Scientists recently demonstrated a knee brace that generates enough electricity to power a cell phone conversation for 30 minutes from one minute of walking.

The system works similar to the regenerative breaking found in some hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius. At the end of a stride, the brace takes over the task of stopping your leg and generates power while it is doing that. The generator in the device then turns off so you don’t use any more energy taking the rest of your step.

This is a great new idea for yet another way to generate renewable electricity.  Unfortunately, we really don’t see this taking off.  Although practical, we don’t know anyone who would go outside wearing a device like this.
Photo: Greg Ehlers/Simon Fraser University

Infinitely Charged is a design geared toward those who are always on the move. It aims to eliminate cell phone chargers by integrating the plug right into your phone.

To charge the phone, simply unfold the prongs when plug the whole phone into an outlet. Then just fold the prongs back in and you’re good to go. A phone like this would be perfect for the frequent traveler because they wouldn’t need a charger and could plug it in just about everywhere, including at airports.

The design is still patent pending and there’s no word on when, or even if, it could become a reality. We’re also curious as to how it works. All phone chargers are pretty bulky, so it seems amazing to be able to integrate one into a phone without taking up much space. Hopefully we’ll hear about this again in the future.

Samsung has introduced a new member of their Ultra Edition family, the Soul. The phone will have a 7.2Mpbs HSDPA connection, a 5 megapixel camera, and a 2.2″ full-color display.

The most innovative feature of this phone, though, is a touchpad display that sits just under the main screen. This display will morph the user interface by showing appropriate icons depending on which application is being used. As an example, music controls will appear while listening to music and editing functions will show up while writing a text message.

The Soul will also feature a microSD card for music with support for just about any format imaginable. Samsung claims 15 hours of music listening time, which is a pretty hefty figure.

Although not as stylish as an iPhone, it looks like this handset will get the job done with its beefed up specs and the innovative touchpad display. Looks to us like this might be a keeper. Another picture after the jump. Read more »

A new device dubbed Modu wants to be your only gadget. Modu is a barebones cellphone which can slide into other gadgets such as a media player, a GPS, or a stylish keypad for the cellphone.

The device can be completely modified so there are almost unlimited possibilities for what it can do and look like. Although simply changing the skin of the cell phone is one option, it’s also possible to turn the phone into just about anything else. An anything else with calling ability, that is.

It appears that Modu is trying to take on big competitors such as the iPhone. However, instead of trying to have it all in one, it is trying to put one into all.

Although the pictures are rendered and the phone is a concept for now, Modu has a release date of October 1st set in Israel, Italy, and Russia. Of course it would make its way to the US soon after as most gadgets do. The price is said to be around $300 for the Modu and two jackets. There will be a total of 10 jackets available at launch.

Check out a video here and pics after the jump. Read more »

Rumor has it that chip manufacturer ARM will be showcasing an Android phone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week. Could this be our first real peek at what the platform has to offer?

It’s interesting that ARM would be a company that chooses to show off Android. Traditionally, ARM licenses processor technologies for use in everything from iPhones to routers, but they doesn’t actually make the processors themselves.

This announcement follows that of HTC, which as already said that it will be one of the first manufacturers to offer an Android device. NTT DoCoMo has also recently announced a joint venture with Google to create one of the first Android handsets.

So, who will really be first? Only time will tell.

Glove manufacturer Swany recently unveiled the G-CELL, a glove with an integrated Bluetooth cell phone connection.

The glove comes packed with all of the regular Bluetooth headset features right on your hand: a microphone and speaker, call and end buttons, and a light and vibration function that indicate incoming calls. The G-CELL also boasts 240 hours standby and 48 hours talk time.

Although probably not the hottest of fashions, this glove is perfect for use while hitting the slopes, especially considering that it’s waterproof. Skiers and snowboarders can finally use their cell phones without digging around in a bulky jacket for a few minutes.

At the moment the glove is only in its concept form with a few made for testing. However, it seems that Swany intends to manufacture the G-CELL. The price is not set yet, but expect an empty wallet after you buy a pair of these.

Designers Sohui Won, Seung-Hoon Kwak, and Yeong-Kyu Yoo introduce us to their version of a cell phone’s best friend - the MCube.

As it’s only a concept, the features of the MCube are astounding. It can charge your phone wirelessly using short range induction technology. While charging, the MCube gathers information such as date and time, messages, and caller ID and shows them on its built-in display. The touch controls of the device then allow you to play back the music stored on your phone via the MCube’s integrated speakers.

Although a great concept, the MCube remains just that - a concept. Hopefully the designers will step away from Photoshop and try to make a real-life version of this some day.

Kodak has announced a new kind of image sensor that could be the start of a new age of camera phone pictures. The sensor is small enough for the tiniest of cameras, and delivers 5 megapixel images in addition to being capable of shooting 720p high definition video at 30 fps (pretty impressive!). Kodak claims the sensor can even deliver good quality pictures in very minimal lighting.

The key technology that has made this new sensor a reality is a completely re-engineered CMOS sensor. Kodak says that the new sensor can finally compete with the sensors of digital cameras. The company is so confident of the sensor’s capabilities that it’s showing them off to cell phone manufacturers next week at Mobile World Congress.

This is an amazing advancement in cell phone camera technology. We can’t wait until these cameras start showing up in every phone so we can finally get rid of our digital cameras.