It's time for Prada to leave teddy at home

Here's how to ruin a thing of beauty. Find a Prada phone, one of the most gorgeous handsets we've seen, and attach a scruffy miniature teddy bear to it. Worse yet, dress the little sap in some tiny Prada label too, then charge nearly US$100 for it.

That pretty much sums up this line of phone straps marketed by the design house, as seen on Chip Chick. And believe it or not, the teddy pictured here actually isn't nearly as hideous as some of the others in the "Mobile Trick Quirinos" line, such as those clad in pink, red, and white.

Why Prada chose to do this, especially after coming out with some lust-worthy accessories immediately after launching its phone, is beyond us. Then again, we've never understood high-end designer labels; the closest we've ever gotten to them is the new arrivals at Ross.

Via CNET Crave | Credit: Prada

An unexpected convergence device: The lantern

Technology may be making everyday objects smarter all the time, but one of the least likely examples has come in form of something that practically defines low tech: The camping lantern.

The "Intelligent Lantern" would come in handy for emergencies as well as outdoors recreation because it includes a digital clock, built-in speakers, and an AM/FM radio with local NOAA weatherband, as well as a hookup for an MP3 player. And unlike other combo devices we've seen, it doesn't abandon its primary mission: Its lights can be seen as far as a mile away and has "dual articulating lanterns" that can be positioned as needed. If it only had a color LCD, we'd be sold.

Via CNET Crave | Credit: Norm Thompson

XP1 built for life, no not that XP

When a company is brave enough to back its phone with an unconditional three-year guarantee and commission a "torture test" in Europe, you know that's no ordinary handset. The military-spec Sonim XP1 eats daily abuse like a piece of cake and, according to the company Sonim Technologies, is certified to withstand shock, water, wind, dust, dirt and extreme temperatures. Wait till you see it get run over by a digging machine. The XP1 is currently on tour in Europe and you can follow its trail of abuse here.

A printer that serves two audiences

Because Fuji Xerox Printers is better known in office circles than in the home, we didn't think we'd have much to write about its new DocuPrint C1110B laser printer. After all, most of its stuff are specific for a demanding office environment. The C1110B can output at 12ppm (color), start up in 16 seconds and kick one page out the barrel in 12. It also has a decently deep media tray that can store half a ream's worth of A4-sized paper (250 sheets) and deal with an assortment of paper weights.

Then we saw the price.

At S$449, it's cheap… for a Fuji Xerox. And if you are of a mind, paying out S$150 more lets you upgrade to the C1110 (without the "B"). The B-less version includes 640MB memory, Ethernet connectivity and compatibility with more print languages. Of course, laser toners don't come cheap though. A black toner would set you back by S$100 and it's S$130 for cyan, magenta and yellow.

Samsung SGH-F250 shows up on Samsung Russia site

Looks like Sammy has just slipped another music phone under our noses. The F250 slider measures 94 x 46 x 17.5mm, weighs a paltry 96g and sports a glossy mirror surface we've become so familiar with. Other features include triband connectivity, a 1.3-megapixel camera, 2-inch 128 x 160-pixel LCD, Bluetooth stereo and microSD expansion card slot. No word on an Asia availability.

Update: The SGH-F250 is expected to be available in Asia in the Q1 2008.

Via Engadget and Unwired View

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