CommunicAsia 2007 returns tomorrow

CommunicAsia 2007 (June 19 to 22), which is held annually in Singapore, certainly has a long lineage with its first biannual show in 1979. And it's large, too.

The organizers claim it's the biggest of its kind in Asia. Spread over six halls, with a gross exhibition area of 47,000sqm, it's kind of a wonderland for people who can go gaga over mobile phones. Technophobes certainly are not welcomed.

While some vendors have already announced their new mobile phone lineups for 2007 even before the show started, we're expecting to hear more initiatives and breaking news to be delivered at the almost week-long event.

For news, pictures and videos from the show floor of the sleekest handsets to come in Asia, stay updated here.

More CommunicAsia 2007 coverage here.

USB Chameleon

Don't you just love the wacky variants that have emerged from the fuzzy minds of third-party USB vendors? This one takes the cake, ah, chameleon, for being weird and totally pointless. Add this to the USB hamster and USB aquarium, and it's the start of your very own desktop petting zoo. The USB Chameleon plugs into the requisite port and essentially rolls its eyes, sticks its tongue out, and changes color. Duh. Altogether now: "Karma, karma, karma, chameleon…"

More images here

Via popgadget.net

Price: US$27
Availability: Found at I Want One Of Those
Device: USB accessory
Specs: 12 x 8 x 6cm

Cowon iAudio 7 Flash MP3 player announced

One of our favorite MP3 players is getting an upgrade. Cowon announced the iAudio 7 today in Korea, updating its micro-drive iAudio 6 player to a lighter, leaner flash-based player. The update includes a significant jump in battery life, from 20 hours to a remarkable 60 hours.

The iAudio 6 supports standard audio formats such as MP3, AAC, WMA, ASF, WAV, and even beloved (yet rarely supported) formats such as OGG and FLAC. It looks as though many of the great features of its predecessor have been maintained, including line-in recording, voice recording, video playback, BBE sound enhancer, and its unique touch-scroll interface.

Korea will see the player mid-July, unveiled in 4GB and 8GB capacities, and priced at US$182 and US$246, respectively.

Via CNET Crave

Updated: Archos announces new line of MP3 players and PVPs

An Archos press event in France has revealed the new Archos line a mere hours before an event is scheduled to take place in the US. Since neither we nor the folks at Engadget (I'm guessing) can be completely trusted with our French translation, we have relatively few details to confirm. We can tell you the company is launching a new flash player, the 2GB 105, as well as a revamped PVP line, including the 405, the 705, and the 605 WiFi.

Update: We just spoke with one of our New York editors who attended the US announcement, and he told us something pretty exciting: The new 605 WiFi is going to have onboard support for CinemaNow, meaning you can purchase and download movies on the go without connecting to a computer. That player will also support Opera with Flash video, so you will never be without fresh video content from sites like YouTube. Um...sweet! (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the iPhone can do that.)

Via CNET Crave

ThinkPad "Reserve Edition" on the way?

Editors' note : According to reports, the US$5,000 (S$7,691.50) ThinkPad reserve is a 12.1-inch portable based on the Santa Rosa platform with 2GB RAM and a 160GB harddisk. The three-year warranty offers support by instant messaging, phone or in person, and also promises a total system replacement in the event the system is destroyed.

It's taken a while, but Lenovo seems to have caught onto the whole limited-edition marketing trend, especially for luxury laptops. Only a few weeks after introducing its "Cloud of Promise" laptop commemorating the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese PC maker has gone live with a Web site that cryptically teases with a "ThinkPad Reserve Edition".

Electronista notes that the site implies a leather casing, speculating that it will likely include features using the latest Santa Rosa technology, but no details have been confirmed. (What's the deal with leather these days, anyway?) It will be interesting to see if the design reflects any wildlife inspiration.

Via CNET Crave

Crave is...

The name says it all. Crave is our new blog about cool gadgets and other crushworthy stuff.

Drop us an email if you have tips or suggestions.

Crave for...

» Mobile Phones (569)

» Digital Cameras (352)

» Notebooks (361)

» PC & Peripherals (370)

» Handhelds (211)

» Printers (35)

» Home AV (387)

» Music & Play (353)

» Gadgets (837)

» Future Tech (122)

Previously...

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Subscribe to
Crave

Today on CNET |  Reviews |  Crave |  Blogs |  CNET TV |  Digital Living |  Downloads