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NaviGadget: Taiwan’s Gigabyte is claiming they have the world’s first 3.5G GPS/AGPS wireless modem which they are displaying at CeBIT, Germany.Called MD800, this card is the successor to the one in Gsmart MS820 GPS PDA phone which features a motion sensor and the company’s own GUI. The data card offers a choice of three interfaces, Express card, mini USB, and PCMCIA in addition to its 3.5G networks capability and also support for GPS and A-GPS.

At CeBIT again, the company will be introducing the MS808 PDA phone which is claimed to be the world’s first 3.5G mobile phone supporting four different mobile TV standards, DVB-T, DVB-H, T-DMB, and ISDB-T as well as GPS too.

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The Register: When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone at Mac World back in January 2007, he told the Apple faithful that his portable status symbol was backed by 200 patents. And the Apple faithful cheered. But that hasn’t prevented an onslaught of iPhone-happy lawsuits.

After all, this is America.

Other patent holders have already sued Steve Jobs and company over the iPhone’s touch screen, its virtual keyboard, and its so-called visual voicemail. And now an inventor named Romek Figa has gone after the handheld’s caller ID feature, insisting it infringes a patent he bagged back in 1990.

Figa’s patent, describes an “an automatic incoming telephone call number display system for detecting an incoming call and identifying the party associated with the incoming call number”.

Like the iPhone, the system “includes a directory of telephone numbers and parties associated with those numbers,” and it’s equipped with “circuitry that detects the origin telephone number of an incoming telephone call and compares that number with numbers in the directory for identifying the calling party.”

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NaviGadget: Dutch inventors from Arnhem-Nijmegen University designed this indoor navigation system for those elderly people in nursing centers who seem to get lost a lot.

Instead of relying GPS signals which provide poor or no coverage indoors this system uses Wi-Fi to get a position fix. Keeping in mind the computer skills of people over 55 this experimental navigator was only fitted 5 buttons. As far as user interface they used big icons for things such as ‘bathroom’ or ‘cup of coffee’ to help them navigate throughout the building.

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I4U: Samsung announced the world’s first Plasma HDTV with a stunning 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio (that is 1million to 1).

The 50 inch (127cm) PAVV Cannes 450 Plasma HDTV is 3D ready, which means you can watch 3D games or movies with special glasses.

Samsung achieves the ultra-high contrast ratio in their new Plasma TV with Cell Light Control.

The Samsung Digital Natural Image engine + (DNIe+) takes care of handling external noise, contrast ratio, color in the image display of the Samsung PAVV Cannes 450.

The new Samsung 3D Plasma TV will ship with glasses and PC software to watch games and videos in 3D.

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HDTV News: Sky is extending its HD line-up with three new channels – Sky Sports HD 3, Sky Movies Premiere HD and FX HD. The channels will be launched in March and April this year.FX HD will be a bespoke channel, as opposed to an FX simulcast, and around 90 of its programming will be in high definition. It will be broadcast between 7am and 2am. Sky and FX Networks have jointly selected content for the channel.

The new Sky Movies Premiere HD channel will show major new movies, including a Titanic HD screening. Programming on Sky Sports HD 3 will include European Tour golf.

When the new channels are operational, Sky will show over 6,500 hours of HD programming each month. The company plans to continue its investment in HD content for the whole family.

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Product-reviews: In-car entertainment is nothing new, but Lexus has raised the standard with their new ICE package for the RX-range SUVs. The premium ICE comes rocking two eight-inch widescreen WVGA monitors. These monitors are securely mounted on the back of the front seats and come with an integrated slot-loading DVD, RCA inputs, USB ports and SD card slots.

These gorgeous units are jitter resistant – so no need to avoid those rough country roads! The screens can either operate independently or simultaneously and two pairs of infrared headphones are supplied. The units are operated with a manual control panel or a remote control unit.

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Engadget HD: We don’t know if Jeffrey Katzenberg got a text message, fax, e-mail or smoke signal indicating the format war was over, but Video Business has confirmed Paramount and Dreamworks Animation will to stop releasing HD DVDs after next week. If you were looking forward to Bee Movie on March 11, Sweeney Todd on April 1 or the just announced There Will Be Blood, those are cancelled. Into the Wild and the appropriately-named Things We Lost in the Fire will be Paramount’s last reminders of its exclusive agreement.

Not specifically mentioned was Star Trek: TOS Season 2, but don’t hold your breath. Blu-ray release plans are still up in the air but we wouldn’t be surprised to hear something soon. As far as HD DVD movies still scheduled, that leaves two from Universal and twelve from Warner Bros, who may have been the first to leave red, but will apparently be the last major studio out the door.

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Absolute Gadget: UK gamers got that little bit closer today with the launch of Go!Messenger, a wireless communication package for the PlayStation Portable. 

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) and BT have released the technology that allows PSP users to keep in touch for free using any wireless broadband internet connection.

The software can send video, voice and instant messages, with the Go!Cam attachable video camera and microphone handling the images and sound.

The Go!Messenger system was developed in partnership with BT, and will use more than 2,500 BT Openzone hotspots in and around city centres.

“Users will have the freedom of a mobile phone except that through Go! Messenger all calls to other users are free,” said a BT suit talking into a handheld games console.

Stephane Hareau, Sony’s European Marketing Manager for PSP, said the technology was pushing new boundaries, adding unique communication features to all the existing multimedia experiences.

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