Lesson to Verizon: Neon-spandexed globe-trotting hip-hop-ish superstars like M.I.A. should not be subjected to three-hour tech support calls, because her resulting song “I’m Down Like Your Internet Connection” is bound to become the new “shake it like a Polaroid picture.”

The best part about “I’m Down Like Your Internet Connection,” which is due to appear on her forthcoming followup to Kala this summer, is that she actually got Filipino Verizon workers to sing the hook. Says M.I.A.:

I was having issues with my cable and wireless, and I was on the phone [with tech support] for three hours, and I thought, ‘Maybe this needs to be part of my music, could you just learn these lyrics and sing it down the phone to me?’ Ten phone calls later, I have Internet that sticks and a song.

Can’t. Wait. [Rolling Stone via Twitter]

As expected following the release of the 2.1-packing Nexus One, Android 2.1‘s SDK has been officially unleashed. No unexpected changes here, but it does indicate 2.1 will be coming to other Android handsets like the Droid soon. [PhoneNews via Android]

Sony’s new camera and camcorder lineup is a whopping 17 products strong. Why not, say, four? I give a Sony rep ten seconds to justify his gadgets. Watch him panic!

Edited by Joel Johnson.

Most press kits are given out on USB flash drives at events like this, which is both convenient and pretty cool, since you get a free flash drive! But Monster Cable instead opts for the cheap printed CD-R. Classy. [Giz@CES]

Some people like to use those armband gadget holders that hit about bicep level. But what if you love your iPhone so much, you want it to feel your heart beating? You need a wristband holder. Thanks, Phubby.

Phubby (a combination of phone and cubby) doesn’t necessarily have to be used with an iPhone, but it’s exactly the right size and shape for one, and all of their press photos feature the iPhone, so, you know.

How does it work? Pretty awkward, which is exactly what you’d expect. It’s odd to have a weighted object on your wrist, and running a headphone cable from your wrist to your ears is just asking for a trip to Tangle City, with a stop off at Earbuds Popping Out of Your Ears When You Reach for the Doorknobville. On the plus side, you totally can use the iPhone while it’s in the Phubby (phub phub phub), since its cover is mesh, and it’s super cheap at $13. Verdict? It works, but I can’t think of why you’d go for a wristband over an armband. [Phubby]

Qualcomm’s current 1GHz Snapdragon is the muscle that makes the Nexus One so fantastically speedy, but Qualcomm isn’t sitting on their laurels—they just announced two new chips that are going to power the next great mobile devices.

First up is the single-core Snapdragon 8X50A, a 45nm chip that’s essentially the next version of the 1GHz chip in the Nexus One. It’s clocked at 1.3GHz. But what we’re really excited about is the dual-core 8X72, which uses two Scorpion cores to achieve 1.5GHz. Luis Pineda, Senior VP at Qualcomm, assures that the 8X72 is suitable for smartphones (not just smartbooks or netbooks) and can handle 1080p video. Both the 8X50A and 8X72 will be out this year, going head to head with the Tegra 2. [Hexus via Slashgear]

Improvements to the iPhone’s camera are pretty much inevitable for the next iteration, and it looks like Apple may be looking for mass quantities of LED flash components to improve low-light shooting.

The rumor points to Philips’ LumiLEDs line for the contract, thought to be in the tens of millions of units. The flash would be a boon for low-light shooting, which is a distinct weakness of the iPhone. Apple’s previously been rumored to be popping a 5MP sensor into the iPhone. [9to5Mac]

At least you can’t see all the people around you, pointing and laughing.

Price:

$20

Design

The As-Seen-on-TV Hat (I swear to God, that’s the actual name of the product) comes in a variety of colors and patterns and in both baseball-cap-style and visor. I went for the camo visor, because I’m a pretty stylish guy. Along the sides of the bill, there’s a nylon guard to block out ambient light, and for your viewing pleasure, there’s a magnifying glass hanging down midway along the bill. You insert your iPhone (or whatever other video-playing device you want) into a flap, where it sits at the end of the bill.

Here’s how bad this product is: Not only does it ask you to stuff your iPhone into a pocket at the end of a camouflage visor, iPhones don’t even fit in the pocket. Neither did my Droid, although the iPod Touch fits okay.

Oh, and it comes with a weird semicircular flap of nylon with a velcro strip that I cannot for the life of me figure out how it attaches. It’s really embarrassing; that flap makes me feel like I’m too dumb to use the dumbest product I’ve ever seen.

Performance

The plastic window fades and distorts your video, which severely impairs the cinematic experience the As-Seen-on-TV Hat tries so very hard to provide. The magnifying glass is adjustable (you can move it closer or farther from your scared, stressed little eyes) but not removable, so you’re stuck with a distorted picture that was already blurry and faded from the plastic window covering your video-playing device.

Oh, and you’ll definitely go both blind and celibate if you use this too long. It’s kind of a twofer that way.

Verdict

I rate this a buy if only for the name you’ll make for yourself on public transit if you wear it. If you don’t want to be known for your ridiculous, half-nerd half-hick headwear, it’s a pass.

It’s the greatest iPhone/iPod accessory ever

It’s the worst iPhone/iPod accessory ever

Vizio’s conceptual (but candidate for release) headphones have an LCD on both earpiece that can display a visualizer, album art, or picture of your cat, because the people around you really need to be subjected to that.

The headphones will be Bluetooth-enabled, so no cords muck up your affront to style. We don’t know anything like pricing or availability, since they’re still in the concept stage, but they’re totally functional and may well see release. [Vizio]

Crosley’s cool-looking portable turntable, the Revolution, is designed, oddly enough, for portable use. It runs on batteries, has a headphone jack, and is about as small as a turntable can get. Suck it, iPhone!

I really like the design of the Revolution; it’s not necessarily practical (and of course, serious vinyl fans will blanch—blanch!—at the unprotected record) but it’s definitely tiny and the price is right—only $150. It runs on battery power (they’ll probably go with rechargeable AA) or AC, has a USB out and a 3.5mm headphone jack (no RCA-out). It’s not really meant for your entertainment console, hooked up to a real stereo, but for a bedroom turntable it sounds really great. It also will feature software (probably made by a veeeery interesting partner that I’m not at liberty to name) that will identify and tag your vinyl-to-digital rips. The Revolution should be available in mid- to late-summer, for $150, in black at first and then in a variety of colors. [Crosley]

Just like the Droid before it, the Nexus One‘s European version has perfect, glorious pinch-to-zoom multitouch. Why does Google hate America? We’ll never know. But seeing as how the Droid was hacked to run its Euro counterpart’s firmware in about two weeks, there’s a fair chance that you’ll be able to do the same thing with the Nexus One. We hope so, anyway. [Engadget]

Philips just announced three new eco-friendly TVs, called the 4000, 5000 and 7000 Eco TV. The “green” part comes with the 40% energy reduction thanks to the LEDs, as well as some safer hardware materials (lead-free, mercury-free, that kind of thing). Oddly enough, none of the materials are recycled, which is kind of the standard for “green” stuff here at CES, but I guess power reduction is always a good thing. The TVs are also packing Netflix, Blockbuster On Demand, and some kind of internet radio. We don’t have pricing details or availability, but you can expect to see release this year. [Engadget]

So MSI apparently has no plans to actually release this dual-screen, Windows 7 tablet, but I stopped by the booth to play around with it anyway. It’s pretty impractical, but hey! Two screens!

It’s clearly not meant for actual release—the touchscreen was very temperamental, the device as a whole was super slow and they hadn’t made enough changes to Windows 7 to make that dual-screen setup worthwhile. The standard Windows 7 soft keyboard is pretty mediocre, and if this was a real product I’d probably criticize it more. On a basic level, you can tell this is a mere proof of concept—they just slapped two screens together, with no thought as to what benefits that setup might give.

The hardware, on the other hand, is surprisingly nice—it’s super thin and light, the two 10-inch screens definitely keep it netbook-sized, and the brushed metal finish is really nice. But it’s all kind of a moot point—MSI’s got no plans to bring this to market. Still, cool idea, even if it’s pointless so far. [MSI]

I just got a chance to play with the big-screened, touchscreened Skiff Reader, which is targeted at periodicals. It’s incredibly thin, incredibly light, and they’ve even got a color screen prototype—Kindle and Nook should be scared.

I should add first that this is not a final version—they haven’t announced pricing or availability yet—but it feels very finished and I suspect any delay in getting the Skiff to market will be due to the store not being quite ready. The color version is the exact same form factor, and while it’s pretty deep in the prototype stage, it was impressive. Color was minimally pixelated and pretty clear, if obviously nowhere near as sharp as an LCD (or paper, for that matter). I don’t have any info on its release date or price, unfortunately.

Once you hold it, you’re struck by how thin and light it is. Just a hair over 0.25 inches thick, it’s also super light and feels good in the hand—it’s solid despite it’s airy heft. The screen feels huge compared to the Kindle or Nook, because it is—its 11.5-inch touchscreen is huge, significantly bigger than even the Kindle DX (at 9.7 inches). The size is actually a little awkward for reading books (it’s wider and taller than even a big hardcover book) but it’s excellent for newspapers. The touchscreen works well, responding to both taps and swipes easily, and the refresh rate is pretty good (meaning, it’s still e-ink, but it’s not slower than existing readers). It can also handle 12fps animation, which is pretty primitive compared to LCD but just fine for little ads or whatever.

The layout is where it really shines—it feels more like a newspaper than any other reader I’ve tried. The layouts are designed by the periodicals themselves, so instead of looking like a bare PDF of text, it feels like there’s thought put into the design. To navigate through a newspaper, you can navigate to a section with the “scrubber bar,” a scroll bar on the bottom of the screen that displays each consecutive section’s name as you swipe through it. It’s great; you can go right to the arts section, sports section, whatever, and it feels totally natural. You can also swipe on each article to go to the next page, or swipe up and down to change font size. Highlighting and annotating both work well, and Skiff plans to automatically upload your highlights and notes to the cloud for access later.

Magazines don’t fare as well as newspapers; it feels like nobody really knows how to digitize magazines. On the Skiff, magazine reading is pretty awkward—you flip through full page scans, then tap a page to zoom in, at which point you have to slowly and uncomfortably pan through the zoomed page, with the e-ink refreshing every time you move. It’s not a good solution, but like I said, this isn’t a final release and hopefully they’ll have worked it out by then.

Books look fine, although clearly the Skiff is designed for newspapers; there’s about an inch of blank space on all sides when you read a book, because 11.5 inches of text is a lot to stare at. Other than that slightly unfulfilled feeling when you see unused space, book-reading should be no problem.

The other problem I see is the store. The Kindle and Nook but waltzed into this world with massive and well-known stores behind them, and the Skiff is creating one from scratch. They’ve got a lot of publishers behind them, but the store right now is pretty bare. Of course, since it’s not out yet, this may all be a moot point—but I wonder if their scrappy little store can compete with Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The sister product to the amazing Herman Miller Embody chair, the Envelop desk actually slides out and down on rails to give you the correct angle for working while in incline. It’s amazing.

It doesn’t sound like too much—desks are desks, right?—but it actually makes as much sense to pair a desk and chair together as a computer and peripheral. If they work together, they can elevate the whole product. The desk is selling by itself now for $1,100, but they’ll probably pair it together (with a little discount) sometime later this year. Check out this video to get a real sense of how it works, and take my word for it: This thing is comfy in a serious way. [Herman Miller]

Energizer just announced two new portable solar chargers, the SP1000 and SP2000, both of which provide power through an AC or USB adapter. If you’re into that kind of hippie “let’s not destroy the earth” stuff, this looks pretty good.

The SP1000 is a 1000mAh charger, while the SP2000 is, predictably, double that, but both can be charged either from outdoor or indoor light, or via AC if you’re in a rush (it takes six hours to charge via light and half that via AC). They’re available now, with the SP1000 coming in at a very reasonably $50 and the SP2000 at $100. [Energizer]

This is a pretty neat visual representation of our collective aversion to legitimate social contact. I mean, average US data consumption. You can make your own judgments. [Fast Company via Neatorama]

Sony just announced at their ever-hectic press conference that the PS3 will be able to play full 3D movies through the newly announced 3D Bravias.

Sony’s new Vaio W series “eco-edition” is so green—(how green is it?)—that it doesn’t even have a printed manual. Its materials are all recycled, and would make a great accompaniment for a Prius. Update: Hands-on!

So I just played around with the Vaio W, and it’s disappointingly low-end. It does have the new Pine Trail Atoms, but they have no plans to add video acceleration (like the Ion or Broadcom) which means it pretty much can’t handle much heavy work. It’s also running exclusively Windows 7 Starter. The environmental stuff is kind of cool; the lid, palm-rest and bottom panel are all made from 80% recycled material, and 20% of that is from recycled CDs and DVDs. But on the other hand, it’s available only at Sony Style stores and it’s going to cost a totally unreasonable $530. For that kind of money you can get a very respectable ultrathin or at least a netbook with Ion graphics.

MEDIA ALERT: Sony Launches Eco-Friendly VAIO Mini PC Comprised OF ENVIROMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE MATERIALS

SUBJECT: Media Alert: Perfect for Casual Computing, VAIO W Series Mini Notebook is Now Eco-Friendly

WHO: Great for environmentalists and families alike, the VAIO W® Series Eco Edition 212AX mini notebook features a reprocessed plastic chassis comprised of approximately 20 percent recycled CDs. It also comes in a stylish reusable carrying-case made from recycled PET bottles-no wasted cardboard packaging.

Committed to the environment, Sony also features trade-in and recycling programs. For more on Sony’s proactive approach to creating products that grow out of greener thinking please visit: www.sony.com/green.

WHAT: An ideal secondary PC, the VAIO W Series is ideal for anyone who wants casual computing, web browsing and social networking at their fingertips.

It also comes with parental controls built-in so you can create a safe on-line experience for kids. Featuring Kidzui and Online Family Norton software, kids have the freedom to learn, play, search and discover sites on the Internet while it gives parents the tools to manage the sites they visit.

The W Series has a HD (1366×768) 10.1-inch LED backlit widescreen display that lets you view an entire web page side-to-side on a single screen.

Its roomy 250GB hard drive for all your on-screen media – movies, photos and videos – just like that of a full-size PC. And with a long battery life, users can get up to seven hours of use on a single charge.

The VAIO W Series Eco Edition comes in sugar white with a translucent green interior. It is equipped with Microsoft® Windows® 7 Starter operating system.

WHERE: The VAIO W Series Eco Edition mini notebook starts at $480 and is available starting today for pre-sales, at Sony Style stores around the country. To find the closest Sony Style store, please visit: www.sony.com/pr/wseries.

Sony just announced a Cyber-Shot point-and-shoot camera with both GPS and a digital compass, so you can use Google Maps to find the best shooting spot in your area. Plus, it’s packing an impressively high-end sensor.

These cameras are also capable of some pretty impressive video—AVCD in 60i, in full HD resolution. They’re not just gimmicks; these guys have got some game.

SONY UNVEILS FIRST COMPACT DIGITAL STILL CAMERAS WITH

HIGH DEFINITION 1080i AVCHD VIDEO CAPABILITY

Models Also Add High Dynamic Range, TransferJet and GPS + Compass Technologies

LAS VEGAS (CES Booth #14200), Jan. 6, 2010 – Sony took the wraps off two new Cyber-shot® digital still cameras today that create a new standard of mobility with technologies that answer consumers’ on-the-go needs.

Sony has designed two new innovative Cyber-shot cameras (models DSC-HX5V and DSC-TX7) that are the world’s first compact digital still cameras to include full HD (1920 x 1080 60i) Advanced Video Codec High Definition (AVCHD) video capability. They are also the world’s smallest and thinnest AVCHD capable cameras.

These are the first Cyber-shot cameras with an in-camera Backlight Correction High Dynamic Range (HDR) feature for managing difficult lighting situations and TransferJet™ wireless technology for sharing, storing and viewing images. The HX5V model is also the world’s first still camera to include GPS + Compass and Optical SteadyShot™ with Active Mode technologies.

With Sony’s “Exmor R” back illuminated CMOS sensor technology, these cameras provide excellent low-light performance, 10fps burst shooting and the new Intelligent Sweep Panorama™ feature.

In addition to its cameras, Sony introduced three other devices with TransferJet technology at CES, including a Sony Memory Stick® memory card (model MS-JX8G) with a wireless transmitter/receiver, a Sony TransferJet Station (model TJS-1) and a VAIO® F Series notebook.

“Adding to the outstanding low-light performance and impressive Sweep Panorama feature, we are providing high-quality movies with full HD video, stereo sound recording when capturing movies on the go and an in-camera HDR solution for capturing high-contrast scenery. Sony can provide these solutions because of its expertise with other imaging products including Handycam® camcorders and α DSLR cameras,” said Kelly Davis, director of the Digital Imaging business at Sony Electronics. “Our goal is not only to make it easy for consumers to get the best shot-still or video-but also to have the best sharing experience.”

High-Quality Stills and Videos

With the AVCHD format, these new cameras record movies in 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution at 60i in 17Mbps. The AVCHD format captures a high degree of detail and smooth movement, and when footage is burned to disc, it can be played back on your HDTV using most Blu-ray Disc™ players, Sony® PlayStation®3 systems and compatible Blu-ray Disc enabled PCs. In addition to the supplied PMB software for Windows users, it is also possible to edit recorded AVCHD file using iMovie® for Macintosh users.

The camera will also capture videos in the MP4 format (up to 1440 x1080 30p 12Mbps) for online sharing.

Managing Difficult Lighting

The HX5V and TX7 cameras offer in-camera multi-shot High Dynamic Range (HDR), which combines highlight and shadow detail of two separate captures into one remarkably natural looking image-even without a tripod.

HDR offers a solution for strong backlight situations which typically result in either dark shadows in the foreground or a washed out background. Sony’s “Exmor R” sensor and BIONZ™ processor help to correct these issues.

Impressive Panoramas

The HX5V and TX7 cameras have an Intelligent Sweep Panorama™ feature that captures wide landscapes or tall buildings in one easy “press and sweep” motion. Due to their “Exmor R” CMOS sensor technology, they can take up to 270 and 258-degree panorama shots, respectively, horizontally or vertically with an image size of 7,152 x 1,080 (horizontal wide panorama mode). In addition, these cameras’ Intelligent Sweep Panorama feature, which is comprised of up to 100 separate captures, detects faces and subject motion and intelligently adjusts the width of each picture while stitching them together, resulting in natural looking panoramic photos.

Relive the Experience

Ideal for travelers who take hundreds of photos, the in-camera GPS + Compass feature on the HX5V camera makes it easy to store and share the location and direction of where photos were taken.

With social networking sites becoming more popular, people want to share more details of their experiences. The GPS + Compass feature provides a fun new way to share where they were — beyond the location. Using the free online satellite imagery application, Google Earth™ mapping service, users can view the images from a bird’s eye view or from the direction in which the photo was taken. The GPS function automatically adjusts the camera’s internal clock by selecting the travelling area, without the hassle of setting the time manually.

A Wireless Way of Sharing, Storing and Viewing

TransferJet technology, which was developed by Sony and is supported by a consortium of other companies, allows you to transfer files between two TransferJet-enabled devices just by bringing the TransferJet marks on each product within one inch of each other without the hassle of hunting for cables or the complication of pairing. To transfer photos, TransferJet-enabled still cameras must each utilize the TransferJet Memory Stick media (sold separately).

TransferJet technology is perfect for sharing on the go. You can select up to 10 pictures and transfer them from camera to camera. For storing images, you can place the HX5V or TX7 cameras on the lower left-hand corner of the VAIO F Series notebook and import photos. For sharing at home on devices which do not have the technology, you can connect the TransferJet Station to devices with a type-A USB port, including your TV, digital photo frame or PlayStation®3.

Designed for Technology Enthusiasts

With the most innovative digital imaging technologies, the HX5V camera is ideal for everyone from travelers to party-goers. The multi-occasion camera features a 10 megapixel “Exmor R” sensor, a 3-inch LCD screen (measured diagonally) and a 10x optical zoom with wide-angle 25mm-250mm equivalent high-quality G lens allowing easy group shots and close ups when on the move.

In addition to its AVCHD video capability, the HX5V camera has Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization with Active Mode, which lets you capture moving subjects such as kids walking or running. It allows a moveable lens element to shift with greater range of motion-10 times the range of the Optical Steady Shot™ feature at wide end in standard mode-during camera shake. The feature reduces camera shake so users can shoot smoother movie footage on the move. The cameras also have an HDMI™ output adapter for easily connecting to an HDTV for viewing pictures and movies (HDMI cable required).

Powerful and Stylish

For those seeking a sleek, compact camera, the 10MP TX7 model is just under an inch thin and is slim enough to slip into a pocket or purse. The 3.5-inch (measured diagonally) high resolution (921K) touch LCD screen offers easy image scroll by simply swiping your finger across the display. The camera’s high-performance Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar® 4x optical wide angle 25mm-100mm equivalent zoom lens brings distant subjects closer and Close Focus snaps close-ups in just under a half an inch from the subject.

The DSC-TX7 camera is also compatible with the Party-shot™ (model IPT-DS1) automatic photographer, which pans, tilts, zooms and adjusts composition to capture spontaneous images. Additionally, an embedded touch sensor located on the front edge illuminates when the TX7 camera is attached. By touching the sensor, the camera goes into the “On-demand shot” mode, which allows users to select the shutter timing without losing the advantage of Party-shot’s built-in intelligence.

To give customers greater choice and enhance the overall customer experience, the TX7 and HX5V cameras feature a memory card slot compatible with both Memory Stick® (PRO Duo™) and SD/SDHC formats. Sony is also expanding its industry leading line of consumer media with the addition of SD/SDHC memory cards.

Additional features found on HX5V and TX7 include iAuto, which detects eight and nine scenes, respectively, and optimizes camera settings and Easy Mode, which simplifies the camera menu. Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization reduces blur without impacting image quality, Face Detection and Smile Shutter™ technology, which captures faces and smiles naturally.

A New Way to Share Photos and Videos Online

These models include Picture Motion Browser (“PMB”) software for viewing, editing, organizing and uploading images to many major video and photo sharing Web sites.

This spring, Sony will launch a new service and a new integration with Facebook® allowing users to easily and quickly share their photos and videos privately with friends and family. The service and the integration will be available as a downloadable update to the “PMB” and “PMB portable” software applications that are embedded with bloggie™ and Cyber-shot cameras and bundled with Handycam® camcorders, bloggie cameras, Cyber-Shot cameras and α cameras. The Facebook integration complements the existing sharing capability with such sites as YouTube™ and Picasa® Web Albums.

Pricing and Availability

The HX5V camera will be available in black this March for about $350, and the TX7 camera will be available in silver, blue and red this February for about $400. The TransferJet-enabled Memory Stick media will be available in January for about $100, and the station will be available in February for about $150. Pre-sales begin in January.

The cameras, Memory Stick, station, and a range of accessories will be available online at Sonystyle.com, at Sony Style® retail stores (www.Sonystyle.com/retail), at military base exchanges and at authorized dealers nationwide.