With flat-screen TVs becoming more elegant and less “boring black box,” perhaps we’re ready for the kind of Pimp My Lounge styling that Vismara Design’s Media Center frames offer. Turning your TV and audio-video system into a sort of giant art installation-cum-digital picture frame, they’re available now in baroque or art deco styles, in silver and gold. There’s even a matching DVD shelf available. Awesome, I say. Now I just have to buy a TV worthy of framing. And a bigger apartment. And probably win the lottery to pay for it, though we don’t know exactly how much these cost. [Trendir]

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The Japanese are not unfamiliar with using gadgets to improve their appearance, but this Oral Grip Machine just looks and sounds too painful to be used while not inundated with sake. It’s a couple pieces of plastic you shove in your mouth to work your oral muscles out with for four minutes at a time, three times a day. Now, we’ve seen plenty of Japanese people, and their smiles being sub-par is probably pretty far down the list of things I thought about. However, maybe this is less for smiles, and more for the Japanese adult industry where oral strength is a trait much sought after (at least in the videos we’ve glanced at). [Patakara via Tokyo Mango]

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We only just heard about the Nokia N78 last month, but it’s already making its way to the US by way of the FCC. It’s got a 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera, AGPS, Xenon flash, Wi-Fi and FM radio. Wireless Info points out that the 3G supported seems to be AT&T’s (seeing as, you know, AT&T is the only GSM 3G provider right now), so count on it being used on AT&T. [Wireless Info]

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The Facade Vase from Orcadesign is a wool slip-on cover that lets you turn an unwanted plastic bottle into a minimalist vase. It’s a design that will clearly please eco-friendly types and cheapskates too. We can see the conversations now: “Here you go, honey, I’ve got you a flower and (glug, glug) a vase!”… “Oh, you cheapskate!” “Ah, that’s what you think. Here, use this to cover it.” “No.” Or something like that anyway. Sadly, just a concept for now. [Orcadesign via Dvice]

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These Samsung YP-S2 Pebble MP3 players look quite similar to the Creative Zen Stone (because they both look like small rocks), and hold about 1GB of MP3s and WMAs. They’ve got about 10 hours of playback, but don’t do a whole lot else (other than looking and feeling like rocks). They’ll be available in the UK around May, but no release date or pricing yet for the US. [Shiny Shiny]

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LG’s touchscreen + keypad cellphone we saw yesterday just got official for Alltel (whose logo was already prominently featured on the phone anyway, so it’s not much of a surprise). You’ll be able to buy your own starting March 13.

Alltel Wireless launches the exclusive Glimmer by LG Touch screen phone combines music and media with form and function LITTLE ROCK, Ark. and SAN DIEGO - Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network, providing coverage across the nation, and LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc. (LG Mobile Phones) today announced that the highly anticipated GlimmerTM by LG will be exclusively available in Alltel retail stores and online at shopalltel.com beginning tomorrow, March 13. With a slide-out keypad and touch-screen interface, the LG Glimmer incorporates traditional phone functions with the latest multimedia features. The LG Glimmer is loaded with a 2 MP camera with video capabilities, an MP3 player with customizable equalizer, an expandable memory slot and is GPS capable. This slick phone is rich with several of Alltel’s Axcess applications including Alltel Navigation, Axcess Search, CityID and Axcess TV. In addition, users can listen to their favorite music while utilizing other multimedia features on the phone, such as taking photos, recording video or sending text messages. The Glimmer also features 3D graphics support and 128MB of internal memory. “With touch-screen phones revolutionizing wireless, the LG Glimmer from Alltel has an innovative new touch interface while offering the convenience of a slide-out physical keypad,” states Brian Ullem, vice president of device strategy for Alltel Wireless. “Its large display and multimedia capabilities allow our customers to access and manage their video and music with a simple touch.” “Consumers will appreciate the durable metal body of this elegant, user-friendly mobile phone,” said Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of product strategy & marketing at LG Mobile Phones. “With its slim form factor and large sliding touch screen the Glimmer by LG is another example of forward-thinking technology and design.” Alltel Wireless is offering the Glimmer by LG for $249.99 after a $100 mail-in-rebate. This discounted price is available to new customers who sign-up for a two-year service agreement and to existing eligible customers on qualifying rate plans. All Alltel customers who purchase the LG Glimmer and are on a qualifying rate plan are able to receive “My Circle,” Alltel’s exclusive calling feature allowing customers to receive unlimited calling to any five, 10 or 20 numbers, any network. In addition, Alltel was the first to offer Anytime Plan Changes, giving customers the flexibility to change their calling plans at any time, without extending their current contract. The LG Glimmer also supports Alltel’s new service, Axcess Voice2TXT. The service, which is available on any Alltel Wireless SMS text message capable phone, quickly converts incoming voicemails to text messages in the customer’s inbox and also allows customers to store and forward converted voicemails as regular text messages. For more information on this innovative feature, please visit www.alltel.com/voice2txt.

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One owner of a shiny Nikon D3, $5000 of flagship DSLR goodness, decided that it was a ripe target for some destructive testing. So, he dropped it 15 feet onto a bricked walkway. Yes, that’s not too far off a two-story drop. Onto something damn hard. We found this idea so traumatic, gentle Giz readers, that we’ve held off showing you the images ’til after the jump.

Why why why? We can only assume the guy’s got loads of money and didn’t care if the camera burst into a million sad little fragments.

But, no matter how crazy the idea seems, it actually came up with a useful fact: according to the perpetrator himself, the solid construction of the D3 meant that it survived with no problems. You can check out the video on YouTube if you don’t believe us. Freaky. [YouTube]

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A group of researchers from the Medical Device Security Center (who would’ve thought we needed one of those?) have demonstrated wireless vulnerabilities in some cardiac monitor-pacemakers that may allow someone to remotely deactivate them while they’re implanted in a patient. Now that’s what I call malicious.

Properly called “implantable cardiac defibrillators,” the devices are used to keep people’s dicky tickers beating regularly, acting to speed them up if too slow or shock a heart that is beating too fast. Modern ones have wireless functions so that doctors can reprogram them to suit a patient’s condition, and that’s the problem, since these signals are unencrypted.

That means you could potentially intercept them, and use the data to transmit signals that would turn off the device or even deliver shocks that could trigger a heart attack.

Pacemaker wearers need not panic, though, freaky as this sounds: you’d have to be very close to someone to perform an attack, and the kit the science team used cost a chunky $30,000. Phew. [The Register]

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Continuing our obsession with recapturing the worst of the ’80s in wristwatch form, these new Casio G-Shocks are more than a little fantastic. Aside from their classic G-Shock form, a solar panel under the face constantly recharges the watch so it’s ready to automatically illuminate whenever you check the time.

Our friends over at Homotron disagree with our love for everything ’80s and Casio. But as we’ve told them once before, that just leaves more fun for us, baby! [Casio via crunchgear]

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Microsoft today released a patch for the new Office for Mac, fixing “issues that might cause Office 2008 applications to stop responding or quit unexpectedly.” I haven’t noticed any hinkiness of this nature, but I know some people have. If you are among the grouchy, then this patch is for you. [Microsoft Mactopia]

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