The standard interface that Verizon forces onto all of its handsets makes phone geeks very angry, for some reason I've never been quite able to figure out. But there's a lot of inexplicable passion and fanboy-ism around phone interfaces. Still, Verizon's recent announcement that they're redoing their interface in Adobe Flash Lite should please almost everyone.

In the haze that was my trip to the CTIA trade show, I didn't notice that the user interface for the new LG 8300 phone was actually in Flash, making it the first phone in the US with a Flash UI. But the more alert guys at Phonescoop.com did notice, and they even got a video of the Flashy new phone. Click over to their site to see it.

What I did notice was that the 8300 will probably be a best-seller, pushed heavily by Verizon. It's much like the existing VX8100 music-phone, but with stereo Bluetooth - a terrific jump forward for users of Verizon's V CAST music service.

Thin-phone mania seems to be sweeping the hemisphere. At the CTIA trade show in Las Vegas last week, everybody seemed to have some sort of SLVR clone. Samsung's T509 SLVR clone won "best in show" for its category in CTIA's Emerging Technology Awards, and the actual Motorola SLVR L7 itself won first place just behind it.

Motorola's done a good job marketing the SLVR, a gorgeous, 0.45-inch-thick phone with iTunes. They've done such a good job, that you might think the SLVR is the first phone of its kind, or at least the thinnest yet. But back in 1999, I had a phone almost as thin. The Qualcomm Thin Phone was even more comfortable to hold than the SLVR. Yeah, it was a touch thicker at 0.6 inches, but this was 1999. By 2001, Sanyo introduced their SCP-6000 Thin Phone, which tapered from 0.6 to 0.39 inches at its thinnest point -- thinner than today's SLVR.

Meanwhile, every manufacturer I met at CTIA seemed to have a thin phone. The Samsung T509's gimmick is that it's even thinner than the SLVR (and it's coming out on T-Mobile, which doesn't have a SLVR of its own.) UTStarcom has two SLVR clones, the PCS1400 and PCS1450; one of them seems destined for Sprint. VK Mobile's 2030 is way thinner than the SLVR; if you hold it the wrong way you'll get a paper cut. The no-name Chinese cloners got into the act, too. But is the SLVR selling? It doesn't seem to be rocking the US the way the RAZR did - in part because it's a candy-bar phone when 70% of Americans prefer flips. But it's definitely causing ripples in the world of phone design the way the RAZR did.

Click on the image below to blow it up. From top left: Qualcomm's thin phone, Sanyo SCP-6000, SLVR L7, Samsung T509, UTStarcom PCS1400, VK Mobile 2030, and two random Chinese SLVR clones from ZTE and HiSense.

Those of you who are long time Gearlog readers know I am a big fan of USB keys. Kingston just released a new version of its U3 Data Traveler today and I got to test it out yesterday. At 2GB ($75 list) it isn't the biggest memory key I have tested, but thanks to the U3 support it is one of the most flexible.

U3-compatible devices can store and run applications directly from the drive without leaving any trace on the host computer. The Data Traveler comes loaded with a few applications, but new ones are easy enough to download at u3.com. They offer everything from Skype to file synchronization software--and a lot of it is free. My favorite app has got to be Mozilla Firefox for U3. It is the full version of the browser that runs directly from the key, plug it into any PC and you can use all of your Bookmarks without leaving a trace on the host PC.

If you want to find out more, you can check out my full review here.

Political satirist and humor columnist Art Buchwald was asked if, under pressure of producing three columns a week, he wasn't tempted to make up stories about the Washington political scene. Reality provided more material than he could ever use, Buchwald replied. Same goes for us.

Custom Wheels color LED arrays in each rim can display images that are transmitted wirelessly from your car—either four separate images, or for those of a more conservative bent, the same image on each. Drivers can also preload six images and display them randomly. The wheels' motion apparently supplies the illuminating power. Prices range from $12,500 for the 22-inch wheel package to $19,500 for the 26-inch package, but $12.5K isn't as bad as it sounds. A set of Pirelli tires (model unspecified; it's not about the rubber) comes with the PimpStars. And they're practical: Environmental sealing makes the PimpStars carwash-safe.

Gaywheels now has a link to Edmunds online data to provide "a more complete resource for the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender (GLBT) consumer." (Thank goodness the acronym isn't gay, bisexual, lesbian, and transgender, or there'd be confusion at the sandwich shop.) In addition to reviews and buying advice, Gaywheels provides information on automakers and suppliers that are gay-friendly, which is defined primarily as companies offering domestic-partner benefits.

Slate, panned Ford's Apple iPod imagery in an ad for the Fusion, Ford's semi-breakthrough car and its upscale sibling, the Lincoln Zephyr (now called the Lincoln MKZ). The spot morphs in a series of bubbles from an iPod user on a subway to a dance floor to a skater to a street corner to the Fusion. The critics say the iPod has nothing to do with Ford. Our take: Ford's on the way back, Fusion is part of the process, and if it takes the iPod to lure you in, well, did you really think you'd meet the women in beer ads just by drinking beer? We would be happier with the TV spot if the Fusion had, say, a standard line-in jack for music players or an optional iPod-specific connector. It does play MP3 CDs, at least, and it's an easy upgrade platform, as our erstwhile colleagues at Sync noted.

What will be the coolest technology at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS)? Here's a spotter's guide to checking out cockpit controllers, navigation systems, great audio, hybrid engines, and just-plain-cool stuff.

The NYIAS runs from Friday, April 14, through Sunday, April 23. If you're serious about seeing the cars, take a personal wellness day on a weekday and go sooner, not later; show goers can be tough on cars. But weekends are when you'll see celebrities, giveaways, and contests (such the U.S. Lawnmower Racing Association STA-BIL Racing series). Since New York's Javits Center (11th Avenue, between 34th and 39th Streets) is so notoriously hard to get to, a foul-weather day will hammer attendance, so that's the best time to go.

Cockpit controllers. Head for the BMW booth to see the company that started it all, with iDrive (and they're still taking grief over it). Then check out Audi, a company that's doing it right, with MMI. Also see the (Audi-like) Mercedes-Benz S550, Acura RL and TL, and Infiniti M45/M35. For more on controllers, see our story,"Car Controllers Evolve".

LCDs. What car doesn't have them, at least of the higher-end offerings? If you can get the company to turn the display on (and even then, somebody usually breaks it), sit in the Infiniti M45/M35. This is the best integration of display, cockpit controls, and cockpit controller, which is why it's PC Magazine's winner of the Digital Drive award, as best high-tech car of 2006 (on newsstands now; the story will be online April 25).

Navigation systems. You'll be indoors, and a GPS needs to be outdoors to work. So there's not much to see beyond canned demos. Still, do check out the new OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation, which works pretty well, considering there's really no display to speak of—just words coming at you.

Hybrid technology. Make a beeline for the Toyota and Lexus booths, as well as Honda's. But if you're looking for alternative ways to get great acceleration and economy from smaller engines, take a look at BMW's capacitor-drive demo and Mercedes-Benz's Bluetec low-emissions diesel engines. And GM is pushing cars that burn a mix of ethanol and gasoline. Actually, any automaker using turbocharged or supercharged engines is now calling their vehicles fuel-efficient devices.

Great audio. On the main show floors, you can't really crank it up. Instead, go outside to the Urban Tuner Salon for both audio and show-car prototypes. An increasing number of mainstream cars offer line-in jacks and CD players that play MP3s and, typically, WMAs.

Concept cars. You'll find just a couple at the NYIAS. We suspect the Los Angeles Auto Show, moving from January to November this year, will be a hotter spot for concept cars. In New York, you can see the Acura MDX SUV, Pontiac G6 GXP sporty car, and Scion Fuse sport coupe.

Brand-new cars. There's more than one kind of "new": really new, "more than just a model-year change" new, North American–introduction new (meaning it was probably announced last month at the Geneva Auto Show), and "the factory just built it" new. These models count as really new or significant-facelift new: the Bentley Continental GTC convertible, BMW Z4 coupe/M coupe, Ford Shelby GT-H, Honda Element, Hyundai Elantra, Infiniti G35, Jeep Patriot, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Lexus LS hybrid, Mazda CX-9, Mercedes-Benz E class, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, Saturn Aura, Saturn Outlook, Saturn Sky Red Line, Suzuki XL-7, and Volvo XC90.

Non-tech trends. See smaller cars from Toyota, Nissan, and Honda. See bigger SUVs from second-tier Japanese makers (such as the Mazda CX-9 and Suzuki XL-7). See Korea continue its charge on Japan with bigger and better cars. See American automakers, especially GM, with much-improved SUVs. See how well its new lineup helps Saturn get back in gear. See if the newly announced Infiniti G35 redesign has what it takes to unseat the BMW 3 Series.

Booth models. Shame on you for asking! Mainstream automakers have stepped back to more family-values models of all genders. Ferrari traditionally couples elegant cars with elegant models in evening dress, at least for the press days. Tuners and autosound purveyors often bring somewhat more, um, provocatively dressed models, plus posters and autograph pens. Check back for a detailed report.

Now that the Xbox 360 has been out for awhile, we're likely to see many more mods to come. The most recent was the Xbox 360 Blue Edition for soccer fans.

The latest Xbox 360 mod case is the mosaic Lara Croft. Gee, I wonder if that's because the video game Tomb Raider: Legend ($59.99) is going to be released tomorrow in stores?

According to GamerscoreBlog (made up of Xbox and Games employees), the Microsoft office in Germany created this special 43,000-crystal case, worth about $11,000. Thankfully, they plan on giving it away, but only to gamers in Germany. Hopefully good ol' Gates will have someone create another unique case like this one over here in the States.

No word yet on when the Croft Mod Case Giveway will take place.

[Kotaku via GamerscoreBlog] 

When I tuck my iPod mini into my purse, I wrap the earbud cord around the iPod and hope it doesn't come undone. Sure enough, I'll grab it the next morning and it's intertwined with my lipstick and wallet. There's really no sure-fire way for me to keep the cords from wrapping around other things, unless of course, I had BlueLounge's POP.

POP comes with one belt clip, two adhesive strips, and 10 pop art stickers. Simply attach the adhesive strips to the back of your iPod. Then use the suction cup on the back of the POP and place it on the back of your iPod. Then wind the earbud cords around the suction cup. The belt clip is used to secure the earbud cords in place. Then you can dress up the POP with the included stickers. When you're ready to listen to some tunes, your cord will be organized and ready to go.

The Black and White POP models each have different stickers, such as a cassette tape, shamrock, dog, and Hello My Name Is.

POP not only works on iPods and other MP3 players, but also on cell phones. The original Cableyoyo ($4.95) from Bluelounge has already won several design awards, so the company hopes that POP will take off as well.

Best of all, POP can be given as a corporate gift, since buyers have the option to print custom design stickers, such as their company logo or promotional messages.

Purchase the Cableyoyo POP for $9.95.