Every manufacturer is now realizing the simplicity and the effectiveness of touchscreen devices and this new touch enabled bluetooth headset from Philips is a testimony to that effect.

This new headset, interestingly called Philips Tapster, are as unique in the sense that it is basically the first touch-controlled Bluetooth headset.

It can be used as any other headset and the use is not complicated by the inclusion of the touchscreen feature. It will easily interface with your mobile for calls and music. There are obviously no buttons or dials. There are touch and gesture sensors present that allow you to tap on the accessory to control the headset. You can tap on the right earpiece to answer and end a call. If you stroke the surface forward and backward, you can control the volume. If you remove the headset, the call gets transferred back to the phone.

Along with some other features like noise filteration and a rechargeable battery, this headset is going to released in March. No word on the pricing yet.

A new gaming system has been released by Maingear that includes Nvidia’s GeForce 3D Vision as its primary attraction. Named the Prelude 2, it is definitely priced a bit on the higher side, but the company feels that the price is justified due to the incorporation of Nvidia’s 3D box set.

Apart from the 3D box set, you get a rig that will be fitted with and Intel Core i7 processor and a GeForce 9800GT in a Lian-Li case. While the i7 processor is among the best, we really question the inclusion of the 9800GT which is a budget card, to say the least.

To accomodate 3D Vision’s 120Hz refresh rate requirement, the whole setup is bundled with a 22 inch 120Hz Samsung LCD.

This will set you back by nearly £1396 and even with the niceties included we really can’t see the reason for such a premium. We feel that the GeForce 3D Vision is a better option as an accessory for around £140 coupled with an assembled high end rig.

Taiwan’s QNAP has just released a new NAS that is definitely more equipped than your run of the mill NAS. Actually it may be called a pretty high end media server that will definitely be used for more than simple network file storage. Called the TS-809 Pro Turbo NAS, this full featured box will actually be used as a serious performance media server or a web server. Why do you ask? You get an on-board Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz processor and 2GB DDR2 RAM. There are 8 drive bays which means you can stock up to 16TB of data in this NAS with advanced RAID features. You also get 256 bit encryption, IP blocking and built in SMS and email alerts. And you were expecting a run of the mill NAS, were you?

Apart from the impressive feature list mentioned above, you also get server functions like file, FTP, mail and database). According to the company, you can read files at up to 126 Mbps and write up to 111 Mbps. More details here.

Sony is one of the few companies which makes a clear distinction in its mobile phone range. If one range caters to music needs, the other caters to the avid photographers. This makes sure that each product performs best in the area it is supposed to. Sony reinforced this fact at the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona today where it displayed two high end camera phones that are going to make you regret picking up that digital camera.

The first model to be displayed is the W995, which was codenamed as Hikaru. This features an 8MP camera along with a 2.6 inch QVGA screen. There is 118MB of storage (which is a tad bit less, in our opinion), GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity. You also get a 3.5mm input jack which eliminates those nasty converters. The phone will be released in March and you can choose from any of the 3 colours - Progressive Black, Energetic Red and Cosmic Silver.

The second model which is going to be released is the Idou which features an impressive 12MP camera. Though official specs have not been released but we do know for sure that there will be a 3.5″ screen sporting a resolution of 640 x 320. Wait and watch is all we can say for now.

Skype recently released the newest avatar of their VIOP software, Skype 4.0. Said to the most advanced version so far, it incorporates a whole host of new features that is sure to make it stand out in the crowd. In Skype 4.0, users get the option of having full-screen video conferences at 30fps. This is bound to make the experience more enriching. Though to be able to do this, your connection and hardware should be able to take the load too. You need a minimum of 400kbps broadband connection and a dual core CPU to be able to make full-screen video calls. You also require a Skype certified webcam.

Apparently, there is a new audio codec installed which utilizes only half of the bandwidth than before. It adjusts bandwidth automatically based on the current load. Many small changes are also made to the interface which make the whole process more user friendly. Currently, it only works on the Windows platform, but the upgrade should make its way to other platforms soon.

Add on displays are being released quite frequently these days and Samsung has released this new screen, titled the U70 which is aimed at the users who want a secondary monitor rather than a replacement of your primary display. For all those who want a secondary display, it is pretty tidy at just 7 inches and showing a display of 800 x 480 resolution and can be connected to the PC via USB.

You get 200 nits of brightness, 400:1 contrast ratio and a 140 degree viewing angle which is pretty acceptable for a secondary display. At the moment, it is only supported by Windows. This stylish display can be yours for just 99 Euro (about $127 U.S. ), but still no confirmation as to when this will be released.

Not yet official, but unconfirmed reports indicate that FCC have approved a new bluetooth keyboard from LG which should make life a lot easier for all the people who have trouble typing with their in-built keypads. Called the LG LBA-C300 Bluetooth enabled QWERTY Card, it measures a compact 6cm x 9cm. Though it is quite a capable QWERTY keyboard, you can also use it as a remote typing interface and it also incorporates a built-in display that is sufficient to display a line of the text that is being typed.

There are many other features of this keyboard which include the ability to read messages from the phone, entering and editing contact information, time functions (watch, stop watch, alarm clock) etc. We think that this is being launched at the perfect time since the LG’s new watch phone is also being released soon. Another place where this might become popular is with people using touchscreen devices. We’ll hear more of this soon. Keep watching this place.

As they say, good things come in small packages. Same is the case with the Philips GoGear Spark which is a smallish MP3 player with a different design and a load of refreshing features. When manufacturing low end media players it is quite difficult to offer a good set of features, but Philips has managed to do just that.

Measuring in at a measly 1.75 inches and half an inch thick, it still manages to give you a 1.5 inch OLED display. All the controls are present at the back of the player. There is support for music, photos and even voice recording. You also get a radio, a color screen and a generous battery life.

The screen navigation is easy and the interface is quite intuitive and simple. The presence of a screen makes the deal better than some other players in the market. The support for only MP3 and WMA may deter some, but the price tag of $59 will be hard to resist.

Garmin and ASUS has announced a merger that will have them build, design and release co-branded mobile products. Their first product will be the rebranded Nuvifone and will be known as the Garmin-ASUS Nuvifone G60. There are reports that many units are already in the production stage and there will be atleast one new model which will be displayed in the upcoming Mobile World Congress.

The new Garmin-ASUS Nuvifone G60 will come out in the market in the first half of 2009 and is supposedly to go head to head to the iPhone. The details of the handset will also be released then. The interesting part about the phone is definitely the merger between the two companies. Both are well established in their own ways and they will definitely come up with something new. Too early to say anything now but the phone should definitely create some ripples in the market. Wait and watch is what we are doing right now.

Nova Media has just released their newest USB modem which is called the iCOM 431. Though this is quite a decent 3G USB modem in itself, its main selling point according to the company is the Mac inspired design. Though the fact that whether it represents Apple’s designs is highly debatable but the design is quite appealing nonetheless.

Coming to the features, it has a retractable connector, which means no more searching for USB drive caps. There is also a slot which facilitates support of upto 8GB. According to Nova Media, there is also an advanced receiver technology that allows you to maximize signal reception. You also get a maximum download speed of around 7.2 Mbps and upload rate of 2 Mbps. It should support all data enabled SIM cards anywhere in the world. There is a built in software for the modem and the software supports both Mac and Windows.