Use of cell phones while driving is an emerging highway safety issue.  States are studying the correlation between the use of cell phones while driving and the number of resulting vehicle accidents.  Fourteen states already have laws requiring the use of hands-free cell phone devices while driving.  Drivers know that it’s safer to use a hands-free cell phone, but are often discouraged from using them by the discomfort and difficulty of wearing cumbersome wired or wireless headsets.

Looks like Roadmaster has tossed their hat into the ring with the Roadmaster VR3 LCD Wireless Hands-Free Car Kit. It fits on your car’s sun visor for an instant speaker phone that synchs with all Bluetooth cell phones with the touch of it’s button.  It includes an adjustable cool blue backlit LCD screen to view caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding and last number re-dial and it also supports ringtones.  Its rechargeable lithium ion battery can be charged in the car’s cigarette lighter.  The Roadmaster VR3 LCD Wireless Hands-Free Car Kit Visor (Model VRBT200v) is priced at $69.

Seem’s like a good deal. Here is a link in case your interested: http://www.roadmasterusa.com

Quote:

“Sometimes, if your partners can’t get the job done, you just have to do it yourself. And this is exactly what Microsoft is trying to do with the introduction of the Zune, a portable audio and video player built specifically by Microsoft. Arguably meant for early adopters, the Zune promises a “social” aspect rarely seen by other media players in the form of wireless music sharing. Featuring a large 3-inch screen, the Microsoft Zune allows both music and video playback for under $250 US. This is one player that you are going to want to pay attention to closely. Microsoft’s marketing campaigns will tell you this is the next “hip” thing to get. Read our review to see if the Zune is worth the attention.”

http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/review4144.html

From the Review of the Wii:

“If you’re an HDTV-owning home theater enthusiast who puts surround sound capability, eye-popping technological pizzazz, Blu-ray/DVD support and on-demand access to downloadable music and video content above base game play, this is the point where you can officially stop reading. Beg, plead, whine, cheat, steal from some poor teen who preordered the unit, even. Whatever it takes to get the job done, the system you’re looking to lay hands-on this year is the PlayStation 3. However, should you be a longtime hobbyist chagrined by the industry’s recent focus on cookie-cutter sequels, a gaming neophyte intrigued by this growing interactive entertainment fad, a fan of all-time great franchises like Mario and Zelda or simply an everyday admirer with a passing interest in the subject matter, we’ve got some good news. The Wii is your console of choice, and just the sort of eye-opening kick in the pants the biz has been desperately in need of for, oh, roughly the last half-decade or so. “

Link to the review: http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/review2606.html

In today’s work environment it has become increasingly necessary to bring work typically done at the office out into the field. More and more technology has been brought to the fields of construction, surveying, manufacturing, telecom, etc. This brings an interesting issue to light; how do you work in an unfriendly and potentially harsh environment while not burning through laptops and PDA’s weekly? There are a couple of industrial grade ruggedized laptops available, however they approach close to $4000 fully equipped and may simply be overkill and too bulky to be practical.

Enter the ruggedized PDA. They are small, lightweight and efficient compared their laptop cousins, not to mention they have a longer battery life and are cute as a bug’s ear. We have looked at a rugged PDA in the past from TDS (Tripod Data Systems) Recon 400. That device proved to be a formidable challenger to the elements and stood up well to the abuse we threw at it. TDS has brought out their follow up to the Recon 400 in the form of the new Recon X-Series.

Read our full review of the TDS Recon X-Series Rugged PDA

"An excellent device for power users who need to do email, view and edit Word and Excel documents, view PowerPoint presentations and PDFs on the go and surf the web. Not just a business device, the Cingular 8525 and TyTN are great multimedia playmates with good support for music and video playback. Compared to their MS Smartphone counterparts they’re more easily customizable and there’s a great selection of 3rd party software to extend both business and pleasure use.

As the first 3G PDA phone and smartphone announced in the US, the 8525 has special appeal to those who use the web and email heavily, assuming you’re in a 3G coverage area. The faster processor, HSDPA 3G radio, better camera and Bluetooth 2.0 make it a worthy successor to the Cingular 8125 and company, though only you can decide if the price difference is worth it. The 8125 is also a strong device and if you’re not in a 3G area and don’t crave faster CPU performance it makes a worthy alternative for the budget conscious. The Palm Treo 750v on Cingular should be announced in the next few weeks, extending Cingular’s 3G Windows Mobile Pocket PC phone offerings. Which to get? If you’re a heavy PDA user, the 8525 wins. If you prefer a one-handed phone centric device, the Treo may be worth the wait.”

Read the review at: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/phones/Cingular-8525.htm

Mobio Networks announced the availability of Mobile Movie Times, a mobile application that enables moviegoers to find local movie details and buy tickets on their handsets in three clicks or less. The free service launch is in conjunction with Universal Picture’s Nov. 17 release of Let’s Go To Prison.

Mobile Movie Times “mashes” up Web services needed to get movie listings, reviews, maps and buy tickets by phone. You can search, purchase and have tickets ready and waiting for when you arrive at the theater.

They are using a proprietary technology called Context Synchronized Start (XSS) that imbeds users’ preferences, so that when they launch the application only the pertinent information is displayed based on their profile. Hmmm Sounds kinda cool.

Visit http://www.getmobio.com to download Mobile Movie Times. Also add Mobio as a MySpace friend at http://www.myspace.com/getmobio

From Engadget Mobile:

"Anyone who’s ever made the switch from Palm OS to Windows Mobile goes through the same series of feelings: the initial thrill of being able to keep several applications open at once, followed by the intense frustration of finding out that the little red “X” in the corner doesn’t force an app to actually quit. Microsoft has publicly stated that this “feature” exists because users shouldn’t have to manage their own memory, and while this is an admirable goal, it doesn’t take into account the fact that some folks may actually want to decide what’s running and what’s not. “

Read the rest: Right Here

Funambol, the mobile open source software company, today announced it has been chosen to power mobile applications for OpenMoko, the world’s first integrated open mobile communications platform. Funambol is the recognized leading open source mobile software for delivering mobile applications and services such as mobile email.

The announcement of the OpenMoko mobile communications platform coincides with the unveiling of FIC’s Neo1973 smartphone, which utilizes the full OpenMoko platform.

The Funambol software will allow OpenMoko-based phones to wirelessly synchronize mobile applications and content, starting with PIM (contacts, calendars, etc.) and push email delivery, to synchronization of photos, video, ringtones, music and more. Funambol is based on the open standard SyncML and provides a platform that delivers mobile applications and data regardless of operating system or development environment.

http://www.funambol.com