A customizable phone that's a puzzle

Personalizing your phone has been taken to a whole new level. We're not sure who the target audience of the Easy Tiles phone might be: Children, or adults who act like children. Whatever it is, designer Tzu-Fu Wang's concept should appeal to the child in all of us. The entire casing is made of movable tiles set on a transparent frame. This lets you customize the look of the phone just by sliding the tiles around, or replacing them altogether. According to the rendered picture, the handset runs on the familiar S60 platform, but seriously, what we're concerned with is what happens if we drop the handset. More pieces to shuffle around? Totally mind-boggling.



Credit: Yanko Design

OpenMoko's next Linux phone gets price

The idea of Linux phones has been around for years but, until Google's Android began making headlines, it had been slow to gain traction in any big way. Now OpenMoko's "Neo Freerunner," an updated version of its original "Neo 1973," is apparently steaming ahead for the mass market with official pricing.

The new model will go for US$399 or, if you prefer buying your handsets in bulk, US$3,690 for a pack of 10, according to Gizmodo. The Neo FreeRunner, which has a faster 500MHz processor than its predecessor's 266MHz chip, features built-in hardware for 3D graphics, new motion sensors, and Wi-Fi networking.

No release date is has been announced but, with the recent competition infusing the open-source phone market, OpenMoko is working hard on its first test devices and will reportedly provide distribution details in the next week or so.

Via CNET Crave

When one headset just isn't enough

Another case of life imitating art. Jabra has made a reality out of the cliched scene depicting a harried broker with a phone receiver in each ear.

Having long prided itself for its multitasking abilities, Jabra is once again showing off that prowess with its M5390--which allows for the use of two headsets simultaneously. That way, according to Tech Digest, you can use your mobile phone device in one ear and a desk or Skype headset in the other.

It's not the first time that Jabra has come up with a dual-receiver product, though the earlier version was designed to provide stereo music. The latest offering, on the other hand, is for the true telephonic addict.

Via CNET Crave

"Touch Thru" case works with iPhone screen

If you've run out of OCD meds and can't use your iPhone because the fingerprint smudges are more than you can bear, don't throw it (or yourself) off the bridge just yet.

Ivyskin's "Xylo Touch Thru (T2)" hard-shell polycarbonate case may not banish all greasy prints, but it will at least keep them from the iPhone's screen surface, according to Dvice. That's because the case covers the display as well as the body of the phone, using "Surface Xylo Wave" technology that claims to send ultrasonic signals from your fingers through a clear shield.

Or you can get some "iPhone Fingers" and risk being mistaken for a cyborg.

Via CNET Crave

A "Ferrari" phone you can play with

One can only imagine how much time and money went into the design and development of Ferrari's branded phones, whether it be a RAZR offshoot or a vaunted Vertu. So it would be deliciously ironic if the best seller of all didn't come from a big-name handset maker at all--and resembled a toy.

The F1 really does look like one of the storied cars until it's turned over to reveal a 2.2-inch LCD touch screen, keypad, and Ferrari logo that probably wasn't officially sanctioned by its legendary namesake, according to Chip Chick. Then again, we wouldn't put it past Ferrari to do so--it is, after all, a company that has no qualms about putting its name and logo on everything from boomboxes to binoculars.

Via CNET Crave | Credit: Chip Chick

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