Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

In today’s world, where a computer is a media device start to finish, BitTorrent has become the foremost way to access all the content you could ever want. However, the whole deal of opening ports, seeding and leeching can be a daunting task for a casual computer user. Enter BitLet.org.

The experimental service is a online twist on the more common desktop torrent clients. From the look of it, it’s extremely idiot proof; all you do is paste the torrent link into the text box and click “Download Torrent”. The online client is based on Sun Java, so you will need the most current version of that.

BitLet really hits home, both for basic users who want to torrent files, or for anyone else who wants to get a file without downloading a client on their work or school computers.

Read [BitLet] via [TorrentFreak]

Microsoft has just released a free version of Microsoft Works to compete with OpenOffice and Google Docs. It is free, however it is also ad-supported. The free version of Works will include word processing, spreadsheet and powerpoint functionality and is said to be based partly on code from old versions of Office.

The decision by Microsoft to offer a free office suite comes as online packages are growing in market share. While I do not think online office programs will replace the desktop anytime soon they are nice and have times when they are convenient. It always seemed that Works was the not-as-good version of Office and I am not sure a free version would change the feelings. I think given the choice I would choose Google Docs or ThinkFree Office for my online needs.

Read [TechCrunch]

We can say it was just a matter of time, but Brando has released the first do-it-yourself battery replacement kit for the iPhone. For the low price of $20 you can now replace you own battery. The kit includes a rechargeable battery, 2 assembly tools and an instruction manual. Now you have everything needed to handle this at home except possible the knowledge of actually getting it changed without damaging your phone, personally I would rather pay and have an expert handle this.

Product [brando] Via [Gizmodo]

Verizon Wireless has purchased Rural Cellular Corporation for $2.67 billion in both cash and assumed debt. As of March 31, 2007 Rural Cellular had just about 716,000 customers across Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, Alabama, Mississippi, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. This deal will bring Verizon’s customer base up to more than 700,000 customers. The sale is officially expected to close in the first half of 2008.

Rural Cellular currently uses both CDMA and GSM technology across its customer base. Verizon Wireless has said it plans to deploy CDMA service into Rural Cellular’s GSM markets and convert all customers over to CDMA. They have also stated that the current GSM networks will remain in place to help serve the roaming needs for other GSM carriers.

Read [SlashPhone]

I have to admit, when I first saw this as a rumor earlier this week I found it very hard to believe. However AT&T and eMusic have begun offering DRM-free over-the-air music downloads. This seems to be a great opportunity for both AT&T and eMusic except for one small problem, this service is expensive. You will get 5 music downloads for $7.49 per month. The tracks that you download will also be made available for you to download to your computer. This service requires you to download an application to your mobile phone and it is currently compatible only with the Samsung A717, A727, Sync or the Nokia N75.

eMusic is a great service that offers over 2-million tracks DRM-free MP3’s from independent labels. I like the idea of being able to grab a song over-the-air but in this case I am not sure why you would not just subscribe on your desktop where you can get 30 downloads for $9.99 a month. After all we are talking about DRM-free MP3’s which can be transfered to and played on a wide variety of mobile phones.

Read [eMusic Mobile] Via [CrunchGear]

Samsung has announced the release of its new 8.1 megapixel digital camera – i85. The i85 is roughly the size of a credit card which makes it more convenient for travelers. The i85 is designed with a 3-inch touchscreen LCD, an integrated MP3 player and portable multimedia player function which allow users to listen and watch their favourite music and video contents. Besides that, it also has an in-built “World Tour Guide” function that provides instant access to travel information covering 4,500 regions in over 30 countries. This function is useful in helping users with trip plans. The i85 also has Samsung’s Intelligent Face Recognition Technology which detects the subject’s face for auto focus and auto exposure to ensure a better image quality for portraits. The i85 will be available this fall at a retail price of $349.

Via [PRWeb]

Tired of all those wired devices? Logitech now presents you its first wireless Bluetooh iPod-ready headphones. (The headphones also suits any other audio devices besides iPod.) The headphone has a better sound quality as compared to other normal Bluetooth headsets. It is very easy to carry around with you as well since it’s small, lightweight and a neat design in black, gray and silver. Some may not feel comfortable with the headphone though as the headset is non-adjustable. The headset is available at a price of $100. 

Via [Gadgets Weblog]

Sony and 3M have finally settled a patent dispute regarding technology used in lithium ion batteries. All we know are that Sony and Sony Electronics Inc. are now licensed sources of batteries containing 3M’s cathode technology while other details of the settlement were to remain confidential.

Lithium ions batteries are used as a source of power for laptops, mobile phones and other portable electronics devices.

Few, now we can all go on with our day jobs…

Via [Engadget]

This leaked image from Best Buy suggests that the Core Xbox 360 SKU will be discontinued. As you can probably make out, the sheet reads, “Desc: 360 CORE HARDW Status: Deleted”, which means that it will be removed from the Best Buy database.

Below that, you can see that the paper reads: “Out Stock Date: 07-29-2007”. As plain as that is, I’ll reiterate; this seems to say that the Core SKU should’ve been out of stock this past Sunday. In another image (link at bottom), the model is given a preference code of “Y”. The source of these images said that code meant replenishment of that item is not expected.

On the 16th of this month, a Microsoft spokesman had contradicted these findings, saying in concern of the discontinuation of the Core model

“No. Xbox 360 Core remains an important member of the Xbox 360 family.”

That recently rumored price cut will, if this all true, obviously not affect the Core SKU. In light of that, it looks like the Wii will keep it’s title as cheapest console around.

Read [Joystiq]

As an avid reader of tech news or not, everyone has heard the phrase “next-generation”. It means an evolution in technology, innovation in ideas, or simply an increased number at the end. This may apply to the subject of this article also, but this gadget truly disperses from it’s provenience. The Nav300, a recent release by Delphi Corp., blends the existing software technology from older sibling, the Nav200, plus latest innovations to enhance its GPS.

The Nav300 offers pre-packed maps of all 50 states of USA, neighbor Canada, and even Puerto Rico (a new feature). Plus, you also get NAVTEQ to offer you precise directions. To increase safety, Delphi plugs in TTS (Text-to-speech) technology so your little gadget speaks your routes out loud as you simply listen. Furthermore, it’s “My Favorites” features allows you to bookmark your most used locations, and even voice commands!

Moreover, Nav300 exhibits a “next-generation” feature by adding the Points of Interest. That allows you to quickly search dining, lodging and other leisure information via ZAGATSurvey guides. Now you can not only locate your favorite restaurants, hotels, attractions etc., but the ones that people love (this feature will arrive in September as a download).

Now you don’t even have to worry about traffic or the next big storm, since your little friend can tell you real-time traffic and weather reports through Clear Channel, using RDS-TMC (Radio Data System-Traffic Message Channel) technology. It ingeniously updates the report and even recommends alternate routes to avoid traffic. The RDS-TMC is a lifetime subscription with only one upfront payment.

To truly step up an era, Nav300 features entertainment technology ranging from movies, pictures and even a game! Music can be downloaded separately onto a SD card which is available in any tech store. The GPS machine can also be your MP3 player thanks to it’s long battery life you can take it out of the vehicle for quite a while. Delphi also added the blue-tooth feature so you can access the device for hands-free calling.

The Nav300 is currently is priced at $399. If you wish you can also add the feature of Lifetime traffic, but will cost you another $100.