Asking price with two-year contract is an astounding $US1,270 because tired, overdone Dick Tracy fantasies and allusions by gadget bloggers are anything but cheap. The presser says this is the “starting price” so the one-year contract might actually be more (that’s admittedly a guess on my part, as additional contract subsidising details are not given).

As we reported in July, the phone will be exclusive to Orange in France for the time being. Global distribution, hinted at before, is still unclear. [France Telecom OhGizmo]

Telecommunication firm Orange’s latest eco tent concept exploits photovoltaic fabric to produce energy without bulky, inflexible solar panels. This power feeds gadgets that are stored in a magnetic induction pouch, and also drives a flexible LCD screen with wireless internet.

The connectivity extends beyond the tent itself, however, as SMS or RFID can be deployed at any time to light up the tent, identifying your campsite (potentially, from afar). We’re also guessing that the tent would obnoxiously pulsate any time you got a call to the rhythm of your ringer (Orange, feel free to use that idea, on us).

Who knows what Orange would charge for a monthly 3G tent subscription, but if you camped a WHOLE LOT… [Orange via DVICE via Bornrich]

The scale, developed by the German Fraunhofer Institute, works by snapping an image of the fruit or vegetable in question and comparing it to a produce database. If you’re one of the earth-hating people who needs their fruit wrapped in plastic bags, don’t worry, because the scale’s image processing can see through them. It can even differentiate between various pieces of fruit that are at different stages of ripeness (yellow versus green bananas, for example).

The 300 or so scales in the field now are being tested in Europe, with US plans taking shape for the near future. [I4U via OhGizmo]

• Windows Mobile 6.1
• VGA Screen
• Quad-band HSDPA 7.2
• One-touch navigation, single-finger dialing
• The accelerometer rotates pictures as you rotate the phone
• One-touch music playback
• An animated weather forecast app
• Full web browser—Opera—with zoom-in
• Microsoft promises IE 6 coming soon
• Youtube app
• Available June in Europe on Orange and the rest of the world TBD
• Orange mobile TV
• No price yet

According to HTC boss Peter Chou, the Touch Diamond is “simplified user experience with fun usability.” The word innovation has been bandied around by just about everyone who’s got up on stage at the launch.

“In 2008, Vista will make mobile internet fun.”
Chou said that HTC is the first company in the world to do a 3-D animated touchscreen interface, and reiterated his desire to make browser and web-based applications as easy as a phone call. “Just a touch. Just one hand. We don’t need too many fingers, just one touch.” Speak for yourself, mate.

Horace Luke says his team studied the fashion industry as well as the design industry when coming up with the Diamond Touch. He reckons the design is iconic enough to be recognised by people from across the street, and cited the “meticulous craftsmanship like a Swiss watch.” The phone’s UI is so like the iPhone it’s uncanny. You can flick through your contacts rather like a Rolodex, calling is one-click, and your messages are “like beautiful words dancing in the air.”

Andy Lees, one of the Senior VPs at Microsoft was playing with his Diamond Touch yesterday. “It makes me smile, but it enables me to get things done that need to be done. With one finger.” [HTC]