Hasta La Gadget!

Are your ears ringing? Does your heart skip a beat? Well, they should – as two divergent forms of malware attacked
our online sense of well-being this week. Engineered by social media
gurus on one front and hackers on the other, one was analogous to an American Idol trainwreck, while the other, the work of a nefarious cat burglar

An Israeli tech startup, StoreDot,
has come up with a cell phone battery that charges your phone in 30
seconds!  In its prototype stage right now, it joins several other
proprietary products in StoreDot’s stable of yet-to-be-released
inventions that are based on the properties of biologically available nanodots.

Logitech has unveiled a new keyboard that isn’t aimed at desktop users or gamers. This keyboard is called the Illuminated Living-Room Keyboard K830 and it is specifically designed to allow HTPC fans easy control over their computer when sitting on the couch.

The big feature of the keyboard is backlit keys that make it easy to control your machine in the dark. The backlight has a sensor that will change the intensity of the backlight depending on how much light is in the room. That should help the battery last longer in the rechargeable keyboard.

Logitech also built in a trackpad with dual buttons on the side to make controlling the cursor a snap. Wireless range for the keyboard is 33-feet and it ships with a small Unifying receiver for connectivity. The keyboard will ship this month for $99.99(USD).

It’s too bad there’s not a version that will work with set-top boxes and not just PCs.

I have always wondered why car manufacturers didn’t go the extra mile and make it so keyless entry systems are actually keyless and fobless. Sure, it’s more convenient to press a button on the door or grope yourself looking for a remote than to have to put a key in the door. That said, it would be much more convenient if the car would just unlock itself when you walk up and lock itself when you leave.

It can’t cost much more for automakers to implement that sort of tech. Until that tech becomes common on cars sold around the world. Viper has a system that will bring that functionality to the aftermarket. The system is called the Viper Smartkey and it uses your iPhone to lock and unlock your doors.

The cool part is that you don’t have to take the smartphone out of your pocket or purse to make it work. All you need to do is get out of the car and walk away, the doors will lock, and the Viper alarm will arm. When you walk back up to the car, the doors unlock and the alarm turns off. Smartkey does require a Viper alarm or remote start system to function. If you have one of those systems, you can get Smartkey for $149.99(USD) right now.

There is a huge difference between most automatic transmissions that have a torque converter and paddle shifters and the dual-clutch automatics with paddle shifters featured on many European sports cars. A paddle shift automatic in a Ford product, like the Taurus SHO, needs about 1000 RPM to shift a gear making for a very annoying driving experience.

On the other hand, the dual-clutch transmission on something like the BMW M3 will shift gears much faster than your typical person can shift a manual. Chevrolet is going to be offering a new 8-speed auto transmission in the 2015 Corvette Stingray. However, many people were not happy when it was announced that the transmission GM made for the car isn’t a dual-clutch unit.

GMs tranny has a torque converter, but the company claims it will shift faster at wide-open throttle than the dual-clutch unit Porsche uses in its 911. GM says the 8-speed 8L90 transmission will shift gears .08 seconds faster than the Porsche gearbox. At the same time since it has a torque converter, GM says that it remains smooth and comfortable around town. The 8L90 transmissions will be offered in the standard Stingray for 2015 and the Z06 version.

“Corvette Stingray’s new eight-speed automatic delivers the comfort and drivability of a true automatic transmission, as well as lightning-fast shifts and the manual control that enhance the performance-driving experience,” said Bill Goodrich, assistant chief engineer for eight-speed automatic transmissions. “It was designed to enhance the Stingray’s driving experience, with performance on par with dual-clutch designs, but without sacrificing refinement.”

Guess we’ll have to wait to drive a 2015 Stingray to see how well the transmission lives up to its promises.