One of the worlds leading cell phone manufacturers officially dips their hands into mobile computing. Nokia which had announced a Netbook months back has finally made the device available to consumers. The Finnish giant together with AT&T will release it’s first ever “booklet” bundled with 3G data to the consumer market place. The new Nokia Booklet 3G will be sold exclusively at all Best Buy locations nationwide as well as standalone Best Buy Mobile stores. The Netbook will cost $299.99 with a 2 year activation and data plan from AT&T. The Booklet is also available for $599 with out data plan ( a bit steep for a netbook we think).

The new Booklet will feature a pure aluminium design that makes for a polished and luxurious finish. The computer will be powered by the standard Intel Atom processor and will run the new Windows 7 OS. With embedded 3G/HSPA and WiFi connectivity options and a weight of only 2.76lbs, the device will be extremely travel friendly. The Booklet will also serve up an HDMI port for for HD video with a 10.1 inch display. Other features such as integrated GPS with OVI Maps and Bluetooth complete the mobile package.

Look for the new Netbook to hit the shelves at Best Buy starting on October 22nd.

Verizon Launches HTC Imagio

October 7th, 2009

Verizon has officially released their first Windows Mobile 6.5 smart phone this week. The new Imagio from HTC is a touchscreen bar phone that is absolutely packed with features and style. The phone features a 3.6 inch WVGA vivid display and an antenna on the back that doubles as a kickstand. The device also sports a 528Mhz Qualcomm MSM7600 series processor with 256MB of ROM and 512MB of RAM. The camera steps up to a 5.0MP compared to the 3.2MP we saw on the Touch Pro2. Other features such as a 3.5mm headphone jack, microSDHC card slot, Opera and TouchFLO 3D user interface make the device a multimedia monster. Verizon has also introduced V Cast Mobile TV on this device. The service provides live TV programming from numerous cable channels (Bravo, CBS, Comedy Central, ESPN, MTV, NBC) and will cost $15 per month. The Imagio will set you back $200 on a new 2 year plan and is available exclusively only on Verizon.

South Korea Approves iPhone

September 23rd, 2009

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.

N86 8MP vs. W995 8MP Phone Review

September 18th, 2009

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 Launch Zune HD

September 15th, 2009

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.

Nokia N86 8MP: Video Review

September 14th, 2009

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.

Meet The New iPods From Apple

September 10th, 2009

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.

Nokia N900: The Tablet Phone

September 1st, 2009

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

Nikon has unveiled the worlds first digital camera with built in projector. The s1000pj features a 12.1mp camera with 5x zoom and an ISO range 0f 3200 to 6400. The camera sports a 28mm Nikkor wide angle lens with full macro capability. Now to the cool part…all the photos and videos taken by the camera can be projected on any flat surface up to 40 inches in size. This feature allows users to watch their videos and pics instantly right on the spot without the need for a pc/monitor. Other features such as Smile Timer, Blink Proof, Blink Warning, and Red Eye Redcution make this shooter the ultimate package. The camera also has the ability to retouch images on the fly with the Quick Retouch mode feature. The s1000pj will sell for $430, and is expected to ship early September. Check out the demo video below to see this unique gadget in action!

Samsung and Sprint have officially released their newest Earth friendly device, the Reclaim M560. The new Reclaim’s housing is made from 40% bio-plastic which is derived from corn product.  The packaging which is also eco friendly is made from 70% recycled materials. In Sprints effort to become more eco-conscious they have decided to donate $2 to the Nature Conservancy’s Adopt an Acre Program. Now lets get down to the specs: Samsung has kept this phone pretty basic but no too bland at the same time. Some of the main features include a full QWERTY keyboard, GPS, Social Media widgets, 2MP camera, and a microSD slot. The mobile also features a standard headphone jack with volume rocker to give a decent music experience as well. If you wish to get your hands on this eco friendly & stylish handset it is available today for $50 after a 2 year deal from Sprint.