Nokia E71 reviewed even before its official announcement

It appears Boy Genius Report has a scoop with a review of the yet-to-be-announced Nokia E71. In a nutshell, they are pretty much impressed with the phone. According to BGR, "this could really be one of the sexiest damn phones we've seen in a very long time" even though they felt the keyboard layout needed some work. But that didn't stop them from concluding by saying the E71 "is they best phone Nokia has made to date".

Now we just need Nokia to come out and say it's official.

Credit: Boy Genius Report

Bluetrek Bizz: The spork of Bluetooth headsets

Remember the spork, a cross between a spoon and a fork? Always fans of shoveling stuff into ourselves more efficiently, we loved the idea, but it never really took off, did it? The Bluetrek Bizz is trying the same trick: It's a Blutooth headset with a built-in USB flash drive, although under spork naming conventions should have been called the USBlue.

We like the idea almost as much as the spork, but we're not sure if this will ever be any more successful. The Bizz is a comfortable headset that works as expected and the added USB functionality is rather useful, eliminating the need to carry two devices.

The Bizz also works as a microSD card reader, because it has a microSD slot that acts as the USB drive's memory. If you've got pictures stored on a microSD card on your phone, you can take it out and use the Bizz to transfer them to a computer.

It's a clever idea, but as with the spork, it's one that might not inspire you to replace your current cutlery of USB drive and Bluetooth headset. But if you love the idea of an all-in-one lifestyle, you can pick one up for about 28 pounds (US$55) online.

Via Crave UK

China camera-phone boasts Samsung's sensor and Canon's image processor

Technological wonders from China never cease to amaze us. For the pirates and copycats, mimicking the exterior is not enough, they now raid the names of the big boys and slap these onto their products.

An eagle-eyed colleague alerted us to the K-Touch C280 which supposedly uses Canon's DIGIC III image processor, the latest engine found in the EOS 450D and IXUS 80 IS. This baffled us because we don't understand why the Japanese firm would lease its secret to a China phone manufacturer. As of press time, we were unable to reach Canon for a comment, but we wouldn't dispute the fact that there could be collaboration between the two companies.

Tech blog Engadget went even further to speculate that the C280 "might very well be using a CMOS sensor from Samsung". If this is true, then the 8-megapixel camera-phone would have combined some of the best technologies in the market, giving point-and-shoot units a run for their money when launched.

For us, we're taking this with a pinch of salt, especially after so many reports of iPhone lookalikes.

Photo credit: Aving.net

WM6.1 upgrade for TyTN II available for Europe

We've gotten used to Europe getting the good stuff from HTC first, so this comes as no surprise. TyTN II owners there are now able to upgrade their devices to Windows Mobile (WM) 6.1 from WM6 through the company's Web site. This is intended for those with the "vanilla" version of the TyTN II, which means those that do not have customized software from the operators.

We contacted HTC but the company was not able to pin down an exact date for an Asian release at the moment and still maintains it will be in Q2. Which means, at worst, users will be able to download it at the end of June. We'll keep you informed as more concrete information becomes available.

Via WMExperts

Moist towelettes for your phone, body

La Fresh, a company that specializes in those handy, self-contained disposable cleaning wipes, has a new product launching next week called the Tech Pack. We got our (literally) grubby hands on the towelettes this morning and now have clean(er) glasses, hands, and electronics.

The kit comes with the standard hand and lens cleaners to clean your hands and glasses. It also throws in some dry, microfiber screen-cleaning wipes. The entire thing is bundled in a TSA-safe package you can throw in your bag or toiletry kit when you're traveling. I gave the wipes a spin on my digital camera and laptop and it made a noticeable difference, although if you've got actual solids on your screen (like latte remnants), you're better off with a wet solution.

The kit runs at about US$10 and is biodegradeable.

Via Crave CNET | Photo credit: Josh Lowensohn, CNET Networks

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