We don’t feature a lot of cell phones on GfG because there are entirely too many models and there are other sites that are dedicated to just that. But of course we feature the ‘big name’ ones and the newsworthy and unique.

The LG eXpo GW820 definitely fits the newsworthy category, as it’s the first handset to feature (an optional) snap-on pico projector. Yes, a projector, like the expensive ones you have in the office to show off those mind-numbing PowerPoint presentations on how badly your company is doing.

The (did we mention optional) projector weighs only 1.8 ounces and is small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, and can project an image up to 40″ in size. Not bad. However, it does kill the phone’s battery pretty quickly, so you’ll probably end up using the conventional office projector for long presentations/demos.

The phone itself is a slider with a full QWERTY keyboard, a 3.2″ touchscreen, 3G connectivity on AT&T, a 5MP camera, 802.11b/g WiFi, microSD card slot and runs Windows Mobile.

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer
Price: $99.99 with contract on AT&T. $179 for pico projector
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

There are two distinct camps when it comes to the iPad… those who have pre-ordered and are anxiously awaiting April 3rd by researching iPad accessories and those who call anyone that ordered an iPad a fanboy.  Let’s get some perspective on the iPad pre-order that started this past Friday.

There are estimates that over 150k units were pre-ordered online through the weekend.  Friday an estimated 25k were sold per hour but over the weekend only 1k unit were sold per hour totaling more that 150k units in 60 hours.  This was determined by tracking over 120 order numbers submitted by volunteers on a message board.  This number includes only those pre-ordered through Apple’s online store and the estimates do not include iPad reservations or any large-volume orders that have been placed directly with Apple’s sales force by businesses.

Daniel Tello (the analyst for the above study) estimates that Apple will hit the 1M unit sold mark the first week of sales.

These numbers sound impressive… but are they?

Considering the original iPhone took 74 days to sell 1M units and there are only 3M-4M tablets across all brands and makers selling globally every year, this Geek thinks Apple may have a hit on their hands.

UK company, TenBu, has a solution for alerting you if your prized possessions go ‘wandering’ off – the nio Bluetooth security system.

nio is a small fob (or tag) that you tie via Bluetooth to your phone. So if your phone and nio end up being apart at some predetermined distance, a loud audible alarm will go off on the nio tag.

The distance threshold depends on the security setting – low, medium or high. The higher the security, the lower the distance. 25m is the maximum range.

nio currently operates on most Blackberry, Nokia, Sony Ericsson and other popular mobile handsets, including Windows Mobile devices. A full list of compatible devices can be found at http://bluenio.com/compatibility. Android and Palm support should show up later this year.

The accompanying software that runs on your phone can manage up to 5 nio tags, so you can buy additional tags and place them in spots like your briefcase, handbag, etc. Here’s a video explaining how the nio system works:

The nio tags are a bit pricey, but hopefully, other competitors will spring up to drive down the cost on such a necessary service.

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer
Price: $77.95
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

If you’ve managed the migration of your music from your MP3 player over to your phone, but would like to hear it from a speaker instead of through headphones, then this Bluetooth speaker may be just for you.

The Spracht AURA BluNote speaker lets you stream your music via Bluetooth from your phone. Includes bass boost and ’stereo widening’ feature.

It stores up to 8 BT profiles, so your friends can pair their phones with it [wonder what happens when you try to compete to use it?!] It can also be used as a speakerphone.

Buy now!

More info from the manufacturer
Price: $92.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Even game console maker, Nintendo, is getting in on the e-book rage. Nintendo’s latest handheld, the DSi XL will be able to display e-books, and they will firt offer up a cartridge that contains 100 public domain books including classics by Shakespeare and Twain.

Press Release

Fitbit is the latest in a growing number of sleep and health tracking devices. Fitbit sets itself apart in tracking both your sleep habits and phyiscal activity.

Fitbit is a small device that clips to a wristband or piece of clothing while you sleep or go about your daily activities. Its motion sensor gathers data constantly and every time you come into range of the included wireless basestation, it downloads the data and sticks it into your personalized page on the Fitbit website. You can share your data with friends from there if you’d like.

Fitbit tracks how long you sleep vs lay in bed, and how many times you woke up. On the activity front, Fitbit tracks your steps, the intensity and duration of your activity, calories burned and reports on all of it.

Fitbit is aggressively priced at $99 and there is no subscription fee for using their website. It may not be as sophisticated as devices made specifically for sleep OR activity, like the Zeo is for sleep or the Ripxx is for exercise, but it’s only 1 device and much cheaper.

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer
Price: $99.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Bluetooth headset maker Aliph’s latest headset, the Jawbone Icon has some features that are sure to cause some serious gadget envy. Perhaps the most interesting one has to be that this headset has its very own operating system that can be updated and that can run apps. Yes, that’s right, applications. On a bluetooth headset.

Aliph has a website that you can log into, attach your heaset to your computer via USB, and then push apps directly to it. For example, you can customize the Icon with audio and/or dial apps. The audio apps can change the sound of the voices on your headset.

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One of the up and coming services that gets you even more entertainment on your cell phone is mspot. mspot started out as a music, ringtone and streaming radio company but has recently branched out into movies too.

So if you’re interested in watching movies on your phone, then you can get an mspot movie club subscription starting at $10/month for 20 credits which works out to up to 4 movies.

mspot works on a variety of cell phones that run on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.

Chief Gadgeteer wrote a post about specs and his initial thoughts of the tablet. To summarize in a word his thoughts on the iPad it would be “meh”.

I like to think of myself as an Vendor-agnostic Geek that doesn’t take sides in the Linux/Mac/Windows debate, but I have a different view than my fellow writer/editor.

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Apple has just unveiled it’s long anticipated tablet device, named the iPad. iPads will start shipping in about 60 days. Here’s the rundown on it:

• 1/2″ thick
• a featherweight 1.5lbs
• 9.7″ IPS display
• full multitouch touch-screen
• Comes in 3 storage sizes: 16GB ($499), 32GB ($599) and 64GB ($699)
• WiFi 802.11n & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. Some models will have 3G. Monthly data contracts available with AT&T. 3G models cost $130 more than WiFi-only models.
• 10 hrs battery life, 1 month in standby
• view in any direction – landscape or portrait and from any side.

The iPad is geared to be a Web surfing and multimedia device, so it can handle photos, iTunes, movies, TV, e-mail, and even video games. There is on-screen soft keyboard for those apps that need it. Unfortunately, like the iPhone, there is no Adobe Flash.

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