(Credit:
GIPS)
Global IP Solutions, a company that provides IP-based voice and video communication for mobile platforms, has now brought its solutions to power Web 2.0.
The company announced Monday that CommuniGate Systems (CGS), a carrier-class mobile unified communications (UC) provider, has embedded GIPS VoiceEngine to power voice communications in its Pronto client UC framework.
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The original Peek e-mail handheld
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)Despite the many accolades the Peek received last year, we ragged on it for offering too little for too much, and we still stand by that original claim. Twenty dollars a month for only e-mail just did not seem worth it.
However, Peek has now released the Peek Pronto, which offers way more than just e-mail. Not only do you get push e-mail delivery, you also get Microsoft Exchange support, texting, PDF, and Word doc support, Search, and e-mail apps like weather, news, and maps. Other improvements include a larger font set and faster software speed. It also now allows up to five accounts. The device itself is also slightly retooled with a better keyboard.
Perhaps the feature that truly makes this worth the money is the support for texting--a lot of people use their phones only for texting these days, and having to pay for an exorbitant texting plan on top of a voice plan can be costly. The Peek Pronto is $79, and you only pay $16.67 a month (if you're on the quarterly plan) with no contract. Oh, and it's unlimited texting, too. If you don't have a need for a cell phone, or maybe if you only have a really cheap phone, this could be worth it in the long run.
The Peek Pronto is now available on Amazon from March 24 until March 31, and then available from getpeek.com on April 1, and in Radio Shack stores starting April 8. We've got a review unit in for testing, and as soon as we have our full review, we'll let you know.
The Philips SRU8010 can display customized channel lineups for up to six users.
(Credit: Philips)The household battle for dominance of the remote control is a launching pad for a thousand bad stand-up comedy routines--and even some more scholarly examinations. But the new Philips SRU8010 may be the first universal remote control that acknowledges gender viewing differences with prominently placed HIS and HERS buttons to access customized channel lineups. In fact, the SRU8010 can be programmed for up to six different users, each of whom can add more than 100 favorite channels to the remote's brilliant color screen--and the channels are all icon-based with the familiar network logos. The SRU8010 uses built-in wizards to guide users through the process of programming up to 10 separate devices--no PC hookup is required. Best of all, the SRU8010 is available now for around $80. While I have some qualms about the button layout--the video transport controls should be toward the center, between the directional pad and the numeric keypad--it's great to see a full-service Philips remote that includes a built-in color screen at such an affordable price point. We'll have a full hands-on review in the coming weeks.
On Sale Now: $94.95
View the latest prices for Philips Prestigo SRU8010
(Credit:
SlashGear)
We have a love-hate relationship with that ultimate object of masculine obsession, the remote control. On one hand, it's risen to a deified status; on the other, we're sick and tired of having so many of them hiding under every cushion in the house.
Yes, we've tried all kinds of universal models, including the very first version of that brick-like Sony remote whose size was matched only by its price. The best part, of course, is that it was so complicated we never learned how to use it. So as tempting as they may sound, we can't help but be skeptical about uber-remotes like the latest one from Philips.
The "Pronto NX PowerLite" is so sophisticated that, at first glance, we thought it was a media player. And in a way, it is: With a VGA interface that organizes entertainment into activities on dynamic Web pages, there's control of not only audio and visual sources but a built-in Escient Fireball music server and Lutron RadioRa lighting control with complete on-screen feedback," SlashGear says. We'll take their word for it.
If all that weren't enough to scare us to death (and it is), we're terrified by the price: $1,836. It's almost enough to make a potato leave his couch.
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