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Keith Shaw

Cool Tools

By Keith Shaw

Keith Shaw is Network World's reviews editor. Contact him at kshaw@nww.com.


Cool Tools Video
Watch Keith's weekly product reviews.

IdeaPad's cool idea – facial login
06/30/08
One of the latest ultra-portable notebooks from Lenovo, the IdeaPad aims to be more stylish and lightweight than your typical corporate notebook. Features include an Intel Core 2 Duo L7500 processor (1.6 GHz), an 11.1-inch display with an integrated Webcam, 2GB of memory, a 120GB hard drive and built-in 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi. All of this in a very light and compact 2.4-lb. package.
Mini mobile devices impress
06/24/08
Motion Computing's C5 tablet computer for healthcare has a built-in handle and a built-in camera. HTC's Shift ultraportable computer has built-in 802.11b/g/ wireless LAN connectivity, and let's you quickly access e-mail and get quick updates without booting up.
BlackArmor protects data; KR2 makes data mobile
06/18/08
It's hard to see a more secure way of protecting data on a portable storage device than with Seagate's Maxtor BlackArmor USB portable hard drive. And Kyocera Wireless' KR2 Mobile Router is great for groups of people who need quick access to a network in areas where either Wi-Fi doesn't exist or who want to share a wireless WAN connection.
Can you stop the iPhone now, IT?
06/11/08
One of my initial thoughts after hearing about the iPhone 3G was, "Hmmm, I wonder how the enterprise is going to keep this device out of the office." Last year, the checklist of reasons why IT shouldn’t support it was pretty long, but Apple appears to have seen the lists and solved lots of these items.
Pulse: The digital pen gets even smarter
06/04/08
Livescribe's Pulse Smartpen has features, such as a digital audio recorder, that make it more interesting than similar devices.
A Pearl with GPS; a drive does automatic backup
05/28/08
BlackBerry Pearl line adds model with built-in GPS; Storage Appliance Corp.'s Clickfree hard drive does automatic backup.
Panasonic digital camera comes with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity
05/21/08
Panasonic's Lumix DMC-TZ50 digital camera has Wi-Fi built in, so you can upload photos directly to Google's Picasa photo-sharing service instead of having to connect to a PC.
More GPS tracking adventures
05/14/08
Last month I wrote about the GPS Snitch, a portable device you can carry around or place in a vehicle then track through the Web via its GPS and cellular connectivity. Here are two more services and devices that do similar things.
Verizon broadband smart phone aims for iPhone market, with extras
05/08/08
Verizon Wireless' XV6900 broadband smart phone aims to be iPhone-like with its graphical interface, but with additional features that the iPhone doesn’t have and that try to appeal to business users and enterprises.
Should you pass on iPass?
05/02/08
Over the past month, I've been testing a service from iPass that aggregates Wi-Fi hot spot services from a number of providers, offering users Internet connectivity from several locations without having to shell out for expensive day passes or subscribe to multiple services. In addition, the iPassConnect Mobility service offers the addition of a wide-area CDMA EV-DO card for network access in places where Wi-Fi hot spots are not available.
Have good penmanship? You'll like this digital pen
04/22/08
The Mobile Digital Scribe, unlike previous attempts at digital pens, is the same size as a normal pen, uses standard ink refills, can record writing on any size paper, and lets you write notes without being attached to a PC.
BlackBerry Pearl comes with Wi-Fi connectivity
04/16/08
RIM's BlackBerry Pearl 8120 has strong messaging features, multimedia and especially Wi-Fi, but enterprises and those looking for stronger multimedia features should look elsewhere.
GPS Snitch lets you track people, vehicles easily
04/09/08
BlackLine's GPS Snitch is a 4-inch portable device with a GPS radio and wide-area wireless network connection (it connects via GSM) that lets it communicate back to BlackLine servers. In addition to the GPS and GSM radio, the device includes a motion sensor that sends alerts to the user (via mobile phone text message or e-mail) when motion is detected, making it a useful theft-prevention device (the device doesn’t include an audible alarm, so if the device is hidden in a car the thief won’t necessarily know it’s there).
Checking out cool at CTIA Wireless
04/02/08
If there was a theme to last week's CTIA Wireless 2008 show in Las Vegas, it would be, "We're like an iPhone, but better." Several devices were showcased that took a lot of the nice features of the iPhone and adapted it to the mobile carriers' world, including running on faster networks and the ability to access corporate networks.
Odds and ends in the Cool Tools office
03/26/08
Before I hit this week’s CTIA Wireless 2008 show in Las Vegas, I wanted to "clean up" the office and offer some quick hits on devices that have filtered in over the past few months but might not have been worthy of full reviews. So here goes. . . .
Huzzah! Stuff works!
03/18/08
This week I reassess problems with Dymo DiscPainter, Digital Spectrum Photo Frame, FrameChannel and ComOne Phoenix Internet Radio.
Murphy’s Law hits this week’s reviews
03/13/08
Gremlins strike during the testing of a CD/DVD printer, a Blu-Ray disc duplicator, a wireless digital photo frame and wireless Internet radio gadget.
Create an 802.11n network without ripping up your 802.11g net
03/04/08
Netgear's HD/Gaming 5GHz Wireless-N Networking Kit lets you create a wireless bridge between a router and a client. In addition to creating a bridge for a game console or other Ethernet device, the system creates an additional 802.11n-based wireless network.
Samsung's slim international smartphone comes with Sprint service
02/27/08
Samsung's Ace international smartphone comes with Sprint service, full keyboard and 2.3-inch color display, and its light weight makes it feel more like a cell phone.
Dragon offers two-way voice via Bluetooth
02/20/08
The Dragon Bluetooth headset allows for a distance between a Bluetooth-enabled phone or PC and the headset of up to 100 meters (328 feet). The headset can pair itself to multiple phones or PCs, letting you switch between devices with the push of a button. Noise suppression features let the person on the other end hear you better.
Everyone’s got iPhone and Android envy
02/13/08
Two notable trends emerged from last week’s Mobile World Congress 2008 show in Barcelona (no, I didn’t get to go). First, manufacturers are coming out with iPhone-like touch-screen devices, and second, everyone is eager to see what the Android phones will look like.
Sprout and blist impress with betas
02/07/08
This week, I’m highlighting two beta offerings shown at DEMO 08. Sprout’s Sprout Builder Web service and application lets anyone create rich-media widgets (Web-enabled applications) and other flash content. Meanwhile, the blist database-building tool aims to turn anyone into a database expert.
DEMO 08 showcases ‘power of the individual’
01/30/08
When listening to the pitches of more than 75 companies at DEMO last week in Palm Desert, Calif., I focused on products and services that would enhance my life or make me more productive.
Review: HP MediaSmart Server
01/23/08
HP's MediaSmart Server is a network-attached storage device with multiple hard drives that can be connected via Ethernet cable to a home router. The device includes another layer, however, with the addition of Microsoft's Windows Home Server software. This allows for features like media streaming (including iTunes support), automatic backup, and remote access from across the Internet.
Apple at MacWorld: No home runs, but solid hits
01/16/08
January is the best time of the year for gadget nuts: During the first week we get the madness of the Consumer Electronics Show, and that's closely followed by MacWorld, at which Steve Jobs and crew get up and try to outshine CES and gather all of the buzz in the world of gadgets.

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