PDAs

A weapon against bag snatchers

Even though we fully acknowledge our unusual paranoia about anything involving airport security, we think normal people may benefit from something like this too.

The "Bag Snatcher Alarm" might be worth the $72 investment if you've ever had a momentary panic attack when separated from your luggage at a terminal counter or hotel lobby, however briefly. The concept is simple: You attach a signal transmitter to your suitcase or bag, then affix the receiver to your keychain, clothing or forehead. If the two devices are ever separated by more than 2 to 5 meters, the receiver will … Read more

Wear all your gadgets, all the time

The world has been waiting for the ultimate all-in-one uber-device for years, only to be disappointed time and again. So many of us are destined, at least for now, to carry a few gadgets at a time. But where do you keep your cell phone, camera, MP3 player, PDA and anything else you can't do without?

Brookstone has one alternative with its "Technology-Ready Fleece Jacket," which goes where iPod apparel leaves off. The jacket has 12 hidden pockets designed to carry all your precious possessions, as well as a "patented routing system" for earbuds and … Read more

A homing device for the absent-minded

Why couldn't we have had one of these last month when we lost our cell phone? Or how about last week, when our car keys mysteriously disappeared? And about the dog...

Anyway, even less-addled individuals would undoubtedly find good use for the "Loc8tor," which offers some hope for the possession-challenged among us. Shiny Shiny says the handheld device comes with 24 tags, each about the size of a fat paper clip, that can be attached to your prized possessions and/or loved ones if necessary. When any of them are out of a designated range of up … Read more

The world's thinnest mobile LCD

In the cruelly fickle and anorexic world of handheld devices, 0.07 millimeters can be the difference between love and rejection. So for the moment, at least, the Thinner Than Thou Award apparently belongs to Samsung, which has developed an LCD no thicker than a credit card at 0.82 millimeters.

Newlaunches says the new 240- by 320-pixel screen, which is scheduled for mass production in the second half of 2007, obliterates the previous record by a whopping 0.07 millimeters. At this size, every fraction counts: Even the screen's surface measurement comes in two sizes, of 2.1- … Read more

Shocking: Palm's secret product still a secret

Way back in March, Palm cofounder Jeff Hawkins alluded to the fact that he was working on a mysterious third product category for the company, but we really haven't heard much about it since. (And frankly, that's quite a feat given Palm's horrible record of keeping its product announcements a secret, but I digress.) However, yesterday, a former vice president of product planning at Palm, Michael Mace, asked Palm CEO Ed Colligan if the project was still a go, and though he was quick to move on to the next question, Colligan said yes. You can read … Read more

Dress up your T-Mobile Sidekick 3

You know, it'd be really sad if you could make a ho-hum keyboard colorful, but couldn't do the same thing to a more personal gadget like, say, your T-Mobile Sidekick 3. Fortunately, we don't have think of such awful things, thanks to ColorWare, the same company that turns those drab white iPods into rainbow-colored delights. Now you can do the same with the Sidekick 3: ColorWare has teamed up with T-Mobile to offer the same customization options for the popular messaging device. The service costs $99, and you can choose from 28 colors in any combination, so … Read more

Sony phone has multiple personalities

This reminds us of one of those complicated wallets that folds five ways, with all kinds of pockets that never get used. But the Sony Ericsson W44S does have a legitimate reason for its odd Siamese-twin design because it's trying to be multiple devices at one time: a multimedia phone with a TV tuner, 3.2-megapixel camera and 115MB of internal memory that can record and play video. The "dual-hinge" clamshell can be twisted in different directions, according to Mobile Magazine, for use like a traditional flip phone or a PDA. (You have to see the photos … Read more

Bluetooth keyboard-stand combo works

We never quite understood the need for roll-up keyboards, especially those constructed to withstand post-apocalyptic conditions. For the most part, they just seemed more trouble than they were worth.

But there's something about this fabric keyboard from Just Mobile RoKy that struck us as different. It was this photo on Mobility Site that sold us: The keyboard's Bluetooth connection and accompanying universal stand for a smart phone or PDA make a lot of sense. Plus, the simple carrying case affixed to the end presumably would help keep the thing from unfurling in your pocket and onto the floor. … Read more

Cingular hit with Samsung BlackJack

Well, Cingular must have been a very good little carrier this year because it's getting all sorts of smart phone goodies for the holiday season. The Nokia E62, the HP iPaq hw6925/hw6920, and the Cingular 8525 have already been unwrapped and today, Cingular got another gift in the form of the Samsung BlackJack (a.k.a. Samsung SGH-i607). It's the second 3G-enabled (UMTS/HSDPA) smart phone for the carrier, which you can use to access the Cingular Video and Cingular Music services for streaming video and music downloads. Oh, and what's this? It's slimmer than … Read more

Hotels give 'CrackBerry' addicts a hand

"CrackBerry" addicts are getting much-needed help from, of all things, the hotel industry.

A few months back, the Sheraton Chicago made headlines by offering afflicted guests a harsh but effective cold-turkey treatment that put their BlackBerries under lock and key. Now, Hyatt hotels are offering a special hand massage designed to counter the dreaded "BlackBerry Thumb" malady.

The therapy begins with heat treatment and uses a "BlackBerry Balm" that "focuses on counteracting tension on various hand and arm muscles, specifically in the thumbs and overworked wrists," Hyatt said, adding that a 30-minute … Read more