LG Z1Pro: Laptop To Match Your LG Chocolate

Sexy black glossy finish. The same kind that made many go gaga over the LG Chocolate cellphone. The LG Z1Pro is the latest addition to its laptop arsenal, made with the Vista’s Windows Sideshow in mind. The 2.5-inch LCD on the top cover allows you to fetch your MP3, photos, e-mails, stock quotes, RSS feed, etc without draining the laptop’s battery.

Features:

• Processor Intel® Core 2 Duo Processor T5600 (1.83GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)
• Display 12.1″ WXGA(1280×800),Fine Bright Technology
• Graphics ATI® Mobility TM Radeon® X1350 (up to 512MB)
• HDD 120GB
• Wireless Intel® Pro/Wireless 3945ABG(802.11a/b/g)
• Bluetooth Yes (BlueCore™4)
• Multimedia Card Slot 5-in-1 (XD/SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro)
• Audio SRS WOW HD, SRS TruSurround XT, 5.1CH Dolby Digital, 24bit High Definition

Price: US$1,970
Availability: Now

Microsoft Zune: Halo 3 Edition

Halo 3 fans sit tight, ’cause Microsoft has announced the launch of a special Halo 3 edition of its Zune portable music player! Available for pre-order now exclusively from GameStop, the player will cost $249 and ship from June 15, 2007.

The Halo 3 Zune comes with:
Videos:

• Halo 3 “Starry Night” advertisement
• Halo 3 E3 2006 announcement trailer
• Halo 2 theatrical teaser trailer
• Three Halo 3 “making of” documentary videos
• A custom episode of Red vs. Blue – just for Zune!
• The first six episodes of Red vs. Blue Season 1

Music:

• Halo Original Soundtrack – Complete Album
• Halo 2 Original Soundtrack, Volume 1 – All tracks by Marty O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori
• Halo 2 Original Soundtrack, Volume 2 – Complete Album

Artwork:

• Over 120 different images, including game concept art, storyboards, paintings, and conceptual marketing imagery

Nokia 8600: Another Sexy Luxury Phone From Nokia

Check out this sleek successor of the Nokia 8800! Nokia has yet to announce this phone, but this official-looking picture here, and various in-the-wild shots are already circulating the internet like wildfire.

The phone will have Series 40, a 2-megapixel camera, quad-band GPRS/EDGE, Bluetooth, and a QVGA display.

Also, the phone’s already been approved by the FCC. It might not be long before Nokia announces it.

Now I’m torn between iPhone and this…

Intel Unveils World’s Thinnest Notebook

Look likes Intel has set its eyes on the laptop arena! And who said only Apple produces stylish laptops.

Codenamed the Intel Mobile Metro Notebook, this prototype laptop is co-designed by Intel and Ziba Design. With a mere 0.7-inch thickness, it is crowned the thinnest laptop ever. Weighing in at just 2.25 pounds and sporting Intel speediest processor, it is not just a looker.

This champagne-colored beauty will also come with a magnetically attached colored folder, which has a detachable strap for slinging the Intel like a Gucci.

Availability: End of this year.

Wireless Gadget-Charging: July 7th, 2007

Come July 7th, charging cables will soon be a thing of the past. On this lucky-number date, WildCharge will begin selling its wireless gadget-charging device.

By simply plugging in an adapter to your iPods and Nokias, and placing them on the charging pad, they will begin gathering juice wirelessly. A great way to reduce messy cables on your table and save the cable-plugging hassles. The kind of convenience that once you got used to, you’ll never look back!

Price: Said to be $49 back at CES during January this year.

YouTube On iPhone And Apple TV

It’s official, YouTube will be available on iPhone and Apple TV. This makes iPhone the very first mobile phone capable of playing back YouTube videos.

Some of you might be thinking, “does that mean iPhone can run Flash?” Well the answer is no. YouTube is currently converting its videos to H.264. By June 29, which is iPhone’s launch date, over 10,000 of YouTube’s videos will be available in H.264 format, ready to be watched on your spanking new iPhone. And by fall, most, if not all, of YouTube’s videos will be H.264-ready.

As for Apple TV users, a free software update is already available now using Apple TV’s built-in software update feature.

Sony PSP Slim Coming In September

It may look like the good old PSP, but the new PSP Slim slated to launch in September this year is 30% lighter and 19% slimmer.

Other improvements include faster game-loading and a TV-out feature to output your favorite games, photos, and movies to your big bad HDTV.

It comes in three different colors: Piano Black, Ceramic White, and Ice Silver.

Price: US$199

Rear View Mirror For Your Monitor

For those of you who MSNs, surfs HipTechBlog, or ogles at questionable pictures at work, a rear view mirror is a must-have. Regular mirrors just don’t cut it, you need this one for its convex mirror that gives you a wide-angle view of what’s going on behind you.

Measuring 3″ in diameter, comes in clear or assorted colors, and attaches to your monitor with Velcro. Everyone should have one!

Oh, unless you are fortunate enough to have your own office.

Wicked Lasers 95mW Green Laser Pointer Review

When Wicked Lasers sent us their Wicked Lasers Advance Phoenix 75mW to review last year, I wondered why I needed such a powerful laser pointer. After fiddling with it, I still don’t see why I needed one. But, boy was it fun! I don’t need one, but I sure want one.

This year, Wicked Lasers introduced their new Evolution series of green laser pointer. And fortunately for us, Wicked Lasers has sent us a unit to review again! This time, a Wicked Lasers Evo 95mW.

The Looks

In my opinion, the new design looks way better than the previous. It has sleekness written all over it. The silver gives it a touch of class which the previous design lacks, and the construction feels solid. The ‘ON’ button has a solid click to it too.

Panasonic HDC-SD5: World’s Smallest Full HD Camcorder

Consumer-grade High Definition videography just shrank in size. Panasonic’s latest HDC-SD5 HD Camcorder that was announced today is the world’s smallest 3CCD Full HD camcorder.

Measuring at 2.6 x 2.6 x 5.3in and weighing in at just 0.75lb, it is perfect for non-professionals who wants something lightweight and HD-capable. With its 1,920 x 1080 30fps recording, revamped image stabilization system, and Leica Dicomar lens, the HDC-SD5 is definitely a performer.

Price: US$999.99
Availability: September 15, 2007

Apple iMac: New Look & New Specs, Starts At $1,199

My current 24-inch iMac is now officially “second-latest.” It’s no pity though, as the new iMac is awfully seductive!

Nokia Recalls 300 Million Batteries. Is Yours OK?

Nokia has announced a recall of 300 million of its batteries, which are manufactured by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006. This is due to over 100 overheating reports from around the world.

Fret not, HipTech readers never get cellphones exploding on them.

Affected model: Nokia BL-5C battery

This battery is used in the following Nokia handsets:

Nokia 1100, Nokia 1100c, Nokia 1101, Nokia 1108, Nokia 1110, Nokia 1112, Nokia 1255, Nokia 1315, Nokia 1600, Nokia 2112, Nokia 2118, Nokia 2255, Nokia 2272, Nokia 2275, Nokia 2300, Nokia 2300c, Nokia 2310, Nokia 2355, Nokia 2600, Nokia 2610, Nokia 2610b, Nokia 2626, Nokia 3100, Nokia 3105, Nokia 3120, Nokia 3125, Nokia 6030, Nokia 6085, Nokia 6086, Nokia 6108, Nokia 6175i, Nokia 6178i, Nokia 6230, Nokia 6230i, Nokia 6270, Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6630, Nokia 6631, Nokia 6670, Nokia 6680, Nokia 6681, Nokia 6682, Nokia 6820, Nokia 6822, Nokia 7610, Nokia N70, Nokia N71, Nokia N72, Nokia N91, Nokia E50, Nokia E60

To verify if your particular unit is affected, check out Nokia’s Battery Replacement site.

Amazon Spills The Beans: Canon 40D DSLR

Looks like Amazon spilled the beans on Canon’s upcoming 40D DSLR. This highly-anticipated camera is actually rumored around the internet for a while now, but Amazon just went ahead and confirmed it all.

Availability: September 20, 2007
Price: US$1,299 (supposedly body only)

Most notable improvements from Canon 30D are the 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, DIGIC III image processor, large 3.0-inch LCD, 6.5fps continuous shooting speed, huge 75 JPEG/17 RAW buffer, and sensor dust removal system.

Nikon Unveils D300 and D3 DSLR

Great news for the professional level Nikon shooters out there. The Nikon D300 and Nikon D3 are here, and on paper, they are absolutely drool-worthy!

The Nikon D300 is the highly anticipated replacement for the successful Nikon D200, sporting tons of advanced new features that makes me itch to upgrade mine. 12.3-megapixels CMOS sensor, Nikon EXPEED image processor, Multi-CAM 3500DX with 51 autofocus points, self-cleaning sensor unit, 3.0-inch LCD with 922,000 pixels, and LCD Liveview shooting mode are the most notable changes and additions.

As for the Nikon D3, it is a dream come true for all the Nikon shooters who have been praying for a full-frame camera. Full-frame sensors offer various advantages such as having no crop factor and better noise control. Headline features include ISO sensitivity of 100-25600, 12.3-megapixel full-frame sensor, Nikon EXPEED image processor, Multi-CAM 3500DX with 51 autofocus points, 9fps continuous shooting or even 11fps in DX crop mode, 3.0-inch LCD with 922,000 pixels, and LCD Liveview shooting mode.

Nikon D300
Price: US$1800
Availability: November 2007

Nikon D3
Price: US$5000
Availability: November 2007

Nokia N81: Music Junkies Will Love This Phone

Unlike the N9x series cellphones which are designed for multimedia of all sorts, the new Nokia N81 is focused on music. It does not have any fancy Carl Zeiss lens or GPS, but it does sport really loud stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack, 8GB of internal memory for all your tunes, 3G, and WiFi.

It can be a decent gaming phone too, with its support for landscape orientation games and a D-pad suited for gaming.

Lastly, the Nokia N81 is configured to find and buy music and games from the Nokia Music Store and N-Gage games service. Sounds like a great integrated entertainment solution.

Artificial Cornea Gives Hope To The Blind

Major advancements in technology like this one are what makes the future worth looking forward to. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany have invented an artificial cornea that may well be the key to restoring sight for our people with damaged corneas.

“Our artificial corneas are based on a commercially available polymer which absorbs no water and allows no cells to grow on it,” says IAP project manager Dr. Joachim Storsberg. “Once our partner Dr. Schmidt Intraokularlinsen GmbH has suitably shaped the polymers, we selectively coat the implants: We lay masks on them and apply a special protein to the edge of the cornea, which the cells of the natural cornea can latch onto. In this way, the cornea implant can firmly connect with the natural part of the cornea, while the center remains free of cells and therefore clear.” What is special about this protein is that it can survive the later thermal sterilization of the artificial cornea without being damaged, as it does not have the three-dimensional structure typical of large proteins. Such a structure would be destroyed during the sterilization process, leading to changes in the material’s properties. The optical front part of the implant is coated with a hydrophilic polymer, so that it is constantly moistened with tear fluid.

Researchers in Dr. Karin Kobuch’s working group at Regensburg University Hospital have already tested these corneas in the laboratory and found that their cells graft very well at the edge and cease growing where the coating stops. The optical center of the implant thus remains clear. The first implants have already been tested in rabbits’ eyes - with promising results. If further tests are successful, the technology will be tried on humans in 2008.”

GPS Tracking Key: Track Your Friends & Foes

Ethics aside, imagine a little weather-resistant device that will ensure that no unknown vehicular activities are carried out under your nose.

Measuring 3.8 inches in length and 1.46 inches in width (about the size of a slim mobile phone), the magnetic GPS Tracking Key by LandAirSea can be mounted onto your car (even underneath) instantly to receive signals from the twenty-four Department of Defense GPS satellites orbiting the earth to give you precise information on where a person traveled, how fast they drove, where they stopped and for how long.

Well, this is not to say that you are supposed to use it to monitor the whereabouts of anyone in real-time. (Thank God!) The recorded data, accurate up to 2.5 metres, can be downloaded and displayed over web applications like Google Earth simply by plugging the USB device straight into your computer.

I say this little thing is good for long distance road travel. If you’re someone who needs to know exactly ALL the details of your next road trip. You never know when this information come in handy, eh?

The LandAirSea Tracking Key runs on two AAA batteries and can last for approximately two weeks based on driving activity of 2 hours per day and alkaline batteries. Using lithium batteries would buy you even more tracking life

MacBook Air: Mac Love Is In The Air

For a long time, Apple fans have been hoping for a slim and lightweight version of the MacBook to come along. Even the lightest MacBook was over 4.5 pounds (2kg).

And so, after a long wait, it’s finally here. The MacBook Air.

Debut at the MacWorld 2008 yesterday, the MacBook Air is currently the world’s thinnest (and may I add, the coolest) notebook in the market, measuring a mere 0.76-inch (1.94cm) in height and 3lbs (1.36kg) in weight.

Charge your iPhone and iPod On The Move

To stay loyal to the Apple gods means you have to live with the non-removable batteries on your iPods and iPhones. Bringing the USB cable along with you everywhere is good if you expect to have computer access to get some charge from its USB port, but not too helpful if you are out, let’s say, on a safari. In that case, the RichardSolo Smart Backup Battery is an indispensable accessory