Driver

Open up your schedule book with TimeDriver

The meeting time broker TimeDriver, which has been in closed testing since I covered it back in January, will finally enter its public beta period on Monday. I had a chance to play with the product Thursday. For a lot of people, this service could be a great help.

TimeDriver is designed to help people who need to schedule a lot of one-on-one meetings. If you're interviewing job candidates, for example, or taking appointments with customers, you can set up either one-time or recurring blocks of time, and send people links that let them grab appointment times in those … Read more

Featured Freeware: Driver Magician Lite

Driver Magician Lite lacks frills and showmanship, but the simple layout makes backing up your device drivers much easier than pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

A quick install and the small memory footprint would lead you to hope that the rest of the program runs the same way. That's no sleight-of-hand: backing up every driver on my computer, from Bluetooth and tablet controllers to Intel chipsets, took less than 5 minutes. Users can select drivers individually or hit the Select All button at the bottom of the spreadsheet-style layout. Hitting the Start Backup button opens a directory … Read more

Gadgettes 96: The Childhood Bliss Episode

In the spirit of Kelly Baby Watch, we explore the many reasons why now is a really good time to be a child. Us grown-ups can still have a little fun too. Listen now: Download today's podcast

EPISODE 96

Sega Dream Dog DX http://dvice.com/archives/2008/06/sega_dream_dog.php

Edible legos: Yay or nay? http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/5775

Ultimate Star Wars Lego Death Star http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/the_ultimate_star_wars_lego_death_star_10257.asp

Go ahead kids: Draw on the fridge http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13553_1-9976657-32.html

Swim-Ring amphibious PC pool toy http://www.popgadget.net/2008/06/amphibious_pc_p.php … Read more

Linux Foundation points finger at Nvidia

The Linux Foundation is trying to push Nvidia to make its graphics drivers more accessible. The Foundation's beef: closed drivers make Linux look unstable to end users.

Though a statement issued Monday does not cite Nvidia by name, Linux Foundation Technical Advisory Board Chair James Bottomley cited Nvidia in a phone interview. "My intent is to point out the problems Nvidia has been causing themselves with their binary-only (drivers)," he said. "They are certainly one of the few companies sticking to a binary-only strategy." Binary-only means the drivers are essentially closed.

"We...consider any … Read more

Linux developers petition for open Linux kernel drivers

Insisting that they have "repeatedly found them to be detrimental to Linux users, businesses, and the greater Linux ecosystem," today the Linux kernel community has started petitioning for open-source modules and open-source drivers for the Linux kernel.

Such modules negate the openness, stability, flexibility, and maintainability of the Linux development model and shut their users off from the expertise of the Linux community.

The Linux Foundation, led by Jim Zemlin, has issued a statement in favor of the Linux kernel developers' position. It's unclear why the kernel developers decided to speak out now, though the Linux Foundation indicates that the developers have been subjected to a steady barrage of questions on the topic for years. Apparently, they finally got sick of it.… Read more

Business travelers: Find a printer easily

Have you ever been on the road for work and gone through the hassle of trying to use a local printer? Don't worry, you're not alone. When traveling on business, people often need a printout for the latest version of a project to have in the big meeting. The last thing we want to go through with 10 minutes until showtime is the struggle of installing new drivers, trying to locate a usable printer, and everything else associated with getting a hard copy of our work.

Fortunately Xerox came out with a universal access printer driver which solves … Read more

DriverMax gets an Agent

Freeware driver back-up utility DriverMax gets a full point upgrade, but the big feature promised for this version doesn't seem to be quite ready for prime time. DriverMax Agent, which is supposed to bulk out the program with a customizable driver update check, currently only works on the Windows Vista 32-bit operating system. Sorry, XP users.

The irony of this product update coming during a week when Redmond has spectacularly backtracked on Vista isn't lost on me.

The agent does seem to work well on Vista, in so far as I can both manually check if my drivers … Read more

Learn how to drive...with your Nintendo DS?

Soon drivers manuals made out of paper will be a thing of the past. At least that's what DreamCatcher Games and JoWooD Productions are hoping with the upcoming Nintendo DS title Drivers Ed Portable.

DS owners who purchase the title will get a complete training system for the written portion of their state's driving exam, along with three smaller gaming elements that have been designed to put those skills to use in a safe, virtual environment. The game isn't limited to the U.S. either--there are also training modes for Canada and most of Europe with localized … Read more

Featured Freeware: DriverMax

Behind a slick interface, this program backs up all your PC's drivers in case you mess up something fierce. From registration to implementation, DriverMax works fast, runs smooth, and does even more than mere backing up.

The application is nearly flawless. Its slick button navigation takes users through the four main sections of the program: Driver Operations, Updates, Identification, and Popular Hardware. Mousing over one reveals more choices, so you can export your drivers, import drivers, or view an installed drivers report. Backing up and reinstalling an "accidentally" deleted driver was as pain-free as could be, and … Read more