neon

I've written about a lot of photo apps here in my weekly iOS app collections because it's always fun to add a little pizazz to your images. But rather than dragging out the Instagram (iOS | Android) clones and retro photo makers, I wanted to try something a little more "out there."

If you know where to look, there are several image effects apps in the App Store that give your photos some really drastic changes using overlays and unique neon lighting effects. Not every photo will benefit from these apps, but with a little creativity, I think you'll find that these apps can produce great results.

This week's collection of apps is all about adding drastic effects to your photos. The first uses several types of bright overlays to add strange effects to your photos in a couple easy steps. The second adds more features letting you add multiple effects on the same image. The third lets you add multiple overlays as well, but you can also adjust opacity and use masking tools and filters to really trick out your photos.… Read more

The Star Wars lightsaber chopsticks we featured previously are cool, but what if you were an anime fan instead? These Neon Genesis Evangelion sticks might be more up your alley.

They look ordinary at first glance, but the end of one chopstick contains an Evangelion pilot, mimicking the entry plug that housed characters such as Rei and Shinji who operated the giant cyborgs in the 1990s anime series.

These chopsticks can be preordered from online retailer Kotobukiya for $12, and will ship in January 2011.

(Source: Crave Asia via Gizmodo)

The LG Neon II cropped up on AT&T's Web site today, and it seems to be the sequel to the LG Neon messaging phone from last year. It looks like the navigation keys got an overhaul, but the touch screen and sliding QWERTY keyboard remain mostly the same. It still has a 2-megapixel camera, the usual text and multimedia messaging features, a music player, 3G, GPS, mobile email, a microSD card slot, stereo Bluetooth, and quad-band GSM. The Neon II is available for $30 after a new two year contract and a $50 discount.

Welcome to the 411, my new Q&A column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have the same questions, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

Will you please explain to me the difference between 2G and 3G phones? Thank you ever so much in advance.--Michael, … Read more

We missed this because of all the Apple news, but today AT&T also released a new phone, called the LG Neon. We had a hands-on with the Neon a few months ago during CTIA 2009 in Las Vegas. It's already been out for awhile in Canada from Rogers. Well, it looks like we finally have the chance to nab the Neon here, and if you like simple QWERTY phones, you might want it. The Neon has a 2-megapixel camera, a touch screen (but only for the number keypad--which we find strange), a microSD card slot, and Bluetooth. … Read more

The LG Xenon is clearly LG's premier announcement at CTIA this year, but the LG Neon deserves a closer look too. I had a brief hands-on with the device early yesterday, and it left a pretty good impression though I question some of the design choices.

Like the Xenon, the Neon has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and is meant to be a messaging device. It has a nice display and is slim and lightweight. The keyboard only has 3 rows instead of the 4 rows on the Xenon, so it's slightly more cramped. Still, the keys are well-spaced … Read more

AT&T let the cat out of the bag a little ahead of the CTIA conference, introducing to its upcoming offerings two LG handhelds with slide-out QWERTY keyboards, the LG Xenon and the LG Neon.

Both handsets have touch-screen displays, and yes, both have QWERTY keyboards for easy messaging.

The LG Xenon measures 4.16 inches long by 2.11 inches wide by 0.62 of an inch thick. Weighing about 3.81 ounces, it has a large 2.8-inch display with vibration feedback, a home screen menu similar to the interface on other LG touch-screen phones, and a … Read more

It looks like AT&T is at it again with the messaging phones, as PhoneArena has spotted new photos of the LG Neon with a bold AT&T logo at the top.

The slim slider looks great--it appears that it'll have a 2.4-inch touch-screen display, a full QWERTY keyboard, and maybe even a 2-megapixel camera, plus Bluetooth. We're even liking the striking green and white color scheme here. Availability and pricing are still unknown, of course, but we'll keep you posted.

In the insane world of USB gadgetry, it's often impossible to find anything useful. And this is probably no exception, but it's at least one example we wouldn't immediately throw out. Ever since college we've had a soft spot for neon signs, though we do have one minimum requirement: that they're legible, unlike the "Bar" sign included among a trio that includes the @ symbol and a smiley face seen on GeekAlerts. But we have to ask: Is it really necessary for this to have a USB connection, as opposed to a plain old … Read more