The Traffic Assist 100 from Becker will be officially launched at the IFA 2008 consumer electronics show in Berlin. Known under the pseudonym “Crocodile”. On the technical side, the Traffic Assist 100 scores points with fast route calculation, an integrated 2 GB memory with pre-loaded data for 42 countries, 3-D Terrain View and 3-D City View with crystal-clear images. The Becker Crocodile features menus and text-to-speech instructions in 28 languages to safely guide user to their destinations. With a price tag of around 300.00 eu, the Becker Crocodile will be available on the market in October 2008.

The Becker Crocodile is based on the Becker Traffic Assist Z 201. Although the rubber-coated, water resistant version can also be used in a car, it is ideally suited for motorbikes. The crystal-clear 4.3 inch widescreen colour display with day and night view features an ingenious graphic guidance system that makes it easier for bikers to read the display in low visibility conditions with a closed visor. Other features including the Lane Info function for safe lane selection on multilane roads, realistic motorway traffic signs and visual/acoustic warning signals for speed limits have been carried over from the precursor model.

The Terrain View display opens up to the horizon in brilliant image quality and is especially helpful when driving over hilly terrain or on winding roads. For better orientation in cities, buildings are displayed as 3-D models.

http://www.mybecker.com/

HotHardware.com has posted their take on Lenovo’s new ultraportable baby, the X200. Here is a quote:

"It is obvious from its feature list that the X200 isn’t quite as advanced, in terms of its mechanical design, as the X300.  Despite being of similar weight and size as the X300, the X200 doesn’t have an internal optical drive, nor is it as thin and it doesn’t even have a touchpad.  It also sports a 12.1” screen like the X61, rather than the 13.3” LCD that the X300 is equipped with. However, the X200 isn’t lacking in its base hardware specification, that’s for sure. It incorporates all of the same communications, networking and connectivity options and features as the X300.  In addition, it’s also built on Intel’s new Centrino 2 platform which offers support for the new Penryn-based Core 2 Duo mobile processor. The X200 is available with the Penryn P8000 series, which is an upgrade of the original Merom mobile Core 2 Duo processors and it offers 3MB L2 cache, a 1066MHz FSB, front-side bus throttling, and the SSE4 instruction set. Most impressive of all, it has a TDP of only 25W, 10W lower than Merom, despite packing more features and higher frequencies.”

Hot Harware found the X200 to be an excellent value with excellent built quality. The X200 had great processor performance with a great battery life. The unit had good connectivity and plenty of features. On the dislike side of the fence they poo poo’d the lack of a touchpad and no built-in optical drive.

Read: Lenovo ThinkPad X200 Ultraportable Notebook

Geek.com has posted up info on Nokia’s new U.S. 3G optimized N79, N85 and N96 handsets. here is a quote:

Today Nokia announced that it will be shipping three 3G optimized Nseries phones to the United States in the fourth quarter of 2008. The phones are:

N79: featuring a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, 10 pre-loaded N-Gage games, FM transmitter, Xpress-On smart covers

N85: featuring a 2.6” OLED screen, N-Gage gaming (with at least 10 games pre-loaded), music with integrated FM transmitter, 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, Dual LED Flash, A-GPS (for geotagging and navigation), WiFi, and an 8GB microSD card

N96: featuring a 2.8” screen, 16 gigabytes internal memory, built-in kick stand, expandable memory card slot, 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, N-Gage games, and more

Read: Nokia N96
Read: Nokia N85
Read: Nokia N79

The S740 is designed for flexible and efficient messaging with its 12-key keypad (ideal for super fast one hand messaging) and full QWERTY keyboard (perfect for those who prefer a two handed messaging experience) both input capabilities ensure efficient and accurate typing, as well as support for POP3, IMAP and Exchange push email.  Instant messaging (IM) and SMS can also be accessed through the familiar 12-key interface on the front of the phone.

The S740 follows the sleek design of HTC’s Touch Diamond. This slim smartphone features a matt black facetted back, a 2.4 inch QVGA display and slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 7.2Mbps HSDPA on the 900 and 2100MHz bands, quadband EDGE, a 3.2-megapixel fixed focus cam, WiFi, GPS. All that run on Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard and a Qualcomm MSM7225, 528 MHz chipset.

The HTC S740 will be available across Europe from September 2008. [Press Release for the HTC S740]

A premium portable navigation device for those looking for both style and substance, the NAVIGON 7200T offers cool features such as Reality View Pro, Lane Assistant Pro and Free Real-Time Traffic Updates for Life. It features a host of next generation features such as Voice Destination Entry, allowing drivers to specify their destination by simply speaking the address, and Landmark View 3D, which brings a new dimension to the map with hundreds of richly-textured 3D landmarks across the U.S. and Canada. The NAVIGON 7200T employs NAVIGON’s next generation software, on average requiring fewer clicks than any other GPS product to enter a destination.

The unit features a 4.3-inch, 16:9 touchscreen display, 2GB of flash storage, a SiRF GRF3i+ GPS chip, microSD card support, 64MB of RAM, powered by a Centrality Titan I 600MHz CPU.

NAVIGON 7200T will sell for $449 (MSRP) in the U.S. and Canada. It hits stores shelves and online retailers in October 2008. Customers can already pre-order NAVIGON 7200T devices at Amazon.com.

http://navigonusa.com/about/news/2008-08-25

HAI (Home Automation, Inc.), has announced it is now shipping a new software product called WL3 for Windows Home Server (HAI Part Number 1112). WL3 is an Add-in for a Windows Home Server that allows you to monitor and control your HAI Home Control System from any device with a web browser, such as a computer, PDA, Smartphone, BlackBerry, iPhone 2.0, iPod Touch, etc.

WL3 allows you to change your home’s temperatures, adjust the lights or security settings, or view any supported camera securely and easily. It also allows you to view cameras in your home of from public IP cameras around town, such as traffic and weather cameras.

WL3 can also record video based on an event and/or send e-mails or text messages. Recorded videos and snapshots are categorized and can be viewed anytime you log in, locally or over the Internet. WL3 continually monitors your home and can inform you of events such as the alarm system being disarmed, or a car entering the garage. Furthermore, WL3 is customizable and allows you to change the user interface by applying different graphic and color schemes, add RSS feeds, weather, sports, news, personal blogs and more. WL3 will retail for $329 and requires an Ethernet enabled HAI home control system and a Windows Home Server.

http://www.homeauto.com

Palm today introduced Treo Pro, with its streamlined design and Palm shortcuts layered on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, Treo Pro is brings email, Wi-Fi and GPS capabilities for all. Treo Pro, which will be available from Vodafone and O2 in Europe and from Telstra in Australia, also will be available in an unlocked version in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific.

The Treo Pro smartphone, based on the Windows Mobile 6.1 platform with:

* One-touch Wi-Fi button—Easy, fast Wi-Fi connection experience (802.11b/g).(1)
* Today screen enhancements—Web search directly from the Today screen.
* Ringer switch—Silences the device immediately.
* Screen saver—Lets users know at a glance - without turning on the device - what time it is and whether you’ve missed a call or have a new SMS/MMS message.
* New voicemail indicator—The center button flashes to let users know that a voicemail is waiting.
* Dedicated email and calendar buttons—Fast one-button access.
* World phone—With high-speed UMTS/HSDPA network capabilities.
* Integrated GPS—Users can access maps, turn-by-turn directions and point-of-interest (POI) searches.

It will be available in the United States in the fall through the Palm online store (http://www.palm.com/store) as well as select Internet, retail and enterprise resellers for a suggested retail price of $549. The U.S. version is unlocked and unsubsidized, simply insert your existing active SIM card and immediately start using their Treo Pro without a new contract.

Matthew Miller over at ZDN posts his thoughts on the whole 3rd party app failure to launch debacle.

Quote:

"I actually still see the issue on my original iPhone, upgraded to the version 2.0.1 firmware and the reinstall method seems to work for me most of the time. I returned my iPhone 3G last week because I found it to be less stable than my other S60 and Windows Mobile devices who can handle 3rd party applications much better since they are now mature platforms. It seems that the iPhone update and 3G device were a bit rushed to market or else the testing with 3rd party applications was limited. I do look forward to a stable iPhone experience, but it seems we will have to wait until at least September to see such a device."

On a related issue Mike Temporale of mobilejaw.com has this to say on WinMo 3rd party apps and stability.

Quote:

"In my recent post about stability, I talked about Windows Mobile and how it is a stable platform. The source of all that instability is poorly written 3rd party applications. To help prove my point, I’m taking on the “No Reboot Challenge”. The idea is simple, no more reboots of my phone for any reason and let’s see how long I can go before it starts acting funny or crashing. Furthermore, I won’t be killing or stopping any process’s. I’ll leave that up to Windows Mobile and Microsoft to see if they truly know best when it comes to managing memory on the device. The only applications that I will close are ones that have an Exit option in the menu."

Techware Labs has posted up their side by side comparison of the iPhone and iPhone 3G.

Quote:

"So your probably sitting back in your chair wondering “Why would you buy the new iPhone if you already have the old one?” Don’t worry, I’ve asked myself the same question. The lower price of $199 makes the iPhone extremely appealing to impulse buyers, however the additional $10 a month for the 3G iPhone plan cancels out the reduced price. Additionally the price of $199 is only available to those that are eligible for an upgrade, already own the original iPhone, or to those that want to sign up for a new contract. If you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, much like I was, on whether or not to upgrade from the older first generation iPhone to the new one, here’s my advice - don’t do it. The only new features are GPS (not even a real turn-by-turn GPS), and the 3G speeds, which eats up your battery. If I hadn’t signed the 2-year contract already with AT&T, I would go back to the old iPhone and save the $10 a month.”

They seem to do a nice job of making the rundown of the two units, give it a read: iPhone vs iPhone 3G @ Techware Labs

The lads over at TheTechLounge have put up their thought on the HTC P3450 Touch Smartphone. The HTC Touch seemed to bring in a possitive feel for its excellent call quality, attractive looks, accessories galore in the box, and that TouchFLO is just darned fun to use. Not all was perfect however the unit was hampered by its small screen, lack of keyboard, wird SD card positioning, and hefty price tag.

Quote: Timing is everything. The HTC Touch was introduced on June 5th of last year, 24 days before the first iPhone launched in the US. The device bears great similarity to its cousin from Cupertino, from the simple, largely button-free hardware to an overall focus on operation with the fingers. Although the two devices look like they share some blood, I think that the Touch is special in its own right.

HTC has put a great deal of thought into the design of the Touch, inside and out. They’ve written an entire UI modification suite that actually works the way it should, which is more than can be said for most manufacturers’ efforts in this area. At the end of the day, however, you may just have to look at what you need from a “smartphone,” because the Touch is definitely a different kind of Windows Mobile phone than what you’ve come to expect. That may be a good thing, though.

Read the full review of the HTC Touch Smartphone @ thetechlounge

In less than a decade, mobile devices have undergone a radical transformation. Originally designed just as telephones, mobile devices are now morphing into highly personalized, multi-purpose computers that may soon be more central to our lives than the desktop PC. What is driving this rapid evolution?

Clearly, recent advances in mobile technology are part of the answer. Today’s mobile devices have more computing power, more bandwidth, more storage capacity and many more services available than cell phones did just a few years ago. As a result, users can now download video content, watch streaming television broadcasts, and store thousands of songs and hundreds of movies on their mobile devices.

Read More: Mobile Voice Search: Maximizing the Potential of Mobile Devices

slashdot has posted a burb about the possbile cause of 3G issues on the new iPhone.

Quote:

"Richard Windsor of Nomura published a research note… Tuesday singling out the iPhone 3G’s chipset, made by Infineon, as the probable culprit for the reception problems we reported on Monday. The dropped calls, service interruptions, and abrupt network switches experienced by iPhone 3G users reminded Windsor of similar complaints five years ago, when 3G phones were first launched in Europe. ‘We believe that these issues are typical of an immature chipset and radio protocol stack where we are almost certain that Infineon is the 3G supplier,’ Windsor wrote. ‘This is not surprising as the Infineon 3G chipset solution has never really been tested in the hands of users. Some people will not experience these problems as it is only in areas where the radio signal weakens that the immaturity of the stack really shows.’"

Read: Infineon chipset possible cause of iPhone 3G issues

It looks like pocketables.com has just outed their review of the smallest-screened Centrino Atom device running Windows Vista in the world. Yep, the Willcom D4 (Sharp WS016SH). The 40GB slide-and-tilt UMPC may need a good importer as it is Asia bound but is the 1-pound UMPC worth the premium import price (about $1500 new, $1200 used)?

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium
CPU: 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520
Chipset: Intel US15W, GMA500
RAM: 1GB DDR2 SDRAM (soldered onto motherboard)
Storage: 40GB HDD (1.8” Toshiba MK4009GAL, 4200 rpm)
Expansion: MicroSD card slot
Display: 5” touchscreen (1024 x 600, 262K colors, LED-backlit)
Wireless: 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 (1Seg TV tuner & phone functions work in Japan only)
Camera: 2 megapixels
Size: 7.4” x 3.3” x 1.0”
Weight: 1 lb. (with standard battery)

Check out pocketables Review: Willcom D4 (Sharp WS016SH)

No much in the way of details but according the info you add a dash of salt in the water is all that’s needed for the clock to harvest energy and operate.

From the website:

This new clock has a set of metal electrodes inside that extracts energy from the compound particles that reside in water. It uses water (and a dash of salt) and turns it into energy to power the clock.

Sooo it’s like a chubby AA battery then. Not bad for $16 I guess.

http://www.bedolwhatsnext.com/clocks-waterpowered-clock-c-89_199.html

OK...wow. Slashdot always has something I like, once I sift through the venomous MS hating Tux worshiping articles...lol (just kiddin slashdot kids...sorta.)

From the project page:

To understand the Warcart requires one understand a bit of history first. Wardriving, that is, driving with a laptop computer and tracking WiFi access points, first became popular around 2001. Within a short time span, people invented warwalking, and millions flocked to walk the streets with a laptop and WiFi card in hand. Then the craze really took off when someone flew a Cessna airplane with a laptop and became the first warflyer. Within no time at all, the press and every tech blog on the internet was covering the latest war-something. There was warrocketing, warballooning, warbiking, and warboating. There were talks and seminars. News stories and blog posts. Television reports and radio shows. All about the latest in WiFi tracking. It soon became apparent to the larger community that most of these methods are highly elitist. Here are car-driving, personal-plane-owning, leisure-hot-air-ballooning, yachting aficionados armed with laptop computers. What the world needed was a low-cost, yet powerful alternative.

And thus, (mostly as a joke and for reasons that will be disclosed in this talk at Defcon 16), the Warcart was born.

Video after the break...