Keeping things a bit more underwhelming today is Sony Ericsson’s T707 flip phone.  It’s endorsed by tennis star Maria Sharapova and much like the graceful tennis star it boasts a slender and sleek body.  What makes this handset slightly different is the ability to silence calls (or an alarm) by waving your hand over the external display of the handset.  Other than that, it’s your usual cell phone with quad band GSM 3G/EDGE connectivity, 2.2-inch 320×240 internal display, 1.1-inch external monochrome OLED display, 3.2MP camera, memory stick slot and media player.

No word on a specific US release, but the T707 will hit Q2 of this year and come in Mysterious Black, Spring Rose and Lucid Blue.

Full release after the ‘leap’

Miami, USA – 26th March 2009 – Sony Ericsson today announced its latest mobile phone, the T707, with tennis star and style icon Maria Sharapova, who perfectly epitomises the phone’s sleek and elegant qualities.

The T707 truly interacts with the user – it lights up when you receive a call and you can personalise the light settings to each of your friends, so you always know who wants you. If you are too busy to answer, simply end the call with a wave of your hand over the screen – you can also do the same gesture to snooze the alarm – your very own magic wand!

“The T707 is my ultimate new accessory,” said Maria. “I am always on the go and I need a phone that is easy to use, and of course chic as well! I never miss a call with the eye-catching light effects and personalised pulsation settings and I love the fact that I can just wave my hand to mute a call using the gesture control. I can also use my practical and stylish Bluetooth(TM) Headset HBH-PV715 to take my calls, check my emails and blog to my website from the phone. It’s great to have a phone that looks good but also lets me keep up-to-date with everything I need.”

Perfect pixels for every pose
Coordinate the T707 to any outfit, as it comes in a rainbow range of three clam shells to suit every mood. Whatever you wear will be perfectly captured by the 3.2 megapixel camera, making sure that you stand out on screen as much as you do in real life. The photos can then be uploaded to your personal social networking site using the HTML web browser, so you and your friends can keep up to date wherever you are.

Customise your phone like your clothes
With the T707 you will never be left behind in the style stakes, as the 2.2 inch screen is waiting to be customised to your individual taste. The changing wallpaper themes will ensure that you are never caught wearing clashing colours! The theme also changes from day into evening, which is perfect if, like Maria, you need to match with everything from tennis whites to a little black dress.

Packed with extras, as one option is never enough.
This is one accessory you will never leave home without as the T707 packs in more extras than even your handbag. The FM radio and Bluetooth(TM) audio streaming will entertain you when you are out and about, and you can download music, games and ringtones at the touch of a button with PlayNow(TM) to ensure that boredom is something which happens to other people!

“The T707 is the next step in the style evolution from Sony Ericsson,” said Linda Schori, Global Marketing Business Manager for Style Category, Sony Ericsson. “Maria Sharapova is the perfect partner for us as she exemplifies not only elegance but also substance, just like the T707. It works hard and is also sleek, glamorous and desirable – a truly winning combination!”

Maria knows that all eyes will be on her this season and thanks to her new T707; she can rest assured that whatever she does, she will look stylish, glamorous and be in control of her life with just the wave of a hand.

The T707
The light of your life
Unique pulsating notification and light effects
Day and Night changing theme
Gesture control for muting calls and alarm
Capture moments with 3.2 MP camera
The T707 supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSDPA 2100. The T707a supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900/2100. The T707 will be available in selected markets from Q2 in the colours Mysterious Black, Spring Rose and Lucid Blue.

As hip and cool as Philips SHB7110/37 Tapster Bluetooth headphones appear, I can’t but help think how heavy and cumbersome they’ll prove to be once inserted into your skull ear.  The Tapsters are good for both streaming music and taking calls.  Standby time for the Bluetooth headset is 150 hours or 7 hours when listening to tunes or yammering away.  Tapster’s controls are touch and gesture based, which means tapping the headphone will answer a call or removing them from your ears will automatically transfer the ongoing call to your handset.

No word on price or availability.

[Philips via Ohgizmo]

How’d you like to chow down on the greasiest burger of your life while your playing video games, all without the worry of destroying your game pad or keyboard?  MGestyk says they’ve developed a gesture controlled interface for your computer (Windows only) that uses a standard 3D camera to interpret your hand movements.  Just swipe your grubby mitts in front of the camera’s field of view and you can control games, cruise through your media and more. The system even interprets ‘depth’ movements and only senses action in a certain depth of field, so background movement won’t affect control.   Hit the video to see it in action.

MGestyk plans to show off the tech at the Montreal International Gaming Summit.  Until then, I’ll remain skeptical.

Official product page here

[Wired]