Cell-iPod "Mobile Me" combo appears likely

It appears quite likely that Apple is getting ready to release a cellular-enabled iPod. Either that, or an iPod-enabled cell phone. If not, then why did Apple, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Ryan Kim, file four trademark applications earlier this month, covering such terms as "digital music", "cellular" and "communications"?

In a blog posted on ZDNet by Russell Shaw, he notes that the four trademark applications in question are Word Marks Apple has filed for the term "Mobile Me".

Additionally, Shaw notes that lots of people are speculating. Albert Lin and Shaw Wu of American Technology Research think an iTunes phone in the mold of the Motorola ROKR could be in the offing. So could a cellular-enabled iPod where Apple would act as a cellular reseller, buying bulk minutes from an established carrier and then reselling them to users.

With such technology, iPod users could download tunes over the air, from the iTunes store. That would mean an iPod phone would need to have enough browsing functionality to process secure micropayments.

Shaw adds that not everyone agrees Apple is necessarily headed toward making itself a cell phone reseller. Julie Ask, senior analyst for Jupiter Research, told the Chron's Kim that "Apple sells hardware and software. They don't have an existing subscriber base like cable companies, and they don't have content like ESPN that people have an affinity to."

But what if Apple were to launch streaming music channels that an iPod cell phone could offer access to? Now that would be the crunch.

Here kitty, kitty

Unlike Tweety Bird, we absolutely lurrve kitty cats, especially those that can sing like a canary. iPod in a pussy suit? Bring it on, we say. Meow. Feline fetish notwithstanding, it's a good thing we are not into calicos because this silicon pouch comes in only two colors--black or white. Available only in Japan. More info here

Sony's Skype mouse

It's a mouse. It's a phone. Holy moly, it's a phouse/mhone! Whatever this gizmo is, we just love Sony's wacky hybrid VN-CX1. After all, a USB optical Skype mouse makes complete sense when you consider it's VOIP. When a call comes, just flip the mouse open like a clamshell. To end, just shut it. The scroll wheel acts as a volume button, while pressing it mutes the call. Now we'll just sit back and watch for the copycats, er, mice to come out to play. Oh wait, there's one out already. Check out Yiyi's Skype Travel Mouse.

See opening the mouse | attached to notebook | inside | one of five colors

Via Akhiba News

Price: About US$65 (8,000 yen)
Availability: Japan, February
Device: Skype mouse
Basic specs: Built-in echo cancellation, 45.5 × 23.9 × 89.2mm, 67g, choice of five colors, USB 2.0, 800 counts per inch resolution, Windows 2000/XP only

You've got mail

Educational institutes stifle creativity cells for some, but it certainly did not for Stuart Calvey, a 22-year-old industrial design student at the University of NSW. Still in its conceptual stage, the Snap+Send digital postcard looks set to kick the butts of its ancestors, if the idea ever takes off in spite of its sticker price.

Combining a 2-megapixel lens and a 10cm screen onto a postcard-sized cardboard shell, the Snap+Send digital postcard is small enough to be sent like what you'd usually do for your snail mail. The whole package is expected to cost US$25, though we're not sure how many pictures you can take on its internal memory and how long the camera-cum-postcard will last on its battery.

The inventor positions his concept as an alternative to mobile phone cameras and targets primarily tourists and backpackers. End receivers need only complete a three-step ritual to enjoy a slideshow of pictures: Tearing open the perforations; folding a little kick stand on the reverse; and pressing a button to playback images.

Oh, stamps sold separately.

Don't throw away your postcards yet.

SharePlayer

Ready or not, here's another MP3 player. This one from Xmultiple is really an extension of its FlashPoint thumbdrives. So don't go expecting any iPod-inspired design here. What it focuses on is portable convenience, utlizing its Sharing-On-The-Go (SOTG) firmware which lets you connect, download and share files directly from another USB MP3 player sans PC. Simply attach devices and hit a button. Works, too, for downloading photos or data from a USB-ready digicam or phone.

Get the big picture here

Price: US$169.99 (1GB) to US$259.99 (4GB)
Availability: See sharedrives site
Device: MP3 player
Basic specs: Sharing-On-The-Go technology patent pending, MP3 player-to-MP3 player direct connections, combo MP3 player, MP3 SharePlayer and Flash Drive device, 75g

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