A Phone Tuned to Your Beat
With the Nokia 5700 XpressMusic 3G smartphone, the handset maker aims to convince you to dump your MP3 player. The Nokia 5700 XpressMusic features a twist design that switches between four modes — music player, 2 Megapixel camera, video call and smartphone. Based on S60 software and combining the benefits of a music-oriented, multipurpose device with 3G dataspeeds, the Nokia 5700 XpressMusic will retail for an estimated 350 euros.
The Nokia 5700 XpressMusic is augmented by a dedicated audio chip for enhanced music performance. The device supports up to 1,500 tracks on a 2 GB microSD card. Built-in stereo loudspeakers turn the handset into a mini boombox. The handset supports a broad range of digital formats, including WMA, MP3, eAAC+ and MP4. The device is also compatible with download services using Windows Media Player Digital Rights management (WMDRM).
Let the Animal Inside — Out
GoPets (www.gopets.net) is a global community composed of real people and virtual pets. Each GoPet is a unique 3D companion that makes its home on its owner’s desktop. GoPets are not restricted to a single computer. When they feel like wandering, they leave home and visit the desktops of other GoPets users. In their travels, GoPets visit their owners’ friends and families, as well as introducing their owners to other GoPets members who share similar interests. These traveling GoPets are messengers and ambassadors — they are the connections in the GoPets social network.
After GoPets members meet through their pets, they can communicate with one another in several ways. On the webpage, users can send each other Web messages. Through the GoPets client, users may contact one another using Instant Chat, and users who speak different languages can send each other messages in GoPet’s new icon-based language, called IKU. The website is particularly amusing for users from Southeast Asia, as the site supports languages such as Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Tagalog as well as English and other Western European languages.
Marketplace for Intellectual Property
LegalForce (www.legalforce.com) is an online destination for the selling, buying and licensing of intellectual property rights. It includes a freely searchable directory of US patents linked directly to attorney and inventor profiles, plus provides a professional network where people interested in intellectual property can join groups, share ideas and collaborate with videos and forums.
The value of patents is often unrealized by their owners. The LegalForce marketplace is a means for inventors, entrepreneurs, enterprises and universities to monetize and capture the hidden value of their intangible assets. All can now use the LegalForce marketplace to license patents to third parties, avoiding many of the expensive costs associated with such transactions.
ID Cards to Go
Fargo Electronics, Inc (www.fargo.com) has introduced the Persona C30 Photo ID System. The C30 system is an easy-to-use, low-maintenance system that can be set up in minutes. It is designed for organizations such as schools, small corporations, clubs, event coordinators or recreation facilities that need high-quality plastic ID cards without high-security features.
The C30 system carries a two-year warranty and includes all the components needed to produce IDs such as a single-sided card printer, USB digital camera, Build-a-Badge software, color printing cartridge, 100 blank PVC cards and a USB cable. Additional supplies can be ordered from the vendor. The system retails for $2,495.