Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Coco Chanel Fashion Phone is Powered by Dreams, Wishes [Cellphones]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/231018344/coco-chanel-fashion-phone-is-powered-by-dreams-wishes

This Coco Chanel phone has a leg up on other fashion phones by being an actually unique and new design, but takes a blow by being a mere concept based around technology that may or may not have been made up for the purpose of justifying a neat-looking Photoshop. Let's see if any of you can tell me how much sense the explanation of the technology is:

Works by integrating an optical fiber system that display image between two glass parts. There are 12 micro lighter fibers, that throw image components to the glass, that offer a quite good luminosity, and keep the mobile phone concept as light as possible. All lights only appear when you open the phone, by pushing removable part on the side of it.

Maybe I've missed all the other phones that are powered by micro lighter fibers, but this seems a bit too made up for my liking. But hey, shiny things! Isn't that what fashion is all about? I'll take three! [Tuvie via New Launches]

The gigantic "HTC Magnum" is convenient, inconspicuous

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/229885459/

Filed under: Cellphones

We're not really sure what to make of this supposed HTC "Magnum" that's been doing the rounds today. Sure, it looks like a gigantic, touchscreen HTC phone -- but we'd be hard-pressed to say this has any use outside of demo purposes and party time hijinks. Our guess is that this is a hilarious prank meant to thrill the interblogs, but it is possible that HTC has decided to move away from the tried-and-true handheld market to a more robust, manly line of products. Like a participant in a cat-fight, we won't "go there" on the specs, suffice to say, they make it sound really, really real. Check the video after the break to see the "phone" doing its thing, Ten Commandments-style.

Update: Yep, not real.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading The gigantic "HTC Magnum" is convenient, inconspicuous

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3G + N95 + JoikuSpot + WiFi + iPhone = 3G iPhone (the hard way)

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/230260585/

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

In the unlikeliest of unions since Julia and Lyle, we bring you some hot iPhone on N95 symbiotic action. Using the free JoikuSpot application released this morning, you can now turn any S60 smartphone into a WiFi hotspot. Yes, just like WMWifiRouter does for WinMo devices. Sure, the solution doesn't make much sense from locations with tethered Internet and you can't encrypt the http and https (only) traffic. But if you've ever been in a WiFi dead spot and needed to share access (think PSP gaming), this type of solution is pretty unbeatable. Assuming you have an unlimited data plan that is. Click the read link for the video.

[Via IntoMobile]

Read -- Video
Read -- JoikuSpot

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N-Gage First Access hacked for N95 8GB, others

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/230304147/

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming

That didn't take long. A mere day after the release of Nokia's N-Gage First Access gaming preview exclusively to N81 users, the app has been cracked open to work with any N-series device with enough horsepower. The hack was performed by Nokia regular P@sco, and comes in a convenient downloadable form, or an only slightly involved guide to hacking the app yourself. No rocket science here, and while we're sure Nokia could easily fight back, what we've really got to ask ourselves is why didn't Nokia just open it to everyone in the first place?

[Thanks, Michael J.]

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Cut four undersea cables, shame on you, cut a fifth, also shame on you

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/230444664/

Filed under: Networking

If you're reading Engadget today because your favorite Iranian gadget blog is offline, here's why: a fifth undersea cable has now been reported as cut (or at least damaged), responsible for ~~knocking Iran~~ and a few other million people mostly off the interwebs. Things were already looking awfully suspicious when a fourth undersea cable in the Mediterranean was cut yesterday, and while nothing about a fifth cable being cut necessarily means some sort of sabotage is to blame, it's not exactly reassuring. Emergency measures are already underway to repair the cables, but we're not sure our inter-continental Quake III Arena deathmatch can handle any more snips.

[Via Slashdot; image courtesy of I Love Bonnie]

Update: Just to be clear, early reports of the entirety of Iran being offline turned out to be exaggerated or perhaps entirely false.

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