Hasta La Gadget!

While I’m very excited with the actual content of this week’s Top 5, I’m very sad about one thing. We wanted to give away a lava lamp. It would have been very cool. It would have been a not lame prize. But it broke.

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Originally posted at CNET TV

Over the years we’ve found that usually, when a company takes a model number and slaps an extra letter on the end of it, there’s some sort of feature or update they’re highlighting. iPhone 3GS? That one’s easy: “speed.” But if we’re reading this FCC business correctly, Nokia’s new 5800i XpressMusic handset apparently differs little from its older sibling — save for the fact that they’ve removed that pesky WiFi antenna from the thing. Because, really, what would you do with all that connectivity, anyways? Also, while still sporting a 3 megapixel camera, those specs are listed as a 4.6mm on the new handset (the original is 3.7mm). As GSM Arena has pointed out, this could be due to either a narrower field of view or a larger sensor — probably the latter. Not too much more info here, but if you’re morbidly curious, please feel free to check out the gallery below. It’s a blast.

Gallery: Nokia 5800i XpressMusic hits the FCC: it’s like the 5800, only less so

Read – Nokia 5800i XM shows up. Loses Wi-Fi connectivity
Read – FCC teases with Nokia 5800i XM – better camera, but no Wi-Fi?

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio

Nokia 5800i XpressMusic hits the FCC: it’s like the 5800, only less so originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You can now archive apps on your MicroSD card.

(Credit: RIM/BlackBerry)

One of my biggest complaints when BlackBerry App World debuted this past April at CTIA 2009 was that applications installed to Flash memory, giving you no option to store more apps on a microSD card. On Friday, RIM, …

Originally posted at The Download Blog

For a four-week period, I’m awarding one Leatherman Freestyle CX to the Gadget Lab reader whose comment best contributes to this site.

This week’s winner is “heroisum,” whose comment on the potential of an Apple tablet adds the hope that tablets will help save magazines and newspapers from extinction. “We need something that can replicate an actual page of content — design cues included,” heroisum writes.

That’s a debatable point, to be sure. And heroisum wins for “comment of the week” not because we agree, but because this is a thoughtful, personal comment that advances the argument.

The prize is a Freestyle CX (above), one of the smallest tools Leatherman makes. It’s got a pair of pliers and a hard, 154CM stainless steel blade, and that’s about it. It fits nicely in your pocket, feels good in your hand and looks cool. Thanks very much to the Leatherman company for donating these as prizes.

There are two more weeks, so keep those comments coming. And as a reminder, here’s Gadget Lab’s comment policy.

Runners-up for comment of the week:

• Gadget Lab is patronizing to “ignant people in ‘third world countries’”
• Greenpeace activists are not terrorists
• An Apple tablet would kill the Sony eReader, not the Kindle
• Some more ways Nokia doesn’t get it
• A folksy bluegrass country tale about peeing over a fence

In most cases, a nerd standing on a beach is like the Queen of England standing on stage at a strip club. It just isn’t right. However, these 10 gadgets can make you feel more at home.

I don’t think I need to explain the merits of a drivable beer cooler to anyone—much less nerds used to a sedentary lifestyle. The Cruzin’ Cooler can hit speeds of 15mph with a payload of 24 12oz cans on board. [Cruzin’ Cooler and 19th Hole Carts via Link]
The Grinch Winch features a tow rope and a 7HP engine that will hurl you head on into the surf. [Distortionboarding via Link]
I would hope that you are smart enough to generously apply SPF 50 sunscreen to that pasty body of yours, but you still might need a backup to prevent overexposure to the sun. The Minox Suntimer monitors UV rays and sounds an alarm when it thinks you’ve had enough. [Optix Planet and Link]
For the gadget fanatic, it’s not enough to merely admire the underwater landscape, it must be recorded. Thanko’s underwater video camera (25fps QVGA) is small enough to mount on a pair of goggles. [Link]
Of course you brought your laptop to the beach. As sad as that is, the LapDome was tailor made for people like you. Basically, it’s a mini tent for your laptop that protects it from the elements while shielding the screen from from that unfamiliar fiery orb in the sky. [LapDome via Link]
When a simple beach chair just won’t do, the Astone inflatable massage chair will provide a more luxurious solution. In addition to the vibrating massage pads, the chair also features a dock for your iPod, speakers and a handy remote control. [Axpertz via Link]
In keeping with your nerdy sensibilities, this unique surfboard was designed by Thomas Meyerhoffer—a guy that spent time working at Apple and was a driving force behind the design of Chumby. [Myerhoffer via Link]
If you are going to be out in the sun, you are going to need a pair of sunglasses. This Calvin Klein model look a bit Blues Brothers, but it does feature 4GB of storage. [Link]
It’s a shark! It’s a submarine! No, it’s some fat guy wearing a Superman wetsuit. If you can imagine it, the guys at Wetwear Custom Wetsuits can make it. [Wetwear]
When you are a guy and you have a set of man jugs like this, do us all a favor and wear a man bra with a t-shirt over it. [Link]