Swirly Bits On Technology

Free Download Google Chrome OS | Get Google Chrome OS for Free

2009-11-20T07:39:00.000-08:00

Google Chrome OS was finally unveiled today and is now already compiled as a VMWare image! TO be able to use Google Chrome Os, first you will need VMWare running on your computer whether its PC, Mac or Linux. Then create an account and download image from http://gdgt.com/google/chrome-os/download/. Google also has released the operating system’s code as an open source document for external developers to get cracking.

Google Chrome OS can now be downloaded from the following sites: [P*Bay, Techcrunch]

Philips Prestigo 15-Device Universal Remote

2009-10-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

Features:

The 15 in 1 controller provides the convenience of controlling up to 15 home entertainment devices with one remote control
The remote control incorporates a library of channel icons for most countries’ main TV stations; via the color LCD screen you can program the right channel icons for the right channel
The universal IR code database refers to a library of infrared codes built-in to a particular remote. This feature allows the remote to control your equipment without needing to learn individual signals
Unlike other universal remote controls, where a 3-digit code needs to be input to identify a brand and device, this remote incorporates on-device step-by-step instructions to setup your equipment, regardless of brand
High resolution quality ( 2.0 inch high resolution, 220×175 pixel TFT display) ensures great readability of the content on the screen
The rotary wheel cursor enables you to navigate through the setup menu and the device pages, in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions
Backlighting illuminates the LCD screen and keypad for use in the dark (Backlight color: White)

Specifications:

Display Type: LCD
Channel icon library: 400
Programmable channel icons: 100
Number of activities: 15
On-Screen Display languages: English, Dutch, German, French, Italian, Spanish
Battery low indication
Batteries: (3) AA / LR6 Alkaline (Not Included)
Battery saving manager: Auto switch on/off
Operating distance: 33 ft (10 m)
Carrier frequency range: 19kHz – 455 kHz
Transmitting LEDs: 2
Flash memory size: 4 MB
Dimensions: (W) 2” x (L) 9.5” x (H) 1”
Weight: 0.35 lbs

T-Mobile Sidekick - T-Mobile.com/Sidekick

2009-10-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

T-Mobile Sidekick is very useful device which are helpful to connect your friends, relatives and others anywhere in the world instantly.

Fast facts about the T-Mobile Sidekick

T-Mobile’s Sidekicks have been faction favorites stretching all the way back to the original grayscale model
The Sidekick users feel like a genuinely high-end device, a soft-touch coating with a tasteful, subdued metallic finish and tasteful chrome accents on the top, bottom, and d-pad.
You find the two shoulder buttons as you expect of any proper Sidekick on the top edge of any device.
T-Mobile’s keyboard is interesting, because it’s essentially nothing more than a membrane with raised dimples for keys, but it somehow works extremely well.
In recent memory, Sidekick moves from icon to icon are an animated operation.

Introducing the Powermat Wireless Charger

2009-10-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

A revolutionary new way to wirelessly charge all your favorite devices from one power source without the tangled mess of wires!

Sound to good to be true? Not if you have an extra couple hundred bucks to spend. The Powermat charges via magnetic induction and requires a special receiver case be put on your device(s) to charge. When you place it on the mat, the magic begins and the power from induction charges your battery to full without needing separate chargers--one outlet charges up to three devices at a time. The receiver enables the charger to provide the proper charge and stop charging at the right time.

While it might sound like some sort of concept or vaporware, the Powermat is actually available now via the Powermat website or at Amazon. The charger itself runs $100 and includes the Powercube, which is a receiver that offers 8 different tips to use with a variety of devices (not quite wireless, but close enough). Receiver cases for devices such as iPhones and Blackberries are also available separately and retail for $30 to $40.

While the Powermat isn't necessarily the cheapest charging solution, it certainly is a convenient travel charger.

Chris Weiss

Innovations in Sports, Fitness and Technlogy
InventorSpot.com

Slow DSL / Internet Connection? Get cFosSpeed (Free Download)

2009-10-10T04:29:00.000-07:00

cFosSpeed is a Traffic Shaping driver for DSL modems and routers.

Internet acceleration and advanced Traffic Shaping for: USB DSL Modems, Routers and LAN DSL Modems.

Features:

· Perfect for online gamers!
· Extended Traffic Shaping for DSL modems, cable modems & routers
· Highly responsive when used with online games and filesharing (P2P) like eMule, Kazaa or Bittorrent
· Minimal ping times for streaming audio & video, Voice over IP (VoIP), Internet Radio, etc.
· Individual program prioritization

Details:

Author: cFos Software
License: Shareware
Size: 2.47 MB
OS: Windows 2000/03/08/XP/7

Download Now >>

Programmers are Tiny Gods

2009-10-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

Derek Powazek last week quoted in his blog "Programmers are tiny gods" which now sparked interesting discussions across the development world online.
He quoted:

Programmers are the Gods of their tiny worlds. They create something out of nothing. In their command-line universe, they say when it’s sunny and when it rains. And the tiny universe complies ... So if you’re working with a programmer, you have to treat him or her like a God. You have to pray. You cannot issue edicts. You have to come on bended knee. “Here’s the problem I have. I need a solution. Please help.”

This certainly put some perspective (albeit different and arguable) on the relationship of the development team with management and other teams (QA and Designer). It's a nice insight into the psyche of many development organizations. This is meshing with a sentiment I’ve heard a lot lately: “Don’t tell me what to build. Tell me what you need built.” It’s a subtle distinction that replaces the feeling of micromanagement with one of empowerment.

The good news is, programmers want their work to be used, and the good ones know that the design matters. So programmers and designers actually have the same goal: getting the stuff used. If each can honor the talents of the other, great things can happen.

Free Download Namo Webeditor Suite 8

2009-10-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Namo Description:

Namo WebEditor 8 is one of the most complete Web authoring applications ever created and quite possibly the only software you will need to create, edit, publish and manage your websites. An integrated development environment empowers Web professionals to create cutting-edge sites. Easy-to-use functions enable beginners to grow into highly-skilled Web designers.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Complete List of Facebook Emoticons

2009-09-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

Here's the complete list of facebook emoticons: (Cheat Sheet)

smile :-) :) :] =)

frown :-( :( :[ =(

tongue :-P :P :-p :p =P

grin :-D :D =D

gasp :-O :O :-o :o

wink ;-) ;)

glasses 8-) 8) B-) B)

sunglasses 8-| 8| B-| B|

grumpy >:( >:-(

squint -_-

unsure :/ :-/ :\ :-\

cry :'(

devil 3:) 3:-)

angel O:) O:-)

kiss :-* :*

heart <3

kiki ^_^

confused o.O O.o

upset >:O >:-O >:o

pacman :v

curly lips :3

robot :|]

Chris Putnam :putnam:

Shark (^^^)

Penguin <(")

Super Yacht Eclipse

2009-09-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

Captain Jack Sparrow would be dropping his jaws once he sees this, the largest and most expensive yacht in the world. Due to be delivered in 2010, it will have two helicopter pads, 11 guest cabins, two swimming pools, several hot tubs and a disco hall, several launch boats, and a mini-submarine to boot. The super yacht is expected to be the largest in the world at more than 500 feet in lenght.

The yacht is owned by Roman Abramovich, a Russian billionaire and owner of investing company Millhouse LLC, named the second richest person in UK before the financial crisis.

New Google Feature: Anchor Links to Search Results

2009-09-26T04:23:00.000-07:00

I don't know if anyone noticed yet, but Google added a new feature to it's Search tool. Users will now be able to quickly jump to the information they are looking for coming from Google search results. This capability was based around the anchor links on the landing pages. So let's say users are looking for information about LHC; instead of landing on the topmost of the page, they can now go straight to the information that they need. Very useful if your running through very long articles (e.g. Wikipedia).

New Archos 5 Phone Tablet based on Android OS

2009-09-26T01:29:00.000-07:00

Archos has just released information on their latest product: Archos Phone Tabled based on Android OS.

The product at hand boasts 3.5G technology, 1 GHz ARM Cortex processor and a 4.3 inches touch screen. Oh and yeah you can still make phone calls on this one.

Moblin 2 Has Arrived! Mini 10v Netbook

2009-09-26T01:05:00.000-07:00

Dell recently announced the their newest notebook line based on Ubuntu-Moblin named Mini 10v netbook.

For those who did not know about Moblin, (Mobile Linux) is an OS and Application stack specially designed for Netbooks and other Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs). The main goal of the project is to minimize power consumption and boot times, thereby increasing power life on MIDs.

Moblin's second release now featured GNOME Mobile UI instead of Xfce desktop environment.

More Features:

MyZone Screenpanel

Mobile Image Creator
Better Power Management Implementation
GTK based UI Framework
Mozilla-based browser with Finger-driven UI
Helix and GStreamer Multimedia Framework

More information at Dell website for Linux

Microsoft Office 2010 Release

2009-09-26T00:42:00.000-07:00

MS Office 2007 Service pack 2 was just released. But what's buzzing around the Microsoft world is the released screens for the alpha (technical preview) of Microsoft Office. One interesting feature to note to the readers is that Outlook 2010 will have voice mail built-in!

Here's are the screens for the all new Microsoft Office 2010:

MS Word 2010 Splash:

Outlook with Voicemail:

Car PC Project Series: Centrafuse Part 3

2009-09-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

Part 1: Car PC Project Series: Centrafuse Part 1

Part 2: Car PC Project Series: Centrafuse Part 2

6. OBDII-Engine Diagnostic
Now this is where it gets interesting. Centrafuse supports OBDII via elm devices. The device connects to your OBDII interface port (Where can I find OBD II Port? On Ford Escape, the car's OBDII port can be found right under the open hood latch under the steering wheel) and sends the signal to the laptop via bluetooth. You will be able to read engine diagnostics/trouble codes in near real-time. Here's the screenshot of the OBD diagnostics (I'm using ecuemulator to generate OBD data).

7. Digital Gauge
Centrafuse currently does not have digital gauges built-in their software. I did a bit of research and found this forum. With little tweaks and more research, I was able to place the initial gauges on the interface. I'll update this once I have the final design, but in theory, you can make different gauges as long as you can get the OBD II data.

Part 1: Car PC Project Series: Centrafuse Part 1

Part 2: Car PC Project Series: Centrafuse Part 2

P.S.

I will post updates for GPS Installation on Centrafuse. Just visit this link regularly.

Car PC Project Series: Centrafuse Part 2

2009-09-25T15:09:00.001-07:00

Car PC Project Part 3: OBDII/Digital Gauges

Go Back to Part 1: Installation/Phone

3. Internet Setup
This is great if you have Broadband 3G USB (WeRoam,SmartBro,Tattoo) you can attach to the PC to enable wireless internet on the go. Centrafuse should be able to automatically detect this once you set up the connection in Windows.

4. Weather Report
Very useful. Automatic download of weather information once you have the internet setup.The only configuration required is to set the location:

Go to Settings->Weather->Setup->Click Location->Your location->Save

5. Camera Setup

Centrafuse automatically detects camera devices attached to the PC. However, the camera on my the pc is built in on top of the monitor (not really useful if I wanted to have the video mounted at the back of the car). So you need to buy wireless cam and video grabber . Video grabber connects to your PC via USB and then the rca of the video grabber is connected to the receiver. Windows will detect it as another video source. If you don't feel the need to set a camera you can skip this, I just thought it'd be cool to have this implemented on the setup.

Car PC Project Part 3: OBDII/Digital Gauges

Go Back to Part 1: Installation/Phone

Car PC Project Series: Centrafuse Part 1

2009-09-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

Car PC Project Part 2: Centrafuse Internet/Weather/Camera

Car PC Project Part 3: OBDII/Digital Gauges

I recently bought Acer Aspire One for my car PC project. My plan is to mount the thing on my dashboard so now I'm still looking for mounting kit or probably have one customized (fabricated) for my dashboard. What I have in mind before engaging in this project are the ff:

Set-up a low cost-high value carputer.
Real-time monitoring of engine performance.
Integrate GPS/Phone/Music/Movies/Internet/Email/Camera/Engine monitoring in one solution.
Cool digital gauges.
Finish the whole project without actually ruining my dashboard. Hopefully I won't make a single drill on my dashboard before the end of this project

Total Cost of Setup:

Acer NetBook - 20K Php
OBDII Bluetooth Dongle - 6K Php
Wireless Cam - 2K Php
Video Grabber - 1K Php
Mounting - 1K Php
Does not include phone with GPS support: Nokia E71 or N9x series which I already have
Total - 30K Php or ~650USD

Now, the main question is to go with Centrafuse or to go with the set-up the as with my previous post. What I liked about Centrafuse is that it provides all-in-one carputer interface. I will be able to integrate the phone and Garmin GPS, iPod, and OBDII gauge into the system with little effort.

Centrafuse Installation:

1. Installation of Centrafuse to the PC - Check
Installation of Centrafuse is very straight forward. Just follow the installation instruction. You can download a copy at Fluxmedia.After installation you will configure the location of Music/Videos/Picture so it'd be pretty nifty if you keep those files in one place or one folder each.

Here's the screenshots of my installed Centrafuse.

Music Player

2. Linking my phone to centrafuse via bluetooth - Check
Centrafuse installs it's own stack of bluetooth drivers. To pair the phone, make sure the bluetooth is turned on both the laptop and the phone. Note: I did a restart of centrafuse after configuration to check if bluetooth automatically connects everytime Centrafuse is started.

At Centrafuse screen, go to Centrafuse Settings
Scrolldown and select phone-> click Setup
Enable phone->On
Auto connect phone->On
Click to Search for Phones (It will show all devices found via bluetooth) -> Click Pair
After pairing - click to Select Default Stored Phone and select the paired device
Save the configuration.

After this you should be able to see the Phone Signal, Headset and Battery icon at the top of the screen:

Car PC Project Part 2: Centrafuse Internet/Weather/Camera

Car PC Project Part 3: OBDII/Digital Gauges

Building a Car PC

2009-09-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

Just recently I'm scouring over the net for articles about building a car PC until I stumbled this video at YouTube. Check this video of Carl Vanderveldon about building a Car PC with voice recognition:

Read More for Hardware and Softwares used.

Building A Car PC: Things Needed

2009-09-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

Car PC or Laptop
LCD Monitor
Internet USB Dongle - To connect to internet via phone
GPS USB Dongle - GPS Tracking
Condenser Mic - Improves voice recognition performance

Voice Recognition Software:

e-speaking

Boot Windows 7 in 1 second!

2009-09-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

I'm probably over-reacting Slashdot news posted a story about demo of Pheonix Technologies at IDF being able to boot-up Windows 7 desktop in less than 10 seconds using Lenovo T400 with SSD. This was made possible by the new Phoenix Technologies: Instant Boot Bios with new UEFI implementation. For the full news, visit engadget, and watch the video here.