Phones

When Bono and his buddies came up with the Red campaign a while back to promote AIDS awareness in Africa, I was delighted--not only because of the charity involved, but also because red is my favorite color. I wish more gadgets came in red. It does appear that the savvy folks over at Motorola have answered my call, with a brand-new crimson edition of the Motorola Krzr that they have dubbed the Krzr Fire. It is sadly available only in Korea for now, but it would be quite lovely if it were available here too.

Everyone has seen those arm straps to hold your iPod, but a company called JAMinnovations also makes arm/wrist straps to hold your cell phone or smart phone. The straps will hold handsets of all different designs, from tiny flip phones to clunky candy-bar models. They even have a strap for Treos and other smart phones.

No doubt, having a cell phone on your morning jog would be convenient in an emergency, but otherwise the straps border on the land of "things you don't need" (at least in my opinion). And what's more, they just seem … Read more

As far as we're concerned, the new year can't come too quickly. Not only does it mean some time off, but it also puts us closer to Macworld, where hopefully all the iPhone speculation will be put to rest. After months of gossip and a gallery of iPhone "photos" ranging from the silly to the just plain ugly, we're getting the tiniest bit sick of it all. Unfortunately, the Steve Jobs love-fest is at the same time as CES, but if we see something substantial next month, we'll be ecstatic. Of course there's … Read more

The new incarnation of the Nokia's N91 music phone is labeled on the company's U.S. Web site as "coming soon." In case you don't know, this second N91 has an 8GB hard drive for storing your tunes (double the 4GB hard drive on the first N91), and it sports a sleek black color scheme (as opposed to silver). After black was the new silver, and pink was the new black, it appears that, at least for smart phones, black is the new black. The phone also will offer an A2DP stereo Bluetooth, and Nokia … Read more

We chuckled at the Dolce & Gabbana Motorola Razr, and we scoffed at the Bang & Olufsen Serene, but that doesn't stop the influx of marriages between high fashion and mobile technology. The latest to tie the knot are Prada and LG, who are set to collaborate on a fashionable phone that would apparently rival the catwalks of Paris in its elegance.

No images of the phone so far, and we don't know too much of the phone's features either. But with a name like Prada, it'll probably be way out of my price range. Set … Read more

We've never been huge fans of touchpads; call us old-fashioned, but we just like the feel of a mouse in our hand. But we also understand the aversion to carrying one more thing with your laptop.

Geniusnet has addressed at least part of that problem with the "Genius Navigator 380," a combination VoIP phone, instant-message device and optical mouse released in India.

While being used as a mouse, the closed clamshell handset can still ring or its LED will blink when someone is trying to reach you. It supports up to six instant messengers simultaneously in one … Read more

'Tis the season for giving, all right. Just when we were whining about solar chargers being too big and bulky, Chip Chick comes along and posts an item on a solar mobile phone charger that's not only much smaller than others we've seen but could even pass as a fashion item.

True, chargers made by generic companies in China like this one aren't known for having the best track records. But given its manageable size (about 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick) and its price of $18.50--including adapters for various phones and MP3 players--we … Read more

Today, Verizon Wireless introduced an all-black version of the Motorola Q, and while it's all sexy cool on the outside, it's pretty much the same on the inside. However, the Windows Mobile smart phone is said to ship with the second software update, which should help improve battery life and fix other bugs. Also, this version features a rubberized casing that's black all the way through (via Qusers.com), so scratches shouldn't be too revealing. You'll have to pay a little more for the privilege of carrying the Moto Q black, as pricing starts at $… Read more

It must be nice to own a phone from Vertu, maker of handsets for the rich and famous. For one thing, you have to be able to afford one. (A Signature Standard platinum model lists for for $31,850.) Second, you may need connections just to track it down, as only hundreds of models are made in particular lines.

Now Vertu has finished the last of its "Racetrack Legends" series, completing the set with the "Monaco" and "Nurburgring" editions, in yellow and titanium gray, respectively. Like others in the line--limited to 1,000 phones … Read more