We're not even going to pretend we fully grasp what's going on here, but the long and short of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences' latest findings are that cellphones can trigger the release of mercury from one's fillings. Yes, seriously. The study asserts that out of 14 test subjects with fillings, those who used mobile phones had a statistically significant increase of mercury from urine tests than those who refrained from yapping. The science behind all of this is far beyond our IQ levels, but we're a little freaked out/not freaked out, regardless.

[Via textually]

So a few shiny new pieces of hardware are starting to show up in AT&T stores; nothing to get terribly excited about, really, but the recently-released USBConnect Mercury is one of the purdiest data sticks we've seen in a while, and it's certainly a hell of a lot better looking than the USBConnect 881 of old. We also have an a237 here from Samsung (or a dummy of it, anyway) -- not bad for a dirt-cheap flip, we suppose -- and another unidentified Sammy with a hidden front display. Anyone want to hit us up with some knowledge on what that is?

[Thanks, Kal]

Update: We're hearing that the unidentified Samsung is the a137. Thanks, Jack and raapkid!

It's official: i-mate isn't just a HTC rebrand shop anymore. Their new JAQ and SPL models have just been announced for reals, and neither relies on their ol' standby partner to provide the goods. The JAQ hails from Inventec, packing Pocket PC Phone Edition into a fairly clever looking (or different looking, if nothing else) QWERTY chassis with 128MB of ROM, 64MB of RAM, miniSD expansion, Bluetooth, and a 2.8-inch display. The SPL, on the other hand, bears a striking resemblance to a device we first saw outta TechFaith. The slim candybar Smartphone rocks stats similar to its JAQ sibling with the same 128MB ROM / 64MB RAM, miniSD, and Bluetooth, but with a more Smartphone-appropriate 2.2-inch LCD. i-mate is positioning both of these devices as mid-range, suggesting that they might be looking at non-HTC handsets to bring Windows Mobile on the cheap while their HTCs will stay positioned at the top. [Warning: PDF link]

Update: We've gotten word that the JAQ will roll for $499, while the SPL can be yours for a hundie less at $399. Both prices are, of course, subsidy-free.