LG Electronics' award-winning Shine phone now has a new and more down-to-earth variation. Introducing the LG Shine Wood LG-LB2500H, a DMB television-enabled phone sporting a grand-spanking retro chic retractable antenna that's sure to wow the fashionable set. Tree huggers shouldn't worry, however, since it's not actually made of wood despite its fine wood grain finish.

This new LG Shine variant sports DMB television compatibility, as well as an electronic dictionary. The phone is currently exclusive only to Korea, however, so unless you're willing to import this cool device its best to just ogle LG's Shine Wood from afar, at least for now.

This December, Samsung will be releasing it's newest bomb, the SCH-B550. This phone will simply blow you away because -get this- it is primarily designed for video games! Yep, as opposed to the more conventional models where games are merely part of the phone's applications, this one right here rolls out the red carpet for games.

Mainly, it supports 3D graphics, Joypad, TV output, GXG support, and features DMB mobile TV, an MP3 player, a 2Mpix camera and Bluetooth. Of course, there's a whole lot more. Oh, and yeah, there's still that feature for calls and whatnot. You know, those minor other applications.

Yes, it is a beauty. And it will soon be out. Uh...did we mention it's only for Korea? Don't be hatin'.

 

As the market for ultra-portable computers continues to expand and manufacturers scramble to meet demand while also trying to keep consumers interested in their products, originality and uniqueness are sometimes lost and products start to blend into a sea of blandness.

Leave it to Korea to buck current trends and release an ultra-portable that is truly without peer. The HiPAD (or HiPDA I've seen it written both ways on the same site!) is a tablet PC, or at least it looks like one. At the heart of the machine is an AMD Geode LX-800 CPU; a processor that is a compromise between power and efficiency.

With an available Gigabyte for memory (256MB standard) the processor will not have memory bottlenecks to slow it down. The most unique thing about the HiPAD has got to be it's ability to run both Windows XP (tablet edition) and Windows CE. The touch screen allows you to take advantage of the best features included with XP tablet edition while still giving you the option to run "normal" PC software designed for Windows XP.

WiFI, DMB and HSDPA provide connectivity and media services for the device. PCMCIA and CF slots provide effective expansion capabilities to the little portable that hint at some interesting possibilities. With Windows CE underpinning the media player and PDA-like functionality and XP tablet edition taking care of the tasks that involve heavy lifting (or heavy processing), it's almost like having two devices in one.

There is also a camera and navigation software embedded within the device. This hybrid-like device has a 10.4 inch touch screen, is one inch thick and weighs 2.9 pounds. For those who care about looks, the HiPAD isn't at all bad looking either! It has a sleek, smart design that only hints at the amount of productivity it can help you to achieve.

There's no word on cost as of this post. The amount of features packed into this tiny portable make it attractive, but price is always an issue. Hopefully, we'll see a version of the HiPAD in the US. American consumers would go crazy for a device like this if it was marketed well. (hint!)

Having a split screen on your TV is cool. Now, imagine that on your mobile phone. Now, Samsung makes that a reality through SCH-B470. This mobile's screen allows you to watch digital broadcasts on one channel, while simultaneously surfing 11 other channels of S-DMB program with a small subscreen. While it is not exactly split screen, the sub-screen's size can be enlarged to half of the main screen. And it is up to you if you want to stick to the main screen, or jump to the other, and vice-versa. You can also rotate the 2.2 inch LCD to a horizontal position according to your viewing preference. 

This new wonder also has a 2 Megapixel camera, MP3 player, and dedicated music keys on the front flip. Priced at 700,000 Korean won (around ($725), SCH-B470 is not yet due for release outside Korea.

Following up on the success of their previous phone model, LG is apparently stepping up the effort to come up with sleek and good-looking designs for their mobile phones. Now, LG would like to introduce to the world the LG-KV2400, also under LG's Cyon brand. 

Aesthetically, this phone model is top-grade, but what would probably make this a weak competitor against other mobile phone models would be its run-of-the-mill features. This model is capable of music playback and has a 1.3 megapixel camera, which supports both static pictures and video -- features that most, if not all, phone models also have.

Unfortunately, there has still been no word regarding its availability or price outside of Korea, which suggests that the model may only be released locally. However, its T-DMB feature for mobile TV may make it a prime candidate for North American mobile phone carriers who wish to match Verizon's offers.

Following in the footsteps of fellow industry giant Nokia, Samsung recently unleashed its newest thing of beauty - the SCH-B450 aka Samsung's answer to the Nokia n-gage. This baby is jampacked with features such as 3D-motion recognition games which will enable future users to have some good gaming fun with this one. Too tired of playing them games? Then go ahead and watch some television with this Samsung contraption which has a DMB Tuner that makes TV watching a reality. Beat that n-gage!

The SCH-B450 is also equipped with 1M polygon 3D game chip and vibration solution of Immersion Company 'Vibe Tonz' to really enhance your gaming experience. Other features include 2.2-inch wide LCD, Bluetooth, motion recognition, 2M camera, MP3 player, my pet, black UI, file viewer, and mobile printing.

Suggested price is 600,000 Korean Won or roughly $632 American bucks. No word on availability for now but you are free to take a closer look at the thumbprint on your left. Let's just hope that this thingamajig steps foot on foreign shores.

The newest kid on the PDA block is looking sleek! Korean electronics company, Blue Bird have announced the arrival of their newest contraption -- the BM-300 T-DMB. From a distance, it resembles one of LG's chocolate phones, but chocolate phone it is not. The PDA is housed in an elegant all-black finish and the 5-way D controller is amped with a red lining.

This one runs in Windows Mobile 5.0, but the biggest factor that this baby boasts is that it supports T-DMB or Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting which lets TV addicts-cum-executives watch their favorite shows when they are out and about. The only problem is that you'll be able to watch in a really small and somewhat beyond satisfactory screen - the 2.8 inch touchscreen TFT-LCD (QVGA) display can only support a 240 x 320 pixel resolution, a bit disappointing for a promising PDA/TV.

The BM-330 is powered by a Bulverde CPU, which comes along the lines of 520 MHz with 64MB RAM and 128MB ROM onboard memory. Memory can be further expanded via an SD SDIO card slot. As for connectivity, it has WLAN 802.11b/g, Bluetooth (v1.2 Class2), USB, IR. Blessed with a 110 x 60 x 13.8 (mm) figure, it is pretty handy. The price tag will follow and as for availability, it will be out in Korea this coming October, as always, there is no word about a worldwide release.