devices

It's been a little while since we've seen anything from Magellan, but on Thursday, the GPS manufacturer revealed its latest in-car GPS, the Magellan Maestro 4350 series. Consisting of the Maestro 4350 and the Maestro 4370, both portable navigation devices feature a new user interface called OneTouch that gives you quick one-click access to your favorite destinations.

Basically, you preselect your favorite businesses (restaurants, banks, gas stations, and so forth) and addresses and then the GPS will provide a single page where you can just tap on the appropriate icon to navigate to the destination from your current … Read more

The Linux Foundation's Jim Zemlin provides an interesting twist on the most cutting-edge Windows machines from Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and others: they're all running Linux.

No, he's not talking about dual-boot systems. (OK, kind of.) Instead he's talking about "fast boot," which an increasing number of computer manufacturers are delivering via Linux-based solutions from DeviceVM and others. Resource hound that it is, Microsoft apparently needs some help from Linux getting started from the once "cancerous" Linux.

Zemlin writes:

What does this mean for Linux? First it means that Linux is more central to … Read more

You might balk at the $130 price tag, but this time more actually means better. The Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro combo puts two of our favorite products together in one package: the Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Keyboard and the Logitech MX 1100 Cordless laser mouse.

Both products received very high marks from their respective editors, and the MX1100 mouse even managed to win an Editors' Choice award. This time around, we're sticking to our guns and rewarding this winning combo as well.

One of the most significant hardware changes in the bundle that we don't speak much … Read more

Lala.com is finished helping users swap CDs and no longer is it interested in just being a Web radio station.

Stick with me here because Lala.com's new business model, as well as its history, is kind of convoluted and that's part of the problem.

The music service--on its third incarnation--is offering a way for consumers to store songs in digital storage lockers and access them from any Web-enabled device. For those of you who have been around a while, this may sound a lot like MP3.com or even MP3tunes.com, companies started by Michael Robertson, … Read more

About 15 percent of all online computers are infected with bots, says a new report (PDF) on emerging threats for 2009 from Georgia Tech Information Security Center. And according to Patrick Traynor, assistant professor at Georgia Tech's School of Computer Science, "We'll start to see the botnet problem infiltrate the mobile world in 2009."

In Traynor's view, if botnets, or large networks of infected computing devices, gain a foothold on mobile devices, they could be used to create a distributed denial of service attack on the cellular network itself, inconveniencing thousands of cell-phone customers.

But … Read more

A new portable device lets doctors conduct a quick, non-invasive pediatric eye exam--and hopefully detect vision problems early.

The PediaVision Assessment Solution (PAS), scheduled to be demonstrated at the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting in Boston this week, uses an infrared camera to take digital images of the eye in children as young as six months. The screener consists of a small, handheld unit; a printer; and a laptop with preinstalled software.

Basically, the PAS projects an infrared light through the pupil onto the retina from a distance of 3 feet (good for shy kids who don't like people … Read more

This may be the best thing since the invention of the electric wheelchair.

A group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has invented a wheelchair with all the self-navigating abilities of a GPS device.

Only instead of being inhibited by the need for a satellite signal like a GPS device, MIT said Friday, the location-aware wheelchair uses Wi-Fi and can work indoors.

Just like with a GPS navigator, the wheelchair has programmed favorites. Better yet, it works by voice recognition so you don't have to type in a request.

All you have to say is "to the boardroom&… Read more

Q: 1. Is there any in-car GPS that allows me to review the route from start to finish without driving, once I input destination address in the device? If yes, which portable navigation device (PND) lets me review the route before actually driving? - Wize Chap via e-mail

A: Dear Wize Chap, turns out you have a lot of choices. Most in-car GPS offers route simulation or fly-over simulation (the name varies by manufacturer) that provides a running demo of your route from a bird's-eye view. It's useful in that it gives you an overall idea of what … Read more

Virgin Mobile and Personal Communications Devices (formerly known as UTStarcom) have announced the Shuttle, the carrier's first-ever 3G handset. Equipped with EV-DO, GPS, and a slew of high-end features, the Shuttle is one of the first signs of Virgin's Helio acquisition, in that it is enriching its rather basic lineup with strong full-featured devices previously associated with Helio.

Indeed, the Shuttle will feature Virgin Mobile's first location-based services from uLocate, like Buddy Beacon, a friend-finder application found previously on Helio phones, as well as Where, an application that delivers local information such as nearby events and restaurants. … Read more