KTF, the Korean mobile operator has just announced their first working 256MB and 512MB USIM prototypes that are designed to be used in your smartphone or 3G. They will provide the user with greater storage flexibility in devices, and we can always use additional memory.

Especially in today’s new phones that have a whole bunch of added functionality. KTF isn’t stopping with these though. They are also working on a 1GB USIM version that will be available sometime in the second half of the year for an unknown price.

In a surprise announcement, Vodafone Spain is set to launch Magic, HTC’s 2nd Android handset, in just an hour or so. The countdown timer appeared early this morning. Vodafone Spain subscribers will have an 8 day head start on the rest of us.

That may seem like forever to Android lovers, but somehow you’ll manage. It’s free with applicable contract on Vodafone UK, but it’s gonna cost you in Spain. Spanish users describe the rate as “outrageous.”

Gamers all have their own personal genres that they tend to enjoy most. If you look at a list of the top selling video game franchises a few of them are surprising like The Sims, but many are no suprise at all. Among the most popular and unsurprising franchises out there is EA’s Madden NFL franchise.

EA has announced the cover athletes for the latest version of the game called Madden NFL 10. The game is set to hit store shelves for the PS3, Wii, and Xbox on August 14. Version 10 of the game is the first to feature two athletes on one cover.

I love my iPhone, but I don’t feel the same way about the AT&T network the device is tied to. The biggest issue as a user of AT&T’s rural networks is that 3G coverage is very lacking and plain EDGE service can be hard to get in many locations while Verizon and Alltel offer seamless coverage in the same areas.

Back in 2007 when the iPhone first launched we mentioned that Verizon had passed on the iPhone when Apple asked them about working together on the device. According to USA Today Apple and Verizon are in talks again about bringing the iPhone to the Verizon network. The newspaper cites high-level sources that say the two companies are in discussions to bring a LTE version of the iPhone to the Verizon network.

With virtually every computer maker and a few non-computer makers jumping into the netbook realm it can be hard to differentiate one netbook from the other in a consumers mind. All of the machines run the same hardware, software and offer virtually identical specifications.

Sharp unveiled a new netbook last week called the Mebius PC-NJ70A that set itself apart from the pack with a feature of dubious value — a second LCD where the track pad should be. The track pad controlled the cursor like you expect, but could also play video and accept handwriting to be converted into text on screen.

I was never a fan of the tiny UMPC machines that hit the market place at inflated prices before the massive netbook revolution. The thing I never liked about the little machines was that the keyboards tended to be sized for thumb use only and I just couldn’t see them being useful in the real world.

One of the cool looking UMPCs at CES 2009 was the OQO Model 2+. The little machine promised an Intel Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, OLED touch screen and more. I was rather excited to see it at CES 2009 and while interesting, I didn’t think it stacked up at all against the mass of netbooks around.

Digital Cowboy announced their Media Cowboy DC-MC35ULI set-top box that acts as media hub and a lot more. It may look like it was endorsed by DC comics, but nope. It’s not the set-top-box of choice for Batman and Superman. It works with many media sources and is capable of playing most audio and video formats in 720p.

It will work with a 3.5 SATA hard drive and can also work as an iPod dock. It’s an easy way to directly connect your media. The built-in Ethernet will make it easy to share all your files with others over a network.

If you’re a Batman fan, you can always go the usual route and collect figures, comics and little die-cast cars. Or you could get off your butt and build an actual working Batmobile. That’s what sculptor Bob Causey did. He built this working Batman Forever replica in his garage.

It’s actually drivable, with or without a costume and sidekick. It’s got a ton of great detail. Including a full-interior, retractable hard top, and three LCD displays. It takes a true Batman fan to build something like this.

We’ve covered many portable retro game systems, but this one covers nearly nearly every gaming system you care about. It plays 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit titles from 7 different game platforms. The CVFH-N03-4G (aka the Dingoo A320) can play thousands of games from the NES, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Nintendo Gameboy Advance, SNK Neo-Geo consoles, as well as the CAPCOM CPS1 and CPS2 arcade systems. The system features a 2.8″ QVGA (320×240) display and can also output to your TV.

Pretty sweet no? You’ll just need some ROMs. The system will hold up to 4GB of games and other media files and can even play some Flash-based games. There’s also a mini-SDHC slot in case you want to up the storage. It can play your audio and video files in a wide variety of formats and you’ll get an FM tuner, voice recorder and e-book reader too.

Some of Brando’s gadgets are pointless, while others are useful. This would be one of the useful gadgets. A SATA HDD Dock with One Touch Backup. This device allows you to plug in any 2.5″ or 3.5″ SATA hard drives to your PC via USB or eSATA.

With the one touch backup function you can easily copy files and data from your PC to an external HDD. The device supports Windows 2000, XP, Vista as well as Mac OS. It will only cost you $49.

Love Apple or hate them, I think we can all admit that the iPhone is one of the classiest looking phones. So why not class it up a bit more and add some sophistication in the form of a handmade wooden case? Etsy seller Substrat has created some really lovely cases. They’re all shaped and sanded to perfection and compliment your iPhone’s design. They will hold it snugly and keep it safe.

Sadly, you won’t be able to use any of the buttons. But that’s the price you pay for awesome looks. The price is about $84.99. These are probably the best wood iPhone cases we’ve seen yet.

I’m speechless. The demon-spawn known as Hello Kitty has invaded rock. Her royal pinkness has her own deal with Fender. That means that world domination is nearly here. I think there may be one or two products left that have escaped her image.

Hello Kitty will be appearing on Stratocasters, music bags, picks, guitar straps, and the like which may be wielded by the likes of Prince or Hannah Montana. I bet that Metallica dude gets one and won’t admit it.

You know who you are. You people with your little dogs that have big stomachs dragging on the floor. Whether it’s from too many treats or a serious lack of exercise, the Jog A Dog doggie treadmill will shape your pooch up in no time.

It comes in 4 different versions, for toy dogs all the way up to your giant beasts. The treadmill will do between 1 and 10 mph, are very quiet and supposedly maintenance free. Well, you’ll have to clean up the puke. Your little guy is so out of shape, it probably thinks this is astronaut training. The treadmill also features an easy grip surface and the running surface can be removed and cleaned.

Samsung Korea has launched the N310 premium netbook in Korea. You wouldn’t know it by looking, but it’s a winner of the international design award. The N310 sports a curved-design with a finish that is said to be like a pebble.

Some other features of the N310 are a 10.1 inch LCD screen, Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and a 160 Gig hard drive. It has support for Wi-Fi, HSDPA and WiBRO, comes with three USB ports, a 1.3 Megapixel camera and a 3 in 1 memory card reader.

Skytone has just released some more info on their forthcoming Android-powered netbook. When we heard about this Android packing netbook known as the Alpha 680, it was thought that it might sell for as little as $100, but that was just wishful thinking.

According to Nixon Wu, Skytone’s co-founder, they are aiming for the $250 mark. And assuming everything goes according to their devious plan, they should have prototypes ready by June, with final products a few months later. So definitely in 2009.