While the Nokia N900 will be a major hit across Europe and Asia, there’s little chance that it will be able to compete with smart phones in the United States. Despite that, Nokia still has a large fan base across the country and many tech enthusiasts would love to pick one of these up. While I still haven’t heard back from Nokia for a review unit, call me if you’re reading this, you guys can enjoy this high resolution photo gallery. If you want to pick one up, it’s already available for pre-order through Amazon.com. You can also get the N900 through Dell.com for a little cheaper ($440) if you use Bing.com for 20% Cashback.

Links: Nokia USA N900

The North Face Recon is a very sleek and functional urban pack. It is a frequent sight at college campuses everywhere and should just about have it’s own plug in the campus tours as well. Coming in at 19 different colors/combos the Recon holds the most variance of styles and is guaranteed to offer a style for everyone. While not a large pack (main compartment 1520 cu in, secondary compartment 330 cu in), the North Face Recon offers sufficient space for the majority of people out there.

The North Face Recon is constructed out of 420D Nylon (main body) and 1680D Nylon (bottom). 420D Nylon works fine strength-wise, but won’t hold up to rugged or harsh conditions. Luckily, this pack takes most of its beating on the bottom where the beefy 1680D construction should ensure a long-lasting bottom portion of this pack. Looking over this pack the stitching is fine, although no hints of double-stitching can be found anywhere. It’ll hold it’s own, but don’t count on being able to push it to the max. Since this pack is made of all nylon it is decently water-resistant and you can safely put this pack under a faucet for a minute without worrying about your belongings getting all soggy. This water-resistance also makes cleaning the outside much easier. All the zippers on this pack are tried and true YKK built to last. The Northface Recon is made in Vietnam, but was one of the better made non-USA made packs.

The pouch layout of the Recon is fairly standard. Peeking into the main compartment of the Recon you’ll notice a very conventional, and not the most safe/secure, laptop holding sub-pouch. It’s comforting to see a 1″ nylon fastex top fastener for your laptop. I much prefer this to a simple hook and loop fastener featured in one of the other packs. The laptop compartment can accomodate a 17″ laptop, although it will be a tight squeeze. As a general rule of thumb, all laptop compartments double as a hydration bladder compartment and the Recon functions just as well with a hydration bladder in the laptop compartment as a laptop. Moving around the pack some more are your standard assortment of pouches. An organizer pouch, snack pouch, ect. One interesting thing on this pack are the dual water-bottle pouches on the outside. I suppose North Face caters to both right and left-handers by placing a water bottle pouch on each side, although they might just be advocating their customers have extra water. It may have been more useful to replace one of those pouches with a zippable pouch that can double as another accessory pocket (to hold your laptop charger perhaps?) as well as a water bottle holder. I can’t say I found much use for the external cargo net on the front of the pack, although many people use it to stuff a spare piece of clothing. It’s convenient for quickly stowing larger objects, or dirtier ones that you wouldn’t want to gunk up the insides with. On the right shoulder strap is a handy compression pouch. It’s perfect for your cellphone or keys. Located above that is a cable/wire/hydration hose router which is always a nice touch. A very useful feature on the bottom of the Recon are some compression straps. They allow the user to adjust how far out they want the bottom of the pack to be able to go. This sets up the pack so that it doesn’t slouch as easily or fall over all the time. A very welcomed feature on the Recon is the rigid internal frame sheet in the back. This adds to the comfort of the pack and helps it maintain it’s shape while under load.

For both men and women comfort with the North Face Recon stands at the pinnacle. With a standard load none of the other packs came close to the Recon in the comfort department. Although the shoulder straps are fairly thin, their width spread the load very well. To supplement heavier loads a sternum strap and concealable waist strap are included. These show their worth with heavier loads (such as a few large textbooks along with your laptop), although still couldn’t make the Recon retain its spot as king in the comfort department with heavier loads.

Pros:

• Cargo net
• YKK zippers
• Depth adjuster
• Laptop top keeper
• Internal frame sheet
• Sternum strap
• Tuck away waist strap
• Dual water bottle pockets
• Shoulder strap routers
• Zipper pulls
• GREAT with light loads
• 17″ laptop ok (bit tight)
• 1680D Ballistic Nylon (bottom)

Cons:

• 420D Nylon construction
• Not much laptop padding
• Single stitched
• Small holder on shoulder strap

MSRP: $79
Buy Now: North Face Recon for $69 (no tax + ships free)
Links: TheNorthFace.com (Product Page)

RELATED: Day Pack Reviews: The Roundup

Yesterday, smart USA, announced the pricing and availability of the smart fortwo models in the United States. The smart fortwo is a mini car produced by Mercedes, which offers driving with over 40mpg efficiency. The smart car is only 8.8-feet long and 5.1-feet tall and includes all the standard features found in cars today such as ESP, anti-lock brakes, and air bags. Although it only seats two and limited storage space, it has become quite a popular car in Europe since it’s easy to maneuver through small streets and even friendly to park in crowded areas. The car can also hit a top speed of 90mph, therefore can be driven on highways and is fast enough for most areas.

Anyways the entry-level coupe starts at $11,590 and included 5-speed automatic transmission with a manual mode. Unfortunately this model doesn’t even have powered windows, air conditioning, or even a built in CD player with AM/FM. Therefore paying another $2,000 will the three items mentioned above plus a panorama roof, alloy wheels, gear paddle shifters, heated mirrors, and sports steering wheel. Finally for $16,590 the smart car becomes convertible with an automatic soft top, a sound system with MP3 playback and a 6-CD changer. Although it may seem that this car lacks many features, which are now taken granted, it offers a wider range of price customizations, is one of the smallest car on the market, and offers almost double the fuel efficiency of any other car at that price range. The smart fortwo series will hit dealerships during the first quarter of 2008.

Links: SmartUSA.com | Wiki Info

Last week Creative introduced a new “credit-card-sized” multimedia player with a 2.5-inch simply called the Creative ZEN. One neat aspect is that it now supports playback of the new unprotected iTunes Plus tracks in addition to DRM-Free WMA and MP3. As for paid media, the unit is compatible with Napster to Go. And for video formats the ZEN can read WMV9, MJPEG, MP4, DivX, and XviD. In addition it reads JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, and TIFF since it’s also a photo viewer.

Other features built into the ZEN, which aren’t found on iPods, include a FM radio with 32 custom presets, a voice recorder, and an organizer with contacts, to do lists, and calendar which syncs with Microsoft Outlook. The unit is available in capacities of 4GB, 8GB, and a whopping 16GB (all flash-based). In addition the unit accepts standard SD cards, which are available at prices as low as $20 for 2GB. As for battery life, Creative claims approx. 25 hours for music and 5 hours for video playback.

The new Creative ZEN hit the market this month (September 2007) in Asia and unfortunately isn’t available yet in the United States. Creative is expected to launch this product worldwide very soon. As for pricing, after a currency conversion, the units will approximately cost $150 for 4GB, $200 for 8GB, and $300 for 16GB ($USD). As the holiday season is only a few months away it will be interesting to see what types of media players other companies including Creative will introduce to compete with Apple’s infamous iPod. We are trying to get a hold of a unit for review, so check back soon!

UPDATE 09/20/07: We’re getting one next week for sure and we promise an in-depth review!

Links: Creative Zen Product Info
Pre-Order: 4GB | 8GB | 16GB via Amazon

Have you ever gotten a call and don’t recognize the number? Well with Sullr, getting information on that number couldn’t have been easier. Just enter the area code plus the 7-digit number and the caller’s name or business along with an address and map will be instantly provided. Free reverse phone number lookup services, such as this one, do already exist, however none are clean, Web 2.0 powered, and ajaxified like Sullr. In addition Sullr’s works from just about any mobile phone, just visit ‘wap.sullr.com‘ and get the same results.

At this time Sullr’s beta Web 2.0 service only works in Argentina, Belgium, France, Italy and the USA but they are working to add support for more countries. Just bookmark it and it’s sure come in handy!

Update: Spain and Luxembourg have just been added!

Links: Sullr.com
Related: Do Not Call

Last week the creators of Creative Commons announced version 3.0 of their licenses. For those that don’t know what Creative Commons is, it’s a free alternative to actual copyrights. The service allows website owners to set up and place a license on their own site which, in simple terms, state the rules and regulations regarding the content.

Most of the changes from 2.5 to 3.0 are regarding internationalization of licensed content. For example, American Creative Commons users, previously, had no option but to use a generic license. With the upgrade to 3.0, they have included a “United States” license and created a new “generic” one. If you own a blog or a website, we highly recommend incorporating a CC license to protect your content.

Skatter Tech was originally using v2.5, however we have now implemented the new 3.0 license. According to our new policy you are allowed to share, distribute, display, and perform the work as long as you attribute us and don’t use the content for commercial purposes.

Links: Creative Commons | Get Your Own License
Related: Skatter Tech’s CC License

As stated by Skype earlier this year, free calls within the United States and Canada will be discontinued on December 31, 2006. PC-PC calls and chatting through the Skype software will not be affected and will remain free as always. If you wish to continue making calls Skype has a $15/year (not month, it’s year!) plan which will allow unlimited calls to the United States or Canada for 2007. Pricing will double to $30/year after Jan 31st, 2007, so make sure you sign up before it’s too late. SkypeIn numbers are also available to turn your computer into a digital “land line” for ~$38/year.

Along with announcing the year of free calls, they also released Skype 3.0. The new program includes an updated interface which has some performance improvements and a new look. Skype has also added “live” chat talk rooms similar to Yahoo’s feature. Another neat feature Skype includes is a plugin for Firefox, which automatically converts any phone number on a page into a special Skype link. When clicked on, the number will automatically be dialed in Skype right from within your browser. Skype is currently available for Windows, Macs OS X, and Linux. If you have a previous version we suggest updating since this is a major upgrade.

Links: SkypeOut | Download Skype
Related: Skype Press Release

Having trouble finding DMV forms, handbooks, or contact info? You no longer have to worry; Google has just released a new search tool which allows searching through millions of government websites. Google Government Search, which was launched yesterday on 06/15/06, allows anyone to search through Federal, State, and Local government webpages. The tool has been designed to help people find information about anything relating to the U.S. Government directly through their powerful search tool.

The website which is accessible from usgov.google.com has been designed very similarly to Google’s custom Personalized Homepages. If you are one of those that like to keep up with government news, you will now have the ability to add tons of government news feeds and information to your Personalized Google Government Homepage. This is a great tool for finding information, but lets just hope the government doesn’t subpoena Google’s logs to see what everyone’s been searching for.

Links: Google U.S. Government Search | FAQs and More Info
Related: Offical Google Announcement | Google Calendar Released

On March 9, 2006, Forbes published their annual report on the world’s richest people. (Entitled: The World’s Billionaires) According to Forbes there were only 140 billionaires just 20 years ago, but the number rose to over 476 in the last 3 years and is now 793 in “06. India’s market grew by over 54% over the last 12 months and has now become the home to 10 billionaires. Other countries that recently got a boost in their economy include China and Russia. Bill Gates, the first on the list, has been number one for his twelfth consective year. (see link below for full list)

The Top Five: (Name – Country – Source – Value in Billions)

1. William Gates – USA – Microsoft – $50
2. Warren Buffet – USA – Berkshire – $42
3. Carlos Slim Helu – Mexico – Telecom – $30
4. Ingvar Kamprad – Sweden – Ikea – $28
5. Lakshmi Mittal – India – Steel – $23

The next five people on the list are Paul Allen, Brenard Arnault, Bin Talal, Kenneth Thomson, and Li Ka-shing respectively. Another notable person is Albert von Thurn, 22, who is now the youngest billionaire. Twelve people who left the list last year returned for some more, while another 39 were dropped from it. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google, are both now valued at over $13 billion.

Links: The World’s Bilionaire (Forbes) | The Complete List
Related: Forbes’s Rich List | All Forbes’s Lists

This summer, the PSP, (PlayStation Portable) is redefining entertainment on the go, with a truly portable movie, music, and gaming experience. That entertainment experience is going to get better! on August 12, consumers in North America will be able to download a new update which includes a Web browser enabling them to read news, search for information and check their Internet-based e-mail accounts through an available Wi-Fi network.. In addition to the Web browser, the PSP firmware upgrade 2.0 includes other cool features such as enhanced video and audio playback, photo sharing options, broader network connectivity, and a customizable interface to suit each user’s personal style. This upgrade is part of the long-term strategy for bringing consumers the only truly integrated entertainment platform on the go through PSP.
As you may have noticed, this week, Sony Computer Entertainment made this PSP 2.0 firmware upgrade available for download for the Japanese market. Many North American consumers have downloaded the upgrade onto their North American PSPs, however, we recommend that they download the version that will be made available in mid-August, which has been fully tested and authorized for use with North American PSPs. Downloading unauthorized software will void the PSP’s warranty. The PSP firmware 2.0 update will be available for download directly to PSP units using any 802.11b Wi-Fi connection (and the Network Update feature) or from a PC at http://us.playstation.com/psp using a USB 2.0 connection. The Web browser will also be available in select PSP games coming out this fall.

New features that will be available in the PSP Firmware 2.0 update include:
Portable Internet
Bringing the Internet with you is easier than ever with the new PSP 2.0 Firmware upgrade. A new Cross Media Bar (XMBâ„¢) icon will be added to your PSP. That new globe-shaped icon will be called [Network] and will feature easy, one-button access to the Internet via a Wi-Fi connection. With all of the elements you’d normally expect with an Internet browser such as bookmarks, Forward button, Back, button, Refresh, Home, History, and active cursors, consumers will have the Internet at their fingertips.
Personalize Your PSP
One of the coolest new features that comes with the upgrade is Wallpaper, which will allow people to customize and create their own backgrounds on the PSP’s much talked about 16:9 TFT LCD widescreen display. Users can take any image such as a favorite sports car, celebrity, family member or game character that will be the first thing seen when firing up PSP or scrolling through entertainment options. PSP owners can use their favorite personal picture or image from their favorite Web sites just like if there were on a home PC!
Video:
Home movies become widescreen cinema quality experiences as the new upgrade supports the codec known as “AVC” will allow users to view their video files through the PSP video player. AVC is the same open standard, high resolution, widescreen format used in UMD Video.
New video features makes viewing UMD movies even easier. A new “Go To” function will allow users to skip to any part of the movie by the second, minute, or even hour. This feature would be especially useful when searching for a specific part of a clip within a movie or video.
Rather than having to play straight through a UMD video, a new A-B Repeat function will allow users to continuously loop during a select time period.
4:3 Screen mode will be added as a saved video data playback feature to provide more options for viewing stored videos.
Expanded audio options will be added as a saved video data playback feature.
Audio:
MP4 (AAC) and WAV (LPCM) formats will be supported by the PSP music player.
Image:
Image transfer between two PSP will be made easier via a new infrared feature. PSP owners will have the ability to easily share their digital images without the use of wires or swapping their Memory Stick PRO Duoâ„¢ media.
PSP will support additional formats including TIFF, PNG, GIF and BMP enabling users to view a variety of images through the PSP image viewer.
Network:
New icon added to the XMB will enable users to connect to Wi-Fi networks (including those that employ a WPA-PSK (TKIP) security mechanism) for Internet browsing.
Setting up a Network Connection will become easier due to improved navigation and controls and a redesigned look and feel.
Language Support:
Additional language support includes a Character Set that will be added to support display and recognition of character for each system language. Korean will be added as an optional system language, and input modes will be added to the On-screen Keyboard allowing users to activate special characters for certain languages.

Link: IGN | (+) digg
Related: Download PSP Firmware

Update: IGN claims that if you have already updated the U.S. PSP to v2.0 w/ the Japanese Firmware, you will still be able to install the USA v2.0 Firmware when it comes out. So if some of you can’t wait a few days then update to the Japanese version until the 12th.