As Samsung is about to unveil the U.S. versions of the Galaxy S II smartphone, the company will also introduce three new handsets that are all powered by Samsung’s Bada 2.0 OS. The Samsung Wave 3 is considered as the most premium among the three, with its respectable specs including a new cross-platform messaging service similar to BlackBerry Messenger (called Social Hub) and some NFC capability. It features a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 1.4GHz processor, a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, VGA front camera for video chat, Music Hub, and ChatOn.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Wave M is marketed as a mid-range smartphone. Specs include a 3.65-inch HVGA display with 320 x 480 resolution, 832MHz processor, NFC capabilities, Social Hub, ChatOn, a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, and VGA front camera. Lastly, the entry-level Samsung Wave Y has basic specs like a 3.2-inch HVGA display, 2-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, and ChatOn.

We have yet to hear from Samsung when these three Bada-powered smartphones will be available in the U.S. market.

In theory, our body releases as much as 300W of power through heat alone, which their technology has able to siphon even just a bit. The shoes contain a special substrate filled with tiny metal microdroplets. Whenever your foot presses down on it, the droplets are then forced through the substrate thus generating electricity. The generated energy can either be stored for later use or drawn immediately to power a device.

Of course, power stops if you stop walking, but at least you get to burn hundreds of calories in the process. Another issue being pointed out is whether Instep Nanopower could add significant weight on the shoes.

There are similar technologies such as piezoelectrics that emits energy from movement, but it can only generate a few milliwatts of power–enough to light an LED.

The research for Instep Nanopower technology is currently being funded by private investors and public companies, including United States National Science Foundation and European Research Council.

The Wooden Zoo Stand and Speaker is designed for the Apple iPhone. To put it simply, it is a whale-designed stand that comes with a built-in speaker. The whale’s mouth is just big enough to hold the iPhone in place. Its speaker can be attached with the iPhone via a 3.5mm jack. What makes it appealing aside from its unique design is that it is just small enough to bring around in one’s pocket, being a stand and a speaker in one. The Wooden Zoo Stand and Speaker for the iPhone is available at Korean Early Adopter shop for 38,4000 Won or around US$30.

The Electric Paper Airplane Conversion Kit is a device that comes with a mini propeller powered by a motor. Its design allows it to be clipped at the front of the plane with the propeller sticking out from the back. A 20-second recharge of its motor makes the propeller turn for about a minute and a half. That’s quite a long flight time for a paper airplane, more than enough to be enjoyed. The Electric Paper Airplane Conversion Kit is available at ThinkGeek for US$20.

Sony continues to evolve its Walkman brand with a new line of media players. Some of the devices appear on the website of a major retailer in the United Kingdom and they appear noticeably different from its previous incarnations.

The Sony Walkman A series feature wireless file and music streaming, a 3.4-inch OLED touch screen, FM radio, a variety of media modes, and the ability to sync with iTunes.

According to the retail website, the Sony Walkman A series would be available on July 31 with an assortment of models with different storage capacities, ranging from 8GB to 64GB. Price range is unclear.

With data storage becoming more convenient with thumb drives and dedicated websites, that physical optical drive found in your laptop has become useless. Honestly, when was the last time you put a DVD, or any disk, in there?

A concept presented on Yanko Design makes good use of the optical drive: as storage for a disk-shaped mouse. The “disk+Mouse” concept features a pointer that stores flat, but can be shaped into a cone when needed.

With the rate of speed our technology is evolving, it won’t be long before we see throwback devices about things we are used to see. Think about a chandelier made up of used iPhones or a hologram wand shaped like a Wiimote.

Sony Japan introduces its first Blu-ray/ DVD burner that does not need to be connected to a computer to work. The VBD-MA1 can be plugged into a video camera via USB, for instance, to store materials on discs. Memory Stick Duo or SD/ SDHC/ SDXC cards can also be inserted to the burner. Nevertheless, the device can also be connected to a PC and used as a conventional external burner.

The video clips can be viewed on the device’s 2.7-inch LCD screen before recording. Sony also assures users that they can copy video or pictures with just a push of a button.

The Sony VBD-MA1 will be released for Japanese retail on August 5 with a $380 price tag. No word yet on whether this will be released internationally.

The future of transportation may be something that can both run on land as well as fly. Although such inventions may not be entirely new to people, thanks to those similar gadgets shown in many cartoons, a more realistic piece of such transport may not exist yet. Or does it? For those who may not be patient enough to wait for the future in transportation, there is now this Terrafugia Transition Hybrid Transport that can run on land as well as fly.

The Terrafugia Transition Air and Land Hybrid Transport is a unique invention designed by MIT trained engineers that can run on land like a typical automobile as well as convert into a plane and fly. It is designed mainly as a two-passenger transport with foldable wings to give it enough space to run in highways. You can say that it is a car as well as an aircraft.

The Terrafugia Transition has undergone land testing where it was able to achieve speeds of 100 miles per hour on the road. It has also already gone through flight testing with successful results. Now, it may just be awaiting required certification from the FAA (Federal Aviation Agency) and the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) since it is both a land and air transport.

But hopes are high since the Terrafugia Transition has recently been given by the NHTSA a petition for exemption on four federal motor vehicle safety standards. The company is expecting to make this hybrid transport available to customers by 2012. Owning one may not be cheap as it is expected to cost around US$250,000.

The DXG 5B1V 1080p Camcorder is quite unique in that it is quite portable enough to bring along on trips. It features a 16MP sensor that can take high quality images and video in HD. It is rated to work for up to 10 feet underwater. This camcorder comes with battery and SD card and other slots that come with waterproofing locks. This makes the camcorder suitable for use in any wet environment. The DXG 5B1V Underwater Camcorder is available at DXG USA for US$170.

The Maggie Pro 3 Inch LCD Magnifier is a digital magnifier that allows users to magnify small print into 11 times its original size. It is an electronic magnifier that may be an improvement to the ordinary magnifying glass usually preferred by most old people. Reading those fine print never have to cause seniors and those with visual problems to squint or read with wrinkled brows.

The advantage of the Maggie Pro 3 Inch LCD Magnifier is that it not only magnifies small print, it can also brighten them to make them more readable, even in dim lighting conditions. This electronic device comes with a 3 inch screen display where magnified fonts are highlighted. It also comes with a freeze function to capture an image on a printed page for closer examination. The Maggie Pro 3 Inch LCD Magnifier is available at Xtreme Geek for US$215.