The Miuro robot is a device just for the fun of it. For $930 or (108,800 Yen) you get an iPod on wheels. The Miuro is essentially a “robotic” mobile docking station. The Miuro is able to make use of your existing iPod or it can wirelessly receive music from your computer. A collaboration between ZMP Inc. and Kenwood who designed the speakers, the Miuro went on sale online Thursday and the ZMP is hoping to sell 10,000 Miuro robots within the next year. Add-on options include sensors and a camera which will allow the Miruo to map its location and remember routes.

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Espoo, Finland/Berlin, Germany – Nokia and gate5 AG today announced that an agreement has been signed for Nokia to acquire gate5. gate5 is a leading supplier of mapping, routing and navigation software and services. By acquiring gate5, Nokia will offer consumers maps, routing, navigation and other location based applications on its mobile devices.

“Maps and navigation are natural elements to be offered in mobile devices but this area hasn’t developed as fast as expected by the market. Acquiring gate5 enables Nokia to offer consumers the world-leading mobile location applications, such as maps, routing and navigation at an accelerated speed.” said Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Multimedia, Nokia. “The Personal Navigation Device market is in a rapid growth phase with the global market size expected to reach 15 million units in 2006 compared with 8 million units in 2005. By integrating the maps and navigation capabilities into our devices, Nokia will participate in this growth. Nokia Nseries multimedia computers offer people new ways to explore their world – navigation and maps enhance this journey and add to the overall experience.”

gate5 is a leading supplier of mapping, routing and navigation software and services. gate5 was founded in 1999, is privately owned, has its headquarters in Berlin, Germany and has approximately 70 employees. gate5 provides software to leading personal navigation device manufacturers around the world. gate5 solution enables people to enjoy a highly sophisticated mapping and navigation experience offering seamless navigation with breathtaking features such as house polygons, earth browsing and dynamic route guidance. All applications are extendable with more than 5,000 city guides, travel guides or services.

“Our combined expertise means that mobile device owners will enjoy a wide range of location based services,” said Dr. Michael Halbherr, CEO, gate5. “Based on maps and routing functionality, there are countless useful features for mobile users; e.g. travel guides, search what is around you including restaurants, hotels, shops, etc. anything you need in your surroundings. We are excited to become part of Nokia and to be able to take the gate5 technologies and products to even wider audiences.”

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Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) today announced that it had reached an agreement with Finnish company Distocraft Oy to acquire the assets of Distocraft’s business. The company, with 42 employees, specializes in software development for mobile network performance management.

In today’s highly competitive environment, increasingly more focus is being placed on network and service management to reduce costs without compromising quality of service. Performance management systems give operators information about their networks performance, allowing them to improve efficiency and reduce time-to-market.

With this acquisition, Ericsson will expand the capabilities of its market-leading OSS portfolio, addressing both new technologies, such as HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access), IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) and 3G LTE (3G Long-Term Evolution), and multivendor environments.

Kurt Jofs, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Business Unit Access, Ericsson, says: “I am pleased to announce this acquisition. It will further strengthen our ability to support our customers with best-in-class network management, allowing them to focus on the introduction of attractive end-user services.”

Distocraft is based in Lahti and Helsinki, Finland, and is an independent software vendor specializing in software development for mobile network O&M. Its operations are concentrated in the Nordic and Baltic region. The company’s 42 employees will join Ericsson Finland.

Ericsson’s OSS offering is powerful in terms of capacity and is one of the few that can manage an entire network in a single system. Today, about 250 customers are using it worldwide.

The Nokia N80 Internet Edition connects you to your on-line life.

Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced a way for internet users to interact with some of the web’s favorite services while they are away from their PC’s, in a pocketable, easy to use device. Nokia N80 Internet Edition brings together wireless LAN (WLAN), a rubust browser, support for internet calls, a 3-megapixel camera, and quadband GSM WCDMA coverage along with an easy to use WLAN wizard (to make connecting to the internet easy), and a host of other internet services not previously installed together on Nokia devices.

The Nokia N80 Internet Edition comes out of the box ready to create, connect, consume and interact with some of the internet’s most popular services. Use Yahoo! Search in the Mobile Search application to conveniently search for and find most anything on the web, and use the Mini Map functionality of the internet browser to enjoy the pages you find. Browse through thousands of items at Amazon.com, or scroll though a book with Amazon’s MobiPocket Reader. You can also share your moments online – snap a photo and send it directly from your device to your Flickr site for your friends and family to enjoy too. Connect to the Yahoo! community using the Yahoo! Go for Mobile application. Be it shopping with Amazon, photo sharing on Flickr or simply searching for a restaurant with Mobile Search, the Nokia N80 Internet Edition can provide you convenient internet access when you are away from your PC.

“Mobilizing the internet is a major strategic focus for Nokia and I’m excited to see how people can participate on the internet using the Nokia N80 Internet Edition,” said Ralph Eric Kunz, vice president, Multimedia, Nokia. “The internet has evolved from static web pages to communities and people sharing experiences. I believe it will be multimedia computers, such as the Nokia N80 Internet Edition, that will be primary devices for people to participate in this phenomenon, in addition to PCs.”

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This pair of skull and crossbone cufflinks is one that really stood out. The set is made from antiqued silver and where the next pair of cufflinks excel in subtlety, this pair is more aggressive and takes the overt approach.

However, as with all things fashion the person with the right attitude can most definitely pull it off. Notice that it is the attitude that allows one to do things with style. There are also tuxedo studs made in the same fashion but I truly hope no on wishes to display that much attitude. ($150)

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Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), tglo.com, Inc (formerly known as VoiceGlo Holdings Inc) and Theglobe.com Inc announced today that the companies have resolved their pending patent infringement lawsuit by settlement. In October 2005, Sprint filed a lawsuit against VoiceGlo Holdings (now tglo.com, Inc) and Theglobe.com alleging that the providers of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone services and equipment infringed seven patents owned by Sprint. As part of the settlement, tglo.com and Theglobe.com have entered into a non-exclusive license under Sprint’s patents. The remaining terms of the settlement are confidential.

More details at Sprint.

Blue Ribbon was the original name for Nike back before they mattered. The company now has a streetwear brand under the old school moniker. It has been around for a while but the online shop is still lacking. I visited Blue Ribbon to see if they had anything new or worthwhile. While I was there I spotted a few pieces worth mentioning. More►

Nothing like a skull and bones to rile the management. When it is time for your review, show’em that you mean business. Generally speaking we are fearful of logos, but tees are the exception and this Bounty Hunter has all the elements that we like so it is a must. BH has several tees with the same theme but this one stands out. Black in color with white graphics and a splash of blood. While you’re in the meeting make sure that you tell’em that you won’t be working late this Friday. BH

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UltraMan, boy do I remember this show. UltraMan was the ish back in the day. Nike celebrates the cult classic with the release of the UltraMan 40th Anniversary Free 5.0 Priority. The sneaker comes in a near perfect Ultraman colorway, Neutral Grey / Atom Red. Comes complete with a custom Nike shoe box with a silhouette of Ultraman and other characters from the series. Available @ Mita (jp)

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Part Hot Wheels, part LEGO, part wooden car, completely awesome. The Automoblox toy system totally rocks. Simple design, which will surely grab the attention of older generations, but with a wonderful modern application, that will appeal to your children today and according to Automoblox, their children too. Vibrant colors like fire red, neon green and sky blue contrasting against the natural tones of wood make this toy an immediate eye-catcher. The vehicle designs are pretty cool too.

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