A globe-trotting relative recently asked me whether there were phones he could use in both the US and Japan without bothering to switch handsets. The answer, surprisingly, is yes. Japan was incompatible with the rest of the world for years, but now Cingular and T-Mobile subscribers can roam over there for $1.69-$2.29/minute, depending on service plan.

There's a catch: you must use a European or Japanese WCDMA third-generation (3G) phone, and Cingular and T-Mobile don't sell those directly. Also, the European 3G phones don't work well with Cingular, because they're generally missing one of the frequencies Cingular uses. (They're fine on T-Mobile.)

For an all-around good phone that will work on T-Mobile in the US, and in Europe and Japan, I'd pick the Nokia 6680, at left. (Google it for prices and retailers.) It's just like my Editor's Choice Nokia 6682 in most ways, and that's a good thing. It will run you under $400, it has real e-mail and Web browser apps, and it will come unlocked so you can switch it to a European phone number if you "go native" or want lower rates. For an even cheaper option, I'd pick the Sony Ericsson K600i, a small, silvery phone which should cost around $250 unlocked. There are higher-end phones you can get, too.

Cingular subscribers should watch for the upcoming Nokia N80, a 3-megapixel cameraphone which covers both of Cingular's voice bands, the European bands, and Japan. That should appear later this year.

Is your New Years resolution to keep in shape?

PCMag.com posted their collection of the best MP3 players to take with you to the gym. All are flash-based and light enough to endure your most grueling workouts. There's the iPod nano ($189-$270) of course, followed by the Sony Network Walkman NW-E505 ($123-$149), Samsung yepp YP-U1X ($84-$99), Xtatix Freefone (starts at $79), and the Dell DJ Ditty ($99).

Most MP3 players on the market come with low-quality earbuds that, in the long run, can damage your hearing. So, I discovered Logitech's Curve Headphones that are sweat resistant—perfect for working out or running a marathon. Available in lime green, crystal, and graphite, they use optimized 30mm neodymium drivers for premium audio and are also durable and water resistant.

Purchase Logitech's Curve Headphones for $29.99 at CompUSA.

Is Thanksgiving soon enough? Probably not for fanboys, but that's when 1UP.com's Patrick Klepen reports that the much-anticipated gaming console will be available here in the U.S. Nintendo hasn't made a formal announcement, but Klepen writes that "Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has talked to Japanese newspaper Sankei Shinbun about the much debated release date."

I just hope the Revolution's games aren't as exorbitant as Xbox 360 games. If gaming companies really want to reach out to the mainstream, as they claim, maybe they should rethink $60 games.

Predicting the future is a tricky business, but we called this one right. Today Konica Minolta announced it is exiting the imaging business altogether, no more D-SLRs, no more point-and-shoots, it is even getting out of the photographic paper business. Of course, this would have been old news if you were paying attention to PC Maggers Kyle Monson and Terry Sullivan.  You can read their full story here. This is the lead from their column a few months back:

We've been hearing foreboding tidings out of Japan all week: First Konica Minolta announces pretty serious headcount reductions and product streamlining as a way to combat the huge losses they've been suffering. The word from their latest financial report, issued earlier this week, is that they're "shifting (their) expansion strategy to focus on high-value-added products." In other words, we can probably expect Konica Minolta to phase out low-end consumer cameras and target photo enthusiasts and D-SLR users.

Not bad, guys.

[[Thanks to Ben for the graphic.]]

If there are devices that calculate how much body fat you have, then why wouldn't there be a device that calculates wrinkles and sun damage?

A News.com reporter visited an office in San Jose, California to undergo Clarity Pro: a technology that can "depict the depth and severity of wrinkles in a 3D chart, show the extent of bacteria-filled pores in a graph, or represent UV damage in purple dots scattered about your face in a white-light image." The reporter's test results came back, revealing that her face contained 7% of wrinkles, 30% inflamed pores, and 26 out of a scale of 50 for ultraviolet damage.

This emerging kind of technology isn't available on the market yet, but it's slated to be released next month to various spas, medical health clinics, cosmetics companies and researchers.

So how much could something like this cost? Well, according to Raj Chhibber, CEO and founder of BrighTex Bio-Photonics (the maker of Clarity Pro), says that the exam could cost anywhere from $50 to several hundred dollars.

I can just see it now: actors and actresses will be rushing to find out the percentage of wrinkles on their bodies, only to find out that the producer of the TV show they star in turns them away because their wrinkle percentage is "too high for primetime TV." Or how about just regular people breaking down into tears because their test results showed bad pores? But, Clarity Pro could serve as a wake up call for those that are in risk of skin cancer.

Still, I'll probably have a good 15 years before I get any recognizable wrinkles, but I sure don't want to know the percentage of wrinkles proportional to the rest of my body! C'mon. We get older, our bodies get older. It's a natural part of life!

If you're interested in more information on how Clarity Pro works, visit BTBP.org.

[Found via Slashdot]