Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Yes, mobile security is becoming more of a million-dollar-worry for corporations, but what about the hundreds of dollars’ worth of songs on your iPod? Your son’s graduation photos on your digital camera when it gets lost or stolen?

A recent Reuters story details some of the new software and hardware that allows runaway consumer electronics to “phone” home via wireless connectivity; Eye-Fi SD memory cards and GadgetTrak software are mentioned. Both send data back to the original owners, and there are now-famous stories of thieves caught taking pictures of themselves using the Eye-Fi enabled cameras they stole.

I was curious about the relationship between these new security companies and law enforcement: how are police handling the advent of technologies that help them do their jobs? 

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Via, the company that brought us the NanoBook, has a new reference design; a computer called the OpenBook.  This design is changed from the previous iteration, modeled to compete with the Asus Eee PC which has launched since the original NanoBook was unveiled.  The computer sports an 8.9-inch display, with a 1024 x 600 resolution, three USB ports, VGA out and two 2-megapixel cameras. Additionally, it can connect to the internet via HSDPA, WiMAX or EV-DO. For the small form factor, a colossal 2GB of RAM and a 2.5-inch hard drive is squeezed in. You can run Windows Vista, XP or any Linux distro as your operating system. The OpenBook is based on the C7-M ULV processor and the VIA VX800 chipset, and you can get around 3 hours of battery life; in optimal conditions.

Via is putting the CAD files of the hardware up for download under a Creative Commons license, OEM manufacturers can have a go at making this the best they see fit.

Via [UMPC Portal]

The UMPC market is a highly-competitive one, and Raon Digital doesn’t want to get left behind. The latest iteration of its Everun UMPC sees the addition of a 32GB SSD to its list of highly desirable features. And let’s not forget, the Raon Digital Everun UMPC also includes a 568MHz AMD Geode LX900 processor, 512MB of RAM, a 4.8-inch LCD screen with an 800 x 480 resolution, built-in Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, and a novel dictionary called SayDic that has text-to-speech support.

It seems to be headed to Korea for now, and unfortunately, the folks from over at Digital Raon forgot to inform us of the price. But it’s not like you’ll get a chance to purchase it anyway, unless you’re already in Korea, of course.

Via [Akihabara News]

It was just a little over a month ago now that the Cuban Government decided to begin easing up on restrictions with electronics, namely computers, and as we have already seen Cuba citizens lining up for cell phones, the same is happening with computers.

Reports of “more than a dozen prospective buyers” began to line up when they first went on sale. While “just” a dozen people may not sound like a lot, you also must consider that these computers are not coming cheap. Havana’s Carlos III shopping center began to sell the Qtech PC along with a CRT monitor for $780. Sounds expensive enough already, but consider further that these PC’s are not exactly high powered either, they are featuring Intel Celeron processors with 80GB hard drives, 512MB of RAM and running Windows XP.

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I’m sure you remember the recent move of Asus that shocked environmentalists and green peace movement supporters from around the world a few weeks ago. In case you don’t, I’m here to remind you. Actually, they unveiled plans for nature inspired laptops that are supposedly to be made out of bamboo. You read that right, bamboo laptops.

Another laptop maker, Fujitsu, meanwhile has recently displayed its own version of an “organic” computer at the Salone Internazionale Del Mobile furniture exhibition in Milan. But they were kind enough to Asus in that they did not take the route of the bamboo for this new product. Fujitsu made their own from cedar.

There are no details on specs, or if this will ever be available on the world market yet, but judging from the legacy of both wooden materials, I think bamboo takes the cake in this bout. But don’t worry Fujitsu, I’m sure you can prove to us how worthy you are somehow. Just make sure you’ll do it before Asus finishes trimming their bamboo plants though.

Via [Crave]

MIU has announced a new product in the Korean electronics market – the Hybrid Dual Portable Computer (HDPC). The HDPC is equipped with a dual OS, which is a choice between Windows XP and Windows CE or Windows XP and Linux Qplus.

Staying true to its name, the HDPC also supports two functions, that of dual-mode and wireless internet. Actually the HDPC is all about giving users two options on both software and hardware depending on the user’s needs. Being a hybrid of portable devices, the HDPC integrates the different technologies of portable devices such as mobile phone, navigation, PMP, MP3, UMPC, electronic dictionary, internet phone, PSP, digital camera, mobile IPTV and voice recorder, all into one nifty device.

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Apple is now allowing anyone to recycle their no-longer-used mobile phone for free. Simply bring your mobile phone into any Apple retail location or complete the process online and ship the phone in. The phone recycling program will allow any brand phone to be turned in with no charge to the person, Apple will even pay the shipping costs for those being mailed in.

In addition to phone recycling, Apple will also accept any iPod for recycling. The iPod program is also free free, similar to the setup for the mobile phones. There is a program for CPU recycling, but in order to have your old computer or monitor recycled you have to purchase a new computer or monitor from Apple.

Via [textually.org]

Korea seems to be the launching pad for innovation when it comes to new technology and the world of portable navigational devices (PND’s) is currently madly spinning. Computer Telephone Technology (CTT-Net) is now ready to launch its two newest PND’s to a waiting world.

The CSN-7040 is the very first portable navigation device to incorporate Immersion’s TouchSense system, which enables tactile feedback on touch-screens. The CIN-7000 is a built-in car navigation system that also uses the TouchSense technology and improves general safety by reducing the “glance-time” while driving. Both navigation units have a 7-inch touch screen and a DMB receiver for satellite downloads.

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Remember the old age gaming system the Commodore? Well it’s back and not how it used to be - it’s not a game console as such, but a fully fledged gaming PC. The specs are pretty amazing, take a look for yourself.

Processor: IntelR CoreT2 Extreme quad-core processor QX6700, 2.66 8M Cache
Motherboard: ASUSR P5N32-E nForce 680i SLI
Hard drive / Storage: 2x 150Gb 10000 Rpm Sata Raid 0; 1x 500Gb 7200 Rpm Sata
Memory: 4 Gb Corsair Dominator twin2×2048-8500C5D, 1066MHz
I/O: 7in1 cardreader; (Front) USBx2 Firewire x 1 HeadPhone x 1 MicroPhone x 1
Optical: Philips DVDRW
Power Supply: 1000W ICE Cube PSU
Audio:CreativeR SoundBlaster X-Fi
Graphics: 2x nVidia 8800 GTX 768MB
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate

The tower is been offered in different tower designs from specially selected street art, photography, and PC game artwork.

Judging by the specs it wont be the cheapest gaming rig out there, but it sure could be the fastest. I’d love to see how well WOW runs on this machine.

Info [QJ] Via [UNEASYsilence]

Written by Paul Petersen for The Final Sprint.

MotionLingo’s Adeo has garnered much attention this year as an innovative GPS-based fitness trainer that not only tracks your speed and distance, but also accommodates full integration with any mp3 player.

I have run with many other GPS products, but the Adeo is the first to provide workout feedback via audio messages rather than a visual watch interface. This sounded like a great idea to me right off the bat and I enjoyed putting putting the Adeo to the test.

Product: MotionLingo Adeo Fitness Trainer
Price: $149.95
Rating: Good 7.1/10.0
Pros: Hands-free GPS updates; Works with all mp3 players; Lightweight; Considerably more affordable than other GPS units, Easy to configure workouts and view data; Rapidly-evolving online training log; Affordable cost compared to other fitness GPS units; Multisport support; Excellent, frequently updated software package
Cons: Often takes several minutes to connect with satellites; Unstable, GPS connection could be improved; Small, unresponsive buttons
Overall: The Adeo is a very innovative and exciting concept; one that true audiophiles will want to immediately add to their running rig.  However, others may want to wait for the next generation of Adeos (to be released later this spring) because like most first generation products, there are a few issues (i.e. - GPS performance) that could use an upgrade.

Read the rest of this entry at The Final Sprint »