Section: Gadgets / Other, Miscellaneous You know the holiday shopping season is coming up when devices from strange companies start showing up. Not strange in terms of questionable, but strange as in companies not usually associated with the device in question. Usually it means a large number of personal media players or other small gadgets like e-book readers. The latest of these devices comes from none other than ViewSonic. ViewSonic, a company not usually known for personal devices, today has announced it’s new personal media player, the MovieBook. ViewSonic claims the devcie will be perfect for music, HD video (up to 720p), photos, voice memos and “reading digital books.” It sports a 4.3 inch 800x480 screen, and a battery that will provide 12 hours of audio playback and six hours of video. It also includes a remote and can easily plug into a PC or TV for easy viewing of video of photos. The MovieBook does support a wide range of formats, including lesser used ones such as MKV, RM/RMVB (for video) and FLAC (for audio), which is always welcome. With a price of $129.99 for 8GB of storage (more with microSD), it might be good enough to sway a few people from buying an iPod this holiday. However, the fact that it isn’t an iPod would be a big detriment to ViewSonic in selling much of the MovieBook. It might do well among those who just want to watch video while traveling, but for normal usage, it doesn’t sound too great compared to an iPod touch, just cheaper. There’s also the Archos 5 Internet Tablet, the iPod touch for the Android population. Read [Lewis Wire] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Computers, Security 
Malware is absolutely everywhere these days. Even if you do all the right things like not clicking on links or opening attachments in emails, avoiding bittorents, porn sites and illegal download sites like Limewire (which is full of malware!), not clicking on pop up or banner ads, and being careful about what apps and notifications you open on sites like Facebook, malware can still sneak in. This is especially true if you are on a network. Last night while I was online I was suddenly redirected to a rogue anti-virus site. I was shocked as I am super careful. I disconnected my wireless card and started running scans-they found 5 Trojans and a rootkit on my system! Further digging revealed that my husband's computer had the same infections plus a few more. I did some more research and asked a few questions and it seems the Trojans are the kind that search out networks and infect every computer on the ones it finds. In other words my husband's computer was contagious! This doesn't mean he was careless. Malware is getting so sophisticated these days that many kinds don't require the user to click on, run or open them. They do it all themselves! This means if you accidentally make a typo and wind up on an unfamiliar site, or accidentally click on a pop up when you try to close it, that site could quietly download malware onto your computer. Many businesses buy up the misspelled versions of their domain names because they know if they don't, scammers and cybersquatters will. How do you protect yourself? First of all make sure whatever OS you use (and yes there is Mac malware out there!) is kept up to date and all security patches are installed. Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool is quite good and should be downloaded and run once a month. Keep your anti-virus software updated at all times as well. If you're on a network, keep your firewall up and running at all times (My husband had accidentally turned ours off, which I believe led to the infections) and make sure your router is protected. WPA-PSK security is recommended as most hackers can easily crack the old WEP protocol. Choose a passkey that is a mix of letters and numbers and change it regularly. There are several good anti-malware programs out there and you should be using at least one. I highly recommend the following: Malwarebytes: This is simple, fast and powerful software that detects all kinds of malware, spyware and adware. It scans files, registry keys, boot sectors, and memory for infections. The free version is adequate but if you want real-time protection and the ability to schedule regular scans, you can upgrade to the premium version for $24.95. Spybot Search & Destroy: This is another great tool for finding malware, spyware and adware on your computer. It allows you to back up your registry, run scans and has a useful immunization feature that tweaks your browser to block drive by malware, tracking cookies, malicious websites and other bad stuff. The TeaTimer feature quietly monitors system processes and terminates malicious or suspicious ones and alerts you. It also alerts when a program tries to change a critical registry key. AVG: This is a top notch anti-virus program. Unlike Norton and McAfee, it's not bloatware and won't hog system resources. There's a free version and a premium "security suite" for $54.99. I find the free version to be more than adequate. The one caution I have is that it sometimes flags legit programs as viruses, This kind of false positive crippled iTunes for a short time over the summer. It was quickly fixed however. Watch where you surf, what you click on and what you download/install, keep your network secure and your anti-virus software up to date and running at all times, and do regular scans with one of the anti-malware programs discussed above and you will spoil the fun for millions of hackers and scammers! Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops, Netbooks, Wireless  The Samsung X120 with Intel’s new ULV chip got a hands-on and the result: there is lots to love. It is small, not much bigger than a netbook, packs lots of computing power (it can handle Windows 7) and a multi-touch trackpad.
The hands-on demo came up with a battery life of just 2.5 hours, troubling as the official spec is 4 hours but a six cell battery is available for a suggested 9 hours of run time. The notebook also boasts a 3-in-1 card reader as well as a HDMI input/output so you can connect to your high-def TV with ease. Mobile Computer Mag is smitten with the device. In the UK, it sells for £470. Word is Samsung has not decided to ship this unit to the US yet. Read: [MobileComputer] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops, Netbooks  Despite not hearing much in terms of the OLPC project recently it seems that they are still seeing their fair share of success. According to Walter Bender they have topped one million downloads on Sugar Labs.
“I had been meaning to mention that already several weeks ago we exceeded one-million downloads from activities.sugarlabs.org. We are now over 1.1 million.”
Of course, it should be pointed out that the one million number does not really represent individual users, but total downloads. But still reaching, or in this case, topping one million downloads is still impressive. With that, it does make you wonder just where the OLPC project is going, and thanks to a recent New York Times article we are being given a look at just that. It seems that we are going to see the release of the OLPC 1.5 sometime next month. Which, the OLPC 1.5 will be the follow up to the current XO1. According to the details, the OLPC 1.5 will offer “double the speed and four times more memory.” It was also noted that a future model is currently in development that will come “with double screens to enable several kids to work on each one.” And for those wondering, as of now nothing has been mentioned in regards to another round of the G1G1 program for 2009. Read [New York Times] and [Walter Bender] Via [OLPC News] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile If you don’t trust Google, you are not alone. Why else would Samsung develop an open source operating system for mobile phones on their own instead of using the free Android? Samsung’s new OS dubbed, Bada should be found on its first phone come mid-2010. Bada, which according to Electronista, means “ocean” in Korean, but is more commonly seen with it’s back end “bing”, in Jersey at least. The Bada OS is said to be open, so open in fact that developers will have access to core functions to manipulate and create new ways of accessing data and performing operations. The OS will compete directly with Google’s Android and LiMo. It is commonly said in the mobile phone industry that consumers don’t care what OS is on their phone, it is all about usability. Samsung here is looking to insure it’s phones are not party to Google’s mobile advertising schemes in the future. It is expected that Samsung will maintain it’s own app store as well for third party applications. Very vague Another report on the announcement says Samsung is keeping things very vague. From Electricpig: “Samsung says that whole 'ocean' thing "alludes to [its] commitment to a variety of open platforms in the mobile industry." While it's keeping everything nicely vague at this early stage, it could mean a new UI which offers Samsung specific apps on top of Android Market, as well as a whole bada OS on other Samsung phones.” So, Bada could be both a skin on top of Android as we’ve seen from HTC in Sense UI and from Motorola in Blur. Or it could be it’s own OS on non-Android phones. It works with everything is a bit confusing. Bada will be on phones shipped to over 30 countries and include major markets in Europe. There is no word on if the US will see such phones. With so many sketchy details, only one thing is certain: you’ll find Bada only on Samsung phones. Read: [Electronista] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers, Wireless  The last we heard was that the Nokia N900 Internet tablet was being delayed until November. Well thankfully, at least for those waiting, November has arrived and with that the N900 has begun shipping. This news comes courtesy of Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, which means that those who pre-ordered should be expecting an update to their order status pretty shortly.
Or for those who have been holding out, the N900 is available with Amazon (among other places) and is selling for $559.99. That said, the N900 is still listed as not yet released, but I would imagine that will be changing shortly. After all, the news shipping news was just announced yesterday afternoon. Finally just as a recap, the Nokia N900 Internet tablet features a 3.5-inch touchscreen display, full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 5-megapixel camera and 32GB of internal storage. Additionally, the N900 is running Maemo 5 and can be used as an unlocked device (phone) here in the US with either T-Mobile or AT&T. Well, can be used with either of those carriers as long as you do not mind shelling out the $559 asking price, because this is not going to be offered as a subsidized price. Read [Reuters] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Computers, Networking, Software / Applications With the economy on the mend, Microsoft is upping the pressure on it’s sales team to sell Exchange 2010. Microsoft’s new pitch? Save money. Save lots of freaking money. In fact, if you upgrade now, you’ll be rolling in cash - enough to upgrade everything to Windows 7 (haha, small joke). Microsoft is pitching Exchange 2010 as a way to save major money. The company points out 3 main ways users can cut expenses by upgrading to the latest version of Exchange: - Use less expensive storage with Exchange 2010: it can now be used with attached storage devices instead of SANs (storage area network)
Eliminate voicemail expenses: Exchange can convert voice to text Save on email archiving: Exchange 2010 adds in this feature instead of needing separate software
According to PC Mag: “As part of its case to customers, Microsoft is citing a study it commissioned from research analyst Forrester. The study says that companies can expect to recoup their costs of deploying Exchange 2010 within six months through savings in other areas.”
Other benefits in upgrading to Exhange 2010 is conversation threading, the ability to ignore conversations users are CC’d on, and sensitive information blocking. Read: [PCMag] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Mobile, Computers, Wireless, Gadgets / Other, Transportation  This holiday season, Google is stepping up and covering the WiFi fees in airports across the country as part of a marketing push. Users will be greeted by Google offering classic marketing techniques such as an offer to change your homepage to Google, download Chrome browser or an offer to donate to three charities.
They advertise, we win If you’ve traveled enough, you know free WiFi in airports is a rare occurrence. It seems everywhere I’ve traveled as of late has been blockaded by Boingo or other scheme set to drain my pocket of loose change. Recently, Google also cut a similar deal on Virgin Airlines where Google will cover the WiFi fees for its new in-flight WiFi service for the holidays. But Google isn’t the only one jumping on the free WiFi train. Recently Lexus covered the fees on American Airlines as a way to introduce their new 2010 LS line and eBay covered WiFi on Delta during the Thanksgiving holiday. Yahoo is providing free WiFi in Times Square and Microsoft is covering the cost for WiFi at several different hotspots as way to get Bing out to more people. This is a trend we’d like to see continue. Read: [CNN] and [Search Engine Journal] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Peripherals, Mice / Keyboards It seems that ugly looking 18-button having OpenOfficeMouse is not quite backed by OpenOffice. According to the back story here, the OpenOfficeMouse was presented at the recent OOoConference in Italy and that is where the story should have ended, at least with the OpenOfficeMouse name anyway. As I mentioned in the last post, the mouse is, now was, being called the OpenOfficeMouse, but is actually being made by a company called WarMouse. Long story short, it seems that WarMouse did not have the proper authorization to use the OpenOffice name and logo. Of course, the WarMouse team claim just the opposite and have stated that they have written permission in the form of emails. Maybe, maybe not, because WarMouse has also decided that they will change the name of the mouse and cease using the OpenOffice logo. “Due to the massive confusion about OpenOffice.org producing the mouse and the numerous questions about the mouse working with programs other than OpenOffice.org, we have mutually agreed with Sun to change the name of the mouse and cease using the OpenOffice.org logo.”
I have not seen a new official name, but it seems to be just a shortened version—OOMouse. And with that somehow this story seems a little better knowing that the OpenOfficeMouse was never really an OpenOffice mouse. That said, the mouse is still ugly, but I still want to play around with it. Of course, remembering those 18-buttons is likely to be difficult. Via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
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