The results of the 2008 Engadget Awards are out and readers have voted Apple's iPhone as the Gadget of the Year.


They' ve also chosen their best and worst gadgets, from cellphones, computers, and cameras to game consoles, HDTVs and more in the annual readers' choice awards.



Gadget of the Year

Apple iPhone

Worst Gadget of the Year

Microsoft Zune

Most Anticipated Gadget of the Year

Microsoft Windows 7

Cellphone of the Year

LG Vu

Smartphone of the Year

Apple iPhone

Desktop of the Year

Apple iMac

Laptop of the Year

Apple MacBook Pro

Netbook of the Year

Dell Inspiron Mini 9

Digital Camera of the Year

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Game Console of the Year

Nintendo Wii

Handheld of the Year

Apple iPod Touch

HDTV of the Year

Sony Bravia MotionFlow

Portable Media Device of the Year

Apple iPod Touch

Wearable Device of the Year

Aliph Jawbone 2

Full results: 2009 Engadget Awards

The weak and lazy can now rejoice as Hammacher Schlemmer has created the world's first suitcase that automatically provides power assistance when rolling luggage.


The self-propelled suitcase features sensors in its handle which monitor how much force you're using to pull the suitcase. When the handle is tilted between 15 and 35 degrees, the sensors will automatically tell the motors in the wheels to move at speeds of up to 3 mph.

85% of the carried weight is transferred to the wheels, making it much easier for you to carry your heavy luggage.

The suitcase is also smart enough to know when you encounter downward slopes - motors will automatically stop, allowing you to simply roll the luggage down normally.

Made of the same material used in car bumpers, this piece of luggage provides superior impact protection for your belongings.

Unsurprisingly, the self-propelled suitcase doesn't come cheap, selling at a price of US$1300.

Articles: Gizmodo, Random Good Stuff
Product Page: Hammacher Schlemmer

Yes, the super-cool and sexy Crumpler bags are now officially available in Brunei, and we managed to get 6 (yes, SIX!) from our friends at AV Electronics and Icklebooks to give away!


If you didn't know by now, Crumpler is world-renowned for not only producing an extensive line of great-looking bags, but these bags are also well-made, durable, and extremely versatile. The bags range from laptop bags, camera bags, backpacks and more, with a style that targets the youth and fashion-conscious.

Crumpler are also known to have a big sense of humor when it comes to naming their bags - expect funny names such as 'The Moderate Embarrassment', 'The Luncheon' and the '5 Million Dollar Home'!


Funny names aside, we really stress that these bags are extremely well-made. Pick one up and you'll know that your gadgets and gear will be safe in them. They're also unsurprisingly very comfortable to use.

Besides the usual standard black and grey, they're also available in a range of 'fun', bright colors that still manage to make you look professional. The famous, cool-looking Crumpler logo is without doubt the icing on the cake.


The partnership between AV Electronics and Icklebooks has managed to bring in more than 80% of the whole Crumpler bag range to Brunei, making us lucky enough to be more spoilt for choice when compared to Singapore and Malaysia.

Crumpler at AV Electronics
Crumpler laptop bags are now exclusively available at both Kiulap and The Mall branches of AV Electronics.



Crumpler at Icklebooks
The Crumpler photography range, backpack range and more are now exclusively available at the brand new Ickle & Co. bookstore, owned by Icklebooks, located at Block D of Kiarong Complex.




Besides Crumpler bags, you'll also be able to choose from a good range of books which are catered for high professionals - from business to marketing, Mac to iPhone tutorials, programming and designing, to even clinical and medical books.

Win yourself a Crumpler bag!
AV Electronics, Icklebooks, KRISTALfm and Simpur have teamed up to give you the chance to win one of six Crumpler bags - we'll be giving away 2 bags every month for 3 months!

All you have to do is answer a few questions, email them to us, and all correct answers will be included in a draw that will be held live on KRISTALfm.

So what are you waiting for? Click here now for more details on the Crumpler competition on Simpur!

Competition Page: Crumpler Competition on Simpur
Websites: Crumpler USA, AV Electronics, Iklebooks

Following the footsteps of high-end mobile phones like Vertu, TAG Heuer will be releasing its sophisticatedly-sexy Meridiist mobile phone range into market soon.


The phone boasts high levels of innovation coupled with the same finish and quality that's put into watch making.


The Meridiist features 60.5 carats of sapphire crystal scratch-free glass on dual display screens.

This watch inspired phone has a screen on top, featuring OLED (Organic-Light-Emitting-Diode) technology that you can switch between displaying a reversible clock, 1/100 of a second chronograph and incoming call identification. A dual-function TAG Heuer switch controls the display and can even reject incoming calls when needed.


The phone has a high quality (CMOS low noise) 2.0 megapixel digital camera which features a mechanical sliding shutter which automatically trigger the preview mode.

Other features include a backlit mechanical stainless steel keypad and 2GB of memory.

Potential buyers can choose from a few models, all of which have different back covers - rubber, calfskin leather and genuine white, black, pink or brown alligator leather, sewn by highly qualified craftsmen.


The TAG Heuer Meridiist is available for pre-orders now with prices starting from about US$4000.

Product Page: TAG Heuer Meridiist

Mined from ancient Swedish pollution-free base rock, 'Nordic Rocks' are claimed to be the purest way to cool your drinks.


Simply pop these ice cubes, which are literally made from stone, into your freezer for about an hour and they'll be ready to chill your drinks.

These Nordic Rocks do not melt, which means that there will be no unclean water in your drink at all.

Rinse the rocks after use, store them in the leather pouch provided, and they'll be clean enough to be popped back in to the freezer at any time.

It's too bad you can't bite the rocks just like you do with normal ice.

Articles: LikeCOOL, DVICE
Product Page: Mocha

As mobile phones are becoming more and more popular nowadays, they have become a great target for irresponsible virus programmers who either do it for fun, or use them as tools for advertising and spamming (with you forking the bill).

DSTCom recently learnt that 800 of their subscribers were infected by the 'Hati-Hati' mobile phone virus, which caused traffic congestion in their network due to its continuous spamming. The virus makes multiple calls and sends SMS without the subscriber knowing, resulting in service delays for them, and the possibility of getting high phone bills.

DSTCom advised the affected subscribers to reformat their phones within a week, or will have to take necessary action by either charging them for the SMS and calls their phones make or suspending their SMS services.

Will you be safe? Find out more about the 'Hati-Hati' virus, and make sure your phone doesn't get infected..


1. What is the ‘Hati-Hati’ worm virus?
This is a self-replicating Trojan that causes mobile handsets to send high volumes of SMS to international or unknown numbers without the owner’s knowledge. In some instances, DSTCom has detected handsets spamming up to 40,000 times an hour.

2. What handsets are affected by the virus?
Handsets having Symbian OS are found to be more prone to having the ‘Hati-Hati’ virus. Handsets with file folder applications or memory card capabilities are also unsafe from the virus.

3. How does a handset get infected by ‘Hati-Hati’?
There are a number of ways this could happen. The following are but a few examples:
a) Downloading of files, pictures or tunes from untrustworthy sites
b) File-sharing via exchange of memory card, blue-tooth or infra-red
c) Buying already infected 2nd hand handsets

4. What I do if my handset is infected by ‘Hati-Hati’?
Hati-Hati gives very little indications that it has infected your handset and this adds to its dangerous nature. Subscribers of networks affected by SPAM SMS may experience a lesser quality of service, for example:
a) Delays in receiving or sending SMS
b) Network congestion when attempting to make calls
c) Slower broadband speed
d) Shorter battery life of the handset itself.

If you suspect your handset of being infected or if you receive a notification from DST that your hand-set is infected, you should take prompt action by formatting your handset and/or the memory card attached to the hand-set.

To protect its valued subscribers and to ensure quality of service is maintained, DST is obliged to remove the outgoing SMS service from all affected subscribers.

(Hati-Hati Virus Information provided by DSTCom)

Yes that's right, your mobile phone could be much dirtier than your toilet. You might only see fingerprints, but the chances are that your phone might be harboring thriving colonies of bacteria and viruses.

Nicole Brady of KOB-TV reports on mobile phone bacteria


Yes, we should all start cleaning our phones. Starting Right Now.

Are you an avid gamer who's experienced aching muscles and cramps in your hands? The super-hero-glove-looking Xtensor will prevent aches like that occurring and even improve your reaction times.


Claiming to be the only product in the market to perform with true biomechanical correctness, the Xtensor will stimulate muscles and tendons in the hands, wrists and elbows.


This 2007 winner of the Medical Design Excellence Award rebalances the strength and flexibility of your hands and fingers - providing the perfect preparation for us older, wannabe Brunei Cyber Games champions.

The US$39.99 Xtensor can also be used as a very effective treatment for tennis elbow and arthritis pain too.

Articles: OhGizmo!, Gizmodo
Product Page: ThinkGeek

Apple iPhone and iPod Touch owners would all agree that the applications available for these devices are what makes them most fun and entertaining. Developers are getting more and more innovative by coming up with apps that just make you go "wow".


'Light Writer' from Laan Labs brings the POV (Persistence of Vision) Effect to the iPhone & iPod Touch. You may have seen the POV Effect on toys or TV commercials where lights are flashed with proper timing to make it look like you're spelling words out of thin air.


Simply type in a message, choose a text colour and start waving your device from side to side. You can even choose to display your writing in a rainbow of colours, or display images.


Yes, this might not be one of the more productive apps available, but you have to agree that at just US$1, it's worth the entertainment that you'll get from it.


Article: Gizmodo
More images: Laan Labs on Flickr
Product Page: Light Writer (on iTunes)
Find out more about iPhone & iPod Touch Apps: Play@Simpur

After months of rumour build-up, Dell finally unveiled the first machine from the Adamo by Dell line, which it claims to be the world's thinnest laptop.


Derived from the Latin word meaning "to fall in love", the Adamo is only 0.65 inches thin, making it an out and out competitor for Apple's MacBook Air.


This beautifully crafted, solid product is built with tough, machined-aluminium and almost no plastic.


It features a 13.4-inch High Definition display made of glass, which also sports a built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam.

Although being super-thin, this Adamo does not compromise on connector ports like the MacBook Air, with enough ports available to be productive, including an RJ45 ethernet port and optional Mobile Broadband connectivity. Its DVD+/-RW or Blu-ray disc drive is however external.


The machine's keyboard looks sexy with 'scalloped' keys, making typing comfortable and is even backlit to help you type in dark places.


Made for the style-conscious, the Adamo is available in Pearl and Onyx colours - The pearl version features a unique, elegant etching design while the Onyx version sports a distinguished brushed finish.


This ultra-thin portable is available for pre-order today at prices starting at US$1,999 and will ship worldwide on March 26th 2009.

Adamo by Dell Videos




Articles: Engadget, CrunchGear
Product Website: Adamo by Dell