The Delta II rocket was taking the Messenger spacecraft to Mercury from launch pad 17-B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Obviously, the thing wasn't exploding: The probe is now successfully observing and taking beautiful photographs of Mercury. [Boston.com]

The first time Mercury was photographed up close and personal was in the Mariner 10 mission. Mariner was only able to take pictures of one hemisphere during its flybys, and its camera had a very low resolution: It could only capture details 0.99 miles across. Messenger's wide angle and narrow angle cameras, on the other side, have a resolution of 59 feet across, and is going to be able to take pictures of the fully-lit planet. All while trying not get fried up by the sun thanks to its rotatable solar panels—which balance temperature and power generation—as well as its multilayered insulation. [NASA]

DALLAS —(Business Wire)— Aug. 8, 2008 Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), today announced the availability of the Samsung Messager(TM) (SCH-r450) to MetroPCS customers at authorized dealer locations and company-owned retail locations. The Samsung Messager sports a sleek horizontal slider-design and QWERTY keyboard, making it easy for users to travel light and stay in touch while on the go.

"The stylish horizontal slider of the Samsung Messager is easy to use," said Bill Ogle, Chief Marketing Officer of Samsung Telecommunications America. "The Samsung Messager's attractive layout and QWERTY keyboard is a great fit for people who love text messaging."

Available in black, the Messager is packed with a powerful feature set, including a built-in 1.3 megapixel camera, SMS, MMS, email and IM messaging capabilities(1), advanced voice recognition, Bluetooth(R) wireless technology and speakerphone for easy, hands-free operation. The Messager's MP3 player boasts a rich user interface, while the external micro SD slot provides the user with up to 2GB of memory support.

For more information on where to purchase the Samsung Messager, please visit metropcs.com or samsungwireless.com.

Key features of the Samsung Messager include:

— Horizontal Slider with QWERTY Keyboard

— Stereo Bluetooth(R) Wireless Technology

— MP3 Player (microSD)

— 1.3 Megapixel Camera

— Messaging Services

— Advanced Voice Recognition

— Speakerphone

— Dimensions: 4.4" x 2.0" x 0.7"

— Display: 2.1" 262K TFT, 176X220 pixels

[Samsung]

Microsoft is launching a new program called the i'm Initiative. Basically, users of Live Messenger can put a small logo at the end of their screenname, and then every time they chat with someone a small amount of money will be donated to the cause of their choice. The more you IM, the more money gets donated. Seems like a pretty awesome deal to us. What's the catch? I can't really see one other than the fact that an undefined "portion" of ad revenue from the emoticon (how does an emoticon generate ad revenue, anyways?) goes to the good cause, with the rest presumably going to put gas in Bill Gates' jetpack. –Adam Frucci

The i'm Initiative and new secret emoticon [Inside Windows Live Messenger]

TV Messenger is a video pass-through that will add caller ID to your television screen. Sure, the device has a 14 caller log for missed calls, but what we care about is the immediate, automatic notification on-screen identifying the caller when the phone rings. Unfortunately the TV Messenger doesn't support any high quality video inputs, or mobile phones through Bluetooth or something. Those functions would be well worth the $110 price tag.

But how many times have I been in the middle of (fill in embarrassing tv show) when the phone rings and it's (fill in famous 80s actor/politician who has been charged for recent sex scandal) who just wants to cry about their (fill in mundane problem) while I miss the moment when we finally see (fill in predictable romantic plot arc)? Customize it to your liking. – Mark Wilson

Product Page [via ubergizmo]

Now go forth, artisan. Roll 1D0 for your chance of getting a girlfriend with this Bag of Holding. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [ThinkGeek]

Much like the Windows Live Messenger phones that have been popping up lately, this Siemens Gigaset S450 is a cordless phone that connects to the PC via a USB adapter. But instead of Windows Live Messenger, this phone works on Yahoo! Messenger—oh yes!

Now you can walk around the house, provided your house only goes 50 meters in each direction from the phone, and make calls through your landline or through Yahoo! Messenger. Pretty snazzy, if you're into the whole VoIP thing, and know people who use Y!M. – Jason Chen

Siemens Gigaset S450 Y Cordless Phone [Slashphone]

Here's a gizmo that could come in handy. The Innovus Design Fusion Solar Messenger Bag w/ optional PowerPac is basically a messenger bag that uses solar power to charge external batteries as well as internal batteries of a bunch of personal electronics using an existing 12V cigarette lighter adapter. So not only can you throw all your electronic shit in the bag, you can use it to quick-charge them as well. No price yet.

Innovus Designs Inc - 2006 CES Innovations Award [Eclipse Solar Gear]

Purchase info for solar powered messenger bag [Shopping.com]