MWg VP reveals plans for UMPCs and smart phones

It looks like a new UMPC brand will soon be coming to Asia. When CNET Asia spoke to Singapore-headquartered MWg (formerly O2 Asia) during the Atom V launch in the island state yesterday, VP for Brand and Marketing Sanjay Sabnani revealed in an aside to us that the company plans to bring in more "IT connected devices" before the end of this year. Three to six products are expected to be unveiled, among them PDA-phones, smart phones and, yes, Ultra-Mobile PCs.

It's been a while since we saw a new smart phone coming out of O2, so it'll be interesting to see how MWg plans to position its upcoming smart phone(s).

What caught our attention, however, was news that MWg may be bringing its new UMPCs to Asia, competing with the likes of GigaByte, Everun and Fujitsu in the UMPC space. MWg currently sells its UBiQUiO 711 UMPC (as shown on the left) in the US and Europe exclusively with online vendor eXpansys.

Sanjay also added that the company will be aiming to incorporate inductive charging into its devices launched in the second half of this year. MWg had earlier in January 2008 signed an agreement with UK-based Splashpower to incorporate inductive charging technology into the former's upcoming products. Inductive charging involves wirelessly charging a handset's electrical batteries using electromagnetic induction.

When the sky darkens, take out your camera

I am not crazy enough to risk my dSLR's longevity by shooting in the rain, but the people at Think Tank apparently think otherwise. If not, they wouldn't have engineered the Hydrophobia. Designed to be attached to the lens, just pull the raincover over the camera body and snap away when the rain clouds start gathering. Although there are alternatives out there, the Hydrophobia is seam-sealed for an added peace of mind. The strategically placed clear plastic covers enable you to view your LCD display. But what I really don't get about rain covers is why they come in different colors but never in all clear plastic?

So if you enjoy shooting wildlife and are willing to spend days on end waiting for your shot, or simply love capturing the rain, you can buy the Hydrophobia online for US$150. (Rain jacket for you not included!)

Bluetooth headset for the ladies

Bluetooth headsets targeted at ladies are not new. These are usually current models given a new shade of color or overlaid with new materials like gold or crystals. It's heartening then to see Plantronics actually making an extra effort with the new Discovery 925 headset. According to girl gadget site geeksugar, the 925 will come in 12 different colors, and from the picture, actually have a design that's attractive and not just a rehashed version of its older Discovery models. The 925 will be available in the US from April at US$149. We don't have confirmation of its availability in Asia yet, but the company has distributors all over our region, so we are pretty hopeful it'll land on our shores in time.

Via notcot

LEGO bricks with flash memory

Here's another one for the ardent fanboys. If the LEGO-esque MP3 players we wrote about yesterday don't quite look like the real thang, this USB flash memory key will cement your allegiance with the Danish brick-maker, except that it's from Solid Alliance. These drives come only in 1GB capacities, but the wonderful thing is they are 100-percent compatible with the real stuff, so you can actually make models with them, too. Comes in five bold colors: Black, blue, green, yellow and red, and each one costs about S$56. Honestly, I hardly take a second look at flash drives, but this one just blew me away.

Via Akihabara News

A full body workout with this force feedback vest

Too bad this one's only for PC games. Being a Wii gamer, TN Games' all-body force feedback FPS Vest would be perfect for complete immersive gameplay, together with the Wii's full-body interactivity. Until that happens, this US$169 (bundled with a game) body suit ups the ante for PC-based first-person shooters who desire more out of their game than just simple force feedback from their controller.

Thanks to eight active zones with integrated pneumatic technology, this simulates the direction and force of the bullets and explosions, letting you get into the thick of the battle with actioners like Space Incursion and Call Of Duty 2. Though why anyone would want to feel what it's like to be kicked in the chest or punched in the guts is something only the male of our species can answer.

Thanks to Uncrate

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