Cool Tools archive

Apple launches $100 iPod, $500 Macintosh
At today's MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, all the rumors were apparently true. Apple today launched a $100 (and $150) iPod music player, and a $500 Macintosh desktop. The iPod Shuffle is a "pack of gum" sized music player that is based on Apple's shuffle feature. Using the iTunes AutoFill... January 11, 2005

Early thoughts from CES
Despite fighting the airlines (snowstorms won't stop me!), I made it to the pre-show Pepcom press event, which seems to get larger every year. Eventually the press won't even need to go to the trade show, they can just attend all of the different press events that get held. If... January 06, 2005

Preparing for CES
Today we begin the trek to Las Vegas and the annual Consumer Electronics Show, where about 150,000 (maybe even more) people will converge over the next few days to talk about cool gadgets, everything from foot massagers to high-definition plasma TVs. The computer and networking industries have taken to this... January 05, 2005

Another digital media player
I had an early meeting with Actiontec officials, who showed me a demo of their new digital wireless media player, which lets users take their media content (movies, photos, music, etc.) and stream them wirelessly (by connecting an 802.11b or 802.11g PC Card in a slot) to either a TV... January 08, 2004

Early CES looks
The night before the Consumer Electronics Show officially kicks off, the press gets a preview of several companies that are showing off new products. At the Digital Experience press event, we get a sneak peek of some new stuff. I was impressed with new USB flash drive devices from Lexar...

CES: The new IT show
It's time once again for the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where hundreds of thousands of people will wander the halls looking at plasma TVs, DVD players, stereos, car entertainment systems, and, oh yeah, networking equipment (especially wireless). The "it" show for the high-tech industry used to be Comdex... January 06, 2004

Use USB to control the kids
I met briefly with Griffin Technologies today, which is showing off its new USB-based ControlKey system, aimed at giving parents a way to control their children's Internet usage. The USB key basically acts like an "ignition switch" for the user's PC. When the key is plugged in, Internet access is... November 19, 2003

That's one long keynote
Walking through the halls of COMDEX, I spotted a board listing all of the keynote sessions for the week. On today's schedule was a speech by Symantec CEO John Thompson, scheduled on the board (and on a paper flyer) to run from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m....

Sierra Wireless shows the Voq
I got a sneak peek at the Voq (pronounced “Vock”) smart phone from Sierra Wireless. As Homer Simpson would say, “Aaarghhllllllll” (droooool). Finally, a smart phone that is targeted at the mobile business user! The Voq runs on the Microsoft Smartphone operating system, and includes wireless e-mail features similar to... November 17, 2003

New flat monitor from IBM
IBM today announced a 19-inch flat-panel monitor, the L190p, which has a swivel, tilt and lift feature that allows for the perfect height adjustment. Other features of the $779 monitor include a 1,280 by 1,024 resolution, a 500:1 contrast ratio, a 25 msec response time and support for analog video...

Buffalo launches USB print server
One of my meetings today was with Buffalo Technology, which announced a $59 (street price) print server that connects to a USB printer and Ethernet network to provide printer capabilities for households or small businesses that want to print without having a printer dedicated to a single PC. The Network...

Comdex busy … or is it?
The opening day of Comdex saw lots of crowds, but a lot of it is deceiving when you consider the amount of space Comdex used to take up. The exhibit hall is basically in one hall (Central Hall), and even the registration areas and media rooms are located in the...

Goin' to Comdex
Check this space starting Monday, Nov. 17th for the latest musings from me (and possibly other NW editors) from the annual Comdex show in Las Vegas. With a quieter show this year, maybe we'll all get some work done. Or maybe the cab lines will be shorter... With all this... November 14, 2003

SanDisk to ship Wi-Fi + memory card
SanDisk officials said today they would soon be shipping a Compact Flash card that not only includes Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11b), but also includes 128M bytes of storage space. The new card has a suggested retail price of $129, SanDisk officials said. The card will provide a quick way to provide... June 18, 2003

Buffalo offers 'G' extender, USB adapter
Buffalo Technology announced two new products today in the 802.11g wireless LAN space -- a wireless range extender and a USB 2.0 wireless adapter for desktops. The range extender, also known as a compact bridge access point, lets a user extend the range of their 802.11g network to places where...

Pre-show notes
These days, before a technology trade show begins there is usually a media/analyst event that highlights new products and technologies from companies. At the CeBit America show, this is no exception. At last night’s Digital Experience, I mingled with other “journalists” and got to see some new cool stuff, including:...

Heading to CeBit America
I'm off to NYC to the CeBit America show, where I'll bring you updates from the show floor on the latest gadgets, gizmos and other cool stuff. Check this space for the updates through Thursday, June 19.... June 17, 2003

Motorola's CTIA phones
We finally got our hands on some pictures of the Motorola phones launched at CTIA this year, including: The Motorola E310, a new consumer phone that has mobile gaming in mind. The phone includes a 5-way navigational joystick, for playing games downloaded via a carrier’s BREW service. A Multi-Functional Transducer... March 26, 2003

Kyocera Wireless phones at CTIA
Kyocera Wireless made a big splash at the CTIA 2003 Wireless show, having eight new handsets launched. Some of the phones you can see below, including: The Phantom, a CDMA 1x handset that includes assisted GPS technology. Kyocera has a modular design approach to this phone that lets carriers choose... March 24, 2003

Audiovox phones at CTIA
Here are two new phones from Audiovox, announced last week at the CTIA 2003 show. The CDM-8600, a tri-mode, CDMA 2000 1X handset that includes a full-color (65,000 colors) screen, GPS technology, two-way SMS and voice-activated dialing. Also supports BREW capabilities for downloading games, ring tones and other applications via...

CTIA phones from Siemens
New phones from Siemens announced at the CTIA show in New Orleans last week include: The SX1, a tri-band GSM phone (900/1800/1900) that supports Java applications, and PDA functions. Includes a 64,000-color screen and design changes that feature strips of keys on the side of the phone instead of on...

Sprint phones at CTIA
Here are some of the phones that Sprint announced at the CTIA show in New Orleans. Clicking on the link opens a new window: PCS Phone by Hitachi G1000, a converged device that runs the Pocket PC Phone Edition operating system. Includes an embedded camera, embedded keyboard, and runs on...

New phones from LG at CTIA
Here are the LG phones that were launched at this year's CTIA show. Links open a new browser window. LG 4010, an entry-level GSM (dual-band, 850/1900) that includes a monochrome display and blue backlight. LG 4050, a mid-tier GSM dual-band (850/1900) phone that includes a 65,000-color screen. On the outside... March 21, 2003

Wanna see some phones?
We've seen a lot of phones at the CTIA 2003 show in New Orleans. Click on the links below to see what we saw from Nokia, RIM and Sony Ericsson. WARNING: Clicking the link opens new window in your browser. Nokia Nokia 3300, a portable music player and phone. Nokia...

Getting closer to true note-taking on a PDA
Pen&Internet this week announced availability of its riteMail 2.0 for Windows and Pocket PC here at the show. The software lets Pocket PC users take notes with their natural handwriting, and then e-mail their notes to any e-mail address. I saw a demo of the new software, and was pretty... March 19, 2003

1x PC Card from Audiovox
Audiovox and AirPrime announced a new wireless PC Card capable of accessing the CDMA2000 1x RTT network (CDMA 1x for short) in North America. The Type II PC Card will be avaible in Q2 20003, under different product names, including the Audiovox 1xMC PC Card, the company said. The company...

Native support for Microsoft files on Palm OS
Mobility Electronics launched Quickoffice Premier Version 7.0 here at the show. The software now includes support for native PC-created Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint file formats for Palm OS users, the company said. With the software, users can more easily exchange files between Palm OS and Pocket PC handhelds, as...

Get a grip!
Sure, we could spend all our time at the trade show visiting the flashy booths from the big vendors, with their fashion shows, dancers and glitz. But we want to span the entire show, looking for those companies that have good ideas, but not a big marketing budget (yet). One... March 18, 2003

Initial EV-DO thoughts
As mentioned earlier, I received a PC Card from Verizon Wireless, which had set up a CDMA 1x EV-DO (data only) network covering the lower part of New Orleans. The cards were given to select journalists and analysts to test out the new high-speed data network, which promises speeds up...

One-button synchronization
HP Services announced an offering with AT&T Wireless and Sierra Wireless. Customers using a Sierra Wireless GPRS AirCard modem, along with AT&T Wireless' Link+Sync software (part of the AT&T Wirelss WorkWare software), will soon be able to connect to their company's Exchange Server (through a VPN) with a click of...

Verizon launches EV-DO service
Verizon Wireless announced today that its new high-speed wireless network, based on the CDMA 1xEV-DO technology, would be launched in Washington, D.C. and San Diego in Q3 2003. The company also announced Wi-Fi service nationwide. The EV-DO service offers speeds up to 2.4M bit/sec., Verizon said. The Wi-Fi service would... March 17, 2003

Sprint shows off new converged phones
Sprint PCS said it would offer two phones based on Microsoft's Pocket PC platform to operate on its PCS Vision voice and data network (CDMA 1xRTT). The company said the Samsung SPH-i700 and Hitachi G1000 would be available for customers in Q2 2003. The devices combine a cell phone, Pocket...

Sharp shipping new Linux PDA
Sharp announced it was now shipping the new version of its Zaurus Linux-based PDA, the SL-5600. The new model features expanded battery life, memory and wireless expandability. The PDA costs $499 through VARs and online retailers, Sharp said. The device includes an integrated keyboard that has a sliding cover, and...

Buy a tablet, get free Wi-Fi
Buy a tablet, get free Wi-Fi Motion Computing said that buyers of its M1200 Tablet PC would be eligible for 2,000 free minutes of T-Mobile's HotSpot wireless Internet service. Customers have 30 days from the time they sign up to use the 2,000 minutes, and the promotion ends on May...

Getting Kurvy with Kyocera
Kyocera Wireless was showing off its Kyocera Kurv -- a new phone that includes Smart Skins (from Wildseed). The Smart Skins are "intelligent faceplates" that help change the personality of your cell phone. Each skin includes different graphics, ring tones, applications, screen savers, etc., that reflect the type of skin...

One-stop WWAN shopping from HP
HP has added new wireless WAN products and services for its customers, letting customers choose connectivity for its notebooks, Tablet PCs and Pocket PCs. Through HP's Web site, customers can choose from four different major carriers for their wireless WAN needs. The companies include: * AT&T Wireless and its GSM/GPRS...

Heading to CTIA 2003
Watch this space for coverage from Network World writers and editors from the CTIA 2003 show in New Orleans. From Wi-Fi to 3G to the latest mobile handsets, we'll give you the scoop from the show floor.... March 15, 2003