Hi-tech Frontier

Business Class Necktie Features A USB Flash Drive Don’t get too excited over this classy white USB necktie, since it doesn’t appear to be available for sale, but the concept was created by the designers at dialog05 as a means for making business contacts. Instead of swapping business cards, you can just download their contact info to the handy USB flash drive you have hanging around your neck all day long.

GBalpha announces Ranger GPS unit for Nintendo DS There hasn't exactly been a rush to flood the market with Nintendo DS-based GPS mods over the years -- and when we have seen them, they've been largely DIY affairs. Looking to fill a niche that most reasonable folks assume does not exist, GBalpha has announced the upcoming release of Ranger, its new touchscreen solution for those of you wishing to saddle your handheld with navigation duties. If you're curious, this bad boy sports a u-blox GPS module, 32MB extended memory, Google Earth map integration, and optional Mandarin and Cantonese voice prompts. Are you stoked? What if we gave you a price and a way to order it? Well, we can't do that for you. Sadly, large swaths of the product website are mum on those details.

Lenovo netbook with built-in 3G? The Lenovo S9 and S10 have already been approved by the FCC, so the appearance of this mysterious nine-inch Lenovo netbook in Uncle Sam's all-knowing database is certainly thought-provoking -- especially since it's got a built-in AT&T-compatible 3G card in it. That suggests to us that Ma Bell's about to start offering a subsidized S9 alongside its current stable of laptops, but we haven't seen or heard anything definitive yet -- do let us know if you spot something amazing in the SAR reports, would you?

Dell 8.9-inch Vostro A90 Dell's 8.9-inch Vostro A90, the Mini 9 with an identity crisis, has now hit stateside with a starting price of $349, about one-third the price of its Japanese counterpart. As you can probably guess, it sports a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270, up to 1GB RAM and 16GB SSD, Intel GMA950 graphics, 802.11g, 0.3 megapixel webcam, 4-cell battery, and Windows XP Home Edition -- sorry, no option for Linux here, but you can still order the Mini 9 if you want that option, a brighter color scheme, or a smaller bill.

HP Pavilion dv3, looks nice Now that HP's Pavilion dv2 has had time to shine, it's dv3's turn to take the spotlight. The gang at NotebookReview have put their hands all over the 13.3-inch, Intel Core 2 Duo-equipped laptop, and despite good performance, negative points go to the build quality, which was said to be worse than other Pavilion models. Specifically, it suffered from a weak / squeaky chassis, a bowed keyboard, and a narrow window of clarity for the display -- not gripes you want to have if you're looking to pay a cool grand for machine this size. While not recommending you avoid the computer, they suggest looking into the dv2 and dv4 to fill your HP-owning needs.

Ion Audio's Tailgater is the iPod dock that salutes those who rock Those who live rock and roll lifestyles need accessories that look the part, accessories like the Ion Audio Tailgater. It's a $199 iPod dock that, with a few scuffs and scratches and stickers, wouldn't look too out of place getting kicked around on-stage at the club. It works with any iPod (first- and second-gen users will have to made do with playback via the headphone jack) including the iPhone and Touch, has inputs for mics or other instruments, and even has an integrated battery for up to eight hours of rocking out when you're way out. Now all you need is a gaggle of roadies to carry it there for you.

LG X110 netbook LG's X110 netbook has been floating about Europe since last year, but it is apparently still headed this way, and it's now once step closer to availability now that it's passed through the FCC. Not surprisingly, the netbook itself appears to remain unchanged, with it still packing the usual 10-inch display, an unspecified Intel Atom processor, up to 1GB of RAM, a 2.5-inch SATA hard drive, built-in Bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and, apparently, your choice of a three-cell or six-cell battery. One thing we hadn't caught a glimpse of before, however, is the manual, which offers no shortage of insight into the proper use of a netbook, including reminders to not use it in a sauna or laundry room, to be aware of any potential foul odors, to not use the battery as a pet chew toy and, of course, to not leave any object closer than 15 centimeters from the computer.

LG GC900 Viewty II Put away your smudgycams and break out your wallets, LG's Viewty II has been given the full studio photo treatment as part of an unveiling at LG's official blog. Dubbed the Smart, the GC900 is just 12.4 mm thick (under a half-inch), packing a 3-inch touchscreen on its face and of course that 8 megapixel camera on the back, confirmed to be able to capture video at 720 x 480 and geotag photos using the integrated A-GPS receiver. WLAN and HSDPA are also confirmed, but that's about all the info LG is setting in stone at the moment -- not that we didn't already know everything about it.

HTC Touch Diamond2 unveiled We haven't heard much about the appearance of the HTC Touch Diamond2 on US shores apart from a few AT&T-related whispers, but the squared-off handset is starting to pop up overseas, and the requisite unboxings and video tours have started flooding in. Sadly, these early units are still running Windows Mobile 6.1, so beauty's only skin deep -- or at least as deep as TouchFlo2 3D.

LG Banter Quick: what has two keypads, changeable covers, and an LG logo plastered on it? The Banter, of course, which is shaping up to be a favorite for regional carriers everywhere. The low-cast text-centric device features both numeric and sliding QWERTY keypads (as anyone who scooped it up on Alltel already knows), a 1.3 megapixel camera, and microSD support up to 16GB; what it won't have is EV-DO -- but with a screen that small, users probably aren't going to care too much. Grab it now for $49.95 on two-year contract after rebate.

Motorola Hint QA30 texts its way onto MetroPCS So this is shaping up to be a week of "me toos" for the regional carriers, it seems; we have the LG Banter migrating from Alltel to US Cellular, and we've got the Motorola Hint hitchhiking from Alltel over to MetroPCS. Like the Banter, the unusually-shaped Hint goes squarely for the texting crowd with a full QWERTY keyboard -- but unlike the Banter, the Hint goes for a portrait slider. Features include a 2 megapixel camera, 140MB of onboard storage with microSD expansion, a 2.5-inch QVGA landscape display, and of course, AWS support for MetroPCS' airwaves. It runs $249 contract-free.

Samsung 1080p-blasting A800B and A900 projectors Good ole' Sammy's announced an octuplet of new projectors, and while we'd like to say they're all special in their own little way, two models definitely catch our eye more. The A800B DLP boasts a 1080p output, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 1000 ANSI lumens, two HDMI ports, and a variety of other input options. The luxury doesn't come cheap, of course: retail price is $10,000. The other full HD model is the A900, and although we're lighter on details with this one, we do know it's packing 1000 ANSI lumens, only one HDMI port, an impressive 12,000:1 contrast ratio, and what we can only assume is price tag of equal magnitude. As for others, we've got the travel-sized $700 P400 with SVGA output, the L220 (price unknown) and $1100 L300 for bringing VGA / XGA to classrooms, respectively, the XGA-blasting D300 for large venues, and a $1500 A400B for home theaters, which features WXGA, 2500:1 contrast ratio, and 2000 A...

Shower Pod It’s nice being clean. It’s a shame, then, that being clean is just so much damn work. Like, you get in the shower, and then you’re supposed to STAND there. Stand! And you have to be rubbing soap on your body and shampoo in your hair, and if you try and do that in opposite directions at the same time, it’ll make you fall over and you’ll crack your head open and die. And that would be bad. The automatic human washing machine takes most of the dying out of showers by not only giving you the chance to lie down while getting clean, but also by doing all of the actual cleaning for you. You stick yourself inside the washing pod and command it to go, and it will wash you with soap and water, use infrared light to steam heat you, pamper you with sound and aromatherapy, and then finish up with a seaweed wrap and some body lotion. Then you get out, and the machine sterilizes itself to get rid of all the nastiness you left behind. I have no idea how, or how well, the automatic human wa...

LG HB354BS Blu-ray HTIB Although pricing info for LG's HB354BS Blu-ray HTIB wasn't available by the time it hit the internet, TrustedReview's impressions of the all-in-one sound pretty favorable. Whether it's because LG chose to focus on quality over quantity by delivering "only" a 2.1-channel system or Mark Levinson sprinkled some audiophile-approved fairy dust over the pieces, it all came together pretty nicely. Once things were set up, the the slick UI and retractable iPod dock went a long way towards minimizing the light and hollow feel of the individual parts, and sound quality that didn't immediately fall apart with increasing volume didn't hurt either. As expected, the Blu-ray visuals -- rivaling LG's standalone BD370 -- didn't disappoint, which sealed the deal for this system. Even for surround sound, we'd take a solid 2.1-channel system over a lackluster 7.1-channel one, and TrustedReviews did too, giving it the HB354BS a recommen...

Step Up : Rehabilitation Aid and A Game Step Up is a brilliant catalyst for exploring creativity and building physical strength by functioning as a physical rehabilitation as well as a game. Set Up is designed to be used easily at home which incorporates an inflatable rug and a belt to wear for the players and includes various play methods, games and rehabilitation programs. Players can communicate with the main system through the adjustable rubber-line belt gadget for various body sizes. When the players make some movements on the mat, the belt converts the movements into light and vibration. With a rehabilitation specialist’s prescribed program, this product will allow patients to keep up with their conditions easily. As a game, Step Up works as a catalyst for children’s creative activities, and can target both educational and active games.

USB Moody 3-Port Hub and Erasable Memo Pad Features: Erasable memo pad Mood light with three colors (Red, Blue, Green) Environmental friendly, convenient to write down your message 3 Port USB Hub, USB 2.0 compatible Transfer speed up to 480 Mbps Self-powered USB Hub, no adapter required Plug & Play, no software required Support Windows Vista/XP/2000/Me Dimensions: 11 x 9.5 x 3cm (approx.) Weight: 98g Contents: USB Moody Message Pad Hub Marker pen User guide Price: US$ 13.00