We saw a few “Qool” (sorry, we were mandated to get that in) products at CeBIT this year: the QDA “Glider,” QDA “Icon,” and the Qool “Twins.” The Twins come in two different flavors; the Twins 168 is a tri-band dual SIM handset that allows both SIMs to be active at all times. Rolling with CDMA? Then the T178 is for you, with tri-band GSM, plus a CDMA 800 / 1900 / 1X radio all in one set. This is top-shelf stuff if you are a business traveller — no need to swap between SIMs to check your messages at home and throwing in the dual-purpose CDMA / GSM model does the same for CDMA users. The Glider is a quad-band Windows Mobile device with a sliding keypad, a 195MHz OMAP850 core, 2.8 inch touchscreen, Bluetooth 1.2, WiFi, EDGE data, and a 2 megapixel cam. This is a solid device and we absolutely loved the red backlit touch-controls mounted on the face. The QDA Icon is touted as the world’s slimmest PDA phone with a 4 megapixel camera, and as such, it was given props with an Innovations honour at CES. The touchscreen QDA Icon is available in either dual-band GSM 900 / 1800 or 900 / 1900 versions, with the grunt delivered by a 200MHz OMAP730. Sadly, the only data options are Class 10 GPRS, Bluetooth 1.2 and USB — no EDGE or HSDPA here.

From engadget

Gallery: Hands-on with Qool: hip, stylish… qool

    

If you’re the type to shun audio trend in favor of audio quality then be sure to give a glance in the direction of Toshiba’s latest audio player. The new gigabeat U series of music players comes in 1GB (U101) and 2GB (U201) flavors and features Toshiba’s new high-quality, 1-bit TC94A82XBG DAC. Otherwise, the most notable feature is the integrated FM receiver/transmitter allowing you record FM broadcasts to MP3 and even share your audio collection with your car audio system or any other DAP equipped with an FM receiver — pretty much all of them these days. The player sits 11.9-mm thick with a 1.1-inch organic EL display sporting a 96×96 resolution and graphics reminiscent of nascent web interface design. A 20-hour battery and support for Windows Media DRM10, MP3, and WAV (PCM) round out the specs with a full Japanese launch by April 7th — Â¥13,800 ($118) for the 1GB player or Â¥16,800 (about $142) for the 2GB model. Not cheap, but not too beaucoup either.

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Japan’s TransTechnology is back and ready to loose their latest all-media streamer, the DVX-700. The box will ship in two flavors — the tethered M10, or wireless 802.11b/g M20 — and comes packing a DVD player and removable 3.5-inch HDD (optional) for sneakernetting your data back-and-forth to an optional USB or IDE enclosure for your PC. Otherwise, you can push your media around via DLNA support with like-spec’d devices on the home network. The unit touts a Sigma Designs’ EM8620L media processor like the newer AVeL LinkPlayers we’ve already seen from I-O Data. As such, you can expect support for WMV HD, MPEG-1/2/4, XviD, WMV9 video; DVD-ripped ISO image files; and MP3, AAC, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, and WAV (PCM) audio. It even supports direct Google Video browsing and playback with the help of a USB keyboard and/or remote control. Video outs include DVI and Japan’s digital D4 both supporting up to 1080i. Yours in Japan starting tomorrow for Â¥27,800 ($237) with wires or Â¥30,800 ($264) without.

[Via Impress]
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Whoa, what’s that HTC Kaiser doing there? Don’t whip out your Wizard or Hermes and try this, folks — you’ll only end up with tears and a broken Pocket PC — it’s a hot new trick HTC’s Hermes follow-on has up its sleeves. Besides the wacky flip-up action, the Kaiser ups the camera to a full 3 megapixels (an extra million pixels over its predecessor), adds HSUPA support for crazy fast uploads, GPS, and the now-obligatory Windows Mobile 6 Professional. No word on release, but we know with certainty that HTC wants this thing in users’ hands in 2007, so we’d expect it to start showing up on European networks before too long. Click on for plenty of gorgeous photography.

[Via Howard Forums]
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GSM fanboys, rejoice: Core Duo News was trawling the FCC website when they caught the EV-DO-packin’ Portege R400 convertible tablet making another run through the certification process, but this time around, it’s looking to get an HSPDA modem cleared for takeoff. This being the FCC and all, we can’t tell if any of the other specs on this 12-inch, somewhat underpowered notebook have changed along with the 3G standard, but we think it’s safe to assume that the only difference is a Novatel PCI Express Mini Card taking the place of whichever Verizon-compatible modem was once there. So grab your checkbooks, Cingular and T-Mobile subscribers, because there’s a good chance that the re-spec’ed R400 will hit the scene any day now. And if not, hey, it’s never too late to jump on the CDMA bandwagon.

[Via Core Duo News]
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Linksys has a new wireless media adapter today, the KiSS 1600, which fairly synonymous with fellow router-pusher Netgear‘s Digital Entertainer HD. As expected, KiSS 1600 streams high def digital video, audio, and photos (sorry, we’re light on info about codecs) from the internet or any locally networked device straight to your TV set. And thanks to its HDMI connection, DVDs get upscaled 720p. Unfortunately the nitty-gritty specs are incog for now, but you’ll be able to purchase (not steal) a KiSS sometime soon for a hefty £259.99 (about $503).

[Via Wired]
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We won’t front, Samsung makes some sexy laptops. Their latest lined up for CeBIT include the R70, R20, and Q45: the Q45 is the smallest of the pack, with a 12.1-inch widescreen display, while the R20 features a 14.1-inch widescreen, and 15.4-inch R70. All run Vista on Core 2 Duo processors and feature “built-in USB slots” (thanks!!), while varying perks like the R20′s silver-nano antibacterial coated keyboard, or the R70′s HDMI port, or the Q45′s WiBRO and HSDPA radios.

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