atlas

Atlas Kinetic phone forces you to move

Remember the Bang & Olufsen Serene that looks like a modern art museum piece? Designer Ricardo Baiao's Atlas Kinetic concept cell phone takes that bizarre look to a whole new level, with a power source that's just as unusual. It's like one of those Seiko Kinetic watches that make use of oscillating weight to power a mainspring, except that this one provides basic phone features and allows you to make calls and send text messages. There's no danger of self-destructing lithium cells, so perhaps Nokia may want to snap up one of these as part of … Read more

Azentek builds a PC for your car

All of the core features we want in car technology--GPS navigation, Bluetooth cell phone integration, and audio and media playback--can be handled by a PC, so Azentek is offering two new in-dash PCs, the Atlas CPC-1200 and the Calypso CPC-1100. Both units are powered by an Intel Core Duo 1.66GHz CPU with 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, and a DVD-ROM/CDRW drive. But they both also have car stereo features, such as a 4 channel, 50 watt built-in amp, an FM tuner, and the ability to be upgraded with either XM or Sirius satellite radio. The Atlas … Read more

Creating your GPS maps

I've never seen one of photo vans they use to make the images in Google Maps' Street View feature, but a few days ago I did see a close relative. While walking through San Francisco, I saw one of the Tele Atlas vans parked for a rest. If the bright orange color (and the large Tele Atlas lettering) didn't give it away, surely the six cameras perched on the roof did. The crew wasn't around so I couldn't get a peek inside, nor could I ask just how the GPS/mapping company was using the van. … Read more

Mac users: VersionTracker Pro 4.5 is here!

I mentioned some weeks ago that our friends from TechTracker are now part of the CNET family. Along with the addition of all their great sites like VersionTracker, MacFixit, and iPhoneAtlas, joining forces means we get to use and develop VersionTracker Pro, the software that keeps your computer's software up to date.

I'm excited to announce VersionTracker Pro 4.5 has recently received a major upgrade. Free to all current subscribers, VersionTracker Pro 4.5 is 100 percent Leopard-ready, automatically installs program updates (even the pesky drag-and-drop varieties), and new users will be able to perform a free … Read more

To the Mapmobile!

If there was ever a comic book hero named Mapman, this would be his ride. Tele Atlas, a map content company out of Netherlands, is the owner of this orange van and the attached equipment. It creates maps of the roads it plies using a potpourri of location capture devices.

Mounted on top are four cameras, each capturing three images per second. The van can be configured with up to eight cameras depending on the landscape it is mapping, making it possible to capture 24 images per second when needed. Those are accompanied by laser scanners that help to determine … Read more

CNET Download for Mac just got better

Back when I started at CNET Download as the main Mac producer, part of my job was to go out into the wild world of the Internet to scout out new Mac programs. We used to get several submissions from software developers which we added and updated regularly, but if we wanted the big name titles, we often had to do the footwork ourselves. This meant we had to comb developer Web sites and other download sites to see what was out there. Whatever we found we would add to the software library.

Many things have changed over the years … Read more

Vista in your car

Here's another take on Windows Mobile. The Azentek Atlas is a double-DIN system that fits into your car's dashboard and gives you all of the functionality of a Windows PC from the driver's seat. While the model on display here at CES 2007 is running XP, we're told that Atlas will ship in March with Windows Vista. The Atlas, which makes use of iMobile software, packs an Intel Core Duo processor and comes with 512MB of RAM memory and a Seagate automotive-grade 40GB hard drive. It also comes with built-in GPS with turn-by-turn navigation and maps … Read more