With CTIA Wireless 2008 quickly approaching new cellular phone announcements are coming hot and heavy. Not all of the phones being announced ahead of the show are bank breakers when it comes to the price, which is nice.

LG and Verizon Wireless announced a new handset today called the LG enV2. The phone is available in black or maroon colors and will be available in April at Verizon Wireless stores across the country for $129.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year contract.

Normally if you want a 3G capable mobile phone with web access, email and other features you are looking at spending a few hundred bucks. Typically Sony Ericsson phones are limited to slower than 3G service and tend to be more expensive devices.

The latest Sony Ericsson mobile phone exclusively for AT&T breaks those traditions and is the first Sony Ericsson phone for the U.S. market that features 3G connectivity. The handset is called the Z750a and it will be available in early April for $49.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate.

Here’s something for all the girls who want some sparkle and shine. Much of the tech that’s geared toward women and girls looks pretty, but is lacking in the specs department. Not these earbuds from Altec Lansing.

These little earbuds feature enough Swarvoski Crystals to satisfy anyone who loves them plastered all over their tech. It has 9mm neodymium drivers and gold-plated plug for nice sound quality. They also have a snug fit for those with smaller ears and some passive noise reduction. Altec Lansing has them for $59.95, while Amazon is selling them at $29.95.

If you are concerned about how much energy you are using, but are forgetful and need some encouragement, this little switch will give you a visual representation of how much energy you are using. The switch lights up only a little when you’re not using much energy and it shines brighter when you’re wasting too much.

What with energy being invisible, it’s easy to waste more then you intend to. So a visual reminder is just the thing. Not many other details on this one for the moment. Like how much of your house this will take care of, etc. It might be good if it were vocal though, “Turn off some lights you wasteful pig. What did you buy me for if you aren’t going to listen to me.” Nagging always gets things done after all, as any married person knows.

Beamz is a laser-based invention that is connected to a computer via your USB port. It allows you to pretend you are a musical genius from the year 2355, because you can play hundreds of musical instruments in true Jean Michel Jarre style.(Whoever the hell he is) How does it work you ask? Basically you are creating music by breaking the laser beams with your hands. It automatically generates pre-authored pulses, streams, riffs or loops of musical notes or sounds from a variety of instruments.

The beamz system as a whole has a “W” shape, with six laser beams over two sections. Just connect it via USB to your PC or laptop, and hook up some speakers. You’ll be rocking your lasers in no time. The interface is said to be simple and intuitive, making it easy to choose any of 30 included songs in 19 musical genres, for laying down a complementary rhythm track. The beamz library includes jazz, bluegrass, classical, hip-hop, reggae, heavy metal and more. Available from The Sharper Image for $599.95.

There are tons of USB keys that have encryption software so you can keep your files safe from others, but if you’re paranoid enough, or if you are a super secret spy carrying around sensitive info, you might think that software encryption isn’t enough. So here’s the ultimate in USB key protection. The Flash Padlock, which has hardware encryption. In order to unlock it, you have to enter a pin number.

Perfect for that Top Secret “Eyes only” info that you carry from one spy gig to another. You can get it in 2GB and 4GB capacities, and it allows you to create 1 pin number or multiple pins and then register them on-line for easy retrieval in case your memory fails you. You can get the Flash Padlock for about $27.82.

This really happened…And not in a galaxy far far away, but in England… Jedi Master Hehol, a hairdresser, who founded the first British Jedi church was giving a TV interview for a documentary, when suddenly a drunk Darth Vader wearing a garbage bag appeared and kicked his ass not with a lightsaber, but with a metal crutch.

I guess that says alot about free speech in the Empire these days. The Jedi Master was no match for the Dark Lord of the Sith and after Vader took care of the Jedi geek, he attacked the TV crew and a hairdresser.

The Levi’s ultra limited edition Red Tab mobile phone sports an interesting look. The red tab at the top will get people’s attention and they’ll say, “Hey you like your phone like your Jeans as well. Awesome.” I like the style of the buttons against that background.

It comes with an integrated MP3 player, stereo Bluetooth and 2.0-megapixel camera with flash. The fashion phone will include a premium presentation box, case for the handset, stereo hands free kit, a metal chain and as an added option, you can customize it with your name.(13 letters maximum) The phone is limited to 100 units only. It’s available online for about $870.

The G104 Watch Phone has a unique and interesting look with a flip open design. It’s running on the optional: GSM900 / DCS1800, GSM850 / PCS1900 networks and comes with a 1.5-inch display, 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth connectivity, integrated MP3 and MP4 player, 64MB internal memory, microSD that support up to 2GB and multi-language interfaces.

This combination watch/phone measures 59.74 x 51.69 x 19.58mm and comes in either black or white. It’s available for $185.90. I’m not sure I would wear it myself, but it’s interesting and different.

Smartphones are quickly growing in popularity as people become more accustomed to the idea of doing things on a phone other than simply making phone calls. Phone users today want email, web surfing, GPS navigation and more in their devices.

Verizon announced today that it is getting its very own BlackBerry Curve in May. The Verizon Curve will be in a liquid silver color with chrome accents. The curve will also be compatible with Verizon’s EV-DO service and VZ Navigator.

The Star Trek Tricorder can tell you whether a rock has certain minerals in it, if there’s toxic gas in the air, etc. And if you point it at a girl, it will tell you that there is no way in hell she is going to get with you. This tricorder is made from the original pattern used to create the props, and made of die-cast metal and plastic to give you that perfect future look and feel.

They are a limited edition of 2,000 pieces, and include a display case and certificate of authenticity. If you needed further proof that this is not your average Tricorder, just look at the price. The Star Trek Mark IX Science Tricorder Replica is $349.99.

Here’s a story sure to break your heart. A group of hackers invaded a support forum that was established by the nonprofit Epilepsy Foundation. They used JavaScript code and messages with flashing animations to assault dozens of visitors who suffer from the disorder.

The Foundation learned about the problem within 12 hours of the attack. And even though the boards were closed temporarily to get rid of the messages and animations, many readers like RyAnne Fultz, pictured here, experienced headaches and seizures before help arrived. There has to be a special place in hell for people who do this kind of thing.

If you love old records, but don’t have the space for a turntable, then the Soundwagon Portable Record Player is for you. It’s the smallest portable record player in the world, and it’s an officially licensed Volkswagen van that will drive around the record as it plays your favorite vinyl records.

The sound is via an integrated speaker. I wouldn’t expect top notch sound, but watching an old VW drive along your old record will probably take you back in time. It will cost $90 and will give those old records another shot at life.

Do you hate it when you have to copy tons of pics from your camera onto the PC, then burn them using software so that they can later be viewed on your DVD player? Yes, there are plenty of cameras that offer TV out, but maybe you love your current camera and don’t want another.

If that’s the case, check out this device that does it all, without a PC. It’s a compact recorder for converting your JPEGs to MPEGs and burning them onto CDs. It can also burn images without converting, making back-ups easier. Comes equipped with RCA and S-Video inputs and also acts as a player.

Join the dork side with these life-size R2-D2 & C-3PO replicas from Sideshow collectibles. I get it. It can be lonely being a Star Wars fan. I mean, you’ve got all your merchandise around you. Posters, movies, all those action figures still in the bubble. But life sized friends in your life? Sideshow Collectibles can help. Both of these droids are available for pre-order and they’ll ship sometime in the third quarter of this year.

Spending $5,950 for a life-size C-3PO, and $5,450 for R2-D2 will make you feel like you are actually part of the saga. Both figures are made from fiberglass and have lights and sounds powered by a set of AA batteries. Plus, they each come with their own display base and magnetically attached restraining bolt to make sure they stay your droid slaves. If you want to pre-order either one you’ll need a $950, non-refundable deposit. That’s probably peanuts compared to the money you’ve spent so far on your collection.