(Credit:
Dong Ngo/CNET)
I received this wireless mouse awhile ago, but as it comes in one of those clamshell packages that are impossible to open, I kind of ignored it until now.
As it turns out, the packaging is the only bad thing about it. Inside, I found what's possibly the coolest wireless mouse ever. It's a miniature replica of a Ford GT sports car. The two mouse buttons are the left and right side of the hood, and the scroll wheel is right in the middle (but kind of hidden as it's painted over).
The feature of the Fort GT wireless mouse I like the most is the head lights of the car that actually light up whenever you press on the mouse buttons. This is really cool when using the mouse in the dark. However, you can also turn this off with a little switch on the bottom of the mouse -- a nice design touch that comes in handy when you want to surf discreetly or conserve the juice.
The mouse is one of many car-shaped mice officially licensed to Four Door Media by Ford and other car manufacturers. At Four Door Media's Web site, you'll find many other car models, including Corvette, Camaro, Mustang GT, and even cop cars.
As a mouse, my Ford GT worked great out of the box. Like most optical wireless mice, it comes with two AAA batteries and a compact USB wireless dongle. Once the batteries were installed and the dongle was plugged in, the mouse worked flawlessly from up to 5 feet away. No software or driver was required. It also worked well in my tests with the latest Windows 7.
Despite the cheap plasticky look of the packaging, the mouse actually has a very solid build. My only complaint is that its wheels are not rotatable; otherwise, it would make a great toy car when not in use as a mouse.
The Road Mice cost $45.95 each, a decent price for a wireless mouse. If you're a fan of cars, it's totally worth it to have your ride literally accompany your laptop.
(Credit:
Dong Ngo/CNET)
I am a fan of practicality. The only reason I have the key fob that I've been carrying around for a while is because it also works as a beer bottle opener. But I am about to replace that with something I could use a lot more frequently, and which won't make me fat.
The CableCar USB drive is yet another design from Active Media. This time it's a miniature of a San Francisco cable car, measuring only 2 inches long by 1.2 inches wide by 0.8 inch deep. It's a rather accurate replica of the kind of vintage cable car you're likely to run into on many San Francisco streets. The drive comes in two color combinations: blue/red or green/red.
The body of the drive is made of hardened rubber, which protects its stored contents from damage. It also comes with a hook on which to set the detachable part when the drive is open or in use.
Other than that, the CableCar USB drive supports USB 2.0 and is compatible with both PCs and Macs. However, its USB connector is rather short in relation with its relatively thick body. This might make it hard to fit in every USB port. Nonetheless, as a bonus, it comes preloaded with about 30 photos of San Francisco's attractions.
The CableCar USB drive comes in capacities ranging from 1GB to 16GB and is available now. The 16GB version costs $37.
If you have a fancy car with integrated OnStar service, good for you, but if not, there are different ways to make your vehicle trackable. One of which is the Seeker that BlackLine GPS introduced on Thursday. Seeker is a GPS-based vehicle recovery and tracking device that a car tech savvy person can install without professional help.
The Seeker and its keyfob
(Credit: BlackLine GPS)Slightly larger than the size of a car remote key, once installed and armed, the device continuously monitors its automatically configured GPS security perimeter. If an unauthorized individual moves the vehicle outside the security perimeter, it instantly notifies the owner via SMS or e-mail and alerts the BlackLine Recovery Service, triggering a recovery process. During this process BlackLine works in conjunction with the local authorities to recover your vehicle and bring the thief to justice.
Even when there's no incident, an owner can also track the location of the vehicle in real time via his mobile phone or BlackLine's Web site, which is a selling point for me. It's hard to believe, but I've more than once forgotten where I had parked my car.
The device comes with a key fob for the owner to carry with him. The key fob allows the Seeker to automatically arm/disarm its security function. When the user approaches Seeker's preestablished perimeter, it automatically disarms. When the user leaves the perimeter, Seeker automatically configures a GPS security perimeter and enters its armed security mode.
Seeker requires only a two-wire power connection and is compatible with both 12VDC and 24VDC power systems. It can even report the car's battery level to the owner via e-mail and text message to a mobile phone. If Seeker's power supply is disconnected, it automatically switches to to its internal rechargeable two-day battery backup system while notifying the user of the issue.
On top of that, the device also features BlackLine's sharing technology that allows users to share their locations with one another. This comes in handy when you travel in a group of multiple vehicles.
Seeker will be available early next year with a price of about $350. You will also need a plan for the tracking service that costs $20 per month or $200 per year.
(Credit:
Scosche)
So, you just bought a new car that came with a built-in iPod cable. Great, right? Well, maybe not. Unfortunately, the cable is only compatible with the previous generation of iPod products and not your brand new iPhone 3G, Nano 4G, or Touch 2G.
A bummer? Yes. However, Scosche is on this like an Apple fanboy is on Steve Jobs' every word. Or close to that, at least.
On Thursday, Scosche announced the Passport, which is now on sale at Apple stores, although I was unable to find it at Apple's online store at press time.
The Passport utilizes a female pass-through connector, which--purportedly--will attach to any in-car iPod-integration system to charge all iPhone and iPod models, including the iPhone 3G and the recently introduced Nano 4G and Touch 2G.
According to Scosche, prior to the Passport, many car owners could not get these integrated systems to work with the new products; now they don't have to buy a new car to do so.
I've found a few people who have experienced this problem with their built-in car adapters. My guess is that these are adapters hard-wired into the car that cannot be replaced and there is some kind of voltage incompatibility that prevents them from working. If that is the case, the Passport could be a fix.
Update: The guys are Scosche let me in on exactly why connecting your new iPhone or iPod to a car system might be a problem: "The reason that the iPhone is compatible with your computer cable is because it plugs into a USB port that operates on 5V. When you directly connect one of the newer iPod or iPhone models (iPhone 3G, iPod nano 4th Gen, iPod touch 2nd Gen) to an existing car system they will play but not charge. This is because most car integration units operate on the older "Firewire" voltage (12V). The Passport converts the 12V to the new 5V "USB" standard. It does not have to do with switching the pins, just converting the voltage"
The Passport retails for $29.99.
KBB's new Web site optimized for iPhone and iPod Touch.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)Kelley Blue Book (KBB), the popular Web site that rates and provides information on motor vehicles, launched on Wednesday its new version that's optimized for iPhone's display (both the original and the iPhone 3G). The new site also works with iPod Touch.
iPhone users now can easily access KBB's new and used vehicle information on their device anywhere they go. The site appears as a Web application that looks and feels very much like an independent application that you buy from Apple's Apps Store. In addition, iPhone users also have the ability to view the Web site's videos, images, new car reviews and can submit free dealer price quotes.
I tried out the site with my iPhone 3G and really liked the way it's organized. In many ways I thought it was even better than the regular full version KBB site that you access from a computer: very straight forward and there was no clutter. The new site responded fast with the 3G connection, when I turned off the 3G, it was slower, as expected, but still acceptable.
To access the new site, all you have to do is type www.kbb.com on the phone's Safari browser, and you will be directed to the optimized Web site automatically. You will also have the option of accessing the full version of the site on the phone.
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Eric Franklin's colleagues once had the following to say to him: "Eric, you've been doing this performance testing thing for over 10 years now. How about you try something different?" To which Eric responded, "How about you shut the #%$@! up?" This candid attitude
allows him to go toe-to-toe with the most extreme of personalities, including that of Dong Ngo. This bio was written by Eric Franklin.
Dong Ngo is a knowledgeable, opinionated individual who wants to convince the world that he's just a normal person; but he hasn't had much success. According to him, this is because the world itself is abnormal. Dong loves traveling and is well-versed in several languages. He, unfortunately, is not so well-versed in English. Still, it's best to ask him questions. From networking and how to optimize your system, to turning a strange place into home or what the meaning of life is…most of the time, he has the answers. The question is: Will he make himself understood? Subscribe and find out!
