Tech Gadgets Reviews

Just yesterday it was announced that the FreeRunner from OpenMoko would be ready for sale beginning on July 4, but it seems they just could not wait any longer, and have made the handset available today.

We would expect the original July 7 shipping date will however remain in effect, just due to the weekend. However if you were waiting, head on over and place you order today, after all that just means one less thing you will have to do tomorrow.

Product [OpenMoko Store]

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Vudu first began showing up in Best Buy locations back in late-March and at the time it was just 24 locations, all of which were located in California. The limited availability was thought to be a testing period to make sure the devices would be able to sell as expected.

Well, jump forward a little over a month and it looks like it must have been successful because Vudu and Best Buy have just announced a little more widespread availability, however it is still not nationwide.

They have remained in California, but also expanded to Arizona and Illinois, all in all it looks like they are now available in almost 70 Best Buy locations. In addition to the move into Best Buy locations in other states, Vudu has also recently added 35 new movies to own and 30 new movies to rent.

Via [CrunchGear]

http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/07/02/vudu-continues-to-infiltrate-best-buy/

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Tesla Motors isn’t going to rest on their laurels with the Tesla Roadster as the company has big plans to roll out a 4-door, 5-passenger sedan in the near future. Dubbed the Model S, this will be the second vehicle to the company’s stable of full-electric cars, and production will commence in late 2010 onwards. It will retail for approximately $60,000 and will be able to run for 225 miles before another charge is required. Good to see such green initiatives taking place, and hopefully the price will drop in the forseeable future.

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 9:23AM

Apparently, law enforcement is seriously stepping into the 21st century. According to a report, police dep artments in Boston, Cincinnati and over 100 other communities have begun using a text message tip-line in the hopes that cellphone-savvy youngsters will alert them if they see a crime being committed, or know of one ahead of time. “It’s obvious that the future of communication is texting,” said Boston Police Crime Stoppers commander (and techno-visionary) Michael Charbonnier, adding that the department’s system as yielded, “Some great drug information, specific times, dates, names of suspects, locations, pickup times, [and] license plate numbers.” The only roadblock? Getting cops to understand that OMG doesn’t refer to a terrorist attack.

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Filed under: cellphones

by Donald Melanson, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 1:58PM

While some of the benefits of SSDs may be in question these days, it looks like those still itching to take the plunge on an SSD-equipped macbook air can now at least save a few bucks, as the premium add-on has just received a much needed price cut. At $599 for the upgrade option on the 1.6GHz model and $2,598 for the pre-configured 1.8GHz model, however, it still isn’t exactly a no-brainer, especially considering some of the prices we’re seeing now for larger drives. Slightly more palatable though, is the 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo upgrade option on the base model, which is now $100 cheaper at just $200.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Laptops

Casio has just developed the Blanview LCD transmissive panel which does not require the help of backlight when used outdoors, making it a great development for cell phones and portable media players that will be released in the near future. Casio managed to increase the panel’s transmittance by approximately 30%, while reducing power consumption for outdoor use by about 50% when compared with its existing model. Not only that, it this new structure is able to take outside light straight into the LCD panel itself, hence doing away with the need for backlighting. Samples will be shipped beginning from this month onwards in 2.7″, 3.5″, 5.7″ and 6.5″ models.

Far be it from me to encourage you to work while you’re on vacation, but . . .

If you absolutely must toil while you broil, Download.com has gathered together a nice brief collection of software that will ease the pain. Or at least help you complete your tasks with dispatch and get back to your inflatable pool lounge.

Many of these tools were new to me, but I can attest that one of them. Documents to Go, works as advertised. (It displays several common file types like .doc and .xls on most mobile devices and, even better, permits you to create and edit them.)

Download.com neglects to nag you, so I will: Slathers of sunscreen, please, and keep the work to a minimum. You deserve a holiday!

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 12:31PM

Fired up to capitalize on some of the hype Sprint has managed to drum up for the Instinct down in the States, Samsung’s taking its iphone fighter north of the border for a promised intro later this summer. Bell Mobility is the lucky partner (seriously, Telus, you probably should’ve hustled Samsung a little harder for this one), launching at price points ranging from $149.95 up to $449.95 for a three-year contract all the way down to zero commitment. Features and software look like they’re all carrying over from their stateside cousin, although the UI’s looking just a little bit less Sprint-ified (read: no yellow tinge). Nice.

[Via MobileSyrup]

Update: There are rumors that Telus is slated to pick it up, too, but we haven’t seen anything solid just yet. We’ll let you know.

Update 2: Yep, Telus is down with it — exclusivity be damned! Thanks, howi!

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As much as we may find it hard to believe, not everyone is looking to give up their dial-up Internet connection for broadband speeds. This discovery comes as the result of a survey performed by the Pew Internet & American Life project. According to the study, 62% stated that they were not interested in giving up their dial-up service in favor of broadband.

Those who currently want to stick with dial-up cited two things it would take to get them to upgrade their Internet connection. 35% of respondants stated that the price of broadband was a consideration and would need to fall. Another 14%, which includes 24% of rural dial-up users, would need broadband to actually become available to them as an upgrade. Incredibly, 19% also stated nothing would get them to switch.

Though demand for dial-up Internet accounts continues to decrease, it is important to note that some consumers still prefer dial-up over broadband. Basically, we forget not everyone does the same thing online. If you just browse websites and really don’t download or stream media then a dial-up connection may be all you need.

Read more from the Home Broadband Adoption 2008 report (PDF).

Microsoft Corp. will begin selling its Office programs to consumers on a subscription basis starting mid-July, at a price of US$69.99 per year. The consumer software subscription service will include free updates to all applications for as long as you subscribe and will carry the name Equipt.

Applications bundled under the subscription include Microsoft Office, Windows Live OneCare, Messenger, and Photo Gallery. Microsoft hopes to roll out the service by the middle of the July in the US only, with availability limited to retailer Circuit City, which runs around 700 stores nationwide.

Bryson Gordon, Microsoft’s group product manager for Office commented:

We are improving our customers’ computing experience by giving them essential software in a package that offers an easy install and setup experience, as well as a convenient and affordable way to stay updated.

Also note that each subscription will include licenses for up to three computers and the consumer will have some control over the timing of major updates to newer versions.

Read more at InformationWeek.com