devices

With the exception of Netflix and YouTube, many online video providers aren't natively available on set-top boxes or game consoles--Hulu being the most notable example. That's led many online video junkies to go with the most direct workaround: connecting their PCs directly to their big-screen TVs. Generally, it works like a charm--but requires a big keyboard and mouse to sit on the coffee table for navigation duties.

It's that niche--the living room input device--that the new GlideTV Navigator is designed to fill. The wireless pointing device is a disembodied touch pad flanked by a handful of … Read more

Could Intel's new Moblin 2.1 OS make a dent against Windows in the mobile and desktop markets?

At this week's Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, the chipmaker debuted a beta version of its Moblin 2.1 open-source operating system targeted to run on a variety of devices, including smartphones, Netbooks, nettops, Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), and in-car systems.

Moblin 2.1 will compete with other open-source operating systems like Google's Android and bump up against Microsoft in the burgeoning nettop arena.

Originally developed for Netbooks, Moblin 2.1 (short for mobile Linux) will come in three flavors--one for handhelds, another for Netbooks, and a third for nettops.

In the market for handheld gadgets such as smartphones and MIDs, Moblin 2.1 will run on Atom chip-based devices. The beta demoed by Intel at IDF showed off capabilities for touch-screen and gesture input. The new interface will also let users switch among different open applications and will provide shortcuts to social-networking apps.

The Moblin 2.1 Web browser will also support Flash and Microsoft's Silverlight 3 technology to run interactive Web-based apps.… Read more

Nokia, the world's largest maker of cell phones, could be preparing to enter the crowded Netbook market.

According to the Economic Times, Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo told reporters at a press event Wednesday in India, that "the PC and the mobile will continue to come closer and merge." He said Nokia sees a lot of opportunity in this convergence and he added that the company is "looking at the Netbook market to see what kind of opportunity is there."

It shouldn't come as a big surprise that Nokia might push further into the computing … Read more

Computers loaded with Splashtop will soon be able to do very quick searches as soon as the pre-boot phase of the machine starts.

Starting in September, notebooks and Netbooks with Splashtop will have instant access to a search bar on the instant-on desktop, Splashtop maker DeviceVM is planning to announce Thursday. In the U.S. and Japan, the default search engine will be Yahoo; in China, Baidu; and in Russia, Yandex.

"Instant on" is essentially a "pre-boot" environment that allows users to get a PC up and running in seconds instead of the minutes it takes … Read more

It may not be April Fools', but don't tell that to The Onion. On Monday, the satire magazine posted news of its fake sale to a fictional Chinese company called Yu Wan Mei that specializes in "amalgamated salvage fisheries and polymer injection."

Along with changes to all of The Onion's front page content, the site's online store underwent a revamp with some humorous entries. The best? A $4,250.99 mystery device with no purpose or explanation besides three glowing LEDs and what looks like a cell phone antenna. Its description simply reads "the … Read more

Intel has completed its purchase of Wind River, which builds software for smartphones and other devices.

The acquisition is costing Intel $11.50 a share in cash for a total price tag of around $884 million, Intel said Friday. Wind River is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel, reporting to the chipmaker's Software and Services Group.

By scooping up Wind River, Intel hopes to carve out a greater chunk of the mobile device market. Wind River designs operating systems and other software for cell phones, portable Internet devices, consumer electronics, and in-car "infotainment" systems. With such … Read more

In many parts of the world, electricity is a luxury. People spend hours gathering firewood to cook their dinners or warm their homes. In Uganda, only 10 percent of the population has electricity, the vast majority doesn't have microwave ovens, computers, or televisions. People don't have access to the latest information on disease outbreaks, weather forecasts, or soccer championships. But this may soon change.

More than a third of Uganda's population, about 10 million people, own a cell phone, and many more have access to these phones through family members and neighbors. Cell phones can be found … Read more

Licketysplit I got my Samsung Instinct and my Palm Pre paired up via bluetooth. Then I went to transfer contacts...

After trying over and over and checking every setting on each device I looked up the problem on the Palm Support Forums.

According to the forums...

To do this the Pre needs the OBEX bluetooth profile. Which at this time it does not. That does not mean it will not be added though. Its not a hardware issue, but software.

Apparently, the bluetooth on the Pre is only good for connecting to an audio device, such as a headset. No … Read more

Dell is developing a pocket-size Internet device using Google's Android operating system that could take on Apple's iPod Touch, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal on Monday.

Two people who have seen early prototypes of the device told the newspaper it looks like Apple's iPod Touch but slightly larger. And like the iPod Touch, the device isn't expected to include a cellular phone. The device is considered part of a new category of gadgets called mobile Internet devices, or MIDs, which are designed to fit into the market between a mobile phone and … Read more