Tag Heuer unveils LINK: Luxury, Precision and Android (www.drmobiles.co.nz), Auckland, New Zealand

Not all phones are created equal and we don't just mean hardware or software here. There are those phones that market themselves to the 'elite', usually toting a mix of expensive materials, hand built and precision manufactured parts and a four to seven figure price tag (such as these fine examples) that would make your eyes water.

Tag Heuer have already stepped into the phone market with their Meridiist line of handsets, all precision engineered and designed to reflect Tag's strong design language, but now they're bringing a new device to market, one that actually offers more than just a platinum back plate or a sapphire screen. The Tag Heuer LINK smartphone is a premium/luxury handset that right off the bat proves that you can have a luxury and everyday functionality, strangely a combination that has been sorely lacking in this market so far (excluding custom built iPhone 4's and so on).

The Tag Heuer LINK smartphone: Avant-garde communication

The LINK still ticks the boxes for the elite purchaser with material combinations that include steel, 18k rose gold or titanium paired with rubber, alligator skin or leather trim. As the video below shows the LINK also strongly maintains its watchmaker roots as well, with the SIM, USB and memory card ports hidden behind a hinged body panel locked in place by what appears to be a crown (the bit you would usually pull out to set your watch).

What makes the LINK so much more appealing than its luxurious brothers and sisters however is that it comes running a skinned version of Android Froyo 2.2, which although a little long in the tooth now still gives the LINK full access to the Android Market's 250,000+ apps as well as a lovely looking UI with lots of room for customization and improved functionality. The spec list itself is lengthy but promises more of that solid functionality previously lacking from such luxury phones. For a start the LINK has a 3.5" TFT LCM display, protected by Gorilla glass® outputting at a resolution of 800x480 pixels with 16 million colors and on the back you get a 5MP camera with auto focus and video as well. The internals are a mixed bunch with highlights being Stereo Bluetooth, AGPS, WiFi, EDGE and HSUPA 3G and an 8GB SD card but on the downside, internal memory clocks in at a measly 256MB which in this day and age just doesn't cut it.

Although the LINK gets Froyo out of the box, chances are that as long as Tag Heuer want to keep their clientele sweet, they'll throw in an update to Gingerbread further down the line. Of course as the video showed the Froyo on the LINK isn't stock, Tag Heuer have had it modified and it will most likely include exclusive apps, widgets, wallpapers and ringtones not available on any other device.

One other key issue that Tag Heuer have addressed is that such finely crafted phones usually lack the durability that they really require, after all they're still just as likely to get dropped on your gravel drive or whilst you walking across the runway to you private jet, so they need the be able to withstand the rigors of a busy 5-star lifestyle. The LINK promises a rugged, solid design and build quality that goes beyond the addition of the Gorilla glass®, not yet seen on a luxury device. But really what does this all mean? It's certainly a step in the right direction for luxury phones everywhere but one key aspect remains, how much? Tag Heuer state that prices start at a cool €4700 or $6700 but of course based on your choice of trim, materials and finish, that's only the start.

This post is sponsored by:Dr Mobiles Limited
1 Huron Street, Takapuna, North Shore 0622Tel: (09) 551-5344 and Mob: (021) 264-0000Web - Map - Email - Posterous - Twitter - Blogger - Flickr**BUYER BEWARE**  Dr Mobiles Limited is the only professional phone repair lab that DOES NOT charge inspection fee for checking up faulty or water damage phones!


    

Your Apple iPhone 3GS may May Fight Alzheimer's, Mouse Study Says. (Tech, news, report, jailbreak, unlock, repair, Auckland)

This post is sponsored by:

David Lim (Mobile Phone Repair and Unlock blog author)

Auckland, New Zealand. Mobile: +64211172222

After years of speculation that cell phones may harm your brain, new research suggests they may actually fight Alzheimer's disease.

Yes, you heard right.

Microwave radiation from cell phones may protect against and even reverse Alzheimer's-like symptoms, according to a new study involving genetically tweaked mice.

(Related: "Rat Made Supersmart — Similar Boost Unsafe in Humans?")

The results were so surprising that study co-author Juan Sanchez-Ramos didn't believe them at first.

"It's such a dramatic and counterintuitive effect," said Sanchez-Ramos, a University of South Florida neuroscientist.

"I joked that the animals must have been mislabeled or that the power wasn't switched on."

Mobile Phones Provide Protective Radiation?

The primary culprits in Alzheimer's disease—which is marked by dementia and cognitive decline—appear to be sticky brain deposits known as beta amyloid plaques, which can build up between nerve cells.

In the experiment, scientists examined the effects of cell phone radiation on 96 mice that were genetically engineered to develop beta amyloid plaques and thus Alzheimer's-like symptoms. The mice normally developed the first signs of the disease around 6 months. By 8 months they were already experiencing cognitive declines.

Both the Alzheimer's-prone mice and normal mice were then exposed to cell phone-level microwave radiation for two one-hour periods daily for seven to nine months.

The study found that if cell phone exposure began before the genetically engineered mice started showing signs of Alzheimer's, they were less likely to develop symptoms later on in life.

These mice performed as well on memory and thinking-skills tests as normal mice without Alzheimer's. For instance, the mice were given a cognitive interference task that tested their ability to remember something after an interruption. The team also put the mice through a three-armed Y maze, which measures basic memory function.

(Take a brain quiz.)

Furthermore, the genetically engineered mice that were were exposed to the cell phone radiation after they had already begun to show cognitive deficits generally saw their memory impairment disappear after several months of the radiation exposure.

Of Mice and Men and Alzheimer's

No one knows how the radiation protects against Alzheimer's, but the team has some ideas.

One is that the microwaves create cellular stress in the brain, and that the stress jump-starts DNA repair mechanisms in the brain.

For instance, scientists already know that "minor insults" such as toxic substances or low oxygen will improve the brain's ability to repair damage to proteins and DNA, Sanchez-Ramos said.

However he cautioned that the experiment was not "a perfect replication of cell phone use in humans."

For instance, the lab mice were exposed to cell phone radiation over their entire bodies—not just to their heads.

"It's an interesting finding and perhaps it could be translated somehow to a human test," said David Knopman, an Alzheimer's expert at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

But he also urged caution against assuming the findings would apply to humans.

"What goes on in mice may not have anything to do with people," said Knopman, who did not participate in the study.

"This animal model of Alzheimer's is useful, but there's still many questions about whether it's ultimately valid [to humans] or not."

That's because Alzheimer's disease does not manifest itself in the same way in humans, said George Perry, an Alzheimer's expert at the University of Texas, San Antonio, who was not involved directly with the research.

"In most people, the development of amyloid plaques is related to the aging process—not because they're genetically modified," Perry said.

Not All Bad?

Nevertheless, the "pretty dramatic" research raises the possibility that health effects of cell phone radiation are not all harmful, added Perry, who is also editor in chief of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, in which the January 6 study was published.

How, cell phone radiation affects humans—if it all—is currently a topic of intense debate.

Some scientists, for instance, claim that cell phones can lead to increased risks of brain cancer. Such concerns have led the U.S. state of Maine to consider requiring that cell phones carry warning labels.

The new study, though, "puts the debate in a perspective where we need to consider a broad range of effects of cell phone radiation," Perry said.

______________________
This post is sponsored by: David Lim, Tel: +674211172222, Professional Apple iPhone Repair & Unlock, davidlim hotmail.com

How jailbreak your Apple iPhone & iPod with one Click! (Tips, tool, Unlock, Repair, jailbreak)

If you wonder how can you easily jailbreak your Apple iPhone or iPod, please visit this useful link below which I have discovered earlier. Have fun! You are strictly liable for your own action or modification of your Apple iPhone and iPod. Check with your retailer about your product warranty before you hack your devices!

Note: If you have any question about Apple iPhone 3G, 3GS or Apple iPhone 4 repair, unlock, jailbreak or broken screen replacement, feel free to get in touch with Abby Technology Limited.

We specialise in the mobile phone repair, UK cell phone network unlocking and Apple iPhone repair in North Shore, Auckland; Wellington, Hamilton and Christchurch, New Zealand.

__________________

This post is sponsored by:

Abby Technology Limited

Mt Roskill, Auckland, New Zealand

Mobile: +64212640000, abbytechnology[a]gmail.com