LG GT505 Cellphone

Low-cost touchscreen phones are fast becoming the order of the day. LG already has several options available in this line-up, such as the popular Cookie, but none of them really make you sit up and take notice. The company is now trying to up the ante with the new GT505 – priced slightly higher, but offering a lot more features.

For starters, the phone runs on the proprietary cube-like S-Class user interface, made popular by the LG Arena. With a large 3-inch touchscreen TFT (256K colours, 240x400 pixels), complete with accelerometer for auto-rotation, this promises to be a delight to use.



Speaking of auto-rotation, that feature is bound to come in handy when clicking pictures with the 5-megapixel snapper, which also offers autofocus and LED flash. What’s more, the photographs can automatically be geo-tagged as well, thanks to the onboard GPS.


Navigation and GPS is where this handset shines, as Indian audiences are warming up to the notion of urban mapping. For this purpose, LG has equipped the phone with a 30-day free trial of ‘Wisepilot for LG’ – a turn-by-turn navigation solution with voice instruction and a choice of 2D or 3D mapping to guide you.

But it’s not all fun with the GT505, as the gizmo offers enough for the business user looking to get a bit of work done. Along with a handy document viewer, it supports push email via Microsoft Exchange Active Sync, allowing users to receive their email anywhere, any time.


Connectivity options range from 3G and Wi-Fi to Bluetooth and USB 2.0. And with a card slot for microSD memory of up to 8GB, storage requirements are taken care of as well.


Boasting of a battery that lasts for up to 7 hours of continuous talk-time, the GT505 costs Rs. 14,990 and $340.

Samsung CLP-315 Printer

We have noticed a very interesting thread of making printers smaller and cheaper lately and we need to say that the Samsung CLP-315 is one unit that is breaking records at the moment. We can say that the design of the unit is very interesting and attractive. The only real problem we have with it is that it features the paper tray (capable of holding a maximum of 150 sheets) sticking out a little in the front panel.



In the back side of the Samsung CLP-315 you will find 1 USB port
, which is unfortunately the only type of connection you will get with the printer. If you need WiFi or Ethernet you will need to move your eyes towards the Samsung CLP-315W, one unit that is a lot more expensive. The model in review here only shows one optional: an extra paper tray of 150 sheets.

The only software you will get with the Samsung CLP-315 is the driver
. In the case there are problems with setup you can use a special online tool named Dr. Printer.

Computer : Laptop Skins

“Schtickers”, the company that does designer and corporate labels, now designs laptop skins, iPod and iPhone skins, and many more skins for electronics. You can either design your own for a bit of a premium price, or buy their pre-designed skins for your laptop. Specify your size, and here you go-a laptop that says more about you than what’s on the hard drive.



DJ Turntable Laptop Lime from Schtickers.com: $19.99

Sony Vaio P-Series Laptops

At Gadget Heaven, we’re quite excited about the arrival of the latest Sony Vaio laptops. The baby Vaio P-series are in fact UMPCs, not laptops. Before you ask, a UMPC is an Ultra Mobile Personal Computer, so now you know – let’s move on!



This is the full line-up of models in the new p-series range:

* Sony Vaio VGN P19WN/Q
* Sony Vaio VGN P19VN/Q
* Sony Vaio VGN P11Z/W
* Sony Vaio VGN P11Z/R
* Sony Vaio VGN P11Z/Q
* Sony Vaio VGN P11Z/G

USB Turntable: Bring Vinyl Records Into The MP3

Why would you want a USB Turntable you might asking? Well one surprising development in recent years has been the revival of vinyl records – for any younger readers: this was a forerunner of CDs, ask your dad. Although it remained popular with DJs, most music fans had long since consigned their collections to the back of a cupboard, where they remained unheard and gathering dust because there wasn’t a simple, cost effective way of transferring the material into a digital format. Fortunately, that is no longer the case; there are devices you can use to upload your record collection to your computer, or even your iPod, with ease.



1. The “Profile” is a vinyl turntable which plugs directly into a USB slot on your computer, how easy is that? Once plugged in, you simply play a disc and use the accompanying software to convert the tracks into a digital format.

2. The second version you can get is the “iProfile” which is the same turntable but with the addition of a slot for your iPod (Nano and Classic). Once again it’s very easy to use, just pop your iPod into the slot and transfer your tunes. And if you have any old cassettes lying around, you can plug a cassette player into it and transfer those tracks too, very retro!

Both USB turntables can also be used with your standard music system, and the conversion software is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux. If you decide to convert a whole album, the software will automatically divide it up into separate tracks, and search for the correct titles and artists using the Gracenote programme which comes as part of the bundle. And for anyone who thinks 45s and 33s are a blast from the past, the turntables will even convert 78s!

Evoluent Vertical Mouse

Working from home on my PC has been a pleasure & a blessing for the last few years until around June when I developed a sharp R.S.I. pain from using my mouse, the only thing I could do was take regular breaks away from the computer but I soon found this more of a hindrance than a solution and it was never long before the pain would come back. I decided upon the Evoluent 3 vertical mouse which keeps the wrist in a more natural handshake position rather than the common twisted forearm, the logic sounded good and I decided to try it out.

The Evoluent comes beautifully presented and worked straight out the box using a USB port, this worked for me as my wireless mouse was still connected and worked along side it making the transition easier for certain tasks like image manipulation which I found took a little more time with the vertical mouse, mainly due to it being a new experience. The Evoluent felt strange and almost cumbersome for the first few days and although daily tasks quickly become more natural I was still unsure as to whether it helped any with the RSI as the pain was still present, it took around 1 to 2 weeks for the mouse to fully come into its own, after 2 weeks my RSI pain has completely disappeared and using the mouse felt natural and effortless.

There are sensitivity and DPI settings for the mouse 800dpi to 2600dpi that you can adjust so this would suit gamers as well, Battlefield 2 being a favourite of mine posed no problems at all.Price of the Evoluent Vertical Mouse is $70.

ReTell 570 Digital Walky

The ReTell 570 digital answering machine is one of the best digital answer machines available today. ReTell are the leading supplier of this equipment and their products ooze quality.

The ReTell 570 is compatible with standard BT analogue lines and will also connect to a telephone system on an analogue extension, which means the Retell 570 will work in your home and at the office.

With a recording time of around 4 hours, the ReTell 570 has plenty of recording time. Messages can be limited from 1-5 minutes or if you prefer, they can be unlimited.