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The New HTC Hero steps on the training pitch at the Gazelle GadgetLab today wrapped up in it’s clean eco-friendly white box. I must say that the new Hero is a true head turner, from it’s intuitive Sense UI down to is contemporary stylish looks. Taking a brief look at this new Android device we see that it is powered by an impressive Qualcomm MSM 7201A 528 MHz processor. The handset also features a 5MP camera, trackball, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and HSDPA 3G. The Hero looks more like a Super Hero compared to many leading smart phones today. Make sure to check out the video below for the complete unboxing, enjoy!

Here at the Gazelle GadgetLab we always get our hands on the latest and greatest gadgets. We finally managed to take a look at one of the coolest and most innovative phones in the world. Meet the worlds first translucent keypad phone…the LG Crystal.  The GD900 Crystal from LG has a unique see through keypad that also doubles as a secondary touchscreen. The device also features a 8 megapixel camera, WiFi, and HSDPA 3G. Along with other features such as accelerometer, multi-touch input, and TV-out make the Crystal a multimedia power house as well. To take a complete look at the new Crystal check out the video below!

Starting this October the Apple iPhone will finally make it’s way into South Korea. The Korea Communications Commission said yesterday it decided to allow Apple to provide its location-based services with iPhone users, without having to gain a government license. The country which in the past has only allowed domestic brands to enter the marketplace (Samsung, Pantech, LG) in order to boost technology/economy has finally opened their borders for the iPhone. Many industry leaders feel that the introduction of the iPhone will increase mobile data revenue due to online mobile use. The phone is also expected to open the doors for developers looking to build applications for the device as well. No news yet if carriers will be forced to disable certain features as it was for the Chinese release (no WiFi). To start off it looks like KT (Korean carrier) will be the first company to see the iPhone with both the 3G and 3Gs models starting in late October.

The Gazelle GadgetLab got the chance to put two of the best 8MP phones head-to-head in a camera phone battle. The Nokia N86 which we covered last week will be challenged by the new Sony Ericsson W995 slider phone. The devices are both sleek & sexy looking sliders that will put most point and shoot cameras to shame. Will the Symbian powered N86 with it’s 28mm lens be too much for the media centric W995 to handle? To find out which device reigns supreme check out the video below!

Microsoft today have officially released the newest member in the Zune family, the Zune HD. The new Zune HD features an OLED multi-touch screen with an Nvidia Tegra processor. Other features such as FM tuner with HD Radio, WiFi, and 720p HD video store and playback complete this pocket friendly device. The Zune HD also sports basic games and applications such as a calculator and MSN weather app. Additional games, apps, and content should be available later when the Microsoft “Marketplace” launches. The device should also see 3D games becoming available in early November. The Zune HD is available today at retailers for $219.99 for the black 16GB model, and $289.99 for the platinum 32GB model.

The Gazelle GadgetLab got the chance to take a look at Nokia’s first 8Mp camera phone to date. The new N86 features an 8MP camera with a 28mm wide angle lens from Carl Zeiss. The camera can also record VGA video at 30fps. Powering the handset is the Symbian S60 operating system with feature pack 2.  This is the standard OS that we see throughout both Nokia N & E Series phones. The phone is said to be an upgrade from the Nokia N85 and it does truly surpass it (along with all other models in the N-Series family). Although the form factor remains the same (dual slide), the build quality has been increased 10 fold. Weighing in at 149 grams the device has a solid feel to it while still remaining pocket friendly. The new retro keypad layout along with shiny chrome trim make the N86 a real head turner.

Now for a few things Nokia could have improved with the N86. The N86 should have been released last year as a replacement to the n96. The technical features on the device are great but it seems a 2008 release would have really captured more users.

Speed: The phone does seem a bit laggy when going through apps and the camera. Although it has a ARM 11 434 MHz processor I think more power may have been needed to handle image processing.

Screen:The AMOLED produced great colors and vivid images, however in direct sunlight I found it a bit difficult to view.

Camera: Last but not least has to be the lack of a Xenon flash. Nokia has elected to use a dual LED flash which is not bad but in low lighting conditions the N82 still reigns supreme.

All in all the N86 is a great upgrade for those looking to move from their rock solid N95, lack luster N96, and trusty N85. Starting at around $500 unlocked many may want to hold off until Nokia starts rolling out a complete line of 8MP and 12MP camera phones early next year. For the complete review and wrap up on the device check out the video below.

Apple has released yet again another update to the iPod family. With price drops across most devices coming a few days ago, the public knew that new iPod’s were rolling out soon. Apple has unveiled the new iPod’s yesterday at the Apple Rock and Roll event in San Fransisco. Now lets take a look at these new toys below:

iPod Shuffle 3rd Generation: The worlds smallest music player has been given a minor tuneup. To start Apple has moved the controls to the earphone cord to save space on the device. Apple has also added VoiceOver which allows the shuffle to speak song titles, artist, and playlist names. They have also unveiled new colors to the lineup as well as a full aluminum chassis model. (Despite the updates the shuffle will still remain a G3)

iPod Nano 5th Generation: The new Nano brings the coolest feature to the ipod family, a camera!  With a built in camera and 15 video effects the iPod crosses all boundaries in portable audio. The Nano also features a built in microphone, speaker, and fm radio. Apple has also thrown in a pedometer for the fit and trendy.

iPod Touch 3rd Generation: The Touch gets a big update in terms of speed and capacity. With increased capacity (64GB) and a decreased price, the Touch still remains the world best multimedia device.

iPod Classic 160gb: The iPod classic gets a big bump in hard drive size but not in price. The new classic features a fast 160gb hard drive with a $250 price tag.

Apple has also released a new firmware version (3.1) for the iPhone along with the new iTunes version 9. For more info on all the new Apple updates and on the Rock and Roll event click here.

Based on feedback and a few questions, I decided to do another back-to-school post with a few tips about graphing calculators.

Depending on the students grade level a calculator can be a big a purchase. Most students, by the time they reach high school, will need a graphing calculator.

o Unless your high school student becomes a mathematics major, a good graphing calculator should last a student well through college.

o Talk to the teacher and find out what features are needed. Graphing calculators start around $100, but go up based on features and capabilities.

• If you don’t expect to need the calculator beyond geometry, trigonometry and the ACT/SAT, consider a basic option such as the Texas Insturment-83 Plus, which starts around $100.

• For more memory and a calculator that will survive calculus courses, try the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition.

• If you have a high school student, make sure the calculator you purchase can be used during ACT/SAT testing- otherwise you’ll be headed back to the store for another big purchase.

• Before you shell out cash make sure to check with your local school to see if they can be rented or purchased at group discounts.

• You can also consider purchasing a used item on eBay since the price of calculators’ drops significantly in the secondary market.  Check out our eBay store for high quality used items.

• Want more info? Check out this site for top questions you should ask when buying a graphing calculator.

Nokia has brought the new Linux-based Maemo 5 operating system to a handset for the first time. Meet the new Nokia N900 Smartphone tablet, a new unique device from Nokia that defines mobile computing. Following the success of the Maemo platform found in the N810 and N800 Internet tablets, Nokia has decide to create a tablet/phone with the N900. The device shares a similar form factor to the N810 as a tablet, and the N97 as a phone. The phone features a 3.5 touch screen display with a resolution of 800 x 480. When slid open the device features a 3 line QWERTY keypad for quick and easy typing. The N900 has a fantastic web browser that is powered by Mozilla. This browser is said to replicate a full size PC when it comes to the web. The N900 also sports 32gb of storage space, a Cortex-A8 CPU (like the 3GS), 5mp camera, GPS, Bluetooth, HSDPA, and WiFi. The N900 should hit store shelves sometime this October with an estimated price of around $700. Check out the video below for the spotlight from Nokia

I have a daughter who’s just starting preschool- and I can’t believe how a 1st day outfit, new backpack, markers and crayons are adding up to a real household expense.  It got me thinking about parents of older students who also have to think about expensive technology purchases… beyond the great Fisher Price laptop of course…

Everyday I work in the business of extending the life of consumer electronics. Typically this comes in the form of encouraging reuse by enabling consumers to trade in used electronics for cash and then we help the items get adopted into new homes. But today, I started thinking about how I could take this same principle and pass on some things we’ve learned about extending the life of electronics in your own home, while sharing some thoughts about smart buys and about when it might not be the smartest idea to rush out and buy the latest and greatest laptop.

A laptop is probably the biggest technology purchases parents make for their students during this time of year. When it comes to laptops- here’s what you should know:

•    Laptops should last up to 3-4 years so plan to buy one at the start of high school and again at the start of college. •    Maintaining your laptop is critical to having it perform smoothly. Performing software updates, keeping antivirus updated, and minor system upgrades will insure you get the most from your purchase. •    Students shouldn’t be early adaptors. When it comes to laptops, you don’t need to be the first one on the block to have the new operating systems so don’t rush out to be the first to buy Windows 7 for high school or college.

•    If you have an older laptop, consider small upgrades vs. buying a whole new one.

• Add more RAM. RAM has considerably dropped in price over the years and on most laptops. Adding RAM is as simple as swapping out the old for the new. You first want to check what type of RAM your system handles, and then the maximum amount of RAM that can be added. Shop around and find the best price, then maximize your systems RAM capability.
• Bigger Faster Hard Drive: Now that Solid State Drives have come into the picture, prices on standard hard drives have been dropping. A nice upgrade to an older system is a new bigger and faster hard drive. Most older systems probably have 5400 rpm drives with a size of around 80-120gb. For around $60 you can purchase a 500gb 72000rpm drive to dramatically improve your system. If you want an even faster system try installing a Solid State Drive, you will get better performance but at a higher cost. Make sure you check out Apricorn’s ADW-USB KIT ($30) to move your old hard drive data to your new drive quickly and easily.
• High Capacity battery: over time batteries just tend to wear out. Purchasing a new battery that has a higher capacity can bring new life to your laptop. You can find generic batteries on eBay that can save you 50-60% from what the manufacturer price.
• Clean out your System: Most older laptops probably have a ton of unused files. Try going through your installed programs (in control panel) and removing everything you don’t use. Also look for the useless software (crapware) that ships with a lot of new systems. De-fragmenting your hard drive is also another way to speed up your system. De-fragmenting your hard drive basically organizes all your files and puts your drive back in order (like re-organizing your closet)

Many electronics, including laptops maintain between 10-30% of their value even after a few years of use- so when you’re done with your item remember to trade it in and recoup some of the expense. Part of pricing is based on the condition of your item so investing in a good case and taking good care of your technology purchases really does pay off in the end.