New SDXC format can store up to 2TB

The SD Association has just announced a new SD card format to succeed the current SDHC standard (which maxes out at 32GB). Called the SDXC, this new format will be offered in capacities starting from 32GB to 2TB. Data transfer speed is expected to be around 104MB/s, though the SD Association is confident of hitting 300MB/s eventually with the SDXC.

The new SDXC card format is scheduled for a late 2009/early 2010 time frame. It will be available in SD and microSD sizes. Not surprisingly, the SDXC standard will not work in current SD and SDHC devices. The SDXC slot will, however, be backward-compatible with earlier formats.

LG shows off cellular lineup, accessories

The Korean phone maker offered a glimpse of its 2009 cellular product lineup at the pre-CES Digital Experience event held at The Mirage in Las Vegas. While the handsets are slated only for the US market, a few did catch our attention.

Probably stealing the limelight was the LG Watch Phone with its unique, stylish design. Unfortunately, it was a case of see no touch as attendees including the media weren't allowed to try out the wrist phone. Instead, the booth rep had the unit on his wrist and was sporting enough to demonstrate the various functions of the device. Based on quick first impressions, the touchscreen phone looks pretty promising. The Watch Phone is expected later this year in the US, and we can only hope LG will add Asia to the list eventually.

Also on display was the LG Decoy, a phone touted as the world's first handset with a Bluetooth handsfree headset integrated into its design. We also saw the HFB-500 Solar Bluetooth Speakerphone which the LG spokesperson said takes 2 hours to charge for a 1-hour use.

Fring adds earpiece support for HTC devices

When it comes to multi-IM applications for mobile phones, Fring is among the best. Not only does it support a wide range of services like MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and Google Talk, it allows you to make VoIP calls through Skype. The company has just released version 3.34 of the software for Windows Mobile which now works on Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1 and the Samsung Omnia. Additionally, one of its new features is that audio on HTC devices is now routed through the earpiece instead of the speakers.

Using VoIP on Windows Mobile devices can be a pain because sound usually comes through the external speakers--every call uses the speakerphone, making you look like an idiot in noisy locations. Even the native Skype application for Microsoft's mobile OS hasn't solved this problem. So if you are a Skype user and own an HTC device, we recommend giving this new version a spin. Download it from the Fring Web site and come tell us how well it works in the Talkback below.

Via WMExperts

iriver debuts WAVE Internet phone, PMP and Web-enabled portable

iriver has traditionally been associated with high-quality and fabulous-looking MP3 players, but the Korean outfit has gone all official with its WAVE Internet phone at CES. No word on pricing and availability yet, but when the device ships it'll come dressed with a 3-inch touchscreen display, Wi-Fi and 4GB flash memory.

The company's also announcing a new portable media player equipped with Wi-Fi and an inbuilt accelerometer for all the spinning and shaking goodness. For the specs-obsessed, the PMP supports viewing of RAW image files on its 4.3-inch touchscreen panel and packs a built-in microphone/speaker, TV-out and 16GB of memory (microSD expansion card slot can boost capacity to 32GB).

That's not all. The triumvirate of gadgetry ends with the D50N which is a Web-browsing and instant messaging device with a 4.8-inch (800 x 480-pixel) display. Never mind that it looks like a chunky box, iriver already has us swooning over its design wizardry.

Via Engadget

First iPhone game summit takes shape

While there are more than 10,000 applications for the iPhone, many of the most popular ones are games. A quick glance at the top 25 paid applications reveals that 18 are games; games comprise 14 of the top 25 free iPhone apps as well. And those ratios are likely to hold for the foreseeable future.

That's most likely what led the organizer of the Virtual Goods summit to announce on Tuesday the first iPhone game conference, dubbed the iGames Summit, slated for March 19 in San Francisco.
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