iPhone: Attack of the Clones!

With the release of the highly anticipated Apple iPhone just around the corner, plenty of iPhone Clones have been popping up in the market. Take for example, the picture above which is a doppleganger of the Apple iPhone made by a Chinese manufacturer (who else!) and is called the Meizu miniOne. It sports a 3.3 inch VGA touch screen, runs on GSM networks and is set for release at the end of this year.

Other companies are also following suit with their own iPhone Clones. Auzy-Auction has two different iPhone like offerings for sale on eBay - one that's a more traditional iPod-looking phone, and one that strongly resembles the Pioneer DreamVision from one of my earlier posts.

I've no idea why the Apple iPhone sparks so much interest in the general public - mp3 player phones have been around for years now. Just look at the great range of Walkman phones from Sony or the N series phones from Nokia sporting mp3 players, radio, games, PDA functions, web browsing ability and even 3.2 megapixel cameras crammed into the one device! The Apple iPhone's against some tough competition, and I've got to say the feature set of the iPhone is poorly lacking in comparison to what's already out on the market.

Counter Strike Messenger Bag

Oh eBay, home of weird but wonderful things, how I love thee! During one of my eBay trawlings I happened to stumble across this fantastic Counter Strike messenger bag! The item listing describes this canvas messenger bag as only for "serious gamers" and comes with the generous dimensions of 320 x 320 x 80mm - not quite large enough for a CS-installed lappy, but easily enough room for everyday gear. A bargain buy too, at $14.99 each plus $6.00 shipping to anywhere in Australia.

ZOMGWTF?!?!

Oh dear. The moment we all feared has come along. There is now a M&Ms video game. The video game industry has finally hit an all time low. If the post on Hello Kitty mp3 players had you thinking about abandoning all hope for humanity, well this M&Ms game might just push you over the edge. However, with that said, I'm sure you're all just a bit curious about what the hell the "game" is even about, if it can so be called. Well, M&M's Break 'Em has something worse than zero storyline - a really, really shit one. Want proof? Okay, well don't shoot the messenger because you asked for it:

"The premise of the game is that a bad peanut has escaped from the discard bin and vowed revenge on the vast world of M&M’S by kidnapping them all and sealing them into crystals. As one of the commercial M&M’S, you managed to escape his wrath and must now save the others from certain doom by bouncing around in a retarded puzzle-like fashion."

ERRRRRR.... okaaaaaaay then. Basically it just boils down to your less than average puzzle game with a thin marketing/advertising ploy disguised very loosely as a plot. Buy it for the amusement factor if you must, but definitely not for the playability - it only rated a mere 12 out of 40 on DS Portable Review.

Creative SE2300 Wireless Headphones

In an iPod generation coupled with the terms "bluetooth" and "wireless" being thrown around everywhere these days, I'm surprised that this product didn't come sooner. Mind you, there's been heaps of wireless bluetooth headphones on the market, but they've all been a bit too clunky and awkward to appeal to the masses. Creative are on the ball though, with the release of the Creative SE2300 Wireless Headphones - it's lightweight at only 53g, has built in volume controls, up to 10m coverage, 8 hours of battery life and best of all gets rid of that typical annoying headband on most wireless headsets with its sleek and sexy futuristic design. The neon blue backlight looks great as well, and would match perfectly with a black Creative Zen Vision:M.
Unfortunately the Creative SE2300s can only pair with its own bluetooth transmitter. At 6mm thin, I doubt this would be too much of a problem for most people, but it's a disappointment it won't be able to work with bluetooth enabled mobile phones. I'd also like to see a retractable cord feature that can be seen with a lot of the later generation Sony earphone models - that would really get rid of the hassle of cord tangling and make these set of headphones so much more convenient. However, as it stands it's a beautifully made product if a little pricey at recommend retail price of $129 USD.

More information on the Creative SE2300s can be found at the Creative website.

Hello Kitty mp3 Player

If you thought the mp3 player market was the only place free from the domination of the Hello Kitty Empire, you'll have to think again. Seriously, Hello Kitty's branded name appears on almost all consumer electronics items ranging from TVs, DVD players, waffle makers, cameras, and hell even guitars! I guess it should come of no surprise then that the Hello Kitty Empire has now forayed into even the mp3 player market. Oh yes, you heard right. There is a Hello Kitty mp3 player.


But hold up before you give up all faith in humanity and commit hara-kiri - things aren't all that bad. As it turns out, this mp3 player is definitely very cute and extremely well packaged. In fact, the mp3 player itself looks exactly like a miniature toy Hello Kitty, except that you can shove headphones into the left side of her head. Oh how... cute =/


ANYWAY, push Hello Kitty's right paw to turn the device on or off, or you can waggle her feet to adjust the volume or skip a track! It's definitely a novel idea and deserves some credit, as horrifying as the concept of a Hello Kitty mp3 player may be.


If this tickles your fancy, more pics and an in depth review can be found at pocketables.net

It's also available for sale from AudioCubes.com for $139 USD

Bluetooth enabled iRiver s10?

As some of you will know, the latest mp3 offering from iRiver is the s10 - a down-sized version of the hugely popular iRiver clix minus the video playback functionality - and with good reason! The iRiver s10 is comparable to the size of the iPod shuffle - around the size of a 50 cent piece. The major differences between the shuffle and the s10 are that the latter has an LCD screen which allows for navigation through the brilliant and innoative D-click system, and it also comes with an inbuilt FM radio. It comes in two different flavours (1GB and 2GB), and both are capable of music playback for up to 8 hours. It's pricey though, with a 1GB and 2GB model setting you back 150 and 200 buckeroos respectively.


Sounds good eh? But wait, there's MORE! Lately there's been rumour of an updated version of the s10, which comes with a USB bracelet and bluetooth functionality. The USB bracelet allows the s10 to be worn somewhat like a watch (yes, the iRiver s10 has a clock function) and can connect wirelessly to a pair of headphones via bluetooth. So far it's only a prototype circulating the Korean iRiver community, but boy I can't wait to get my hands on one of these babies! Fingers crossed these will start production soon and be available for purchase by the time I visit Japan next year!

Solid Alliance USB Hub

Speak of the devil. Just when I was talking about weird USB drives, most in the surprisingly realistic likeness of food, along comes this new product from Solid Alliance. From a distance it looks like a rather unimpressive plate of varied food, ranging from creme caramel, to beef patty and tempura, but upon closer inspection the tomato rice actually serves as a USB hub! The rest of the foodstuffs are 100% hand made USB keys each holding 1GB capacity. Well now, if that doesn't get your tech appetite rumbling, I don't know what will!

Sony Ericsson w810i Review

Upon first opening the box everything is neatly presented and the handset itself sits in its own little cardboard groove. Underneath this lies all the accessories packaged inside its own small box. Accessories include the charger, usb transfer cable, 512mb memory card and adaptor, handsfree device which includes some in-canal earphones and the proprietary software.


The handset looks decent enough and is satin black with orange accents. It's sleek and the screen is smooth and shiny, which unfortunately also means it's a fingerprint magnet. First looks reveal that Sony have done away with the joystick for this model, and replaced it with a directional pad instead. This means it's harder to navigate, but given the amount of complaints of broken or non-responsive joysticks on other SE models, it's a bit hard to tell whether this is a good or a bad thing. The screen is huge and encompasses around half of the mobile's top surface, however to compensate for this the keypad is exceptionally small and is definitely not made for those with larger, stubbier fingers. There's also no lens cover over the camera on this model - this means it's thinner, but that you'll have to be ultra careful to not scratch the lens while it's in your pockets.


The graphics look fluid and crisp on the w810i, and the interface is easy and intuitive enough to use. There's also dedicated keys to skip to the Walkman function as well as the camera. Navigating is simple using the D-Pad once you get the hang of it, but what's sorely lacking is a button to return straight back to the default screen. Making calls on the w810i is also a breeze, but the volume could be louder. The external speakers work exceptionally well though, and at times seem clearer and louder than while making a normal phone call.


The Walkman function is great in its simplicity. You can transfer tracks onto the phone by using the included software, or you can much more easily just drag and drop the files using explorer. Upon initiation of the Walkman function, the D-Pad immediately assumes playback function keys and dedicated volume buttons can be found on the side of the handset for ease of use. Inclusion of a headphone adaptor also means you can use your own headphones with the w810i, which is a great option to have especially if canal earphones aren't your type. Given the w810i's music bias, it's a disappointment that the handsfree doesn't possess its own set of dedicated playback controls. One would expect that a remote would be a standard accessory to include with this phone. Unfortunately you have to buy this separately which will set you back another $50 or so, and even then the handsfree and playback controls have stupidly not been fused into the one set, but are rather two separate controls on the same cord. At least the w810i redeems itself with a respectable 512mb card included, and can be expanded to up to 4gb - enough space to make a decent playlist from.


So far, so good. But how does the camera rate? SE models with inbuilt cameras have always enjoyed a great reputation when it comes to quality, and the w810i is no exception. Sporting a 2 megapixel camera, autofocus, 4x zoom and flash, the w810i makes a handy little companion when your real cameras not around. The pictures taken by the w810ilook very good for a phone camera. The macro shots are fantastic too. I took a picture of a magazine (photo below) and the words are actually surprisingly quite readable. But mind you, the quality and the flash definitely aren't good enough to replace a digital camera, but it's definitely a start.


Overall, the w810i makes a great multi-function package. It has a bit of everything, and it does everything well. That said, it can't beat dedicated devices in their own field however, so if you're a stickler for great quality photos or an music player to house your 30gb collection in, then you're better off buying a separate digital camera and mp3 player. However, if you're happy with a Jack of all trades, then the w810i is definitely for you.

Weird USB Drives

It seems that although USB drives nowdays are all the rage. Almost everybody owns USB drive of some sort now, but even with all these USB drives on the market it's still so hard to tell the difference between them all. Of course, not content to lie down and stick with convention, a couple of USB manufacturers have really gone out on a limb to create some of the most creative and weirdest USB drives ever.


Take for example these sushi USB drives. They come in a lot of different varieties guaranteed to set you out from the crowd. Impractical you say? But there's no denying they are beautifully made and also look finger lickin' real! A bit weird I hear you say? Well I promise you it has nothing on this next one.


Yes, that is a thumb. Yes that's a USB connector sticking out of it. Okay, so 10 out of 10 for originality, but 11 out of 10 for pure creepiness. What's next? A severed arm USB drive? A severed head? Oh yes... and speaking of heads... this last USB drive won't fail to turn those aforementioned heads.


OMG WTF?! Oh after those sushi and human thumb USB drives you thought you'd seen it all, hadn't you? But you were wrong. Oh so wrong. This is BY FAR the most morbidly original USB drive yet. Rip off the head of this barbie to expose the USB connector and plug it straight into your PC! Props for whoever's disturbed and repressed childhood mind came up with this one!

Click here to see more of the weirdest USB drives ever!

Fast fact of today: USB drives are named so after the Universal Serial Bus interface they are integrated with.

Mofo shirts! You can be a mofo too!

Why yes indeedy, there is a designer brand called Mofo, and they're designed right here in Australia! So if you ever wondered what a mofo looks like from a distance, they're the damn trendy people with the yellow shirts on =p With a cool design and a great tag that labels it as "made for mutha fuckers everywhere", it's a head scratcher why Mofo only gives themselves a four star rating... go figure!

Swarovski encrusted Nintendo DS Lites!

There's nothing like Paris Hilton wannabes to ruin the gaming scene. Paris Hilton herself designed this horrifyingly bling pink DS Lite that can only be described as an eyesore. And holy mother of God, one of these actually got sold on eBay to the tune of almost 900 Australian dollars... And you thought the PS3 was expensive. HA! Well, there's nothing like knowing that people out there can blast $900 on a hand-sized piece of gaming equipment to really put you in social and financial perspective. I think the lesson we've learned here is to never let Paris Hilton do anything except her day job. (Err... what exactly is that again?)


Luckily, bling hasn't been totally soiled and put to rest. The Nintendo World Store have made their response to Paris Hilton's freak of a paperweight DS Lite with their own Swarovski DS Lite covers. There's five different designer covers currently, but only four of them are for sale. The Super Mario Bros. one is strictly for display. At around $600 USD (converts to $730 AUD), I can't say I'm too disappointed.


Click here to be directed to the original story at Go Nintendo's blog archive.

Desktop Candy Grabber!

Bought this a while back just because it looked so cool. Now I've always been somewhat of a Skill Tester buff, so when I saw this for sale at Dick Smith Electronics, I just had to buy it! It operates just like a skill tester except that the crane controls are separated into 3 separate controls instead of being amalgamated into the one. A bit fiddly to control, but still easy to get the hang of once you've tried it a couple of times.


This little baby runs on 3 D-size batteries and is coin operated. In reality, the coin just pushes a small button, so using anything including a stiff piece of card will work. All in all, it's a great accessory for the desktop that'll have you earning your sweet treats instead of guzzling them down without any effort! If you're planning to go on a diet, this gadget will probably do you some good. Not to mention you'll rack up quite a saving after all paying $1 for all those misses! One thing though - grabbing gum balls is nigh impossible, so it's a much better idea to fill it up with chocolates and candies instead.

Sega Dream Chick (and Nightmare Cat)

Who doesn't love baby chicks? I've gotta say that I'm a huge fan of the hatchling stage, but after they're fully grown I start to lose my interest. Well luckily Sega Toys has come up with a great solution - the Sega Dream Chick Bot! It's a soft little chick-like robot that looks damn good and can cheep and flap its wings! Where can you get your hands on one of these little beauties you say? Glad you asked. You can purchase one on eBay today at Asian Net Store for around $30 including shipping. Buy a brood and save on postage!!! =]

Click here for a short unofficial video of the Sega Toys Chick Bot.


In the same vein there's also the creepy looking Cat Bot which can move its head, blink its eyes and wave its paws - all in a scary robotic manner. Imagine the horror at waking up to this robot cat staring at you from the darkness. They should release a special version with glowing red LED eyes to get some blood curdling screams going. However, priced at $400 USD, it's still way too expensive even for a practical joke, which is a shame since it's the only thing it's good for really... =/

Click here for a product information on the rather sinister Sega Toys Cat Bot. (The webpage itself is in Japanese, but the pictures and video speak for themselves)