Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

For the past couple of days, I’ve rounded up what looked trendsetting, likely to actually make it into stores or just something I’ve fancied.  This year’s CTIA seemed a bit odd to me; maybe it is the economy keeping a lid on things or maybe it is just that we are in limbo waiting to see how the first real soldier (Pre) goes up against the Apple war machine (iPhone).  Here are the best of show awards, sponsored by Gadgetell and Downy Fabric Softner. 

Disclaimer: The fine folks at Downy had nothing to do with this but it is laundry day, so if they need some geeks to check their stuff, send a tub this way.

Best gimmick: The LG GD900

Clearly, this phone has a nifty look to it.  The clear plastic dial pad is not only great looking, you can see through it so as to avoid missing a second of the game or paranoid people can dial 9-1-1 while keeping an eye on their stalker.  Sweet.

This is a great looking phone that will pull buyers in just because it is different.  Nice Job LG, now onto making the whole phone clear.

Let’s speculate on the name “GD:” Gosh Darn?  Good Deal?  Glow Dial?  Grape Danish?  Glass Door?  It is killing me, LG.  Tell me if we are getting warm?

Best job holding onto an idea well past its time: Neutrano Nutec WristFone

We’ve been dreaming of wristphones since well before Dick Tracy had one in comics.  We also dreamed of cheese inside hot dogs and look where that got us.  The concept is fun and makes you feel a bit old-school futuristic but the Sputnik days are over, boys. 

Let me best case this for you: even if you get flexible OLED screens with unlimited battery life, the best you can hope for is an 80s slap bracelet for hardware and that just isn’t going to fly.  Back to today where watch phones are clunky, heavy and far too geeky and you’ve got a recipe for something that collects dust on the shelf.

Best new path forward for Telecoms: Verizon and AT&T

A lot of the talk at CTIA is saturation.  Estimates put the US population with a cell phone at 85%.  How much will it cost carriers to fight for that last 15% (if that is even attainable, heck the last 15% could be in jail and can’t get a phone or those that choose not to get a phone for religious reasons)?  So what are AT&T and Verizon to do?

Put connectivity in freaking everything.  Heck yeah, see that washing machine?  Check its twitter stream to see if your whites are clean.  My blender will shoot out emails saying “margaritas are frosty.”  Maybe my fridge will send out the message to my cardiologist when I open it too much for late night snacking.  See where this is heading?  So do the telecoms.

Here come 78 digit phone numbers!

Best tech I am starting to think we’ll never see: charging mats

Electronista checks out Qualcomm’s charging mat that utilizes near-field magnetic resonance.  Simply empty your pockets of gadgetry, drop them on the mat and in a little bit, you’ll be full recharged.  What is not to love?

We are still waiting.  This idea hangs in limbo land with limited products which means a handicapped solution.  The Palm Pre is jumping on this a bit with their forward-thinking touchstone, but that too is no where to be seen or announced other then the almost robotic “first half of the year” mantra they spit out on twitter almost hourly.

What did you see from this year’s show that is worth mentioning?  Let us know in the comments.