command

Cocktail is both useful and fun for inveterate Mac tinkerers and would-be power-users (that is, power users who aren't hard-core enough to use the command line). This multipurpose utility can help you keep your computer happy and healthy, giving you access to scores of tweaks and optimizations pulled together from various utilities, preferences, third-party hacks, and command-line tools.

Cocktail can help you with routine maintenance and customization across your disks, system, files, network, and interface. Cocktail is organized around these five areas, with highly customizable options for everything from clearing caches and repairing permissions to changing the appearance and … Read more

SAN DIEGO--I have seen the future of military command centers, and it is small rooms with glass walls and video screens with built-in artificial intelligence.

That's probably a gross oversimplification, but those are certainly some of the elements on display at the Navy's Command Center of the Future, a prototype project currently under way at the Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center Pacific here.

For those not familiar with SPAWAR, it is a Navy laboratory tasked with "creating an unfair advantage for our war fighters," according to Jim Fallin, the facility's director of communications, … Read more

This app allows users to tap into the library of commands available through CMD.exe to provide additional flexibility to Windows and Windows apps.

Take Command launches a nicely designed interface similar to the typical e-mail client. The similarity will relieve some of the intimidation many users will experience by seeing such a packed window: four panes with unfamiliar titles like "Command Input" and "TCC Prompt," and a command-line interface within the last-named pane. The Help feature, however, is adequate for dispelling such concerns and providing info for mastering this app. Take Command performed well in … Read more

While unmanned air vehicles are putting pilots out of business, a new U.S. Army-funded robot could do the same for rescuers and stevedores.

The humanoid BEAR (Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot) can locate victims in a mine shaft, battlefield, toxic spill, or earthquake-damaged structure. And then it can lift them up and then carry them over long distances to safety, according to the manufacturer Vecna Robotics. And it does this without risking any more lives (PDF).

The challenge was to enhance search and rescue while reducing the time military, police, and emergency response personnel have to risk their lives each day. … Read more

Magellan has recently unveiled its newest model, the Magellan Maestro 4700 GPS device. This new unit features an updated aesthetic, a slim profile, and a 4.7-inch wide-format, color touch screen.

You can talk to the Maestro 4700 using its voice command feature; and it will talk back with its text-to-speech capability, using proper street and POI names.

A Predictive Traffic feature works similarly to TomTom's IQ Routes by analyzing past traffic patterns to predict and avoid known trouble spots. However, it looks like the Maestro 4700 does not receive live traffic updates.

The Maestro features Magellan's OneTouch … Read more

Did Saab just become a high tech supercar? BMW rewrites the rules for voice command, thankfully. Airbags in places you wouldn't believe. And a ride in a big, comfy, annoying Mercedes!

• Mercedes ESF 2009 safety car

• iPhone will finally get real turn-by-turn navigation

• BMW to dramatically ease voice command in cars

• GM opens up major new battery plant

• Kenwood DNX6140 nav head unit

Conversations with most current automotive voice command systems go something like this: You: Destination Car: Please specify the mode of destination entry Y: Address C: Please say a city name Y: San Francisco C: Please say a street name Y: Market Street C: Please say a street number Y: 101 C: To accept the destination, please press the talk button

And that's when everything is working optimally. This process is so tedious that most people opt for manual entry with the touch screen or whatever other controller the car offers.

In September, BMW will simplify voice command greatly by … Read more

With the poorly selling SC 430 on the chopping block, Lexus found itself in need of a sexy luxury convertible to generate some excitement around the brand.

The IS sedan is about the same size as the SC and much better-looking. In IS 350 trim, it also extracts more horsepower from its 3.5-liter V-6 than the SC can from its 4.3-liter V-8. So, rather than update the aging SC, Lexus transplanted an updated version of its three-panel aluminum folding roof onto the IS sedan and, with a little massaging, the IS C was born.

The IS C goes from hardtop to topless in 20 seconds, which is 5 seconds faster than the SC 430.

With the exception of the new roof and two fewer doors, the IS C looks identical to the sedan. Upon closer inspection, we can see that the aesthetics have been tweaked to better fit the IS C's sporty open-air attitude. In fact, we're told that the IS and the IS C share almost no sheet metal. Of course, this is most notable around back, where the IS' tail lamps have been reworked and its rump raised to accommodate the retractable hardtop.

On paper, IS C still seats four passengers. In reality, passengers will find that the rear seats have been shifted forward by 5 inches, compromising leg room.

In the cabin, an optional Mark Levinson audio system sounds fantastic, thanks to a tweaked version of Automatic Sound Leveling that not only adjusts volume for vehicle speed, but also adjusts the equalizer to compensate for the loss of bass that comes with open-air listening. Perhaps it was our ears playing tricks on us, but the IS C's stereo actually sounds better when the vehicle is rolling than it does at a stop, which is quite an impressive feat.… Read more

Sure, you can already dial contacts on the BlackBerry with a voice prompt, but can you also search the Web, compose a text message, or update your Facebook status? For that you'll need an app like Vlingo. Version Vlingo 3.0 for BlackBerry does all that and more, plus it has a new feature to read your activity back to you. There are a few drawbacks, however, and we take a look at the two new premium services Vlingo has wrapped in an $18 one-time fee.

If you like what you see, Vlingo has a similar app for iPhone, … Read more