It looks like Nokia is trying to go head-to-head with iPhone and the T-Mobile G1 by unveiling the 5800 XpressMusic with touchscreen ability and music-oriented features.

To compete with Apple’s iTune store, the phone will include one year of Comes With Music, a Nokia service that allows downloads and access from the Nokia Music Store catalog.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will have 8 GB of memory for up to 6000 tracks and support for all major digital music formats, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a graphic equalizer, and built-in surround sound stereo speakers. The 3.2″ widescreen display allows for a 16 by 9 aspect ratio and 30 frames-per-second playback and recording, ideal for VGA quality video. A 3.2 megapixel camera is also built in to the phone and is able to send photos to sharing sites such as Share on Ovi, Flickr, or Facebook with a single touch.

Through the touch screen technology, users will be able to quickly access the “Media Bar,” a drop down menu that provides direct access to music and entertainment, including favorite tracks, videos, and photos. The Media Bar also allows direct access to the internet and file sharing. Flash is also supported for full web browsing.

“With the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, we set out to connect people through the one thing we all feel a universal connection to - music,” said Jo Harlow, Vice President, Nokia. “The way in which people enjoy music is different around the world. With that in mind, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic gives people the freedom to experience music they love in the way they prefer.”

The phone will most likely be available worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2008 for an estimated retail price of 279 EUR or $385.

Some of the most outrageous ornaments are going to be attached to Nokia headsets. Although Nokia has produced stereo headsets in the past, this time they are getting a huge aesthetic overhaul with the help of the public.

Nokia launched the Music Almighty Headset Competition to find the most quirky design for their upcoming new headsets. Five winning design concepts will be tailor made into actual, fully functional products.

Going through the competition gallery, you can find pretty ridiculous ornaments ranging from spikes to feathers to metal rods. The competition runs until the end of December. Anyone can vote for the best designs, with the top ten highest rated being narrowed down to the final five by an official panel of music and design experts. If all goes well, let’s hope Nokia allows the public to design their phones too.

Scientists at KDDI and Tokyo University claims they have developed a prototype software that uses some crazy advanced methods to “see through walls.” Okay so it might not be intricate enough to see through buddy’s girlfriend’s shirt but who knows, at this rate, it just might happen soon.

It’s not really X-Ray vision, but the technology would rely on a specifically developed phone to detect and graphically render your surroundings, even places out of sight.

Using three acceleration sensors and a GPS chip, the phone can figure out where its located and what direction it is pointing in. Then using OpenGL, it magically displays your surroundings on the phone’s screen for your viewing pleasure (we’re not sure if it works indoors, however).

Not only that, but the engineers have decided to include a calorie counter in the technology, determining whether the user is in walking, running, or in a vehicle and then calculating calories burned. A shame it doesn’t calculate the number of calories consumed when eating my nacho supreme while driving my Toyota Camry.

Microsoft announced that it will be introducing its Zune “Gears of War 2″ Special Edition mp3 player with its upcoming game Gears of War 2 for Xbox 360, developed by Epic Games. The game is scheduled for shipping on November 7 and is available currently for pre-ordering.

The custom Zune is based on the new 120 GB version but will feature a laser-etched Crimson Omen on the special gloss black enclosure. Included is collectible “Gears of War” packaging, 244 “Gears of War” media selections including the original game soundtrack, game trailers, art concepts, and behind-the-scenes videos. The entire package, mp3 player and game, is set at $279.99.

“Gears of War 2” is a fast paced third person shooter game and is expected by Microsoft and Epic Games to be the biggest video game of the 2008 holiday season on the Xbox 360.

Talking about green concepts and innovations. Swedish designer Peter Thuvander has innovated an induction-powered yo-yo charger for iPhones and other Apple handheld devices. Read the full story

The photoshop geeks have done it again. How do i get these giant headphones into my ears. No thanks, you can keep it, I prefer sticking to the older ipod stock ones.

Via 500XL and BoingBoing

Another spy gadget for James Bond, if he ever gets into some mathematical issues. The Calculator video camera has a hidden wireless video camera, on the left side so that you can covertly record video and audio. Read the full story