Hasta La Gadget!

Nokia’s new Ovi Maps software just made its way to the venerable E71 and E66 business handsets. While Nokia was constrained from offering its premium nav services like Guide Michelin and Lonely Planet on these legacy S60 3.1 handsets, owners are nevertheless being treated to free walk and drive navigation with turn-by-turn guidance. So really, you can’t complain… unless of course you picked up a US-flavored E71x which isn’t eligible for the free update. Check the full press release after the break for download instructions and a list of compatible devices.

Continue reading Nokia E71 and E66 owners get free Ovi Maps navigation

Nokia E71 and E66 owners get free Ovi Maps navigation originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Finally, the day has come. At some magical point in time during today, all you Xbox 360 owners will be prompted to update to the latest firmware for your beloved console. Once the tidy little exchange of data with Microsoft’s servers has been completed, you’ll at long last be able to plug USB memory sticks in and exploit a bit of functionality that frankly should’ve been there from the start. So that’s it, all your game saves, profiles and other 360-related trinkets can finally be taken on the move without resorting to lugging a HDD around. In the mean time, SanDisk’s previously rumored Xbox 360-branded $40 8GB flash drive is looking all the more real, with Amazon now offering pre-orders at a slightly less crazy $35 price point. You know, in case the millions of USB storage options out there aren’t doing it for you.

Xbox 360 update brings long-awaited USB storage support, SanDisk ready to cash in originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on February 27, 2007 by CyberNet.

Last week we talked about how some of the user-submitted ideas on Dell’s IdeaStorm site were becoming quite popular. The things that were becoming the most popular were all related to open-source software and the need for a Linux laptop/desktop offering. Then trailing a little bit behind those ideas was the “no extra software” submission where users would like to receive clean PC’s without the extra bloat typically included.

I was reading a PC World article today that talked about Dell’s announcement that they will be providing desktops and laptops with Linux pre-installed. Then I thought to myself to check the “Ideas in Action” site that Dell provides to show what user submissions they are currently working on. Here was their entry on the new Linux options:

It’s exciting to see the IdeaStorm community’s interest in open source solutions like Linux and OpenOffice. Your feedback has been all about flexibility and we have seen a consistent request to provide platforms that allow people to install their operating system of choice. We are listening, and as a result, we are working with Novell to certify our corporate client products for Linux, including our OptiPlex desktops, Latitude notebooks and Dell Precision workstations. This is another step towards ensuring that our customers have a good experience with Linux on our systems.

As this community knows, there is no single customer preference for a distribution of Linux. In the last week, the IdeaStorm community suggested more than half a dozen distributions. We don’t want to pick one distribution and alienate users with a preference for another. We want users to have the opportunity to help define the market for Linux on desktop and notebook systems. In addition to working with Novell, we are also working with other distributors and evaluating the possibility of additional certifications across our product line. We are continuing to investigate your other Linux-related ideas, so please continue to check here for updates.

To read about the recent addition of Latitude notebooks to our n-series family, read Direct2Dell from one of Dell’s Linux solution architects, or visit www.dell.com/linux and www.dell.com/nseries.

So it doesn’t sound like they will have some of the more popular Linux distributions available right away, like Ubuntu, but hopefully they will be able to include those later on. They definitely need to take extra steps to make sure their notebooks run well with Linux before doing this kind of stuff though. My current Dell notebook has a “small” problem with Ubuntu where it is unable to turn the fans on to keep the computer cool. For that reason I’m unable to use Ubuntu on my laptop so I’ve been sticking with OpenSUSE which runs beautifully.

That wasn’t the only announcement that I noticed on the Dell Ideas site though. They also mentioned that they will try to make it easier for users to remove software that comes pre-installed:

Dell recognizes our customers’ desire to have unlimited control over the software on their PC. In fact, today XPS customers can opt-out of almost all preinstalled software. We will be expanding this effort in the coming months. In addition to focusing on the software installation process, Dell has also taken steps to make it easier for customers to remove software once they receive their PC. Today, customers can kick-off an un-install of almost any application by declining the EULA (End User Licensing Agreement) associated with software.

Additionally, the consolidated desktop folders provide a link to add/remove programs to facilitate easy software removal. We plan on increasing the degree of customer control moving forward, allowing customers to more quickly select software they want to remove and facilitate simple un-installation. Thanks for your feedback and suggestions in this area.

I’m not completely sure if they are going to comply with what users really want, but I’m surprised they even recognized this. The fact that a customer has to uninstall software that they didn’t want in the first place is something that angers many people, which is why they should always offer the option to opt-out of the included software. However, if they did that then the cost of computers could rise since companies pay to have their software pre-installed. I think a great compromise would be to offer the computer without any extra software for a small cost (maybe $25 or so). I’m not sure how much they actually make on each computer from pre-installing the software, but I would guess that $25 to $50 should cover it.

I give Dell a lot of credit for responding to the ideas that users submitted after just one week of launching the new site. I wasn’t expecting to see anything come from the ideas for at least a month, so this was definitely a surprise for me. Now I wonder if any other big ideas will come from the IdeaStorm site or has the initial buzz has worn off?

Dell IdeaStorm Homepage
View the Ideas in Action

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Related Posts:

Dell Starts Linux Survey to Pinpoint what you wantDell’s Most Requested Features Focus on Open Source SoftwareBy Popular Request: Dell Brings Back Windows XPMichael Dell’s Ubuntu Laptop…a Little Overkill?Court to Pirater: No Linux – You Must Use Windows

In a small car-audio shop down in Santa Clarita, California this week, something happened that has never happened before. Doug Bernards, son of “The SoundMan” Bruce Bernards, took his Dremel to the dash of a Toyota Tacoma pickup and began to cut. The project: The World’s first in-car iPad.

The picture shows the result of placing the iPad at the heart of the car’s entertainment system. Doug, of SoundMan Car Audio, has already cut an iPad-shaped hole, but is waiting on the Apple dock in order to hook it up to the rest of the system. And what a system. The dock connector will run direct to an Onkyo ND-S1 digital media transport, designed to get sound out of an iPod or iPhone with better quality than you get from the jack. This runs to an Audison Bit One processor which turns the digital signal into an analog signal and pipes it into a six-channel McIntosh amp.

What does all that mean? A kick-ass sound system is what it means, but we’re more interested in the possibilities of a dash-mounted iPad. Clearly it will make an amazing GPS, and a dangerously distracting movie display, but there’s something we’re missing here. A big screen mounted up front in a car: Any ideas?

First iPad in a Car [SoundMan Car Audio via Autoblog]

Say it with us now: “finally!” We’ve been yearning for a true Drobo NAS drive ever since Data Robotics first introduced its “intelligent” storage robot back in the heyday that was 2007, and after coming darn close with the DroboShare, the company has finally produced a bona fide networked storage solution. The Drobo FS (for ‘File Server’) utilizes the same chassis as the Drobo S, and in terms of features, it can do everything that box can, too. What differentiates it, however, is that astoundingly gorgeous gigabit Ethernet jack on the rear, not to mention a new dual-core CPU, increased RAM, a revised Linux kernel and enough overall tweaks to make it perform 4x faster than the DroboShare. We spoke with Mark Fuccio, Senior Director of Products and Markets, who obliged when we dug for even more details.

For starters, this device will boast five bays, and users can mix, match, upgrade and swap drives at will, just like any other Drobo. It’ll also support network backups of Macs and PCs, and while you won’t find a Time Machine stamp, the Time Tamer app available in the DroboApps portal will enable support for Mac loyalists who insist on using that over Data Robotic’s (likely superior) solution. It also ships with a BitTorrent client that keeps your transfers humming even when your PC is off, and it’ll handle iTunes, UPnP and DLNA streaming to boot. Firmware upgrades will be handled over the network, and users can poke around for even more applications by visiting the company’s website. One app that stood out to us, however, was one that’ll be thrown in by the recently renamed Oxygen Cloud; in essence, this will allow users to turn their Drobo FS into “the cloud,” enabling colleagues or kids to remotely access the Drobo as if it were some faraway, magical data drive connected to a mythical T3. Yeah, this definitely feels more like a corporate thing than anything else, but it’s certainly something that you won’t find on those “other” NAS drives. It should be noted, however, that the app will only support a single user for free — if you’re buying for a corporation or small business, you’ll need to hit up Oxygen Cloud to procure a multi-user license.

Aside from nabbing SMB and AFP support, Mark told us that users could reasonably expect to see file transfers between 30MB/sec and 40MB/sec, but that’s obviously subject to vary based on strain. As for pricing? Data Robotics told us that the new Drobo FS will be on sale globally today through the typical channels (Amazon, CDW, B&H Photo, Dell and NewEgg), with the empty unit selling for $699. A 4.5TB model (1.5TB x 3) will go for $999, while a 7.5TB version (5 x 1.5TB) lists for $1,149 and a 10TB edition (2TB x 5) for $1,449. Or you could just enter to win one here. Oh, and as for that DroboShare we mentioned earlier? It’s being phased out with the introduction of the Drobo FS, so if you’re jonesing for one, you might want to get that order placed.

Drobo FS: finally, Data Robotics releases a Drobo NAS drive originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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