The Acer Cloudmobile was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress and it’s the first phone equipped with the Acer Cloud storage service. It’s meant to allow you to access media and documents stored on users’ home computers, even when the PC is sleeping. All photos taken via the phone are also automatically saved remotely onto your home computer.

The phone itself has a 4.3-inch HD touchscreen, and will run Android 4.1 on a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and comes HSPA+3G network ready. The Acer Cloudmobile phone is slated for release in late 2012.

[via designboom]

The device will work for all sorts of smartphones and 7 to 10-inch tablets. The cradle can rotate 360 degrees, which will allow you to use your gadgets in portrait or landscape mode. Its hinges also move 180 degrees to give you lots of additional flexibility.

On the plus side, it will get your smartphone out of your hands, which is a good thing when you’re driving.  On the other hand, it means you might start using your Kindle, Nook, iPad, Playbook or Galaxy Tab to play games or watch movies while driving, which would probably be even more distracting than making a phone call or texting.

If you can resist using this thing for evil, or can insist that its for passenger use only, the Satechi SCH-121 sells for $29.99(USD) over at their website.

[via Ubergizmo]

The ADzero is made from bamboo and it will probably be sold in design boutiques, not cell phone stores, since it won’t be mass-produced. The overall weight of this phone is half of an iPhone, despite its larger screen. Woodhouse is a design student at Middlesex University who was contacted by Jerro Lao, a tech entrepreneur after he saw some early concept images of the wooden phone.

The prototype runs Ice Cream Sandwich and will have access to the Android Market. Other than a mention of a built-in ring flash, there’s not much other detail about the specs of the final phone. A production version of the ADZero bamboo phone is expected to be launched in 2012 in both China and the UK. There’s no word on any North American distribution at this point.

[via Pocket-Lint via DVice]

I think the perfect thing to assure that assistance would arrive is these Buhel Speakgoggle G33 Intercom goggles.

The goggles are designed to keep the snow and glare away, and to keep your eyes nice and safe from tree limbs and the flailing ski poles of the people nearby. But the real differentiator in this particular pair goggles is the integrated Bluetooth headset, which pairs with your smartphone so you can answer voice calls and control your music playback.

The cooler feature for me is that even without having a smartphone, these goggles have an intercom function that will allow you to talk to six other people wearing them at the same time. The microphone the goggles have uses bone conduction technology for clear audio even when you’re flying down the slopes.

I think between six people, someone would be able to come and pry me off the tree I ran into.

[via Ubergizmo]

The Porta Pro’s have an in-line three-button remote, microphone so that you can use your iPhone, iPod or iPod, and comfortable pads so that your ears aren’t crushed. They are collapsible and come with a carrying case for maximum portability. Specs include a generous frequency range of 15-25,000Hz, and a sensitivity of 101 dB SPL at 1mW.

They sell for $49.99(USD) over at Koss, which isn’t too bad for someone looking for distinctive headphones with retro appeal.

[via Uncrate]

It’s official name is the SH-04D and it’s part of the DoCoMo ‘With’ series of collaborative phone designs. It runs a custom Android 2.3 interface, pre-loaded with a chocolate-themed game and wallpapers. It even comes with a “Chocobed” recharging station, that’s been designed to look like a chocolate box. How cute.

The actual phone is produced by Sharp and only 30,000 units will be made. This phone will sell for ¥40,000 (~$521 USD). Now that’s expensive chocolate!

[via designboom]

I’ve missed my fair share of important calls while rummaging through my bag, which is both frustrating and annoying. If you’ve gone through similar experiences – not just with bags, but when it comes to missing calls because you’ve misplaced your phone – then the Bondi can help you out.

The Bondi is an adorable little anthropomorphic smartphone hanger. It basically has two arms, two legs, and a hook that resembles the ones you can find on clothes hangers.

You can bend the limbs of the Bondi in any direction you want to. In fact, it’s the Bondi’s arms and legs that make it multi-functional in the first place: it can hug your smartphone in place, reach out so you can hang your keys and other stuff on its arms, and so much more. The Bondi is available in 10 colors and retails for $20 (USD).

However, the idea of putting your device under the heat of the sweltering sun isn’t very appealing because it might overheat and end up getting fried if you don’t pay attention. A pretty neat solution for taking advantage of solar energy without being out in the elements? The XDModo Solar Charger.

Basically, the charger “catches” solar energy through the window where it’s stuck on, and uses this energy to charge up your device, while it sits safely in an indoor environment, such as an office or even in your car. Of course, there’s no reason you can’t just flip it over and use it outdoors if you want too.

The XDModo charger comes with regular and micro USB outputs, and stores power in its 1400mAh rechargeable lithium battery – which should be good for about a full charge of today’s smartphones. It’s available for purchase online from Design3000 shop for €49.95 (~$66 USD.)

[via The Green Head]

The Infobar C01 (JP) looks pretty retro with its checkered keyboard beneath a full touchscreen. It’s powered by Android and measures a disproportionately tall 5.11 inches in height by 2 inches in width and under half an inch in thickness. It weighs 3.7 oz and its 3.2-inch screen has a 854×480 resolution. It has an 8 MP CMOS camera, USB and microSD ports. It’s Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and IR compatible. Since it’s designed for the Japanese market, it also comes with a digital TV tuner.

The phones will be available in Japan in February 2012 on the KDDI (JP) mobile phone carrier. Even if you do like its looks, it’s doubtful that you’ll ever be able to get one outside of Japan though.

[via designboom]

The video starts with an old record player being turned on with a press of the dot on the smartphone screen, then a Sony TV, and then confetti shooters. The last scene of the video is a robot arm pulling the dome off a tray with what appears to be a square box with a dot on it sitting inside.

Each of the devices that the smartphone turns on has a blue, glowing dot on it as well. What do you think about the tease? What do you think it’s for? Some sort of remote control software and accessories for the Xperia, or something totally different? Guess we’ll have to wait until Sony will give up the official goods on February 21 on this website.

The cool part is that the 3D interface would look sort of like a room and you would be able to turn the iPhone or iPad with one hand to access what is on that wall. The idea is that the one-handed adjustment method will let you do other things with one hand and like cook or drive and still navigate the interface.

The idea is that the compass and other motion sensors inside the smartphone would know which way the device is turned and would change what you see on the screen accordingly. That sounds pretty cool; it would make changing apps a snap. The patent app also talked about performing certain motions like shaking the phone to go directly to an app. Given that Apple has thus far eschewed the 3D trend, it’ll be interesting to see if this ever comes to market, or if it’s just a patent for patent’s sake.

[via AppleInsider]

The Lumia 900 comes with a single core 1.4GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, and an 8MP camera with dual LED flashes. The most distinctive thing this phone is its large 4.3-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display, which is simply gorgeous. All of the tech is packed into a polycarbonate shell, which is similar to the Lumia 800, thought the 900 will come only in black or cyan for now.

The phone is powered by Windows 7.5 OS (Mango), which is definitely the best version of the Windows Phone OS released to date. The Lumia 900 will be available exclusively from AT&T, and will provide support for 4G LTE connectivity, but there’s no word yet on pricing or availability.

The smartphone runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and has Gorilla Glass over the top to make it stronger. The screen is 4.3-inches wide and has 960 x 540 resolution. The processor is a dual-core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4460. The smartphone runs an 1800mAh battery and should last a long time. The device is not that wide either at 64.8mm.

The P1S smartphone will be offered in white, black, and pink colors. The rear camera is an 8MP unit and the front is a 1.3MP camera. The rear camera can capture 1080p video. If this thing floats your boat, it will hit the US in April. What carrier will have it and how much it will cost are unknown.

I mean, you’re supposed to feel that way about people and not objects. But designer Julius Tarng has this precisely in mind (the former and not the latter statement) with his Modai phone concept, which is supposed to further humanize smartphone technology.

The Modai is a versatile mobile companion with a friendly looking UI that can switch between two modes: Fundai (social mode) and Prodai (work mode.) Content, messages, and files will be sorted into the two different screens, and switching between the two will be a breeze (or so, says Julius.)

According to the designer, the Modai was inspired by human behavior and was designed to last, both physically and emotionally. (This is, however, the first time I’ve ever heard of a smartphone having emotions. Say what?) Modai is supposed to form a meaningful bond with its owner, making it less likely that its owner will dispose of the phone and upgrade within 18 months. Modai help form a bond by helping its owner through their day, and also reflecting its own “mood” using an avatar to represent things like battery status or volume.

The phone would even feature a built-in stand embedded with memory wire, which can be used to let the phone express itself through physical gestures. For instance, it would gradually rise up to wake you up in the morning.

Assuming you do form a bond with your Modai and don’t want to ever let it go, you’d still be able to upgrade its technology, thanks to a modular design with replaceable internal components.

The Modai is just a concept for now, and while it’s got some elements that I believe will be pretty hard to achieve, it’s still an interesting design all the same.

[via Yanko Design]

The gang at BlueStacks has compiled a bunch of data on users of Android and used that data to make up a composite image of Mr. Android for 2011.

The data shows that there is a 37% chance the Android user is wearing glasses and two-thirds of a chance he is clad in jeans. The Android guy has a 62% chance of being in some sort of relationship. He also has an 18% chance of having an unusually large head. The full-size image that puts all this stuff together is ginormous so you will need to check it out in full here so you can read all the facts and figures.

[via AllThingsD]

We do know that it features the familiar bat-logo on the back, along with Dark Knight packaging and there is a movie tie-in Live Tile visible on the screen in the video. They are certain to be super expensive if you ever do have a chance to buy one, and they don’t just end up being some sort of prize in a movie promotion.

[Photo and video by Jon Choo via Slashgear]

This low-tech solution to adding a close-up lens to your smartphone is definitely interesting. The Macro Cell Lens Band allows you to easily mount a tiny convex lens onto your phone, thanks to the included elastic band, which can stretch up to a diameter of 16 inches. This means it will also work on tablets, but hopefully it won’t snap easily.

Once attached, it provides the ability to grab sharp images of stuff just inches from your phone, though they do blur and distort towards the edges, as you can see in the example images below:

Photojojo sells the Macro Cell Lens Band for $15 (USD).

Stuart Hughes, a site that sells extreme luxury items from mobile phones to furniture to homes and liquor, is now peddling the world’s most expensive smartphone at £6,000,000 (or about $9.4 million.) The easiest way to raise the value of a seemingly ordinary object is to dip it in 24-karat gold, stick more than 500 flawless diamonds on it, then store it inside of a solid platinum chest encrusted with rare gems and tiny chunks of bones from T-Rex (I’m serious, that’s what the product page says) and sell it.

And that’s not the only insanely expensive Apple device that Stuart Hughes has in store. He also has a £5,000,000 ($7.8 million) iPad 2 up for sale on the site that has a frame made from “the oldest rock the world has to offer,” Ammolite.

Fantastic sales talk, but I wonder if anyone’s ever going to fork over that much money for a device that retails for less than a thousand dollars? Hopefully, it’s at least the 3G model.

[via C|Net via Oh Gizmo!]

I would imagine that the iPhone 5 will bring with it the $299 price point as well. If you were going to push $100 more down the throat of consumers, the Galaxy Nexus is the device to do it with. The smartphone will run Android Ice Cream Sandwich, also known as Android 4.0. It has a huge 4.65-inch Super AMOLED screen with 720p resolution, and 4G LTE connectivity. The Nexus is powered by a speedy TI OMAP 4460 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, and it has a lot more as well. It has NFC support, and even has a barometer built-in.

It looks like we will need to save up a bit longer for those fancy new handsets moving forward.

[via WSJ]

The Casio G-Shock GB-9600 was designed to sync with your smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0. The watch will let you know about incoming calls, messages, and emails. The phone is water- and dust-proof. It comes with a 4-inch OLED screen. In the demo video, it’s shown syncing with the new NEC Medias PP N-01D Android smartphone, but it’s not clear if it works with other Bluetooth 4.0 phones, like the iPhone as well. I would hope so.

Of course, the watch offers the time, stopwatch and alarm features of standard G-Shock watches. It sells in black, white or red for ¥18,000 to ¥19,000 (~$230-245 USD).

[via designboom]