Best Gadgets World

Xandros is currently in the process of purchasing Linspire. The agreement, which was signed on June 19 would require Linspire to change their name to Digital Cornerstone Inc, however as of now a purchase price has not been made public. Linspire was originally founded by Michael Robertson and was initially called Lindows, until a certain company forced them to change their name to Linspire.

While Linspire is certainly not as commonly know of a Linux distribution as Ubuntu or Xandros, this sale could potentially mean some interesting things when it comes to making Linux easy to use for non-technical people. Xandros has done good things recently with the Eee PC, but they could take one important item from Linspire and make it even easier for everyone. That feature is called CNR, or Click n Run and it allows for a one-click installation of thousands and thousands of software titles. Think of how much easier the Eee PC could be with a one-click application installer.

Of course, details of the transaction have not yet been made public, and Xandros has not announced any plans they have for the future of Linspire, the current Linspire customers or the possible integration of some Linspire features into Xandros.

Read [Michael Robertson] Read [Slashdot]

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by Donald Melanson, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 2:54PM
Pentax’s K200D has been out and about for a little while now, but if you’re still undecided about taking the plunge on the mid-range DSLR, you may want to pay a visit to Photography Blog, which has just put the camera through its paces. On the whole, they seem to have come away pretty impressed with it, saying that it offers a “substantial number of improvements” over the previous K100D, which they say was already an excellent camera to begin with. In addition to the bump to 10-megapixels, the site seems to have been particularly impressed by the camera’s new Sv shooting mode, “greatly improved battery life,” and some new dust and water-resistant weatherproof sealing. On the downside, there’s still no Live View mode, but considering the price (around $600 street), it seems like this one is a solid bet.

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

FROM GAMERTELL - An Austrailain research company found that the PS3 is the biggest energy offender, followed by the…
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A few months ago, I got pulled over for speeding on the highway. The officer told me that the speed limit was 45 mph, but I could have sworn it was 55, maybe even 65. Of course, the officer was not about to let me go back and check, and as it turned out, I think I had just missed the 45 mph speed limit sign.

Needless to say, I settled the ticket out of court, but it would have been nice to have some device on my dashboard that tells me what the speed limit is. Granted, that might condemn me on my next ticket. It would be hard to convince an officer that I didn’t know what the speed limit was when it’s glowing on my dashboard. However, if that number is less than what the officer says the speed limit is, I would be so vindicated!

That is exactly what Vauxhall Motors, a British subsidiary of General Motors, has done. This speed limit detector can take 30 pictures a second, and then analyze these pictures with image recognition software. Once it detects the speed limit on the signs, it posts the correct number on the dashboard.

The Vauxhall speed limit detector is planned to appear on the upcoming Insignia sedan, and could be available on 2010 models of United States cars.

Source

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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!

Internet users usually hit a brick wall when trying to search for content that is embedded in Adobe Flash media. Content of this type, whether in SWF or the more common FLV format, are never really available for web-crawling search engines to access. Well, not anymore.

Adobe is teaming up with search giants Google and Yahoo start indexing Flash content and run the Adobe Flash Player on their servers at runtime. Initially, this will mean not only the ability to search Flash content but better search returns for your queries.

The jury is still out whether this move will have huge or limited impact, initial signs bode well, especially when one realizes that there is a wealth of training, e-learning, and marketing content all on the Flash medium.

Google will begin offering Flash search capabilities within the week while Yahoo plans to do so in a future update to Yahoo Search.

Read [InfoWorld]

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If only the old pulp novelists had gadgets like this to work with. Can you imagine how much shorter mystery stories of the past would be with modern forensics? Forget the heavy thinking detective. Technology is the Sherlock Holmes of modern times.

Japanese company Carrot Systems (apparently ran by bunny rabbits) has produced a flashlight with an integrated video camera and a sleek streamline design. The flashlight is touted as an awesome tool for crime scene investigators who want to capture a dynamic peek of any dark and seedy crime locations.

The AD-1500 Video Flashlight records video with its mini CMOS camera and built-in microphone. As long as you’re not too intrigued by the rookie puking over in the corner, you could pick up every single bit of crime information, literally not being left in the dark. The camera records in MP4 format right onto microSD cards. Up to 2GB of video time, or around 180 minutes.

Now hold onto your socks for some heavy hitting specs. The AD-1500 features 128 MB of on board storage, 300,000 pixels, 640×480 resolution, photo storage in JPEG, USB compatibility, and a special infra-red mode which works in ranges of 4 meters. Cha-ching! This is the jackpot for forensic detectives. Cost? You’ll be looking at about $800.

Product Page via CrunchGear

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Sometimes Sci-Fi themed speakers can come off overly cheesy.  Usually due to too many details on very cheap materials.  This new USB speaker is fairly simple in looks and manages to just look cool without being over the top.  Somehow, Brando has managed to come out with a lighted speaker without it looking like it should be paired with a blacklight or lava lamp.  Although it still looks overly fitting for a geeky room, it still is not what I’d call tacky.

It doesn’t really look nearly as interesting with the blue light off, and I’m curious how the light looks when it is bright in the room.  I still find it cool though, and it’s not overly expensive.  Which seems to be the other direction that Sci-Fi themed electronics go.  They are either tacky or expensive, one of the two.  Brando’s USB LED Light Tube Speaker is currently being sold for $22.  It comes with all the usual things every other USB speaker comes with, the speaker, a USB power cable as well as an audio cable.  Nothing exciting there, and it probably won’t impress any audiophiles but it is a neat little novelty speaker.

Source: boingboing

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Some people say that Blu-ray might be the DVD killer. It’s already outed HD-DVD and has established itself as the high-def video standard. I’m yet to own a Blu-ray disc myself. Other than the Blu-ray disc that ships with the PS3 and of course the games which come with the logo emblazoned on the covers. But this might just make me give on the HD disc revolution.

Paramount has announced their release of The Godfather Collection: The Coppola Restoration on Blu-ray in 1080p high definition and offering English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround sound. The four disc tome features all three Godfather flicks as well as an extra disc with a truly impressive list of extra features and documentaries.

Each film is show in BD-50 dual-layer presentation, with a frame-by-frame restoration overseen by director Francis Ford Coppola himself, as well as cinematographer Gordon Willis. Each film includes an audio commentary by Copolla, with the fourth disc featuring multiple featurettes, galleries, deleted scenes, storyboards and trailers.

When the Blu-ray discs drop on September 23rd the whole collection will cost you $120. But luckily for you, we’re giving you the early bird special. You can pre-order the Godfather Collection now for the special price of $86.95 from Amazon.

Press Release and Product Page via PS3Fanboy

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FROM GAMERTELL - GoLive2 is releasing Stix 200 and Stix 400 in August, 2008. The controllers act like the Nintendo Wii’s wiimote, and can control Games for Windows titles and games from GoLive2’s Sphere site.
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