This week in cell phones at the FCC

Only the most passionate cell phone geeks know that the Federal Communications Commission holds a treasure trove of information on upcoming handsets. Because the FCC has to certify every phone sold in the United States, not to mention test its SAR rating, the agency's online database offers a lot of sneak peeks to those who dig. And to save you the trouble, Crave has combed through the database for you. Here are a selection of filings from the past week on new and upcoming cell phones. Click through to read the full report.

Alcatel OT-255C
Alcatel OT-706A
HTC PC10110
HTC PD15100
Huawei U8150
CDMA RIM BlackBerry flip phone
Motorola (IHDT56LU4)
Motorola WX295
Pantech Sparrow
Samsung SCH-B379
Samsung SCH-R250
Samsung SCH-W899
Sony Ericsson Cedar

Kent German is a senior editor for cell phone reviews at CNET. When he's not testing the newest handsets on the market, he's blogging about cell phone news for Crave. In his On Call column, he answers reader questions and gives his take on the rapidly changing mobile industry. E-mail Kent.

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Hands-on with GuitarJack and FourTrack

Testing the GuitarJack recording adapter for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)

There are a number of companies offering products that let you plug your guitar into your iPhone. Most of them assume (astutely, perhaps) that musicians don't have a lot of money to throw around. Products like Amplitube iRig or Griffin GuitarConnect offer ways to transform your iPhone or iPod Touch into a virtual practice amp for around $30-$40. The result is fun and arguably convenient, but the sound quality isn't great.

Sonoma Wire Works takes a different approach, with a $199 accessory called GuitarJack that works directly through your iPhone or iPod's dock connection. The product isn't cheap, but neither is the sound, which can be adjusted for 60dB of continuous analog level control, and offers simultaneous recording from both instrument and mini jack inputs. Each input can also be adjusted with various gain pad options, and switched between hi-z and low-z impedance to precisely account for instrument and line-level sources.

The design and build quality is first class. The adapter is housed in an aluminum casing that feels as if it could survive a nuclear bomb. Even the input connectors use a high-quality nickel-plated brass that can hold up to the best pro-audio gear.

To put the GuitarJack through its paces, I tried it out yesterday morning using my guitar and the FourTrack app. To see (and hear) the results, check out the following gallery.

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Apple looks to patent new flash system

Seems like Apple wants a piece of the imaging business. The Cupertino, Calif., firm recently filed a patent for a unique flash (not Adobe's Flash, which won't work with iOS) for cameras that is said to optimize the lighting on the subject.

The patent shows an array of flash lights that point at different directions, so we presume the camera will detect where the subject is and turn on the nearest flash.

Gadget blog Gizmodo said such an implementation could make its way to iOS devices such as the iPhone and iPad, and even to video cameras.

So, anyone looking forward to an Apple-branded camera?

(Source: Crave Asia)

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New Sonos accesssory: The Wireless Dock

The Sonos Wireless Dock arrives at the end of October for $119 (no iPod Touch included).

(Credit: Sonos)

Sonos, the guys behind the highly rated multiroom music system, is getting ready to launch an accessory for users who have a lot of music stored on an iPod or iPhone.

With the Sonos Wireless Dock (WD100), which will be available at the end of October for $119, you can play all of the music from an iPod or iPhone in any room where you have a Sonos ZonePlayer setup.

Of course, a lot of people keep their music stored on a computer or networked drive, but apparently Sonos has identified that many people simply want to be able to dock their iPod or iPhone and stream music from the device. In some cases, that device might even belong to someone else. The Wireless Dock doesn't discriminate.

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Add a sexy HTML signature to iPhone e-mails

The free iPhone Signature Creator uses a little Web-app prestidigitation to let you add cool signatures to your e-mail.

(Credit: Screenshot by Rick Broida)

If you've ever messed around with the e-mail signature settings on your iPhone, iPod, or iPad, you know that the best you can hope for is to replace the stock "sent from my iPhone" message with another boring block of text.

Welcome to "Extreme Makeover: iPhone Signature Edition." With the free iPhone Signature Creator, you can whip up a sexy, HTML-based sig complete with colored text, a company logo, your Facebook and Twitter info, and more.

To get started, just fill out Signature Creator's Web-based form with as much information as you want to include: name, title, company, phone number(s), and so on. You can upload a logo or avatar in GIF or JPEG format and even tie it to a URL.

The form also gives you the option of adding links or icons to your Facebook, FaceTime, LinkedIn, Skype, or Twitter accounts.

Be sure you don't overlook the last field where you choose a PIN, otherwise the form will reset and you'll have to do the entire thing over. (I speak from experience.)

When you're done, click Create Signature. You'll see a completion page with a URL you need to enter into Safari on your device. (You can also have that link sent to you via e-mail.) When you do so, the resulting page will ask you for the pin you entered in the Web form. Type it, but before you tap Go, tap the Plus sign at the bottom of the screen, then tap Add to Home Screen.

Now, whenever you want to compose an e-mail that has your sexy new signature, just tap that new Home screen icon. Awesome.

I must give credit where credit is due: this excellent tip comes from Dave Johnson, my colleague over at Business Hacks.

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Detect lies and draw lines: iPhone apps of the week

(Credit: CNET)

No iPhone for Verizon? That seems to be the implication in news this week via AppleInsider. According to a Wall Street analyst with RBC Capital Markets, Verizon and Apple have not been able to come to an agreement on bringing the iPhone to Verizon. Apparently, both companies have issues with the deal; Verizon is wary of the iPhone cannibalizing Android's market share, and Apple may not want to settle for a lesser marketing campaign to lighten the impact of iPhone sales.

As you know, I already have an iPhone 4 (and needed one for my job, obviously) so I had no choice but to re-up my contract with AT&T. But what about you? Are you one of the people who decided to wait to buy the iPhone 4 for a chance to get a contract with Verizon? Do you think this really means the end of a deal between the two companies? I'm interested to know what people will do with this information, so please chime-in in the comments!

This week's apps include a fun way to see if your friends are telling the truth and a line-drawing game that has you hurling axes at approaching bad guys.

At the end of the quiz, Lie Detector Pro breaks down your scores on three criteria.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

Lie Detector PRO (99 cents) is a fun app that allegedly can detect whether you are generally a liar or generally truthful, but mostly it's just fun to play with. To start the test, place the iPhone in your hand, read the instructions, and hit Next. From there you will be asked a series of questions onscreen and you will need to speak your answers out loud.

The app supposedly measures your stress level, the tonality of your voice, and whether your hands are shaking to detect if you are dishonest in your replies. The questions are mostly simple ("What is your first name?") with some more-personal questions ("Are you in love?"), and you end the test by speaking off the cuff for 10 seconds so the app can analyze your voice.

Does Lie Detector Pro work? Probably not, but in my testing, walking around the office to see who is the biggest liar was certainly a lot of fun for all involved. The app does not allow you to ask specific questions, which is probably a good thing because we wouldn't want people to end relationships with best friends over a lie detector test on the iPhone. Still, Lie Detector Pro is a great party trick and it's even fun just to see what score you get by trying to lie convincingly on every question. Anyone who wants a good app for hanging out with your friends to see who is the most honest (allegedly) will like this simple app.

Sometimes you'll need to throw your ax through the camp fire to take out more difficult enemies.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

Axe in Face--Defense of the Daffodils (99 cents) is a silly, yet challenging game that borrows elements from many classic iPhone games in the iTunes App Store to make for a fun time waster. The object of the game is to defend a garden of daffodils from an approaching onslaught of baddies (think Plants vs. Zombies) by drawing a path from your viking warrior across the screen to throw your ax.

The ax will return to you like a boomerang, which comes in handy for hitting foes as the ax circles back around, but be careful not to draw complex paths because you won't be able to throw another ax until it returns to your hand. Much of the fun comes from trying to hit multiple enemies with one throw and you'll get a score bonus for hitting larger multiples. But if just one attacker gets past your defenses, your beautiful daffodil garden will be trampled and the game ends.

As you progress through Axe in Face, you're given more variation on the game mechanic to keep it interesting. In higher levels, you'll have more enemies to deal with along with unique enemies that require special skills to kill them. One enemy blocks himself with a pine tree that can only be beaten by throwing the ax through an onscreen fire first, then hitting the tree to sizzle the tree and the bad guy within. As the enemies get harder, you're also given a special advantage: some enemies drop small red orbs that fill up your lighting orb. When your lightning orb is full you can strike three enemies with lighting by pressing a button--great for when the game gets particularly hectic.

Axe in Face comes with only 32 levels of increasingly difficult action, but I'm hoping later updates will add more levels (and magic skills) to this cool game. Overall, if you want a fun line-drawing game, Axe in Face--Defense of the Daffodils is an excellent and affordable time-waster.

What's your favorite iPhone app? What's the lowest percentage (most honest) you've scored in Lie Detector Pro? Do you like the action in Axe in Face--Defense of the Daffodils? Let me know in the comments!

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Hair-washing robot leaves your locks silky-smooth

Lie back and let those mechatronic fingers give your scalp some love.

(Credit: Panasonic)

Bad hair day? Now you can blame your robot. Panasonic has developed a hair-washing bot that lets you lie down while your locks are gently shampooed.

Designed for Japan's growing elderly and bedridden population, the device consists of a reclining chair and a computerized washbasin.

The machine incorporates robot hand technology, with 16 mechatronic magic fingers that rinse and wash hair. It also remembers each user's individual data, such as head shape and massage preferences.

According to a Panasonic release, a moving arm in the machine first scans your head in 3D to determine its shape and the optimal amount of force to use while shampooing (one hopes this is foolproof technology).

Next, the robot's 16 fingers gently massage your scalp while a three-motor arm moves back and forth and force sensors ensure a delicate touch.

(Credit: Panasonic)

Panasonic is also demonstrating a simplified version of its wheelchair bed, which facilitates mobility for bedridden people. The Electric Care Bed is more practical, consisting merely of a bed that partly converts into a wheelchair, and lacking the robotic canopy of the model announced last year.

The number of parts and motors has been reduced, and the chair does not have joystick control like its precursor, though it does have power-assist functions to reduce the burden on caregivers.

The shampoo bot and wheelchair bed are being shown off at the International Home Care and Rehabilitation Exhibition from September 29 to October 1 in Tokyo. Panasonic hasn't announced prices or release dates yet. These devices would join others that automate nursing care, such as Sanyo's Hirb human washing machine, and robot nurses like Riba.

It isn't fair that older folks are getting more robot toys than the rest of us.

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