How Tough is your phone?

Putting your life in your handset is risky, especially if you kill it. But at the 2009 MWC, i-mate showed off a handset that can take much more punishment than most.

Named after a US military spec, the 810-F can be dropped from three metres (10 feet), works in temperatures ranging from sub-zero to 60 degrees Celsius, is dustproof, and water resistant.

Dan put its toughness to the test by driving over it in a car. It stayed in one piece and even its touchscreen was still working.

If you prepared to splash out £600 on this handset when it comes out in April, then you too could impress your friends. One of its useful features is that your data can be protected if you lose it.

"If this device is lost or stolen, you can log in at any place and set a lock, an alarm, and even wipe the data located on the phone at any time," said Michael Cavey, sales director at i-mate. "And if it is damaged we'll replace it."

Add power to your mobile phone: Qualcomm's SnapDragon

First on the list of common annoyances are underpowered smartphones that take too long to perform tasks or crash when more than two applications are open. One potential answer could be Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset which its makers claim is about 50% more powerful than those in current smartphones.

The first versions of the chipset run at 1Ghz and help to power hi-res graphics, new user interfaces, while running Windows Mobile.The Toshiba TG01 is the first handset to sport it. Qualcomm is working on a version that runs at 1.5Ghz - which, it claims, will be broadly equivalent to the processors found in most netbooks.

Enrico Salvatori, vice president at Qualcomm, said the chipset's ability to support applications is what makes "the mobile internet user experience compelling". "The Snapdragon is delivering high performance in terms of multimedia, video, high definition, encoding and decoding, and supporting of a camera", he said.

Qualcomm has also developed Mirasol screens that draw their inspiration from structures found in nature. The screens use tiny amounts of battery power and can be seen in bright daylight. Reflective properties on the device's screen produce brighter images outdoors, according to Cheryl Goodman-Schwarzman from Qualcomm MEMS. "Colour comes in to the display, and it reflects back out colour. The brighter the light, the clearer the display," she said.

Everyday is Valentines' day for Mr. M. Noor 34 and wife Wok 103! David Lim, Auckland, New Zealand

KUALA TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA, 15-2-2009: When Muhammad Noor Che Musa and Wok Kundor tied the knot just over three years ago, nobody gave their marriage much of a chance to survive. After all, he had just turned 34 and the bride was 103.

Wok Kundor and her husband Muhammad Noor Che Musa are deeply committed to each other despite the big age gap.

Now, three years on, the couple who reside in Kampung Tok Bak near here have surprised many by staying happily married and proving that love will conquer all, if given a chance.

Noor, from Tanah Merah, said almost every family member, friend and neighbour had once dismissed his decision to marry Wok as a desperate attempt for companionship.

"In the beginning, we were the talk of the town, if not the whole state and country. We ended up in the news a few times.
"But now, most of the people I care about, especially my family and close friends, have accepted Wok as my life partner. Most of our neighbours have also accepted that this marriage is for the long-haul," he said yesterday.

Wok, who was born in Bachok but has been living in Kuala Berang district for more than 50 years, said some neighbours hurled hurtful remarks at them in the beginning but patience and perseverance finally won them over.

"I couldn't say the same about the press though, as from time to time, some newspaper or magazine from as far as Singapore, Indonesia, China and Japan will come looking for stories.

"They must have been disappointed to find out that we're living a normal life.

"Sometimes, I just wish that people will leave us alone but I guess there's really no chance of that happening as there are not many 106-year-old women with 37-year-old husbands," she said laughingly.

When asked how it had all began, Noor said it was certainly not love at first sight. What started as friendship developed into something stronger and eventually led to a matrimonial bond which, according to him, would only take death to part them.

"I know some people are wondering why we decided to get married but rest assured that it has nothing to do with material things as we are living modestly on my income as odd-job labourer and Wok's RM200 allowance from the Welfare Department," he said.

"I don't know how poor we are but we lost most of our worldly possession, including television set, washing machine, stove, fans and even our beds when our house was burgled in December. We have yet to replace some of the items."

Wok was quick to add that the most important thing was they had each other.

She claimed it was a good thing that they did not have their television set as it had given them more time to read the Quran together.

As for the secret to their blissful marriage, Wok said like any other, theirs also had some ups and downs but she added it was vital to remember not to go to bed angry with each other.

When asked if he had to make sacrifices in order to be with Wok, Noor said it was no sacrifice at all and that he had never been happier.

Both husband and wife also admitted they were not too familiar with Valentine's Day but said if it meant a day for professing love for one another, then every day for the past three years had been Valentine's for them.

Force Trainer Toy Uses Your Brainwaves to Imitate Yoda-Like Telekinesis (David Lim, Auckland, New Zealand)

Here's one of the most interesting tech toys that have recently emerged from the toy crafting laboratories of Uncle Milton Industries. The Force Trainer is special both because of its affiliation to the Star Wars universe, and because of the innovative technology it uses.

The device has a headset that translates the intensity of your brainwaves into what looks like Force telekinesis powers. If you are strong in the Brainwave Force, you will see a ball move upwards inside a 10-inch tall tube. Just don't try to imagine Darth Vader using the Force Trainer, or the entire thing will be a little too ludicrous, even to veteran fans of the SW franchise. You will have to shed about $100 from your money mound if you want to try out your Jedi potential.

The Force Trainer's brainwave-based system is, in fact, a modified version of similar devices normally used for EEG medical testing. The more you focus on the sphere, the more it will rise, which is cool, even without the Star Wars wrapping. Now, don't you go and picture a brainwave flow emitted by your noggin and delicately nudging the “training sphere.” The ball is actually pushed by a volume of air released when the device detects a certain quantifiable amount of brainwaves from the user.

The creators of the toy probably know they've got a sweet deal going on here, but they still slapped on some Star Wars-like sound effects for good measure - which will probably become boring after a while. Hopefully, there will also be an option for turning them off. After all, a true Jedi needs absolute concentration, disregarding trivial annoyances. Do you really think Obi-Wan Kenobi paid any attention to the musical score, despite its coolness?

Anyway, it's still a little strange to see this kind of technology just waltzing in people's homes. Strange, but also encouraging, in the big picture.