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A News.com report on the hottest electronic devices.

February 14, 2006 4:27 PM PST

Access promises new Linux/Palm hybrid

Access, the company that purchased PalmSource last year, has pledged to release a software developer's kit for the Access Linux Platform (ALP) by the end of 2006, hoping to alleviate some of the concerns over the future Palm applications.

The ALP uses a Linux kernel, Access' NetFront browser, and tried-and-true Palm applications such as HotSync and Palm Desktop, Access and PalmSource said in a release from the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona. PalmSource had started the process of converting the Palm OS to a Linux kernel before the Access aquisition was announced last September, but it doesn't look like devices will appear with the new OS until at least early 2007.

ALP was designed with smart phones in mind, but the company hopes it will attract more users than Cobalt, the version of Palm OS that was also supposed to be designed with smart phones in mind. Cobalt never attracted any licensees; Palm added its own code to Garnet, a Palm OS designed for personal digital assistants, in order to support voice calling on its Treo devices. PalmSource-developed telephony software will be used in ALP, Access said.

Current Palm users should be able to use existing applications with ALP devices. "ALP has been designed to ensure that properly written Palm OS 68k applications will run unchanged," the companies said in their release.

Posted by Tom Krazit
February 9, 2006 3:17 PM PST

TiVo wants to find you true love

You watch "Skating with the Stars." He watches "The Sopranos." Can the two of you share a lasting love?

Television preferences may not be the ultimate predictor of a successful union, but anyone who's ever snuggled up to a partner for an hour of "Lost"--or "Wife Swap"--knows the bliss of a shared tube mindset.

Enter TiVo's San Francisco Valentine's Day mixer, where singles will get matched according to their TiVo wish lists. "You can tell a lot about a person from the TV shows they watch!" says the e-mail invite. "Let your 'Now Playing List' be your guide."

The event takes place Monday, Feb. 13 at a downtown bar. Prior to the gathering, registrants are asked to fill out a "TiVo Matchmaker Quiz" that poses such queries as "Name your top three SeasonPass recordings" and "Name your top WishList searches on actor, director or sports team." At the soiree, guests will pick up a personalized "Now Playing List" name badge, which will include "TiVo Suggestions" on the people TiVo thinks could offer you a lifetime of TV harmony. (Don't worry: The names will be hidden on the back-side of your badge, the invite says).

And if you don't find that perfect Renaissance person whose now-playing slate includes "True Hollywood Story" and that latest Discovery Channel expose on semiconductors, you'll still score two free drinks and get automatically entered in a raffle for one of 14 new TiVo boxes.

Posted by Leslie Katz
February 7, 2006 4:55 PM PST

FCC publishes specs on new Windows Mobile phone

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has certified a new Windows Mobile phone with a QWERTY keyboard like the BlackBerry or Treo.

The phone was manufactured by Inventec, which makes notebooks and mobile phones for the major IT vendors. All products that use wireless radios to send data or voice, such as mobile phones or Wi-Fi access points, must be certified by the FCC prior to their official release in the U.S. The agency publishes the results of those tests on its Web site, which allows gadget followers to get an early glimpse of new devices--much to the consternation of their vendors.

Sometimes the photos submitted along with the testing information spill the beans on which carrier intends to sell the new device, but there was no such luck this time. All that could be gleaned from the documents on the site is that the "Mercury" device uses Windows Mobile, comes with a Bluetooth chip and works with GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) networks, such as Cingular and T-Mobile's.

Posted by Tom Krazit
February 7, 2006 4:34 PM PST

Software makes you a virtual virtuoso

Just think how awestruck your neighbors will be when they hear the sweet strains of a Stradivari violin wafting from your window.

They don't need to know you're hooked up to one of the latest releases from music software maker Garritan Orchestral Libraries. Titled Stradivari Solo Violin, the sound-ware puts the richly resonant sounds of one of the world's best violins--dating back 300 years and worth millions--into the hands of any performer with a computer and keyboard.

Garritan software
Credit: Garritan Orchestral Libraries
Garritan's new packages let you
make jazz and big-band sounds.

With the software, composers can personalize their compositions using an array of fingering and bow articulations. Dynamic and timbral changes can be created within a single note or phrase using exclusive "sonic morphing" technology that aligns a series of samples into cohesive real-time performances.

Garritan is also out with new software for creating jazz and big-band sounds. With a complete rhythm section, guitars, a jazz piano, an electric piano, woodwinds, acoustic and electric basses, a vibraphone and Latin percussion, you'll be able to get as Count Basie as you could possibly want.

Garritan's popular flagship product, Garritan Personal Orchestra, has been used by video game designers, ad execs, musicians and TV composers (among the shows whose creative teams have used the package are "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Sex and the City" and "Alias"). Along with its new Stradivari and jazz/big-band offerings, the company has also released a consumer version of Personal Orchestra.

Posted by Leslie Katz
February 6, 2006 12:24 PM PST

Device fights tooth decay with electricity

The day may soon come when plugging into a power socket helps fight tooth decay. Israeli company Fluorinex Active has come up with a device that uses electricity to ionize a fluoride-based gel that forms a lasting protective layer over the teeth.

Tooth tray
Credit: Fluorinex Active

The little gadget looks like the sort of tray that's used for teeth bleaching, and it comes in two models: one with rechargeable batteries, another with an external power supply. The gadget provides a small electrical current (6 to 9 volts) to activate a durable uptake of fluorides that adhere chemically to a tooth's mineral layer.

The treatment will be administered by a dentist once every few years, and the protection should last up to five years--longer than the adherence in existing methods, the company says. The new device is currently undergoing clinical trials at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and it should be ready for commercial use in about a year and a half.

Posted by Leslie Katz
February 2, 2006 4:44 PM PST

The Onion takes on the BlackBerry

Worried about losing your connection to the outside world through your BlackBerry? The fine folks at The Onion have some suggestions for possible solutions to your dilemma.

Check it out on The Onion's site. My favorite was "Attempt to contact broker on astral plane through right combination of incense, cocaine, and fatted-calf sacrifice."

Posted by Tom Krazit
February 2, 2006 3:03 PM PST

Mini OLED keyboard in living color

Get ready to light up, keyboard lovers. Russian designer Art Lebedev Studio, which last year enticed peripheralites everywhere with the eye-catching Optimus keyboard, has introduced a scaled-down cousin to the product--the Optimus Mini Three, an auxiliary keypad with three keys, each with a color OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen displaying a programmable function.

Optimus Mini Three
Credit: Art Lebedev Studio

Think of the Mini Three as a blank sheet, with you as the artist: Each key can be customized to show a static or animated image and control some function (fetch your e-mail or launch a program, for example). The Mini Three can be situated horizontally or vertically: The images displayed on the keys are rotated using the Optimus Configurator software, which is now available for Windows, with Mac OS and Linux soon to follow.

Starting this week, the gadget can be preordered online for $100 (that price is subject to change after April 2, according to the Art Lebedev Studio site). The Mini Three ships on May 15, with its full-size Optimus counterpart due out by the end of this year.

Posted by Leslie Katz
February 2, 2006 11:29 AM PST

iPaq hw6910 shows up on HP's site, again

One week after Hewlett-Packard inadvertantly leaked confirmation of the forthcoming iPaq hw6910 and hw6915 smart phones, the company has once again posted a reference to the unannounced models.

MobilityToday.com again spotted an HP Web page that appears to be a placeholder for links to support and warranty information for the new models. The hw6900 series iPaqs are updates to HP's hw6500 iPaqs, which combine a cellular phone with a traditional personal digital assistant.

MobilityToday.com also discovered a similar Web page for an unannounced model known as the rw6828, but no details were available on HP's site about that model.

An HP spokesman declined to comment on the unannounced products.

Posted by Tom Krazit
February 1, 2006 2:57 PM PST

Earbuds that sparkle

We've already seen diamond encrusted iPods and iPod cases covered in Swarovski rhinestones. So why not crystal-studded earbuds?

crystalheadset
Credit: Technocel

Chip Chick pointed us to wireless accessory distributor Technocel, which offers just that--crystal earbuds for a suggested price of $19.99.

Deirdre Hutchins, Technocel's director of product management, said her company was initially targeting the crystal earbuds at teenagers. But in a recent focus group, it turned out that women really like them, too. "They saw (them) as a piece of jewelry," she said.

The earbuds are made and branded by Technocel, and can be purchased online at www.cellcheap.com.

Posted by Michelle Meyers
February 1, 2006 1:10 PM PST

Hand-crank unit powers your phone

Ever found yourself out in the boondocks somewhere lacking an electrical outlet but needing to make an important call and knowing you barely had the power to do so? Not a good situation.

Innovative Solutions and Technologies' SideWinder charger is a nifty little hand-crank gadget you can use to charge your phone anytime and anywhere--without a wall socket. The gizmo's not brand new, but you could say it's one small step toward energy independence: You get about six minutes of talk time for two minutes of manual winding, according to Montana-based IST. The SideWinder also has a small LED light for extra illumination. The product works with most cell phone models and is small, light and low-cost, retailing for about $25.

SideWinder
Credit: IST

The SideWinder has generally gotten positive marks. The CNET product team liked its compact size and reusability, but found the device hard to crank. Take note: It won't work on a completely dead battery. Still, it's a nice gizmo for squeezing out some extra talk time in a pinch.

Posted by Leslie Katz
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