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Free data services? Now you're speaking my language, Garmin.

(Credit: Garmin)

We had our first peak at it when it was leaked by FCC documents back in July, but Garmin has just made the Nuvi 1690 official, clearing up the speculation around its newest connected PND. Here's the skinny:

The Nu Nuvi features a built-in cellular data connection, which allows it to access a service that Garmin has dubbed NuLink. The most interesting bit of news here is that the NuLink service will be free for the first two years of ownership, after which users will be given the option of discontinuing the NuLink service or paying a monthly service fee. At time of publication, we were unable to find out how much that service fee would be, but we'll update this post as soon as we know.

The Nuvi 1690 features a more curvaceous chassis and a smaller microSD card slot.

(Credit: Garmin)

Through NuLink, people will gain access to live traffic updates, weather data, and fuel prices, as well as movie times and airport flight statuses. Additionally, Google and White Pages searches will augment the Nuvi 1690's built-in points-of-interest database. The user can also push destination to the 1690 from a PC over the Internet and download Garmin alerts and updates through NuLink.

Social-networking buffs will be able to take advantage of Garmin's new Ciao position-aware social network that reports your location to the exisiting GyPsii and uLocate services and allows you to find and navigate to your friends.

The 1690 will also be packed with more practical features from the Nuvi lineup, including Bluetooth connectivity, a 4.3-inch color touch screen, text-to-speech, lane assist, and ecoRoutes. Interestingly, the SD card slot that we've come to expect from the Nuvi chassis has been downsized to a microSD slot. We'd prefer to keep the more robust full-size SD card, which stands up better to repeated insertions and removals.

The Nuvi 1690 should give the TomTom GO 740 Live a run for its money when it comes available later this year at an MSRP of $499.99.

Ever since we realized the PS3 didn't have an IR receiver, we've expected Logitech to release a Harmony remote with built-in Bluetooth support. Somewhat surprisingly, that day still hasn't come, with the company opting to release the Logitech Harmony Adapter for PlayStation 3 instead.

The recently released SMK Blu-Link universal remote offers what we've been waiting for since 2006: a single remote that controls all your gear, without a dongle. It's capable of controlling six devices and it uses a library of IR codes, similar to the cheap universal remotes you might pick up in a drug store. If the code isn't in the book, the Blu-Link can also "learn" it by pointing the device's original remote at the Blu-Link. We can't say how well the remote will work in practice, but from the image, it looks as if Blu-Link took some smart design cues from the TiVo "peanut" remote, with convenient DVR controls and a large directional pad up top.

The Blu-Link lacks many of the niceties of the Harmony line of products, such as online programming and activity-based controls. However, the low $50 price may make it a good option if you're on a tight budget and just want basic control of all your gear in a single remote.

(Sources: Blu-Link via Engadget)

Gmail's Google Maps link to CBSi's address on the iPhone via Smart Links's translation. Instead of the lengthy URL, you now have the actual address with the link embedded to it.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

Chances are that you have seen extremely long links when you receive an e-mail that contains a Google Maps address or driving instructions. This gets annoying, especially on mobile devices, because not only do the links take up a lot of space, but they also make it hard to find out the important information, such as the address, hidden within it.

Now that has just changed for Gmail users who use the iPhone or Android-powered devices to read their e-mail.

On Tuesday, GoogleMobile announced the Smart Links feature, a mechanism that automatically shortens a raw link and converts it into a meaningful phrase with the link embedded. Click on the phrase and the link will open just like with the original raw link.

For example, when you receive a Google Maps link of CBSi's address via Gmail using the iPhone's browser, instead of seeing a long string of characters, you will see the actual like this 235 2nd St, San Francisco, CA 94105. The address is hyper-linked and when clicked on will launch Google Maps showing the location of our HQ office.

Smart Links is part of GoogleMobile's Interative Webapp series that focus on developing and enhancing Gmail features specifically for the iPhone and Android-powered devices.

Currently, Smart Links supports four types of links: Google Maps address queries, Google Maps directional queries (with one destination), Google Sites Web pages, and links to YouTube videos. It's available only in English and, for now, only works with e-mails composed in plain text format.

In the future, Smart Links will also work with more link types, such as Google Docs, according to GoogleMobile.

There's nothing you have to do to use this feature other than checking your Gmail account via the Web browser on an iPhone/iPod Touch (running OS 2.2.1 or later) or an Android-powered device.

Note that you need to use the mobile browser to take advantage of this feature, other mail clients, such as the iPhones Mail app, don't support it.

I tried the new feature with on my iPhone 3GS and it worked very well. However, I wish it also supported e-mails formatted in rich text or HTML formats. That would make it more useful as most e-mails are sent using these formats.

Without Smart Link, this is how the original link looks.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

(Credit: Bose)

The digital music revolution has made is easy to amass hundreds of hours of tunes on your computer, but it's not always as painless to listen to your collection away from your PC. Bose's newly announced SoundLink Wireless Music System (coming August 27) is focused on solving that problem as simply as possible; just plug a USB dongle into your computer, and it promises to stream your digital music collection and streaming audio services (like Pandora or Internet radio stations) to the included speaker. Even better, the speaker has a built-in, lithium ion rechargeable battery, making it easy to carry it to another room or out to the deck.

The press release doesn't get much more detailed than that. The SoundLink system doesn't use your home Wi-Fi network, but we imagine it most likely creates its own 2.4GHz network to transmit the audio from your PC to the speaker--no word on the expected range. Bose also claims to need no additional software; that's not surprising, as the USB dongle probably acts like a "USB speaker," meaning that whatever audio can be played over your PC speakers can be transmitted over the network. However, we'll be interested to see how well playback controls from the remote work in a variety of playback scenarios, included Web-based music services like Pandora. The SoundLink system does include an auxiliary input, which is a nice plus if, for example, a friend brings over an iPod or you want to use the speaker out of range of the wireless network.

As much as we like the SoundLink's style and thoughtful feature package (it reminds us of the Sony VGF-WA1), the $550 price seems way too high, especially with products like Mint 220 offering much of the same functionality for a little over $100. Not to mention that there are plenty of inexpensive Wi-Fi radios that offer wireless music streaming, although in Bose's defense, there currently isn't an easily recommendable battery-powered unit available. If the SoundLink Wireless music system hits all the right usability notes, it might be the right product for deep-pocketed digital music fans that don't want to deal with networking issues, but we'll have to do a hands-on test to see how it works in the real world.

Netflix compatibility coming soon

Netflix streaming will be coming to online-enabled Sony Bravia televisions this fall.

Once enabled via a software update, the Netflix feature will give Bravia sets access to the same 12,000-title catalog of Netflix streaming movies and TV shows that's available on a growing number of devices, including the Xbox 360, Roku Player, and all recent Samsung and LG Blu-ray players and home theater systems.

Compatible Sony TVs include the XBR9 series, the Z5100 series, and the W5100 series. However, a wider variety of sets can access the Netflix feature by adding the Sony Bravia Internet Video Link, an add-on accessory that currently costs about $200.

In addition to Netflix, Bravia Internet Video-enabled products currently support content from Amazon Video-on-Demand, YouTube, CBS (the parent company of CNET), and a variety of lesser-known online video providers. (For an overview of the pre-Netflix Bravia Internet experience, check out our recent slideshow.) Recent additions include Demand Media (videos from Golflink.com, Livestrong.com, and eHow.com) and ON Networks (programs such as Golf Tips, Play Value, and Beautiful Places).

The addition of Netflix will certainly go a long way to ameliorating our decidedly less-than-enthusiastic experience with the Bravia Internet Video features. (That said, remember that Netflix and Amazon video can be added to any TV with the $100 Roku Player.) Moreover, we hope that the fact that Netflix and Sony are now partners means that we'll eventually see Netflix added to Sony's Blu-ray players and, eventually, the PlayStation 3 (which currently only supports Netflix via the third-party Play On software).

DisplayLink--a technology that allows users to connect multiple monitors to a single system, via USB--though a useful tool, has unable to display certain high resolutions including some HD resolutions.

With more and more monitors moving to the 16:9 HD format, it comes as no surprise (or maybe a pleasant surprise) that DisplayLink announced today that it's giving its tech a shot in the arm.

Hot off the heels of its Linux news, the company announced three new DisplayLink processors that have already been deployed in Samsung's new SyncMaster LapFit LD190N and LG220G USB companion monitors. Both are currently available in Europe and Asia.

The new DL-1x5 series consist of three processors: the DL-195, the DL-165, and the DL-125. The DL-1x5 Series is compliant with DVI (TMDS), analog (DSUB15), as well as LVDS for direct connection to an LCD panel and 12/24-bit RGB (TTL) for connectivity to external DisplayPort or HDMI devices.

A close look at the 195 processor

(Credit: DisplayLink)

The maximum supported resolutions for each processor are as follows.

• Up to 2,048x1,152 for the DL-195, designed for high-end monitors, docking stations, and adapters.
• Up to 1,920x1,080 for the DL-165, designed for cost-effective docks, mainstream monitors, and adapters.
• Up to 1,440x1,050 for the DL-125, designed for entry-level monitors, minimonitors, and projectors.

DisplayLink's new DL-125/165 and 195 processors are available to system manufacturers today. DisplayLink says to expect consumer monitors, using the technology in the U.S. within a month or so.

HP's recent DisplayLink adapter.

(Credit: HP)

Windows and Mac users have been taking advantage of DisplayLink for the last couple of years. The technology allows users to connect multiple monitors--as well as docking stations and projectors--to a single system via USB only; no need for any fancy-pants graphics cards.

Today, DisplayLink announced it is planning to bring its technology to Linux. The company released a library that enables Linux developers to create X Servers, drivers, and other Linux applications, which will be compatible with products that utilize the DisplayLink technology.

According to Displaylink, the library is provided under the GNU Lesser General Public License v2 (LGPL), which enables software to be ported by the community to cover the widest possible range of processors, platforms, and applications.

This will purportedly enable companies to create products that will work on the full variety of Linux devices, such as Netbooks, notebooks, mobile Internet devices, mobile phones, embedded displays, embedded devices, and digital signage.

So, what does this mean for you? Well, if you use Linux, you'll soon have the capability to connect multiple monitors, docking stations, and projectors to your system. Not the most earth-shattering news, but it's nice to know DisplayLink deems Linux support-worthy.

How PowerLine adapters work in a network.

(Credit: D-Link)

If you want to take your network connection to a far corner of the house where the wireless signal can't reach, the best way to get this done is with a pair of PowerLine adapters. These little devices basically extend the network connection through the electrical wiring of the house and turn any power socket into a network port.

Generally, you need at least two adapters to make a PowerLine connection. Each adapter can be plugged into a wall power socket and each also has a network port. Once plugged in the wall socket, the adapters will have power and will transmit the data signal between the two.

D-Link recently released its next-generation PowerLine HD Network Starter Kit the DHP-303, which comes with a green twist. The kit includes two adapters that are equipped with D-Link Green Technology. This allows them to detect data transmissions to automatically power down when idle.

PowerLine adapters generally use very little energy and this kit is the first I've seen that's designed to even further reduce the power usage.

D-Link's new PowerLine HD Network Starter Kit

(Credit: D-Link)

Other than that, the DHP-303 kit offers similar features as other products from Netgear, Cisco, or Belkin. It's capable of delivering speeds up to 200Mbps, fast enough for HD media streaming. It has support for Quality of Service to help prioritize data, enable smooth video streaming, and reduce lag for gaming. It also features an easy way to create a secure connection between the two adapters. You can simply get this by pressing on a button on each of them while connected. Users of Windows Vista will also be able to view the device in the operating system's Network Map.

The DHP-303 PowerLine kit is compatible with any device that uses a regular Ethernet port, including computers, printers, set-top boxes, and game consoles. All you need to do is connect one of the adapters into the router and the other into the network device, and then plug each into a power socket.

Unfortunately, D-Link's DHP-303 adapter has only one network port. This means if you want to connect more than one network device at the remote location, you will need to get a hub. New PowerLine kits from Belkin or Cisco offer up to three or four network ports at the remote location.

To make up for this, the DHP-303 kit seems greener and more importantly, comes with a friendlier price tag of $140, about $40 cheaper than the other vendors.