The Latest from Techie Diva's Guide to Gadgets

CES 2009: PoGo Instant Digital Camera Posted: 13 Jan 2009 04:27 AM PST Does anyone even print out pictures taken anymore? I certainly don’t since most phones or cameras don’t make it easy for us, but Polaroid is bringing back the magic of the instant pictures with its Polaroid PoGo Instant digicam. Announced at CES 2009, the PoGo Instant can print out 2 x 3-inch photos in under 60 seconds on sticky labels and special paper you have to buy separately. Keep in mind, the PoGo camera still uses zero ink, but you do have to buy Zink paper in order to use it. The 7-megapixel camera appears to be pretty bulky, features a 3-inch display, and has several controls besides the screen that let you zoom, print, preview, and discard images as you take them. The camera will be available this Spring for about $199, while packs of Zink paper will likely retail for $4.99 and $12.99. Look for it in stores soon.

CES 2009: Palm Pre Posted: 13 Jan 2009 03:48 AM PST If you’ve been following the news coming out of CES, then you know the Palm Pre is all everyone is talking about, and for good reason. The Palm Pre is coming to Sprint, so all of those who held out for something better than the iPhone  should keep an eye out for this awesome phone. The Pre weighs 4.8 ounces, sports a 3.1-inch touch display, 8GB of storage, has a curvy slider body, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3.0 megapixel camera with flash, and Palm’s new webOS. It does lack a few important features such as removable memory, and video recording, but those may be addressed in future versions. The phone’s capacitive touch screen allows you use certain finger gestures similar to the iPhone’s to scroll through pages and zoom in and out. Like the iPhone, Pre also features a single button below the screen that acts as the home button, and has several side buttons that control the phone’s volume and airplane mode. Palm’s webOS is by far the most interesting feature in this phone because it lets you scroll though your applications using a “cards” model so you can view all your open applications at once. If you want to close any of them, you simply swipe your finger upwards to close them. With the Palm Pre you’ll be able to check your email, Facebook, text messages, and calendar among other things. There will be an app store  before the phone launches sometime this year, so SDKs will soon be available to developers. Price is rumored to be between $400 and $200 with a two-year contract, although nothing’s be officially announced yet so stay tuned. Below are some pictures and videos from my visit to the swanky Palm Pre lounge at CES.

CES 2009: LG Renoir Posted: 13 Jan 2009 02:23 AM PST I came across the much talked about LG Renoir at CES and was really impressed by all the features it has such an 8-megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G, FM radio, speakerphone, video capture, MP3 player, and Bluethooth. Some of my favorite photo features of the KC910 included the three shot modes: “Beauty Shot” which removes blemishes on a person’s face, the “Smile Shot” that only takes pictures when a person smiles, and the “Art Shot” mode that allows you take artsy pictures (black and white, sepia, etc) The LG-KC910 also comes with Face Tracking and Blink Detection, so not only are getting a cool phone, but a full-featured digital camera in one. Navigating the phone was a little confusing even with the touch interface, and I thought it was a little too bulky for my taste, but I still loved it because it’s like carrying two very capable devices (camera and phone) in one. The phone is not yet available in the US, but it will be released in Europe and Asia sometime during the first quarter of 2009. Here’s a quick video of what we saw at CES:

CES 2009:LG Prada II with Link Bluetooth watch Posted: 12 Jan 2009 09:51 PM PST iPhone or Prada phone? Hmmm, tough decision especially now that the new Prada II comes with a matching Bluetooth watch so you can see who’s sending you text messages immediately or reject calls.The swanky phone also features a 5-megapixel camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, three-inch multi-touch display,a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 60MB of internal memory, microSD card slot, FM radio, TV out, full HTML browser, and a camera on the font and back. Like the iPhone, this handset now features 2-way touch so you can zoom pictures in and out. The phone will be available in Europe soon. Here are some pictures and video of the lovely device. Video:

Monster Cable: Diana Ross, Dre, and Segways for Vets Posted: 12 Jan 2009 08:52 PM PST Attending Monster Cable events is always fun, especially during CES. This year, the Monster company held it’s Monster Retailer awards at the Paris Hotel where Diana Ross entertained the massive crowd of 1000+ that gathered inside the Paris Hotel. Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine were also on hand to talk about the new Beats Tour, and so was Ludacris who recently teamed up with Monster Cable to host a special contest. Below are some video highlights of the events. Enjoy! As a vet myself, I’m really glad to see Monster Cable helping out these disabled vets: Here’s a clip of the original Diva still looking good: What Jimmy Iovine thinks of Apple’s DRM announcement:

CES2009: LG’s watch phone Posted: 12 Jan 2009 07:58 PM PST One of the main attractions at CES this year was LG’s Dick Tracy-like Watch Phone. Yes, a real watch phone.  Below is  a video with a quick overview of the watch, but here’s a  rundown of the specs you will find: Dubbed the LG Watch Phone, this cool watch features Bluetooth, built-in speaker and microphone, touchscreen, side-mounted buttons, music player, camera for two-way video conferencing, voice activated dialing, and text to speech so it can read your text messages. LG tells us it will be available later this year in Europe, with the US soon to follow.

CES 2009: Sony’s VAIO Lifestyle PC Posted: 12 Jan 2009 07:32 PM PST I have to admit, as soon as I heard that Sony had unveiled it’s VAIO Lifestyle PC, I just knew I had to see it and I wasn’t disappointed. Weighing in at 1.4 pounds, the ultraportable Lifestyle PC (just don’t call it a netbook) features a wide 8-inch screen, 3G antenna that will connect to Verizon’s 3G, Atom processor, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, 2GB of RAM, Windows Vista, and up to 128GB of storage. I was told the clutch-like device is aimed at the ladies who want to be extra mobililty, but the clever male Sony rep pulled one out of his front jacket pocket during our interview proving this laptop is really just for anyone who appreciates good design and portability. The VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC will be out next month and retail for $900 (it’s no wonder they won’t call it a netbook) and will be available in red, white, black, and green. Accessories will follow, so you can accessorize the UMPC with colorful cases that match.

CES 2009: Motorola Aura Posted: 12 Jan 2009 06:48 PM PST I spotted the Motorola Aura at CES 2009 in Las Vegas, and let me tell you, this cell phone is beautiful. At first sight, you can tell this phone is not your average handset because everything about it screams luxury. The spectacular circular display on this handset works well with the swivel form factor, and has a screen with a 300 dpi resolution capable of displaying 16 million colors so try to imagine how clear that looks. When you nudge the Aura’s top cover,  it exposes a backlit keypad with a d-pad that helps you navigate through the phone’s interface. Inspired by classic time pieces, the phone features a small window on the back that shows off the phone’s  internal gears, and is designed with high-end materials such as a etched stainless steel housing, sapphire crystal, and has Swiss bearings. The $2,000 Motorola Aura includes a music player, a two-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, Motorola’s Crystal Talk, 2GB of internal memory, SMS, MMS, and an open source browser. Here’s a quick video to give you a better idea of what the phone looks like.

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