ElectriLite electric vehicle to harness both sun and electricity

If you have no experience of zero emissions driving, here is a very noticeable three-wheeled vehicle which is able to fill the gap. Called the ElectriLite, this marvelous model is designed by Omni Instruments which runs on both electricity and sun. The car curb weight is just 350 lbs while weight is distributed on its three wheels. If you are keen to go for a joyride, this stunning vehicle is able to seat 2 passengers.

Being an ecologically friendly model, the ElectriLite electric vehicle is able to reach a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour while traditional steering is replaced with a high tech joystick coming with a mounted throttle, light control and brake. The car is expected to be able to run on its electric engines and you may feel free once the batteries are dead as there are extra systems to keep your vehicle on the go.

The first choice is to use 2 pedal generators which are able to produce 400W each while the second option is to harness solar panels positioned on the roof and producing 100W and 60W as long as it is sunny. Additionally, there is enough space for a 1KW fuel cell, so the vehicle seems to be ready to go.

Thanks to these sustainable systems, the car offers a 50 miles driving range excluding its alternate sources or 100 miles when they are used. According to the company, such a car can be constructed for about 3500 USD with a final bid to be no more than 5000 USD. The ElectriLite electric vehicle features 90 inches wheelbase, prime voltage of 42 / 36 volts so running on its 200 AH of NiMh batteries the nominal range of 100 miles is guaranteed.

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Cheetah GPSmirror to assure driver safety

Every driver has those moments where he or she is distracted. While driver distraction causes 80 per cent of road accidents, there is a nice driver safety gadget which is designed to keep you safe on the road. Called the Cheetah GPSmirror, this clever device comes equipped with built-in GPS system that will let you know about those speed cameras as you drive by.

Additionally, the Cheetah GPSmirror features a speedometer display along with compass so you hardly get lost. This driver safety system has a voice alert option that keeps you informed of black spots as you approach them, speed cameras or red light cameras. Compared to ordinary mirrors, this smart mirror comes with an anti-glare coating which boasts a wide angle of visibility and is perfect for night driving.

The Cheetah GPSmirror gets signals from 24 satellites and offer both audible and spoken alerts to let you know about hazardous areas to come. Using its 4 buttons positioned under the mirror, the driver will be able to personalize his or her GPS locations. So if you want to be warned about this or that hazardous intersection, you can program it.

If you are about to kick your speedy driving habit, you may set the mirror to alert you when you drive faster than it is allowed. The Cheetah GPSmirror can be easily connected to your PC though the USB port but it does not support MAC. It comes packed with cable together with USB port, power cord and GPS mirror cleaning cloth.

The Cheetah GPSmirror is able to detect all kinds of red light camera or speed camera whether you are in USA, Canada, Europe or Australia. The GPS mirror also features visual time display. So if you want to stay tuned while keeping your safety at a high level, this tricky gadget will be useful.

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ABSOLUT VODKA launches iPhone application

It seems most brand names are finding the marketing value in creating an iPhone application. The latest submission is from ABSOLUT VODKA whose new application called Drinkspiration has a number of features including an interactive encyclopedia of drink recipes. Best of all, it’s free.

The application also comes with a social component because once you find a recipe you like you can then recommend it. That recommendation can be based on spirit, taste, weather, time of day, bar vibe, sound volume and real-time drink trends. The application also has GPS capabilities which allows users to share status updates through Facebook and Twitter that includes not only a real-time drink choice, but the user’s location as well.

Another feature of the mobile application is that it gathers information of the international nightlife scene and makes that accessible to users. There is a world section where people can see what drinks are being ordered in real-time according to global location.

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Charge your portable gadgets with the Solar Charger Vest

Being a combination of style and high technology, this sustainable gadget is capable of charging your favorite portable devices on the go. Wherever you go, you can be free from those flat battery situations. Dubbed the CVFR-S09 Solar Vest, this green contraption is designed for active people being on the move while making your life easier.

The CVFR-S09 Solar Vest has a lot of pockets for your electronic gizmos and features all the cables, battery pack and other connectors that allow charging the most popular electronic devices. Despite of the fact, the canvas of the vest is soft to the touch, it is a durable tissue. Its 4 laminated solar panels are designed to be water resistant, so you will not have to be worry about your solar vest when it rains.

When you are indoors or in a shaded area, you can easily detach the solar panels so as to put them in sun light to make your vest working even if you have a rest. The solar power is captured by 4 solar panels while you are outside with the solar power being stored in a high capacity battery positioned in the front left pocket.

So once your electronic gadget’s battery is dead, you may easily connect it to the battery to fully charge it. The CVFR-S09 Solar Vest is plug and play device coming with a rechargeable battery with 8 800 mAh of power. Solar panels have 6W with 3.7V with voltage adjust option.

The CVFR-S09 Solar Vest features 8 power connectors and 7 device connectors, 8 front pockets, 1 back pocket, Zipper and Velcro fastener. The Solar Vest is available in black and brown colors with a price tag of 140 USD.

The CVFR-S09 Solar Vest comes with light indicators with green shining when power is more than 80 per cent, orange lighting when power is between 30 and 70 percent and alarming red for gadgets that have less than 30 per cent of power.

A portable batter charger measures 120 mm in length, 70 mm in width and 22 mm in diameter while solar panel dimensions are 135 mm in length and 600 mm in width. The CVFR-S09 Solar Vest measures 600 mm in length and 600 mm in width. Other features include AC Input Port, USB Power Input, DC Output 1, DC Output 2, 5V, 6V, 9V and 12-20V output.

With heat protection, discharge protection, over charge protection, short circuit protection, this tricky gadget appears to be very safe and clever. This environmentally friendly gadget comes with USB extension cable as well as English manual.
This mouth watering gadget turns out to be an ideal solution for almost everyone whether you like camping, fishing or other outdoor activities or you need to stay in contact all day long.

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AcceleGlove to be a whole-hand input device

This useful gadget called AcceleGlove is capable of recording the motions of your fingers as well as hands and all you need is just to wear it. This means that being wired with sensors, these smart gloves are able to keep you abreast of a wearer motions. Additionally, the gloves feature an interaction mode … Revealed by AnthroTronix, Accele Glove is easily programmable and records every movement your finger or hand makes.

This smart glove is available at 499 USD while having a smaller sticker price tag compared to other alternatives. The Accele Glove features software suitable for using Java if are about to program it for desired application. Previously, the product was developed for US Department of Defense robotic control. What is good is that you are able to use it in video games, physical rehabilitation or training.

Its accelerometers are placed below your fingertips and as your hand moves the accelerometers are able to detect three-dimensional orientation of your moving fingers. The data can be sent to your PC via USB cord connected to the top of the glove’s wrist. The glove is constructed from breathable nylon mix which is stretchable to be able to sit perfectly on your hand along with open fingertips for easy typing.

The arm link is composed of stretchy fabric attached to a tiny microcontroller wrapping below your elbow and coming around your biceps. Its potentiometer assesses your elbow flexibility while its accelerometer measures the arm rotation. The Accele Glove makes it possible for its user to control many devices including video games so the contraption appears to be a nice gadget for gamers.

The arm link is also able to evaluate your wrist location as regards your shoulder and determine your wrist location as regards the rest of your body in order to start recording its motions. AnthroTronix is expected to adapt its production for use in law enforcement, controlling a robot in space, firefighting and so on.

Even if a surgical procedure is needed or you want to learn American Sign Language, this tricky device could be of avail. It is up to you whether or not you want to write your own software for your glove to be able to analyze your gestures so AnthroTronix’s plans are to create a novel version of the product to be able to detect gestures.

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CTA Digital USB travel kit for smart traveling

If you are the one who needs to have all your USB gadgets handy, here is a perfect idea. Called CTA digital USB travel kit, this all-in-one comfy gadget comes with USB mouse, Ethernet cables and ear bud headphone which are retractable for easy commuting. Well, all the technologically skilled travelers would be pleased to use it once outdoors.

The CTA digital USB travel kit is available for 34, 15 USD. This smart travel kit offers 4 attachments for connecting all your USB devices. Its headphone, USB mouse and Ethernet cable all come equipped with retractable cords.

Whatever USB peripherals you have got, this ultra portable travel kit will make your outing useful and comfy. Its Ethernet cable makes sure your connecting to an Ethernet network is very intuitive while traveling with this amazing travel kit will make you an active USB user on the move.

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votes vote! EdgeStar Countertop Dishwasher designed for clever dishwashing

Kitchen life would be much more arduous if there were not dishwashers. With this smart dishwasher titled the EdgeStar portable countertop dishwasher that features enough storage capacity for 4 regular place settings, your kitchen chore will be much more easier. The EdgeStar portable countertop dishwasher is capable of saving more water than when you have to wash up.

Not only is it able to save water, the EdgeStar portable countertop dishwasher appears to be able to save energy and storage space that you always lack in your kitchen. Additionally, the EdgeStar countertop portable dishwasher has a stainless steel interior, a rinse agent dispenser to eliminate water spots on your dished, spray arm along with a silverware basket.

Measuring just 18 and a half of inches, this handy dishwasher can be easily placed in small areas while an included connect faucet adapter makes it possible to connect it to nearly any kitchen faucet. If you like your kitchen to be designed in a modern way, this fabulous dishwasher appears to be a cool gadget and now you can arrange all your kitchen appliances in a new way.

Besides, the EdgeStar countertop portable dishwasher comes packed with an internal water heater which is capable of heating water up to 158 degrees Fahrenheit. Those plates which measure 11 inches in diameter will be easily fit in the dishwasher. This high durability kitchen beauty is retailed for 200 USD. With this smart dishwasher you save water, power and space. Is not it a good idea for your kitchen? The EdgeStar countertop portable dishwasher seems to be very intuitive with its easy to use controls.

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Groundbreaking Panthera Leo Concept Electric Mower

Husqvarna Panthera Leo appears to be a trend setting concept super mower giving your much more comfortable mowing experience whether you are about to mow down the long grass in the big field or do a little yard work. With many people willing to have a garden in the future, this ground breaking mower affords an ideal opportunity for self-sustaining experience.

This ecologically friendly mower is powered by lithium-phosphate rechargeable batteries to be lasting 2 hours if fully charged. Panthera Leo mower includes a sophisticated LCD display as well as sensors being capable of keeping you informed about the recommended speed and cutting height of mowing. Furthermore, this intelligent display lets you know when you about to on a steep area or going to strike an object.

Not only is this a fashionable super mower, but also is it a mighty ride-on mower concept to make the mowing process easy and convenient. A team of well skilled designers and engineers were developing this powerful environmentally friendly super mower which appears to be a perfect solution for the future sustainable mowing.

Panthera Leo mower is constructed from recyclable materials breaks the mold of the old gas-guzzling mowing thanks to the zero emissions technologies. This high performance Panthera Leo mower features a battery to be charged at any electrical point and it seems to be operating silently. Panthera Leo mower features 5 powerful brushless electrical engines coming with a sound-absorbing cutting deck making its operation running smoothly.

This all-electric Panthera Leo mower has advanced exterior looks and its beautiful sleek design while its three individually suspended cutting decks and can be easily adjuted from narrow to wide lawn areas ranging from 85 cm to 120 cm. To get a perfect cutting result you will need to manage your super mower by special paddles placed on the steering wheel.

With this silently working super mower, there could be no more worries about disturbing your neighbors. Additionally, your clever LCD display will inform you about the battery status or other service needs. Its mighty electrical engines are easy to both clean and maintain. With its intuitive dashboard you will be overjoyed to keep mowing.

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XR3 – prodigious 3 wheeler hybrid car

The XR3 is a plug-in 3-wheeled hybrid that was specifically designed to be as light weight as possible. This XR3 hybrid is capable of reaching 125 miles per gallon which is more than fantastic. Being ready to be produced, this beautiful hybrid car comes with its hybrid system making it possible for 200 miles per gallon.

Before the production phase, it will be necessary to run some tests and do some modifications if needed. You should not worry even if you run out of fuel as its smart li-ion battery set is capable of producing enough power to cover at least 40 miles.

Using diesel power alone, this curved three-wheeled plug-in hybrid is capable to achieve 125 miles per gallon while 225 mpg would be possible if run in tandem with its electric power. Weighing just 1480 pounds, it will be possible to reach a speedy acceleration.

The XR3 plug-in 3-wheeled hybrid offers some operation modes with battery electric only, diesel only or hybrid mode with 225 mpg. This super hybrid is designed by Robert Riley and features its polished composite shell as well as high efficiency engine.

This do it yourself hybrid can be built for about 25 000 USD not including its assembly and parts. Its electronic battery is rechargeable via plugging it into a wall socket. The XR3 is not yet sold - instead its plan can be bought from its designer in DVD.

The assembly itself is not complicated and can be easily fulfilled by those having some technical skills. Logically, if interested, you will be able to produce your own hybrid with more fuel efficient engine. This hybrid car is capable to carry two passengers.

It stands to reason, that the car built by yourself would be a perfect example of how technically trained you are while giving you’re a lot of pleasant moments. Its cost could be reduced up to 7 500 USD depending on some technical solutions.

Plug-in cars are expected to be the next generation of hybrid vehicles. Its two front wheels are powered by combustion motor while its single rear wheel is powered electrically. Using its dual power mode, the XR3 will provide a fast acceleration.

The frontal body of the hybrid as well as its canopy can be removed. In order to guarantee some safety features, the hybrid’s frontal part is filled with foam in order to absorb frontal collision happened at a low speed. For the same reason, the hybrid’s sides are foam filled to prevent it from side impact.

The foam filled parts range from 5 inches to more than 10 inches in thickness. The design of the XR3 three wheeled hybrid car is capable to withstand a collision with higher efficiency than what the standard car can offer. The car’s deceleration is possible due to regular seat belts.

Seating side by side with someone driving on a public road will no doubts make you stand out of a road. Its wheel base amounts to 88 inch while track is 66 inch. Its height is 43 inch with Kubota D902 tractor engine, advanced DC 8-inch motor as well as VW Type 1 transmission. So get prepared to build your own dream.

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Onda Velocita to be a sumptuous eco powerboat

This is Onda Velocita, a super sumptuous yacht. This powerboat concept is environmentally friendly which incorporates high tech materials and traditional design language. No batteries are needed to power the electrical appliances of this powerboat.

The Onda Velocita roof features the photovoltaic cells which are capable to produce power to the on board batteries. This means that you will not need to run the engines while boating in a sunny day. This enticing powerboat includes a classy interior which is luxurious too.

Its clever roof construction of the main cabin features a fitted domed skylight which is capable of being opened while emergencies or for fresh air access. So, in the fullness of time, we will know whether or not this super powerboat becomes a reality.

This eco friendly solar powered powerboat is not what we are used to, with no carbon emissions produced while sailing. With Onda Velocita, you are going to get a clean and green sailing experience. In order to reduce powerboat’s weight, fiber glass and carbon fiber were used.

Inspired by the manner water laps against a beach, Onda Velocita eco boat features a seating area with fitted table. In order to come into seating area or to its deck, you should enter the sliding doors placed at the back of the upper structure.

Among its sumptuous features, you will find the laminated teak wood which blends with seating area and cabin trim. Additionally, the Onda Velocita comes equipped with a galley kitchen and a bathroom, shock resistant wine rack which is cushioned as well as covered entertainment area.

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Nokia N86 8MP to be a brand new 2 way slider

A brand new Nokia N86 8MP is born. Measuring 103, 4 x 51, 4 x 16, 5-18, 5 millimeters and weighing 149 gram including its battery, this model worth seeing. This appears to be a 2-way slider with spring assistance mechanism.

Nokia N86 8MP has a smart display featuring a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA) coming with up to 16, 7 million colors, brightness control, ambient light detector, orientation sensor as well as its active matrix OLED.

Did I mention its power management? Its BL-5K 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery is capable to provide a talk time of up to 6, 9 hours for GSM, 4, 5 hours for WCDMA, 11 hours for VoIP over WLAN. Its stand by capacity is up to 363 hours for GSM with the same time needed for WCDMA.

Nokia’s browsing time amounts up to 7 hours including packet data. You will be able to enjoy having video playback time up to 7 hours for VGA 30fps while QCIF 15fps comes with up to 5, 5 hours. Nokia N86 8MP also boasts video recording time of up to 3 hours with video call time of 3, 2 hours.

Keep listening to your favorite music with Nokia N86 8MP offering up to 30 hours of music playback time or 18 hours if you listen to it through FM transmitter. However, the aforesaid operation times may be varying depending on usage, radio access as well as operator network configuration.

Nokia N86 8MP includes numeric keypad, covered keys, menu key, S60 keys, clear key as well as send/end keys. In addition this glamorous cell phone has media, zoom, game keys, short slide keys for media control, zoom and gaming, camera and volume keys, voice commands, keypad lock switch, breathing menu key as well as charging indicator LED.

Nokia N86 8MP incorporates flight mode, automatic switching between GSM bands as well as quad-band EGSM 850/900/1800/1900. Its memory is fascinating thanks to its micro SD memory card slot which is hot swappable permitting maximum of 16 GB while its internal memory is 8 GB. Its random access memory amount to 74, 7 while read only memory is 77.

This model features WLAN Security with WPA2-Enterprise, WPA2-Personal, WPA-Enterprise, WPA-Personal and WEP and is TCP/IP supported. Nokia N86 8MP is capable of serving as data modem while is MS Outlook supported with possible synchronization of your contacts, notes and calendar.

Its high speed circuit switched data allows maximum speed 43.2 kbps while GPRS class A, multi slot class 32 comes with maximum speed 107/64.2 kbps (DL/UL). Nokia N86 8MP includes WCDMA 900/2100 with maximum speed PS 384/384 kbps (UL/DL) and HSDPA of maximum speed 3.6 Mbps (DL). Its Bluetooth version 2.0 comes with enhanced data rate.

Among Bluetooth profiles, there is dial up networking profile (Gateway), phone book access profile (Server), headset profile (Audio Gateway), file transfer profile (Server), object push profile (Server and Client), device identification profile, basic imaging profile, hands free profile (Audio Gateway) as well as remote SIM access profile (Server).

This intelligent cell phone has micro USB connector coming with mass storage class support while 3.5 millimeter AV connector. Stereo audio streaming includes advanced audio distribution profile, audio/ video remote control profile as well as generic audio-video distribution profile.

In addition, this cell phone is digital home supported, including mobile transfer protocol support, UPnP support as well as local and remote SyncML synchronization support. Nokia N86 8MP is available in indigo black color. You will be able to use AMR, WMA, AAC, AAC plus 64-tone polyphonic, MP3 as well as video ring tones.

You will be able to customize your wallpapers, ring tones, screen savers and other options. Among supported applications you will find Nokia web browser coming with mini map, Quick office with Quickword, Quickpoint and Quicksheet, Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Lite 3.1, zip manager, Nokia maps, Nokia pictures, Nokia download, Nokia mobile search, Nokia N-Gage.

Additional applications include Java APIs for Bluetooth (JSR 82), Java CLDC 1.1, MIDP 2.1, PDA (JSR 75), Scalable 2D Vector Graphics API for J2ME (JSR 226), Nokia UI API, Advanced Multimedia Supplements (JSR 234), Wireless Messaging API 2.0 (JSR 205), Location API for J2ME (JSR 179), J2ME 1.1 (JSR 184), J2ME Web Services Specification (JSR 172), Mobile 3D Graphics API for Security and Trust Services API for J2ME (JSR 177), Mobile Media API 1.1 (JSR 135), SIP API for J2ME (JSR 180).

This mobile phone is Windows Live supported but needs downloading of the Messenger application. You are able to download to your S60 device more applications using the download client by visiting www S60 com with a lot of free of charge applications. Its software platform is very intelligent with Symbian OS version 9.3, Automatic UI rotation, Voice commands, Active standby, S60 3rd edition, feature pack 2 and FOTA (firmware update over the Air).

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Zeo Personal Sleep Coach to provide you with good quality sleep

Have you ever had troubles getting a good night’s sleep which has a restorative power for both our body and your mind? Whether you suffered from insomnia or were nervous enough to fall asleep, you may now change your nocturnal life for the better with this intelligent device called Zeo personal sleep couch.

Introduced by Zeo, this clever sleep fitness concept seems to be an ideal solution for your sleepless nights. This personal sleep coach is capable of giving you the information on how much how well and how deep you were sleeping during the night. Once the information is received, you will get it shown on your Zeo’s digital bedside display.

Previously known as Axon Labs, Zeo features a smart headband to be worn while going to sleep which is designed to transmit your personal sleep information wirelessly to your digital display. This perfect sleep concept is what is going to give you enough sleep so that you feel fine during a day.

The information received is then being sent to SD card where it is going to be stored with you having the opportunity to upload your personal information to the myZeo Personal Coaching site. If you have a good night’s sleep but wonder how much time you sleep, how often you wake up during the night and how long was it necessary for you to fall asleep, this sleep gadget is definitely what you need.

If you are interested in having such a sleep restoring widget, you will have to pay a 399 USD price tag for it. Zeo headband is light weight so you would not experience difficulties sleeping with it while its display could become your best friend in telling you about your sleeping habits. The whole date is received from your brainwaves to be detected by Zeo headband.

There are at least 70 million people having sleep disorders with 80 known types of them while insomnia is reported to be the world’s third health problem going after headache and cold. Looking like a sleep clock radio this intelligent device will wake you up refreshed with full of energy, what else could you be dreaming of?

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Casio Ana-Digi electro-luminescent sport watch - best for traveling

If you enjoy traveling, this Casio’s combination of analog and digital wrist watch is a brilliant idea. This stainless steel looker boasts a fashionable black sporty resin band to give you a comfortable wearing. Whether you practice a sport or travel a lot, this time piece will accompany you elegantly.

Its round silver stainless steel case sports a black stationary bezel framing a grey dial face. Casio Ana-Digi electro-luminescent sport watch has aggressively looking pointed hands as well as small Arabic numerals display along with small minute indexes. This splendid wrist watch also comes with afterglow backlighting.
Its nice looking dial face houses a large digital readout with high legibility of a second time zone, which is non-negotiable a perfect option for every traveler. Casio also features a world time function along with 29 time zones of 27 cities, city code readout as well as day-light saving on/off.

This elegantly made Casio Ana-Digi electro-luminescent sport wrist watch also include some important features with 12 or 24 hour formats, auto calendar available until the year 2039, 60 minute range countdown, four daily alarms along with one snooze alarm as well as 1/100 second stopwatch coming with a 60 hour capacity including elapsed time lap time, first and second place time and split time.

Casio Ana-Digi electro-luminescent sport time piece is a high precision watch with ±30 second accuracy per month. This lovely wrist watch is rated to be water resistant up to 100 meters protecting it from possible splashes and can be used for swimming, snorkeling and even limited depth diving.

This sporty monster is powered by Quartz movement and is covered by a one year warranty. You will be able to protect your Casio with the help of mineral crystal preventing it from being scratched. This digital watch is designed for men and weighs 16 ounces, has a 42 mm case diameter, 22, 6 mm band width with case thickness of 16 mm.

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Review: Western Digital My DVR Expander 1TB eSATA

The My DVR 1TB expander from Western Digital is an easy and cost-effective way to add approximately 1,100 hours of SD recording capacity or 140 hours of HD recording capacity to your TiVo HD, TiVo HD XL, or TiVo Series3.

At only $169.99, it provides you with a cheaper alternative to get the same recording capacity of a TiVo HD XL (which carries a $200 premium over the TiVo HD) with the purchase of a TiVo HD that you can later expand.

The My DVR Expander sits external to your TiVo and is about the size of a large paperback book – 5.6 inches x 2.2 inches x 6.8 inches. It needs to be plugged into your AC and into the eSATA port on the back of your TiVo.

Once the device is properly setup, you basically forget that it is there. Kudos to the designers for not putting any annoying bright and blinky LEDs on the front. It simply has a soft amber glow indicating that it is powered on. It also has no buttons or switches to confuse you and runs extremely quietly. I tested this by letting it run just a few feet from my bed and it never disturbed me.

The process of hooking up the My DVR Expander is not at all like adding external storage to a PC… in which the external device gets a new drive letter and you have to manage how you will distribute your storage across the multiple volumes. In true TiVo fashion, the recordings simply “spread out” across all available storage. It is nothing that you have to think about our manage.

The downside of the content being spread across all volumes (i.e. “striped” across your internal drive and the external expander) is that if you unplug the My DVR device from your TiVo, several things happen:

• You can’t take any recordings with you to another TiVo or to a PC. (This is probably on purpose due to content restrictions.)
• You lose most if not all of what is recorded on your TiVo. (This seems like an oversight to me. There should be an advanced menu setting on the TiVo that lets you safely detach the volume and copy back anything that you have space for on the primary drive.)

The fact that you lose most if not all of what is recorded on your TiVo is the most surprising. I would hope that this will be addressed in a future revision of the TiVo software. It seems they’ve made it way too hard for you to ever upgrade to a larger Western Digital My DVR expander that might come to market down the road. (There is reason to believe this could happen given that they’ve recently upgraded from a 500GB product to the 1TB model that I reviewed.)

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Duracell unveils a new auto USB car charger

If you travel a lot for your job, you probably carry several important gizmos that require a USB connection to keep them charged up. So you undoubtedly understand the importance of keeping these gadgets charged between appointments. Duracell also understands the importance of having some power insurance, just in case you can’t recharge your gadgets with your standard wall charger.

Duracell has announced a new USB Auto Car Charger that is a low profile charger that fits almost entirely inside the DC outlet of a car or other vehicle. When you plug in the charger to the outlet, the device illuminates with a blue light so you know that it’s got the juice to pass on to your USB powered devices. The charger includes three different connectors so that it will work with devices that support standard USB, mini USB, or micro USB ports.

Unfortunately Duracell has not announced when their new USB auto charger will be released or the price point. But once it does, this is something you should definitely keep on hand if your access to AC outlets is limited.

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Mozilla aims for stability with Firefox multi-processor project

Mozilla has started a new project called Content Processes that will see a version of Firefox developed that takes advantage of multi-processors and splits the content displayed in each tab and the UI between different processes on your PC.

The project, which will see Firefox start to work in the same way as Google Chrome, has several advantages over the current Firefox implementation. The main one is a much higher level of stability and a crash in one browser tab not meaning an end to your entire Firefox session. The responsiveness of the UI is also expected to be improved and overall performance on a multi-core machine will be noticeably better.

The first deadline for this new version is July 15th, but it won’t be a fully featured version. On the project page Mozilla’s goal for that deadline is as follows:

Get something hacked together as quickly as possible. This is probably not the Firefox chrome, but a really simplistic page with a URL bar.

Realistically we can’t expect to see a usable version with multi-processor support until sometime next year, but it’s good to see Mozilla working on such an enhancement. Read more at Mozilla Links

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Intel, Microsoft, Dell and Panasonic looking for WiGig - faster home wireless

We have Wi-Fi, WiMAX, WirelessHD, WHDI, but the new buzzword for higher-speed at-home wireless networking is WiGig — short for Wireless Gigabit Alliance. And not just for peripherals, but also for cell phones, TVs and video cameras; basically anything that has wireless data transmission needs.

WiGig is the name given to a new association created to develop “an even faster wireless technology”, that is expected to be at least 10x faster than Wi-Fi. It’s greatest strength (and potential weakness in some people’s eyes) is that it will only operate over short distances, such as within a single room (or possibly two) by operating in the 60 GHz band.

Intel, Microsoft, Dell and Panasonic have all teamed up to form the association. Their effort will compete against other approaches to in-home wireless data transmission, including SiBEAM’s WirelessHD — which connects set-top boxes and Blu-ray players to TVs; and Amimon’s WHDI, which uses a Wi-Fi-like technology for the same purpose.

WiGig will provide enough bandwidth to fully transmit an entire DVD in 15 seconds, which is about 6 Gigabits per second. Its range will be limited to about 30 feet max, with notably drop-offs in throughput beyond 15-20 feet. Within 10 feet it will have its strongest transmission range, making it ideal for nearby entertainment center components.

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Microsoft renames new WGA “Windows Activation Technology”

Any one who runs Windows as an OS for the past few years will be well aware of what Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is. But Microsoft have decided that the name no longer fits the functionality and will be changing it for Windows 7.

The new name we’ll have to get used to is Windows Activation Technology (WAT), which was announced via a Q&A session with Joe Williams, general manager for Worldwide Genuine Windows at Microsoft. One of the questions asked was whether the anti-piracy experience on Windows 7 was similar to Windows Genuine Advantage on Windows XP. He responded by saying:

Fundamentally the goals are the same. The guiding principle is to enable the customer to know when the software they are using is genuine and licensed and help them to do something about it if it’s not. However the technology used in Windows Vista and Windows 7 is fundamentally different from that used with Windows XP. It consists of new code and the latest methods for protecting Windows in ways that can only really be achieved with the components that are built in to both Windows Vista and now Windows 7. For that reason the anti-piracy features in Windows 7 — and future versions of updates of the technology for Windows Vista — will be referred to more accurately as Windows Activation Technologies. We will continue releasing Window Genuine Advantage updates for Windows XP-based systems.

We can therefore expect to see WAT rolled out with Windows 7, but also appear for Windows Vista too. Ultimately, Microsoft want to make it easier to ensure your copy of Windows is genuine and hope that WAT will achieve that goal.

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ASUS gets first WHQL motherboard certification for 32-bit Windows 7

ASUS Tek Computer announced this week that they have become the first motherboard manufacturer to obtain WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) certification for 32-bit Windows 7. ASUS’ P5Q PRO and P5Q SE PLUS have received the coveted seal of approval. The company is expecting other models to be certified soon.

Hardware undergoes specific tests by the manufacturer and stringent testing by Microsoft before being allowed to use the “Compatible with Windows 7″ logo. To ensure that ASUS motherboard users “will enjoy a complete and flawless Windows 7 experience when the operating system is officially launched,” ASUS is striving to obtain certification for its entire line of motherboards.

The Windows 7 Logo Program is supposed to ensure that companies who are awarded the use of the logo have products that are reliable and compatible with Microsoft. Companies that meet the requirements get to use the logo, and benefit from the market recognition, and consumer confidence it supposedly brings to a product.

For now, Microsoft has only blessed ASUS’ two models. One is the P5Q SE PLUS, with an Intel Core 2 Extreme/Intel Core 2 Quad, or Intel Core 2 Duo Processor; the Intel P45/ICH10 chip set; Gb LAN, with a 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 graphics slot. Its memory stands at 16GB, DDR2 1200 MHz. The front side bus (FBS) is 1600 MHz. The second winner, the P5Q PRO runs the same CPU, FSB, LAN and memory. Its chip set is the Intel P45/ICH10R, and the graphics slot is 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16.

ASUS also was joined this month by DTS thereby incorporating the Surround Sensation Ultra PC into their P5Q Turbo and the latest M4 Series. The partnership will entertain users with a surround effect from just two speakers or even headphones. DTS was founded in 1993 and pioneered in multi-channel audio. They’ve expanded their repertoire to include home theater, car audio, PC and game console products. More recent products involve DVD-Video, Blu-ray Disc and Surround Music software.

In addition to motherboards, ASUS is also involved in a broad spectrum of products from PC components to complete solutions including desktops, smartphones, PDAs, broadband communications products, LCD monitors and notebooks, notably the Eee PC. The huge company has over 10,000 employees and revenues of $8 million. They probably know how to cash in on today’s WHQL certification.

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Best Buy launches first Palm Pre marketing page

The folks over at Palm’s ad agency Edelman, are clearly staying right on top of the Palm Pre rumor mill. In the past week, Geek.com had a story about the Pre’s wireless battery charger arriving at Best Buy on June 7th and over at Precentral’s forum, there are comments about Sprint and Palm sending email invitations to a contest all about winning a Pre.

In other news Treonauts has a story about Best Buy’s Palm Pre marketing page. We did some checking and found Best Buy’s Pre page and then drove to our local Best Buy mobile store and asked a friend behind the counter what was happening. She confirmed that employees were being trained on the Palm Pre specifications and accessories. She also said that the accessories were scheduled to arrive between June 5 and June 10. When we asked what she knew about the Palm Pre smartphone launch date–her comment was that talking specifically about that product was not worth the grief from corporate management.

Boy Genius Report claims that Bell Canada will be getting their first shipment in August. BGR also showed photos of the Palm Pre boxes which originally came from a Chinese website.

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