Not much has changed in the year since we last checked in with the Livescribe Pulse, the smartpen that captures and syncs your handwriting and audio back to your PC or Mac using a built-in infrared camera and mic. Today we get a new titanium color on the outside and bump from 2GB ($170) to 4GB ($200) within. There's also a tease of an Application Store launch later this year. Oh boy, that's exactly what's been holding back the smartpen industry from replacing all those pesky laptops in collegiate lecture halls.

This review has disappointingly little direct, I'm-going-to-go-buy-this-right-now relevance to North American Android fans -- but if you want to keep tabs on the sweet gear our friends over in Europe are now able to buy, head on over to Engadget Mobile where we've got an in-depth review of the Huawei-sourced Pulse for T-Mobile UK. With a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 3.5mm jack, and every spec this side of US 3G, it's a contender -- so if you're in the Old World, go have a look at what you're now able to buy, and if you're on the other side of the Atlantic, go check out another reason to be insanely jealous.

See that pink, embossed "Buy now" button in the lower right corner of the above pic? It's a beacon of hope to UK Android lovers who want more choices, and who for whatever reason aren't happy with the current selection. As previously discussed, the 3.5-inch Huawei-made T-Mobile Pulse is now available to our friends across the pond, for the enviable price of nada on contract, or £176.16 (about $282 in US) with pay as you go, VAT included. Still looking for the ultimate mobile Gmail experience and a slightly larger than usual display? It's just a click away below.

Read - With contract
Read - Pay as you go

[Thanks, Liam H]

We couldn't get a handle on what at first seemed so "bloated" about the T-Mobile Pulse until we held it up to the iPhone: this is the first production Android phone to get a "regular" 3.5-inch screen, instead of the rather narrow 3.2-inchers on HTC's trio of Android devices. Sure, it's the same resolution, but we really feel the breathing room. Overall we'd say the Pulse lacks a little something something up against the polished design of the HTC Hero hardware or the iPhone 3G, but it's still plenty alluring -- especially considering that this is being positioned as a pay-as-you-go device. The capacitive screen is quite responsive, and so is the Android UI underneath, which has been modded by T-Mobile to include an odd new home screen that you can pan up, down, left and right on, for a total grid of nine screenfuls of widgets and what have you. Interestingly, the phone merges the back button with the home button, which actually cuts down considerably on the madness of typical Android phone button layouts. Overall, we'd say the phone provides a quite alluring example of what manufacturers that aren't HTC can pull off with Android: a cheap, sexy, powerful device running a "real" OS and the world's best mobile Gmail app. Video hands-on is after the break.

Not that our Stateside T-Mobile needs much help scoring Android handsets, but this phone looks strictly reserved for our European brethren. The T-Mobile Pulse is actually Huawei's U8220, which looks a little drab compared to its U8230 sibling, and works in what seems to be standard smartphone specs these days: 3.2 megapixel camera, 3.5-inch 320 x 480 screen, HSDPA, Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS. The 2GB SD card and mere 3.5 hours of talk time leave a bit to be desired, and the 13.5mm thickness is almost as beastly as Nokia's latest, but we're sure the Pulse means well. No word on a straight price, but in Germany with a two year agreement prices start at 5 Euro a month.

[Via Engadget German]

What's creepier than automatically informing Twitter every time your unborn child kicks his mother's womb? Giving all your Twitter followers a live feed of your heartbeat, including canned messages to announce your death in case you cease pumping Cheeto-infused blood through your goth-nerdy veins. This Japanese DIY project has open source schematics and is designed to bypass a PC and send the news of your heart hiccups directly the internet. Check out the appropriately dramatic video after the break.

Stating that NVIDIA's Ion platform has already snagged wide industry support would be a gross understatement, but for whatever reason, Maingear decided to skip out on all the Computex revelry and blaze a trail of its own. Hailed as the planet's greenest gaming PC (which is certainly up for debate), the Pulse is an energy efficient small form factor PC that offers up Ion graphics. Said configuration is available with Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs and an 80+ certified 300-watt power supply; those who care more about frame rates than Ma Earth can opt for a GeForce 9800 GT ECO, which -- despite being a discrete, power-hungry GPU -- still swallows some 40 percent less power than a standard 9800 GT. You'll also find WiFi support, room for an optional Blu-ray drive and TV tuner, upwards of 8GB of RAM and room for a single 2.5-inch HDD or SSD. The whole box checks in at just 7.6- x 8.3- x 11.4-inches, and it's available for order right now starting at $799. Full release is after the break.

And it looks like Nintendo's answer to Microsoft's Project Natal is... a pulse detector. Yep, Ninty's just announced the Wii Vitality Sensor, a finger sensor which attaches to the Wiimote to read your pulse. Details on how the accessory is going to be used in games are pretty vague, but it appears the idea is to check stress, help you relax, and just generally chill out and be groovy. That won't happen for a while yet, though: the Vitality Sensor was described as a "look into the future," so we're guessing we've got a wait in store.

Update: Check out the full press release here.

For months now, dutiful Mac users who refuse to load any flavor of Windows on their precious machines have longed for the ability to use Livescribe's Pulse smartpen. Now, those holdouts can finally say the wait was worth it, as Livescribe has announced that a native Mac desktop application (Livescribe Desktop for Mac) will be made available in beta form on November 24th. Additionally, a few new features for the Pulse have been added over on the Wintel side, including handwriting to text transcription software ($29.95) and the ability for consumers to print dot paper notepads for free. Finally, something for OS X users to digitally write home about.

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment

The last Switched On discussed the innovative approach that Livescribe has taken in its core note-taking function while touching on some of the company's grander plans to create a wide array of applications and content, taking it far beyond its failed predecessor, the Logitech io2.

Livescribe is building an ambitious house in a neighborhood that has seen a lot of foreclosures; Pulse will need to rewrite history to be successful in the traditionally challenged smartpen market. Indeed, between the time that the Pulse was announced and shipped, Logitech announced it was writing off the market for now. In addition to improving on note-taking, the company points to the reduced size of the Pulse as being less obtrusive than previous smartpens and thus more appealing to use. One of the keys to smartpen use is that it is less obtrusive than, say, a PC using Microsoft OneNote, which also has the ability to synchronize audio to written notes.

However, the Pulse's OLED display offsets at least some of the gains made toward discretion by shrinking the pen's girth. Worse, to get the full benefit of the Pulse's cool ability to resolve conversations in a room using 3D audio recording, you must wear earbuds that contain embedded microphones. It's hard to imagine something that could be more off-putting to a speaker than seeing an audience member wearing earbuds, and it would engender curiosity when that speaker notices that they are connected to a pen. Fortunately, the Pulse does a very good job of recording even without the earbud-based microphones.

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment

If the pen truly is mightier than the sword, Livescribe's Pulse smartpen ($149 with 1GB of flash memory, $199 with 2GB) may be able to take out a tank at 50 meters. Arguably the most technologically advanced writing instrument not intended for killing a Bond villain, the Pulse includes an infrared camera (for recording text), dual microphones, a speaker, a headphone jack, and an OLED display that can even play back short "movies" (animations synced with sound). And it manages to pack it all in a pen size that, while still a bit thick, is relatively comfortable and thinner than its closest technological ancestor, the now-discontinued Logitech io2.

Using its noise-canceling microphones and ink recognition system, the Pulse can be used to either take written notes that are uploaded to the PC, or record audio. But its greatest advance for note-taking over previous smartpen systems such as the io2 is the ability to synchronize written notes with audio. Simply put the pen into "Paper Replay" mode and tap on some text to hear what was being said as you scribbled. The result is the next best thing to real-time transcription. It can be used to check what may be an unclear or hastily scribbled note, focus on commentary while the pen captures the content, or create or copy a diagram while it is explained via audio.

But first, whatever is being written will have to be done so on paper designed explicitly for the pen. Like previous products that use Anoto technology, the Pulse needs smart "dot paper" to make transcription work. Without a doubt, this requirement will be a deal-killer for many, and limit the Pulse's everyday utility for some time to come. In contrast, simpler products such as the IOGear Mobile Digital Scribe uses ultrasound to track a pen's position and can be used on any paper (and the pens in such systems are smaller as well). To make dot paper more readily accessible, though, Livescribe will offer a template that should allow many customers to print their own dot paper at home. And dot paper enables the Pulse to pull off some pretty slick feats. Read on.

Believe it or not, this actually isn't the first FDA approved personal hair remover we've come across, but for those looking for something capable of handling some seriously hairy ordeals, look no further than Silk'n. Created by Home Skinovations (har har), this unit relies on proprietary Home Pulsed Light technology to zap unwanted hair and bring back the smooth. Of course, this thing still has to be used "under the direction of a physician," but after waltzing into his / her office with three inches of sprawling chest hair blossoming from under that halfway buttoned shirt, we'd wager you'll have the requisite signature in no time.

[Via medGadget]

The Australian Student Design Awards are home to quite a few interesting ideas this year -- along with a few head scratchers and wishful thinking. We're particularly digging this Pulse Bicycle Safety Helmet. The concept features an "Ear Drop" Bluetooth headset on one side of the helmet, leaving your hands free and your traffic-side ear listenin' for danger. You operate the headset with three easy-to-find buttons on the helmet, and the USB Ear Drop can plug into your computer to track your training, along with providing your vital info in case of an accident. There's also a rear headlight for helping cars spot your shiny noggin at night. Other highlights of the Student Awards include the "entile" interlocking edutainment system, a fire tracking UAV for rural fire department use, and the solar powered Ersa water condenser and power generator.

[Via Popgadget]

Seeing newly-unveiled outerwear touting iPod / Bluetooth connectivity is becoming a winter tradition it seems, as these blustery days bring about visions of new coats, helmets, lift tickets, and never letting go of your dear DAP / cellphone. This time around Quicksilver is seeking the technological know-how from Plantronics as it offers up a "limited edition" lineup of snow-ready gear that plays nice with your iPod and BT-equipped handset. The Double Daffy Snow Jacket sports Plantronics "stereo sound and voice technology" via Bluetooth, and should hit retail stores for $370 soon, while the presumably corresponding Pulse Helmet rocks a lightweight, ABS-infused design, side vents, and a black camo motif for $249.95. For the ladies in the house, the Teen Angel Snow Jacket caters to the female agenda for $340, and the partnering Shiver Helmet will run you $249.95. While no hard availability dates were mentioned, all the new kit will be on display at the SIA conference in Las Vegas through the end of the week, and we assume it'll hit your favorite ski shop shortly thereafter.