portable-computing

RNKVoIP to Unveil VoIP2Go

Equipment Free Service Will Let Callers Make VoIP Calls Around the World from Any Phone, Even a Cell Phone!

DEDHAM, Mass., March 16 -- RNKVoIP today announced it is preparing to launch its newest product, VoIP2Go(TM), a service that will make VoIP available to all callers, even those without broadband. VoIP2Go will let consumers make VoIP calls virtually anywhere around the world from virtually any phone. The VoIP2Go service will work with all popular cell phone services as well as all wireline telephone services and will require no additional equipment.

Wireless Networks on Airliners

When wireless hot-spots started springing up in cities circa 2001, this shift had dramatic impact on the way people interacted. Released from their wireline chains, people were no longer constrained to use their computers in isolation.

In May 2006, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will auction airwave spectrum to allow broadband Wi-Fi on airplanes flying over North America on a ground-to-air network.

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Related post: Wireless Networks on Airliners

Microsoft unfolds Origami to reveal ultra-compact PC running full XP

Microsoft Corp. finally took the wraps off its mysterious Project Origami on Thursday, unveiling a computer that's about the size of a large paperback book but runs a full version of the Windows XP operating system.

The ultra-compact, wireless-enabled PC is everything a full computer or laptop is, minus the keyboard. Weighing about 1.1 kilograms, the 2.5-centimetre thick device sports a 18-centimetre touch-sensitive screen that responds to a stylus or the tap of a finger.

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Hands-on with Intel's UMPC prototype

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Intel showed off its vision of the ultramobile portable computer today, and CNET got a good look at the mini-tablet, which has a 7-inch display, runs Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and offers full internet connectivity. While the devices -- which CNET referred to as "Origami-like" -- are fully functional, they're clearly prototypes: battery life is limited to a paltry 15 minutes. However, Intel execs said that early production models should have three-hour batteries and retail for under $1,000, while versions with all-day batteries and lower price tags (including that $500 sweet spot) should be available next year. According to CNET, versions of the UMPC will ship "in the next few weeks," so if you want to get your hands on one, you may not have to wait too much longer.

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Complexity causes 50% of product returns

Half of all malfunctioning products returned to stores by consumers are in full working order, but customers can't figure out how to operate the devices, a scientist said on Monday.

Product complaints and returns are often caused by poor design, but companies frequently dismiss them as "nuisance calls", Elke den Ouden found in her thesis at the Technical University of Eindhoven in the south of the Netherlands.

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New! Zenview Command Center Elite

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I want one of these!

The Zenview Command Center Elite combines six 24-inch Samsung displays into one. Each display runs at 1920x1200 pixels, you do the math to multiply that times six. The screens have a 1000:1 contrast ration and 6 millisecond response times.

Street-legal gadgets for the car

If you're the kind of gadget junkie who can't go anywhere (including your car) without your full complement of MP3, satellite radio and CD players, cell phone and more, MP3Car.com may have your back.

At the Demo '06 conference here, the company unveiled its Streetdeck automotive enabler box. Essentially, it's a one-stop shop for integrating all those devices while you drive, regardless of the kind of connection they require: USB, Bluetooth or others.

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Cellphone Jammer

Wouldn't you like to have one of these when some turkey in the movie theater pulls out his cell phone and babbles on forever?

The CX 200 Portable Director II is now available in Japan. This device reportedly jams the popular Japanese cell phone frequencies for 70 seconds. You can buy one (in Japan) for $71 in U.S. greenbacks.

World’s Smallest GPS Receiver

Rakon, a New Zealand company, has developed the world's smallest GPS receiver. Claimed to be as tiny as the size of a baby's fingernail, the GPS receiver chip is small enough to be fitted into devices such as watches and cellphones. As GPS becomes commonplace in our everyday gadgets, we can be sure that things will get a little more interesting.

FCC's new spectrum auction to bring broadband to planes

The FCC is gearing up for one of their spectrum auctions that always get the big telecoms in a tizzy. This new auction is for the airwaves currently being used to hit planes with incredibly expensive phone service. Verizon is the culprit there, but they'd like to get in on this new auction to be able to offer broadband to planes, which sounds good to us, though based on their phone charges, internet might cost more than the flight itself.

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