HTC’s next smartphone goes by the name of Vox and does things a little differently than current HTC smartphones: it’s got a full size, slide out QWERTY keyboard. On top of that is the rumblings that it might use Crossbow, the newer version of Windows Mobile.

This is all just rumor and hearsay, the Vox should feature a 2.4-inch display as well as the normal amenities like Wi-Fi, EDGE support and Bluetooth. If these specs end up being true, then the only new feature would be the slide out keyboard which is pretty handy though

Get your computer and desk ready for the holiday season by picking up some neat USB Christmas decorations.  You’ll have the coolest desktop in the office (or at home)!

Check out the USB Christmas Decoration Kit available for just $18.  It includes a string of colorful LED lights in the shape of little presents, a little Christmas hat (apparently for you to wear while sitting at the computer…), and a festive Christmas mousepad.

If you’ve got extra USB ports, you might also be interested in some of these neat little light-up Christmas figures. There’s Santa Clause, drumming Santa, drumming Snowman, LED Musical Snowman, a Musical Santa, LED Christmas trees, and even fiber optic Christmas trees.

 

 

Today SanDisk announced the availability of 12GB and 16GB Extreme III CompactFlash cards to come in December of this year.  This is great news for photography buffs who need lots of storage, as well as those with digital camcorders and other devices that utilize a lot of storage.  Both the 12GB and 16GB versions have read and write speeds of 20MB/second.  The only downside to these babies?  The price.  They will cost $779.99 and $1,049.99 respectively. 

I want one!  It would be perfect for my digital camcorder.  The highest card I saw anywhere was a 2GB, but right now all I have is a 1GB.  The 1GB gives me about an hour of video time, or several thousand photos.  16GB would be heaven.  Add this to my Christmas wish list.

Has Blackberry thumb got you down? Do you like being constantly wired and sending emails and text messages from your smartphone or PDA, but hate the tiny keyboard? Then check out the virtual keyboard, a cool new device that allows you to to type on any surface.

The keyboard works by way of projecting a laser keyboard onto your tabletop, desk, and so on. Once projected, you can type away on the “keys” just like you’d type on a traditional PC keyboard. And just so you aren’t completely weirded out, it plays an accompanying click sound as you type away on your table.

So when you want to fire off an email, but don’t feel like using the tiny keyboard of your mobile device…just set up the bluetooth enabled virtual keyboard. The actual device is slightly smaller than a matchbook, which means you can carry it around in your pocket or purse. No other full-sized keyboard can actually fit into your pocket!

The virtual keyboard can be purchased at any number of online retailers, as well as some electronics stores. Currently, it is up for sale at ThinkGeek for $179.00. It works with bluetooth-enabled smartphones, PDAs, and computers.

Just when you thought you owned the biggest plasma TV on the block, Panasonic has announced that 103-inch flat-panel plasma TVs will go on sale in the US just in time for the holiday season.

The previous record for the largest flat-panel TV was 84 inches, and was produced by several manufacturers. But before you rush out to the store to buy this one, it’s going to cost you - $70,000 to be exact.

Because of their size and weight, these new TVs will have to be professionally installed. But for someone with the money to buy it, that’s probably to be expected.

Researchers from the US and the UK are working together on a new computer that they claim can read humans’ moods and states of mind by analyzing facial expressions and interpreting the underlying feelings. 

Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Cambridge say that already the system allows for a wide-range of emotions and mental states to be indentified.  And apparently all it takes is for you to aim a video camera at someone for the computer to work its magic.

The scientists speculate that this could eventually end up being a helpful advertising tool, allowing advertisers to serve up ads appropriate with our mood.  The imagine the mood reading capabilities to be extended to not just computers, but also mobile phones, cars, and more.

It also stands to be a helpful tool in online learning, providing feedback about whether the student actually understands the lesson he or she is being presented.

The scientists are working with a major car company, and say that the feature will be available in cars within 5 years. 

So if I’m feeling sad, are they going to start serving me up ads of Häagen-Dazs and Zoloft? It sounds way too creepy for me.  Why would I want a third-party knowing what kind of mood I am in?!