Parking Meter that you pay via a mobile network

A company named Photo Violation Technologies have created a parking meter that calls you when you are about to run out of time. As an added bonus you also have the option of topping up via your mobile phone or the internet to allow yourself more time should you be running late. If you decided you still do not want to pay then the option is also available to pay the fine at the meter. I know which I would prefer to do.

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GPS small enough to fit on a key chain

GPS receivers tend to be about half the size of a mobile phone if they are standalone devices. This new miniGPS is just 39 x 33 x 20 mm and is able to attach to your keychain. miniGPS also is Bluetooth allowing you to connect without wires to your Pocket PC, mobile phone or any other Bluetooth compatible device. Inside the miniGPS you will find a SiRF Star III GPS chip which is capable of 20 satellite channels allowing for a very accurate position anywhere on the globe.

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The iPhone made by Apple, has received an upgrade already before launch. Apple have ditched the plastic display surface in favour of glass. This is great as it will mean less scratches although unfortunately that does not mean no scratches. It will add to the final weight of the phone, but I am all for a nice glass covered screen rather then having to stick a screen protector on the plastic one. As well as the nice glass screen, the iPhone is to get a better then expected battery which claims a life of 8 hours talk time, 6 hours internet use, 7 hours video playback and a hefty 24 hours of audio playback. That is quite a nice and very acceptable amount of hours for each of the uses.

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If you live in the UK and have a PAYG SIM card with a ton of free text messages and another with a bunch of free minutes, you will probably of used either the two mobile phones way or keep switching SIM cards each time you want to send a text or make a voice call. I personally havent done this my self as I got fed up after trying for a day and just paid a larger bill instead. The Wind DUO 2000 comes in answer to this. It has 2 screens, 2 keypads, and 2 SIM card slots. It allows you to use 2 phones together on one device so you can have the convenience right there with out the hassle of switching off and on and changing SIM cards.

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You may have noticed that the folks over in Japan release some seriously strange devices. I came across a bunch today which I thought were dead funny.

The first on the list is the Face Slimmer.

The face slimmer mask is worn on your face and squashes your face by pressure. Also it acts as a sauna which makes you sweat more and loose weight from your cheeks.

The next in line is the Nap Helmet.

The Nap Helmet is designed for those who travel on the underground in cities. You sit down, put the helmet on and stick the plunger to the window behind. When you fall asleep it stops your head from bobbing around.

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Gizmo is a beta application available for download on the Nokia website. It allows you to use Instant Messaging and make internet calls. To get the software to work you just need to download it from the link at the end of this article, create an account with Gizmo (or use your current account if you have one) and then connect with your WLAN connection if your Series 60 phone will support it. If not then you can also use Gizmo over 2G or 3G networks, but I recommend you check pricing through your provider before you do that. Currently the software is fully compatible for the N80 and N95 Nokia S60 phones and works on other phones such as the N73 Music Edition, E61 and E65.

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The Amtek U560 is a UMPC which was first seen at Computex in Taipei which is currently running now. Amtek are saying that this device will be mass produced towards the end of this year and already have OEM partners in the US. The U560 looks similar to a Sidekick with the flip up screen. When the device is opened a QWERTY keyboard is hidden underneath. It runs an Intel McCaslin A110/A100 600MHz/800Mhz processor(s) and has a battery pack with 2 cells capable of 3600mAh. The device also has a built in 1.3 Megapixel camera.

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Crunchgear managed to get their hands on a HTC Touch and give a quick overview of what it is all about. The quick review shows that the HTC touch is not an iPhone killer from first impressions. The video playback can be choppy and slow occasionaly. Also they didnt like that it had no QWERTY keyboard appart from an onscreen keyboard. I do like the look of the HTC though and the interface does look quite nice. It will be interesting to see how the touch screen reacts though as dropping the keyboard for the touchscreen only could make or break the HTC. Hopefully it works out well in their review which will be online later.

If you are not too keen on those Bluetooth headsets then you could build your self a bluetooth banana phone. You need to buy your self a fake banana from a craft store as well as a few other bits and pieces. You then cut up the banana to squeeze a microphone and speaker in there along with some other bits and pieces and you have your self a fully working banana Bluetooth handset. If anyone wants to make one of these then follow the instructions linked after the jump and feel free to post your efforts and I will link back to you. Heck, I might even give away a prize if you do that.

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