No one has an idea what Creative is up to. Obviously, it has something new lined up but what is Zii exactly, hardware? software? a new music store? Sounds to me like a version of Pandora, Rhapsody and Apple iTunes Genius. EpiZENter, a website and forum dedicated to everything Creative believes it’s a chip but they’re at a loss what it is for. They do have screenshots of the purported Creative Zii, whatever it is.

Note: looking through wikipedia for stem cell, I believe it has something to do with the characteristics of the biological stem cell, namely the renewable characteristic and the generative characteristic that leads to new types of cells. Must really be an iTunes Genius competitor.

[via engadget]

Our PMP of the year, the COWON S9 is not only pretty it’s also one tough portable media player. Remember the hullabaloo over the indestructibility of the iPhone? Well, the Korean maker COWON will not let Apple rest on its laurels, proving that they, too, could make one very tough gadget.

The S9 is one pricey portable player. Just how much would you pay for a PMP that won’t bear scratch marks wherever you put it?

[via dapreview]

Lenovo has just announced several new laptops, but what we’re more concerned about is the new features they’ve included in the next batch of Lenovo S10 netbooks. As we previously reported, it will now feature Quickstart, but in addition to that, it’ll now also come bundled with VeriFace facial recognition technology for added security, and Lenovo Social which is a multiple social networking portal that supports sites such as MySpce, Facebook, Flickr and Twitter. The expected roll out date for these new S10 netbooks is in March with a starting price of $349. No word though if the design will also be refreshed, but as for what was disclosed right now, software-wise, it seems like a decent upgrade though I wish more could be done on the hardware end such as the inclusion of wireless broadband connectivity and a much bigger keyboard and trackpad.

[via bgr]

For a watch boasting futuristic technology, the Phenom SpecialOPS is a bargain for $295 (it was $195 during the Christmas holidays but I bet if you hurry, you can still get the discout here, though they block traffic from some countries). The specs include a 1.3-inch touchscreen display with stylus input, Bluetooth, speaker phone and MP3/ MP4 playback. There’s also a digital camera and a microSD memory extension slot. It’s one of the cheapest phone watches out there, given the features

[via unwiredreview]

In China, Apple has apparently released a folder iPhone called iPhone Air. Fake? You betcha. The best part feature of the fake iPhone Air, in my opinion, is not the FM tuner, Bluetooth or camera or the facts that it’s a clamshell, but the Apple logo that glow in the dark.

A clamshell iPhone is actually a great idea, don’t you think?

[via electronicpulp] (more…)

If you want your iPhone to stand out from the rest of the pack, this red version might be of interest to you. Unfortunately, while it does look like the genuine article, this is obviously a fake since Apple (PRODUCT)RED items come with the (PRODUCT) label at the back which is noticeably absent on this iPhone. Nonetheless, despite being a fraud, this red iPhone does give you with an eye-catching alternative to the usual black and white models available in the market right now.

Likewise, you won’t have to worry anymore if its network-locked or not as the Yellowsnow iPhone 3G unlock is all you’ll need to make it work with the telecom of your choice.

[product via crunchgear]

We’ve seen this portable gamer before but not this cheap. For $46, you get a 2.4-inch screen, 2GB of storage and miniSD extension, 3GP, AVI, MPEG 4, 3GP, WMV, Quicktime, MP3, WAV, WMA support and of course, NES emulation. The MP4 Game is also equipped with AV out. (more…)

Still remember that iPhone ELITE/Pro concept we featured earlier in the week? Well, if a built-in keypad is a bit too much for you, Mat Brady, the creator of the ELITE/Pro, has come out with a completely new concept design that integrates the same QWERTY goodness albeit being an add-on accessory only.

It’s a protective case/QWERTY keypad all rolled into one accessory which looks more plausible than the ELITE/Pro showcased earlier on in the week. Will this QWERTY accessory ever make it into production? One can only hope at the moment, but I’m pretty sure, if it does make it to the market and it’s as sleek as this one, it will definitely be a hit among QWERTY lovers.

[planetmat via gizmodo]

Mobile TV may not be an inherent feature in the iPhone, but the folks at Softbank have found a way to enable such an entertainment feature to work with Apple’s mobile phone courtesy of their 1seg TV tuner/battery charger. This TV tuner add-on may almost be as big as the iPhone itself, but it pretty much gets the job done in streaming TV shows to the iPhone. Unfortunately, you probably won’t be able to enjoy hours of fun watching on the iPhone since early reviews have noted that the Apple’s little wonder phone only lasted for about an hour with the 1seg TV tuner running. Of course, this release by Softbank will only interest those residing in Japan, but it makes you wonder though, if they can do, what’s stopping the rest of the world from with a similar product with a more standard Mobile TV format?

[ohgizmo via engadgetmobile]

Hot off the heels of making Yellowsnow iPhone 3G Unlock 0.9.1 Beta available to the public, the iPhone Dev Team has just released a more stable v0.9.4 for public use. It’s still considered a beta version albeit providing some much needed tweaks to address the earlier complaints received with their first release. Safe to say, if v0.9.1 of Yellowsnow wasn’t working for you the way that it should, you should go ahead and try out Yellowsnow 0.9.4 iPhone 3G unlock. If it still doesn’t work, then go give the iPhone Dev Team a holler here so that they can do something about it. Who knows, you might not be the only experiencing the same problem so it’s best to share your problematic experience with it so that an appropriate fix can be handed out.

Jailbreaking is still a prerequisite so if you don’t know how to do it, head on over to our iPhone 2.2 jailbreak page to find out more about it.

[via engadget]

Info on buying the unlock software. Download iPhone 3G unlock.