 100 lbs., which is a whole lot of mascara and Jordache.

The Balanzza luggage scale is $25, or you can get a 12-pack for $250.

The first video sharing website for women launched in beta a little over a month ago, with the mission to build an online community around the creation and sharing of intelligent video content. SheZoom offers professional videos featuring experts on topics such as technology, food, money and fashion, as well as member contributed content. Once you join as a member, you can share your own videos, and comment on and rate other videos on the site. The site also links to popular videos on YouTube and other video sharing sites; SheZoom, editors curate this outside content for those of us who are too busy to comb through it all ourselves on a daily basis.

Experts you'll find on SheZoom include Greg Harper (technology consultant), Jeff Morgan and Jodie Morgan (food and wine experts), Dr. Lou Aronne, (obesity expert), and Julie Ross (parenting expert). The site's primary focus, according to founder and CEO, Stacey Artandi, is the community aspect of video sharing: "All of our contributors can relate to one another and have a wealth of knowledge based on their experiences as executives, mothres, runners, sisters, chefs - the list goes on and on. SheZoom enables women to tape into and share this collective knowledge."

I have to admit that I'm absolutely not a fan of videoconferencing. Who needs to know that I'm in pajamas at 2 pm or that my allergies have turned my eyes into pools of blood (both true right now, but you didn't need to know that, did you?) ? The webcam phenomenon puzzles me in the same way as the scoreboard cam at ballgames. It seems the more drunk or idiotic someone looks, the more they want people to see them.

So I don't like it, but unfortunately most of my family doesn't agree, so I'm constantly being pestered to turn on my cam. Perhaps with the Magic Mirror cam, I'd be somewhat more likely to comply. The Magic Mirror looks like a regular vanity mirror, and is surrounded by 24 LED lights. Behind the mirror is a camera, so you can smile into the cam, and see what's being broadcast to your Skype buddy. The adjustable mirror also makes it possible to set it to your best angle, minimizing double chins and eyebags.

Another possible use? Leave the cam on, and monitor your computer space. Other than the USB port, it looks like a normal mirror so when office spies and jealous boyfriends approach your computer and can't resist taking a glance, you can monitor from a remote locale.

I still think it's easier to just turn off the cam, and save the grooming routines for when you're actually going out. But the Magic Mirror is just $65 from Compact-Impact.

I'm British, so what I know about solar power (and in fact, the sun, ha ha) could be written on the back of something really small (one of these, perhaps) but I do know that for most people, solar panels are not a practical or affordable rooftop accessory.

However, that could change with the news that a company called Lumeta has developed a "peel and stick" design that should be much cheaper and easier to apply than the standard rack-mounted solar panel design of old. Lumeta's panels are apparently half as heavy as concrete roofing tiles and can be tailored to fit on most types of roofs, but what really caught my eye was that they come in a variety of colors, too: so they can blend in - or stand out - as much as you'd like.

Treehugger reports that they may not be the most energy-efficient of solar panel designs, but anything that makes eco-friendly housing easier and more accessible for the masses has to be a good thing in my book.

Just make sure you hire a professional to stick them on, won't you?

[Image: Lumeta].

One of the most compelling moments of the movie Memento, for me, was when the lead character, who is suffering from complete loss of short-term memory, revealed a series of tattoos on his body to remind him of vital facts that he needed to know in order to survive. What else is as enduring or as accessible as a tattoo? My sister is such a post-it addict, that she not only uses a Stickies program, but she also keeps the actual post-its attached to her monitor. And then there are more post-its along her path out to the front door, and then a great big one on the front door to remind her of why she's leaving. How much easier would her life be if she could just tattoo those reminders on her body instead?

Now she sort-of can, with ToDo-tattoos, temporary tattoos with lines for making neat to-do lists right on your hand. They come with a skin safe marker so you can write on the tattoos without fear of death by ink poisoning. This is one step towards my dream of having an e-ink display embedded in my palm (and another one in my husband's forehead because I always have to remind him that he's supposed to remind me to do something).

ToDo tattoos are $3.50 for a pack of 12.

Two things immediately sprang to mind when I saw this new invention: "Why didn't I think of that?" and "Where was this when I was in high school?"

From what I know, these Wordlocks are the first combination locks that allow you to set your combination using words rather than numbers. If you're like me, and can't remember a number sequence, these are for you. With a variety of products from padlocks (great for lockers, toolboxes, etc.), bike locks and TSA recognized luggage locks, you'll never need to remember a number combination again.

I have the iTrip for my trusty iPod, but have been waiting impatiently for Griffin to develop one for my iPhone, which is constantly running down the battery. Like its sibling, the new iTrip product allows users to play AND control iPhone or iPod while charging its battery. iTrip sends the music wirelessly to a car's FM radio so the user can listen through the car's stereo speakers. Ta da!

SmartScan technology makes it easy to find the best three radio frequencies, then saves them automatically as presets for easy recall. If you're lucky enough to have a newer model car, RDS technology shows song information on RDS-enabled car radio displays.

With AutoPilot playback control, the set of controls are right up front on the power adapter that you plug into your cigarette lighter, and as the adapter features illuminated symbols for Play/Pause and Track Forward/Backward button controls, it's a snap to use. After a little practice you won't even have to look down since you hear a satisfying little "click" when you've switched controls.

$99 at Griffin, and worth every cent.

Remember Sprint's version of the HTC Touch which came out over a year ago? The much-heralded

What good is your iPhone or iPod touch if you can't get to it? WindowSeat gives your device the best seat in the car by mounting handily at eye level on your car's windshield or dashboard, putting all of your street maps, directions etc. safely in view and easily within reach. Attaches with silicone suction pads and allows easy access to dock connector and headphone jack. When you leave the vehicle, there's a convenient corner-release which lets you easily detach your device to take it with you, while leaving the mount safely in place. A nice touch is the swiveling ball-and-socket joint which makes it easy to adjust the angle.

Conveniently, it can be used in conjunction with Griffin Technologys PowerJolt charger for iPhone and iPods.

Just out, you can pick it up for $29.99 at Griffin. Also available at Amazon.
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See more of our picks from Amazon in the Popgadget Shop.

On my recent jaunt to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx to see the Darwin garden, I was too early for more than a few of the blooms in the Botanical Garden's huge formal rose garden. It's named for Peggy Rockefeller, source of the river of gold required to keep it going, but the rose garden's true designer is landscape architect Beatrix Ferrand.

Ferrand worked her garden magic early in the 20th century. A woman in what was at the time a man's profession, Ferrand is not as well known as she should be. No Wikipedia entry! A perfect project for some feminist green soul out there. Ferrand is not mentioned on the Botanical Garden website either -- I learned that she designed the rose garden from a recorded tour guide.

A formal rose garden may not be your style. Not mine either; I like my roses rambling rather than clipped and managed to a fare-thee-well. But June in this enormous rose acreage is the best possible time and place to plan your own rose growing.

For the last several years, the still pretty crappy cameras on my cell phones have been my main camera. Knowing that I have the cam on the phone in case of impromptu photo opps (generally involving my dogs) makes me less likely to want to drag around yet another device. So now I have hundreds of great pictures, or pictures that would be great if they weren't so low-res and crappy. They're not suitable for framing or generally even for printing because they'd look like blurs.

Unless... you're printing with a Polaroid Pogo pocket printer, which prints small, 2" x 3" prints with sticker backs that are small enough to look good even with the resolution provided by most phone cameras. Not only that, the Pogo is wireless and inkless, and weighs only 8 oz. Using Bluetooth, you can print directly from your cell phone. The Pogo prints in full color in about 60 seconds. The printer is inkless because it uses Zink photo paper which is covered in heat-activated crystals. Unlike the Polaroid photos of old, which were prone to smearing, Zink photos are waterproof, tear-proof, and smear-proof. The printer works both with a battery or with the charging cable.

The Pogo will retail for $149, and will be available in July at Target and Best Buy.

As evidenced by the ever-popular Hello Kitty vibrator, and Gloomy Bear, cute Japanese toys are not always as sexless or as gormless as they may appear at first glance. Tomy's "Healing Partner" doll may not be that cute, and isn't covered in bloody wounds, but it follows the Japanese tradition of something which looks benign being a little menacing. The Healing Partner doll shadow sleeps with you- so using six sensors it goes to sleep when you do, and stays awake ungodly hours when you do. And then it lets you know what it thinks about your joint sleeping pattern by singing sweetly when it's well-rested, or hurling abuse when you've been out all night, leaving it alone and shaking with fury, filled with robo-psychotic thoughts.

Since Healing Partner already looks like it's suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after a few tours of duty at war, you probably need to kick it out of bed before going on a sleepless weekend bender.

Healing Partner is available in Japan only, but can be purchased from Audiocubes for $180.

I always encourage people to embrace the opportunities for communication that new technologies have opened up: from VOIP to IM, cell phones to voicemail, blogging to social networking, I'm all over it, all of it.

But there are some people who you would think would have better things to do with their time. So whilst I admire the initiative behind Gordon Brown's idea to answer questions from the British public over YouTube (politicians should be more accountable, not to mention more adept when it comes to new technology) I can't help thinking this could be an invitation to disaster - surely the admin involved will be an organizational nightmare?

Still, any Brits who are less cynical than myself have until June 21st to submit questions via the Downing Street YouTube channel. And I must admit it seems a better use of the Internet than the web camera of opposition leader David Cameron - watching a politician eat breakfast isn't high on my list of priorities...

What do you think - should politicians stick to what they know, or try to attract the technophile vote?

Via the BBC.

About to pay $4 for a gallon of gas, as I am? Or maybe you're already beyond that particular sticker shock? If you're in Europe, of course, you're chortling merrily at the thought that gas-hogging Americans are getting their comeuppance at last.

Anyway, you and I want to cut back on driving. Here's one way. Cut back on trips to the grocery store. Blogger Garlic Breath tells you how.

My first question: what about the food shopping not carried out at a grocery store? What about all those lovely local vegetables, like the fat purple asparagus that got us through much of May? And the strawberries. And the peas? Peas, please, even though they must be shelled. And the tiny summer squash and blackberries and sweet corn that will arrive in July?

All of which must be purchased afresh every few days from farmers that are local, but not quite local enough. Decidedly not within walking distance.

Garlic's answer to that is Grow Your Own. Easy for her to say, I whine, my yard gets no sun. Knowing full well there are ways around the sun problem, like community gardens, if I only wanted to Grow My Own. But, sorry to say, I don't.

So I'll compromise. I'll try to plan ahead and stock up so I can skip the supermarket more often. I will keep driving to farmer's markets, but will tell myself I'm saving fuel because at least my lettuce isn't shipped across the country from California.

Maybe because it's spring, season of green, here in the Northern Hemisphere. Or maybe because of climate change or the parlous state of the world's finances -- unless you're a citizen of, say, Saudi Arabia. But the sudden interest in ecoproducts and other greenmatter is pretty astonishing.

Here's an entry that could hardly be more homely. Blogger DLTK lists 101 things to do with an empty cardboard toilet paper roll.

Most of these are kid items, like making bowling pins for a birthday party game. But a few are suitable for a kid-free household that's nonetheless undergoing both greenmindedness and frugality.

For example, pencil cups. Wreaths (using 14-16 rolls per each, which is a lot of TP for a kid-free household. My condolences.)

Or what about holiday-themed napkin rings? Although that raises a perhaps insoluble issue in parts of the world overrun with applicances. Which is more ecologically sound: paper napkins? Or cloth napkins that must be laundered in hot water (and possibly, horrors, dried in a fuel-slurping dryer)?

I would imagine that most people who own iPhones aready had one or two iPods, and that most people don't use their iPhones as their only or, even primary, music player. That's why this new charging station from Griffin Technology, PowerDock 2, makes a lot of sense. Priced around $50, It holds any combination of iPhones and iPods (as it comes with 6 universal dock adapters), and is now available at Apple (in stores and online), and will soon be available at Griffin's online store.

And in July, iPod/iPhone hogs and Apple-loving families, will be able to park and charge their multitudes in the PowerDock 4, which will retail for around $70.

The perfect skin analyser sounds like a potentially useful beauty gadget - for all of five seconds. After that, you think: what's the point? I mean, if this gadget tells you your skin is perfect, sure, you'll be happy, but if it isn't, what's this little gadget going to do about it? Surely there are enough reasons to be unhappy with the world without paying £17.95 ($35.25) to discover that the softness of my skin isn't up to scratch.

As I've always had a tendency to acne, I don't think I need a device to tell me my skin looks bad - I have a dermatologist for that. But if your skin blooms like a fresh pink rose I hate you perhaps you'd like to pick up one of these and get a daily ego boost - they're available from Alternative Gifts Ltd.

Via Shiny Shiny.

Sunglasses to me are what Manolo's are like to Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker, in case you've been living under a rock.) I have the beach "cheapies" (10 bucks) and my stylish Kate Spades (let's just say over a hundred dollars), but for real performance I always carry my Oakley's. Simply put, they make the best polarized lenses - no distortion, real colors, and because of the "water sheer" factor, you can even wear them in the pool. (Oakley calls it, amusingly, the Hydrophobic feature, but basically it's a permanent lens coating that prevents water from leaving streaks and sheens, which can compromise vision. It also works against sweat, skin oils, fingerprints and suntan lotions.)

Now they've taken them one step further and improved the fit by enlisting female athletes in the design process. The result? Two sizes of interchangeable nose pieces which come with every frame, adapting for the perfect fit, and a frame made of something called "Unobtanium," which makes them light. Also, the supple synthetic increases grip with perspiration.

For unbeatable clarity at all angles of vision - even at the sides - the lens contours provide peripheral view and optimize protection against sun and wind, and - god forbid - side impact.